Sailors' Songs or "Chanties"

An early collection of shanties with words by Lieutenant Frederick J. Davis, R.N.R., and music composed and arranged upon traditional sailor airs by Ferris Tozer. The first edition (1886) features 24 shanties. By 1897, Davis had expanded to 50 sailors’ songs or “chanties” (words only).

First Edition (1886)

1. Sally Brown
2. Away For Rio
3. We’re All Bound to Go
4. The Wide Missouri
5. Leave Her, Johnnie
6. Can’t You Dance a Polka?
7. The Black Ball Line
8. Hoodah Day
9. Homeward Bound
10. Whisky For My Johnnie
11. Reuben Ranzo
12. Blow Boys, Blow
13. Blow the Man Down
14. Tom’s Gone to Ilo
15. Hanging Johnnie
16. Haul Away Jo’
17. Haul the Bowlin’
18. Paddy Doyle’s Boots
19. A-Roving
20. Storm Along
21. Mobile Bay
22. Salt Horse
23. The Dead Horse
24. Eight Bells

Expanded Edition (1897)

Anchor Songs

1. Sally Brown
2. Away for Rio
3. We’re All Bound to Go
4. The Wide Missouri
5. Leave Her, Johnnie
6. Can’t You Dance a Polka?
7. The Black Ball Line
8. Hoodah Day
9. Homeward Bound
10. Lowlands
11. Poor Paddy Works on the Railway
12. Eliza Lee
13. Hame, Dearie, Hame
14. As Off to the South’ard We Go
15. The Golden Vanitee
16. Yeo Ho, Heave Ho!
17. On the Plains of Mexico

Setting Sail Songs

18. Haul the Bowlin’
19. Whisky for My Johnnie
20. Reuben Ranzo
21. Blow, Boys, Blow
22. Blow the Man Down
23. Tom’s Gone to ‘Ilo
24. What to Do with a Drunken Sailor
25. Boney Was a Warrior
26. The Chanty-man’s Song
27. Highland Laddie
28. Hanging Johnnie
29. The Sailor’s Loves
30. So Handy, My Boys
31. Haul Away, Jo’
32. I’m Bound Away
33. Johnny Bowker
34. A Hundred Years Ago

Song for Furling Sail

35. Paddy Doyle’s Boots

Songs for Pumping the Ship Out

36. One More Day for Johnnie
37. A-Roving
38. Storm Along
39. The Saucy Sailor Boy
40. Mobile Bay
41. Fire Down Below
42. The Girl with the Blue Dress
43. Shallow Brown
44. The Ox-eyed Man

General Songs

45. Eight Bells
46. Salt Horse
47. The Dead Horse
48. Married to a Mermaid
49. The Stormy Winds Do Blow
50. Farewell and Adieu to You