This song is well known on both sides of the Atlantic, used on sailing ships as a short haul as well as a forcastle (fo'c'sle) shanty.
[Dm] What shall we do with a drunken sailor
[C] What shall we do with a drunken sailor
[Dm] What shall we do with a drunken sailor
Earl-eye in the morning!
Chorus:
[Dm] Way hay and up she rises
[C] Way hay and up she rises
[Dm] Way hay and up she rises
[Dm] Earl-eye [C] in the [Dm] morning
Put him in a long-boat till he's sober (X3)
Earl-eye in the morning!
Pull out the plug and wet him all over (X3)
Earl-eye in the morning!
Put him in the bilge and make him drink it (X3)
Earl-eye in the morning!
Shave his belly with a rusty razor (X3)
Earl-eye in the morning!
Heave him by the leg with a running bowline (X3)
Earl-eye in the morning!
Keel haul him untill he gets sober. (X3)
Earl-eye in the morning!
That's what we do with the drunken sailor (X3)
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Earl-eye in the morning (X3)
The purpose of the Folk Den is to use the medium of the World Wide Web to continue the tradition of the folk process, that is the telling of stories, and singing of songs, passed on from one generation to another, by word of mouth.
In this electronic era, such a process is in danger of being overwhelmed by the commercial mass media. This page and others on the 'net are working to preserve the folk songs that have chronicled our global heritage for centuries.
In the Folk Den, a "new" folk song is uploaded every month as a "Global Community Service."
