Name: Leave Her, Johnny
Duration: P00H02M39S
Description: This sea shanty was often the last song sung on a voyage before the ship pulled into port and for this reason sailors would not dare to sing it sooner. It has been sung by Bob Roberts, Louis Killen and Jon Boden, who learnt it at Forest School Camps as I did. It is also one of the many sea shanties included in the Assassin's Creed games.

Leave Her, Johnny

from Of Love and War by Roary Skaista

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This sea shanty was often the last song sung on a voyage before the ship pulled into port and for this reason sailors would not dare to sing it sooner. It has been sung by Bob Roberts, Louis Killen and Jon Boden, who learnt it at Forest School Camps as I did. It is also one of the many sea shanties included in the Assassin's Creed games.

lyrics

LYRICS:

I thought I heard the old man say,
"Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
It's a long hard pull to the next pay day
And it's time for us to leave her."

Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her.
It's a long hard pull to the next pay day
And it's time for us to leave her.

The captain was bad but the mate was worse,
Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
He could blow you down with a sigh and a curse
And it's time for us to leave her.

Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her,
He could blow you down with a sigh and a curse
And it's time for us to leave her.

And a dollar a day is a Jack Shite's pay.
Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
When it's pump all night and it's work all day
And it's time for us to leave her.

Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her,
When it's pump all night and it's work all day
And it's time for us to leave her.

Now the rats are all gone and we the crew,
Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Well, it's time, by Christ, that we left too
And it's time for us to leave her.

Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Well, it's time, by Christ, that we left too
And it's time for us to leave her.

Well it's pump or drown, the old man said,
Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Or else, by Christ, we'd all be dead
And it's time for us to leave her.

Leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her,
Well, it's time, by Christ, that we left too
And it's time for us to leave her.

credits

from Of Love and War, released August 1, 2016
Traditional

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Roary Skaista UK

Roary Skaista is a queer folk musician based in Oxford, performing traditional folk songs as well as their own material on the themes of love, nature and diversity.

Support Roary on Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/roaryskaista

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