BLOW THE MAN DOWN
(Halliard Shanty)

First Version-

As I was a-walking down Paradise Street-
To me, way-ay, blow the man down!
A big fat policeman I chanced for to meet-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

Says he, " You're a Black Baller by the cut of your hair,"
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
"I know you're a Black Baller by the togs that you wear"-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

"You sail in a packet that flies the Black Ball"-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
"You've robbed a poor Dutchman of sea chest and all"-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

"Oh p'leeceman, oh p'leeceman, you do me much wrong-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
"I'm a flying fish sailor just home from Hong Kong"-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

I spat in his face and I gave him some jaw-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
Says he, "Now, young feller, you're breaking the law"-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

So they gave me three months all in Liverpool town-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
For fighting a p'leeceman and blowing him down-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

I'll give you this warning afore we belay-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
Steer clear of policemen, you'll find it will pay-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

Second Version-

Oh blow the man down, bullies, blow him right down-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
Oh blow the man down, bullies, blow him away-
Give me some time to blow the man down!

As I was a-walking down Paradise Street
A spanking fine gal there I chanced for to meet.
This spanking fine gal then she said unto me:
"There's a dandy full-rigger just ready for sea."

That dandy full-rigger to Sydney was bound-
She was very well rigged and very well found.
But as soon as the clipper was clear of the Bar
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar.

And as soon as the clipper was well out to sea
I'd cruel bad treatment of every degree.
So I'll give you this warning afore we belay-
To me way-ay, blow the man down-
Don't take it for gospel what spanking gals say-
Give us some time to blow the man down!

Third Version-

Oh a ship she was fited and ready for sea-
To me way-ay, blow the man down!
And fishes she had for her ship's compance-
Give us some time to blow the man down!

First come the eel with his slippery tail,
He said, "I'll lay aloft and shake out every sail."
Next came the lobster with his prickly back,
He said, "I'll go for'ard and board the foretack."

Next came the codfish with his chucklehead,
He jumped in the chains and was heaving the lead.
Next came the flounder that lies on the ground.
Saying, "Damn your eyes, chucklehead, mind where you sound."
Last came the herring, the king of the sea,
Saying, "Haul in your headsheets, now, hellum's a-lee!"

Notes by CFS:

"Blow the Man Down" well deserves its wide popularity. It has a fine swing and go about it, and must have been a rare good tune to make a job of work go the better.

I remember an old sailorman's description of the first time he heard this shanty sung. He was on board one of De Wolf's big Liverpool ships just leaving port - the crew, of course, still suffering from considerably what temperance orators would no doubt call "the effects of the previous night's debauch," and feeling distinctly languid in consequence. The mate- a great lanky Bluenose with hands like sledge-hammers and feet like yards- started up "Blow the Man Down!" The effect was magical. You just had to laugh! He had that half-dead crowd in a good humour in next to no time, and up went those topsail yards in fine style.

There are several recognized sets of words... Version One- the same which made the Liverpool grin- refers, of course, to the celebrated Black Ball Line of packets sailing out of Liverpool. This is essentially a Liverpool shanty, though individual shantymen have frequently adapted the words to fit their own particular trade or port of register. Thus Sir Richard Terry's East Coast version has "Winchester Street" for "Paradise Street," and A London shantyman would give Ratcliff Highway as the name of the thoroughfare where the encounter took place with the big fat policeman or (Version Two) the spanking fine gal.

Version Three really belongs to another shanty altogether, that of "The Fishes," with the refrain "Stormy weather- windy weather- when the wind blows pull all together," familiar to readers of Kipling's CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS.

...there are many other sets of words known. One old sailor told me they used to sing "Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall"- "any sort of rubbish so long as it fitted the tune," was the way he put it.

The air of the refrain, on the other hand, seldom varied at all. The latter bears a striking resemblance to the German carol, "Stille Nacht, heil'ge Nacht," which may be accidental, or may quite possibly be an example of the picking up of a tune from emigrants. The packet ships carried hundreds of Germans to the United States, and what is more likely then that they should sing their national songs and hymns to while away the tedium of the voyage and so add to the sailor's repertoire?

X:1
T:Blow The Man Down
C:C. Fox Smith 'A Book of Shanties: p 50
M:3/8
L:1/16
K:Eb
z4B2|B2 c2 B2|G2 E2 G2|B2 c2 B2|G6|
w:As I was a-walk-ing down Par-a-dise Street
B2 B4|c2 c4|A3 G A2|F4c2|A2 G2 A2|F2 D2 B,2|
w:To me, way-ay, blow the man down! A big fat pol-ice-man I
A2 G2 F2|c6|B B3 B2|B4A2|G3 F G2|E4
w:chanced for to meet Give me some time to blow the man down!

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