Men’s Chorusing

Eternal Father! Strong to Save

1 Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm does bind the restless wave,
Who bids the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

2 O Savior, whose almighty word
The winds and waves submissive heard,
Who walked upon the foaming deep,
And calm amid the rage did sleep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

3 O Holy Spirit, who did brood
Upon the waters dark and rude,
And bid their angry tumult cease,
And give for wild confusion peace;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

4 O Trinity of love and pow'r,
Your children shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire, and foe,
Protect them where-so-e'er they go;
Thus, evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

The Voyage of St. Brendan

Well we'll be alright, if the LORD be on our side!
We'll be alright, if the LORD be on our side!
We'll be alright, if the LORD be on our side!
And the LORD, he's on our side!

And we all belong to Jerusalem above
We all belong to Jerusalem above
We all belong to Jerusalem above
And we sail for Eden's shores

And we'll be alright, if the LORD, he be our strength!
We'll be alright, if the LORD, he be our strength!
We'll be alright, if the LORD, he be our strength!
We'll be alright, if the LORD, he be our strength!

And the LORD, he is our strength!
And we all belong to Jerusalem above
We all belong to Jerusalem above
We all belong to Jerusalem above

And we sail for Eden's shores
We'll be sharpening the axe to cut down old Donar's oak!
We'll be sharpening the axe to cut down old Donar's oak!
We'll be sharpening the axe to cut down old Donar's oak!

For the LORD, he’s stronger, far!
And we all belong to Jerusalem above
We all belong to Jerusalem above
We all belong to Jerusalem above
And we sail for Eden's shores

Saint Brendan’s Voyage

When I was a lad on the Emerald Isle,
I heard many stories both lovely and wild.
About the great dragons and monsters that be,
That swallow the ships as they sail on the sea.
'Tho I was an artist with canvas and paints,
I sailed with Saint Brendan and his jolly saints.
We told the good people, "Goodbye for a while,"
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle, fair isle,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle.

When we’d been on the ocean for ninety-four days,
We came to a spot where the sea was ablaze.
Those demons from Hades were dancing with glee,
Burning the sailors alive on the sea.
Then Brendan walked on the blistering waves,
and drove all those demons right back in their caves,
And all of the saints bore a heavenly smile,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle, fair isle,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle.

One night while the brethren were lying asleep,
A great dragon came up from under the deep.
With thunder and lightning he made a great din;
He awakened Saint Brendan and all of his men.
The dragon came on with its mouth open wide.
We threw in the cross and the great dragon died.
We skinned him and cooked him and feasted awhile,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle, fair isle,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle.

At last we came up to that beautiful land.
We all went ashore and we walked on the sand.
We took up our bows and killed a boar.
We roasted it up and had hot barbecue.
And after a while we were singing a song,
We noticed the island was moving along.
We ate and we drank and we rode in high style,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle, fair isle,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle.

Now Brendan said, "Boys, this is much to my wish!
"We ride on the back of the world's biggest fish!
"Hold fast to the rope that is pulling the ship,
"We'll need it someday if this fish takes a dip!"
We sailed every ocean, we sailed every sea,
We sailed every spot that a sailor could be.
In forty-four days we sailed ten million miles,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle, fair isle,
We sailed for Saint Brendan's fair isle.

Northwest Passage

Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea
Tracing one warm line through a land so wild and savage
And make a Northwest Passage to the sea

Westward from the Davis Strait 'tis there 'twas said to lie
The sea route to the Orient for which so many died
Seeking gold and glory, leaving weathered, broken bones
And a long-forgotten lonely cairn of stones

Three centuries thereafter, I take passage overland
In the footsteps of brave Kelsey, where his Sea of Flowers began
Watching cities rise before me, then behind me sink again
This tardiest explorer, driving hard across the plain

And through the night, behind the wheel, the mileage clicking west
I think upon Mackenzie, David Thompson and the rest
Who cracked the mountain ramparts and did show a path for me
To race the roaring Fraser to the sea

How then am I so different from the first men through this way?
Like them, I left a settled life, I threw it all away
To seek a Northwest Passage at the call of many men
To find there but the road back home again

Leave Her Johnny

I thought I heard the Old Man say
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her"
Tomorrow ye will get your pay
And it's time for us to leave her

Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
For the voyage is long and the winds don't blow
And it's time for us to leave her

Oh, the wind was foul and the sea ran high
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
She shipped it green and none went by
And it's time for us to leave her

I hate to sail on this rotten tub
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
No grog allowed and rotten grub
And it's time for us to leave her

We swear by rote for want of more
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
But now we're through so we'll go on shore
And it's time for us to leave her

Roll Down

Sweet ladies of Plymouth, we're saying goodbye
Ro-o-o-oll down!
But we'll rock you and roll you again bye and bye
Walk her round, my brave boys and roll down!

And we will ro-o-o-oll down!
Walk her round, my brave boys and roll down!

Now the anchor's aweigh and the sails are unfurled
And we're bound for to take her half-way round the world

In the wide Bay of Biscay the seas will run high
And the poor sickly transports they'll wish they could die

When the wild coast of Africa it do appear
The poor nervous transports they'll tremble with fear

When the Cape of Good Hope it is rounded at last
The poor lonesome transports they'll long for the past

When the great southern whales on our quarter do spout
The poor simple transports they'll goggle and shout

And when we arrive off Australia's strand
The poor weary transports they'll long for the land

And when we set sail for old England's shore
The poor stranded transports we'll see them no more

Then sweet ladies of Plymouth we'll pay all your rent
And go roving no more till our money's all spent

Roll The Old Chariot

Oh, we'd be alright if the wind was in our sails
We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails
We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails
And we'll all hang on behind...

And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!
We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!
We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!
And we'll all hang on behind!

Oh, we'd be alright if we make it round The Horn…

Well a night on the town wouldn't do us any harm…

A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm…

Well a nice watch below wouldn’t do us any harm…

Oh, a good night ashore wouldn’t do us any harm…

Well we'll be alright, if the LORD be on our side…

And we'll be alright, if the LORD he be our strength…

Rattlin’ Bog (Davitt Edition)

Oh, roe, the rattlin' bog
The bog down in the valley oh
A rare bog, a rattlin' bog
The bog down in the valley oh

Well in that bog there was a hole
A rare hole and a rattlin' hole
Hole in the bog
And the bog down in the valley o

In that hole there was a tree
On that tree there was a bough
On that bough there was a limb
On that limb there was a branch
On that branch there was a twig
On that twig there was a nest
In that nest there was a bird
In that bird there was an egg
In that egg there was a chick
On that chick there was a wing
On that wing there was a feather
On that feather there was a flea
On that flea there was a wing
On that wing there was a speck
On that speck there was an amoeba!
On that amoeba there was a Paramoeba!
In that Paramoeba was the fear of GOD!

Wellerman

There once was a ship that put to sea
The name of the ship was the Billy of Tea
The winds blew up, her bow dipped down
Oh blow, my bully boys, blow (huh)

Soon may the Wellerman come
To bring us sugar and tea and rum
One day, when the tonguing is done
We'll take our leave and go

She'd not been two weeks from shore
When down on her a right whale bore
The captain called all hands and swore
He'd take that whale in tow (huh)

Before the boat had hit the water
The whale's tail came up and caught her
All hands to the side, harpooned and fought her
When she dived down low (huh)

No line was cut, no whale was freed
The captain's mind was not of greed
And he belonged to the Whaleman's creed
She took that ship in tow (huh)

For forty days or even more
The line went slack then tight once more
All boats were lost, there were only four
But still that whale did go (huh)

As far as I've heard, the fight's still on
The line's not cut, and the whale's not gone
The Wellerman makes his regular call
To encourage the captain, crew and all (huh)

Santiana

Oh Santiana gained the day
Away Santiana
Napoleon of the west they say
Along the plains of Mexico

Well heave her up and away we'll go
Away Santiana
Heave her up and away we'll go
Along the plains of Mexico

She's a fast clipper ship and a bully good crew
Away Santiana
And an old salty Yank for a captain too
Along the plains of Mexico

Santiana fought for gold
Away Santiana
Around Cape Horn through the ice and snow
Along the plains of Mexico

'Twas on the field of Molly-Del-Rey
Away Santiana
Well both his legs got blown away
Along the plains of Mexico

It was a fierce and bitter strife
Away Santiana
The general Taylor took his life
Along the plains of Mexico

Santiana now we mourn
Away Santiana
We left him buried off Cape Horn
Along the plains of Mexico

Loch Lomond

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes,
Where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond,
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lomond.

O ye'll take the high road and I'll take the low road
An' I'll be in Scotland afore ye:
But me and my true love will never meet again
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o Loch Lomond.

We'll meet where we parted in yon shady glen,
On the steep, steep side of Ben Lomond,
Where in purple hue the Highland hills we view,
And the moon looks out from the gloamin.

The wild birdies sing and the wildflowers spring.
And in sunshine the waters are sleeping;
But the broken heart it kens, nae second spring again,
Though the woeful may cease from their grieving!

The Night Pat Murphy Died

Oh, the night that Paddy Murphy died, sure that’s the night I’ll never forget
All of the boys got loaded’ drunk and some ain’t sober yet (couple are here tonight right now)
And as long as the bottle was passed around, everyone was feelin’ gay
And Auggie came with his bagpipes, the music for to play

And that’s how they showed their respects to Paddy Murphy
That’s how they showed their honor and their pride
They said it was a sin and a shame, and they winked at one another
And every beer in the wake house went the night Pat Murphy died

Mrs. Murphy in the corner, she was pourin’ out her grief
When Kelly and the lads, oh, the dirty robbin’ thieves
They crept into the anti-room and a bottle of whiskey stole (dirty buggers)
And they placed the bottle with the corpse to keep the liquor cold

It was early in the morning when the funeral left the house
And everyone but poor old Mrs. Murphy was half-soused (she was always soused…)
They made a stop along the way at the Blarney Stone saloon
They got in there at nine o’clock and they didn’t leave till noon (the next day)

Then someone asked Pat Barry if anyone had died
Well, says he, I’m not quite sure; I just come for the ride (oh suuure just the ride)
They started for the graveyard then, all walkin’ in a line
But when they reached the grave they found they’d left the corpse behind (whoo!)

It was twenty years ago me boys that old Pat was put underground
And every year to celebrate they all push the jug around (and around… and around…)
They gather at the graveyard and pour vinegar in his ditch
‘Cause everybody hated that lousy son-of-a-… (WHOO!)

The Last Shanty

Well me father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor's life is very hard, the food is always bad
But now I've joined the navy, I'm aboard a man-o-war
And now I've found a sailor ain't a sailor anymore

Don’t haul on the rope, don’t climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run-ashore
A sailor ain’t a sailor, ain’t a sailor any more

Well the killick of our mess he says we had it soft
It wasn't like that in his day when we were up aloft
We like our bunks and sleeping bags, but what's a hammock for?
Swinging from the deckhead, or lying on the floor?

They gave us an engine that first went up and down
Then with more technology the engine went around
We know our steam and diesels but what's a mainyard for?
A stoker ain't a stoker with a shovel anymore

They gave us an Aldiss Lamp so we could do it right
They gave us a radio, we signaled day and night
We know our codes and ciphers but what's a semaphore?
A bunting-tosser doesn't toss the bunting anymore

Two cans of beer a day and that's your bleeding lot
And now we've got an extra one because they stopped The Tot
So we'll put on our civvy clothes find a pub ashore
A sailor's just a sailor just like he was before

The Rising of The Moon

O come tell me Sean O'Farrell
"Tell me why you hurry so?
Hush ma bouchal, hush and listen"
And his cheeks were all aglow
I bear orders from the Captain
"Get you ready, quick and soon
For the pikes must be together
By the rising of the moon"

"O come tell me Sean O'Farrell
Where the gath'rin is to be?
At the old spot by the river
Quite well-known to you and me
One more word for signal token
Whistle out the marchin' tune
With your pike upon your shoulder
By the rising of the moon

By the rising of the moon
By the rising of the moon
With your pike upon your shoulder
By the rising of the moon"

Out from many a mud wall cabin
Eyes were watching through the night
Many a manly heart was beating
For the blessed morning light
Murmurs rang along the valleys
To the banshee's lonely croon
And a thousand pikes were flashing
By the rising of the moon

By the rising of the moon
By the rising of the moon
And a thousand pikes were flashing
By the rising of the moon

All along that singing river
That black mass of men were seen
High above their shining weapons
To their own beloved green
"Death to every foe and traitor!
Whistle out the marching tune
And hurrah my boy for freedom
At the rising of the moon"

By the rising of the moon
By the rising of the moon
For the pikes must be together
By the rising of the moon

The Blacksmith of Brandywine

As we went down to Brandywine
There was a sight to see
A giant of a man with a hammer in his hand
Beneath the old oak tree
And scattered all around there
In fatal disarray
A score of men who would never fight again
Nor travel on the King’s Highway.

We dug his grave, covered him o’er
And sadly wept a tear
And passed the day a-ridin’ on our way
Till we met with a musketeer.
He told us of the story of
A brave and angry man
Who undertook the British enemy
With a hammer in his hand.

Make it one for Washington and all his gallant men
And one for the girl that once was mine
Make it one for the darling boy I’ll never see again
And don’t forget the blacksmith of Brandywine!

There lived a man in Chester town
Away from the cannon’s roar
Of manner mild, his a woman and child
No man could ever love more
One day he heard a Tory plot
To waylay Washington
He left his home and family alone
And to the General he did run.

His errand done he journeyed home
But sorrow there he found,
By British gun his wife and son
Lay still on the cold hard ground
Well the Blacksmith grave his heavy sledge
And gave a practice swing.
They say down the line at Brandywine
You could hear his hammer ring.

Make it one for Washington and all his gallant men
And one for the girl that once was mine
Make it one for the darling boy I’ll never see again
And don’t forget the blacksmith of Brandywine!