Lyr. Add: THE SHANTYBOY'S ALPHABET
Traditional, sung by Emerson Woodcock, Ontario.

A is for axes, which all of you know,
And B is for boys that can use them also.
C is for chopping we do first begin,
And D is for danger we ofttimes are in.

Refrain-
So merry, so merry, so merry are we,
No mortal on earth is as happy as we.
Hi derry, ho derry, hi derry down,
Give the shantyboys whiskey and nothing goes wrong.

E is for echo that through the woods ring,
And F is for foreman, the boss of our gang.
G is for grindstone we grind our axe on,
And H is for handle so smoothly worn.

I is for iron we mark all our pine,
And J is for jolly boys always on time.
K is for keen edge all our axes do keep,
And L is for lice that keep us from sleep.

M is for moss we chink in our camps,
Snd N is for needle we mend our old pants.
O is for owl that howl all the night,
And P is for pine we fall in daylight.

Q is for quarreling we do not allow,
And R is for river the logs they do plow.
S is for sleighs so stout and so strong,
T is for teams to haul them along.

U is for use we put our teams to,
And V is for valley we run our logs through.
W is for woods we leave in the spring,
So now you have heard all I have to sing.

Several versions, the song collected as early as 1904, widespread in North America.

Pp. 25-26, with musical score; Edith Fowke, 1970, "Lumbering Songs from the Northern Woods; published for the American Folklore Society, Univ. texas Press.