Oh, Nancy Dawson, I-Oh Ch: Chee-lee men She robb'd the Bosun, I-Oh Ch: Chee-lee men That was a caution, I-Oh Ch: Chee-lee men Oh Haul-y I-Oh Ch: Chee-lee men Oh Sally Racket, I-Oh &c. She pawned my best jacket, I-Oh &c. Sold the pawn ticket. I-Oh, &c. Oh Kitty Carson Jilted the parson Married a mason Oh Betsy Baker Lived in Long Acre Married a quaker Oh Jenny Walker Married a hawker That was a corker Oh Polly Riddle Broke her new fiddle Right through the middle

Cheer'ly, Man

Oh, Nancy Dawson, hio! Ch: Cheer'ly, man! She's got a notion, hio! Ch: Cheer'ly, man! For our old bosun, hio! Ch: Cheer'ly, man
Oh! hauley, hio! Cheer'ly, man!
Oh, Betsy Baker, hio! Lved in Long Acre, hio! Married a Quaker, hio! Oh, the ladies of the town, hio! All as soft as down, hio! In their best gown, hio! Oh, haughty cocks, hio! Oh, split the blocks, hio! And stretch her luff, hio!

Cheer'ly, O!

Oh, haul pulley, yoe! Ch: Cheer'ly, men! Oh, long and strong, yoe! Ch: Cheer'ly, men! Oh, yoe, and with a will! Ch: Cheer'ly, men!
Cheer'ly, Cheer'ly, Cheer'ly, O!
A long haul for Widow Skinner, Kiss her well before dinner, At her, boys, and win her! A strong pull for Mrs. Bell, Who likes a lark right well, And, what's more, will never tell! Oh, haul and split the blocks, Oh, haul and stretch her luff, Young lovelies, sweat her up!

“Cheer’ly” here is pronounced Chee-lee, believe it or not.

Frank Shay (An American Sailor's Treasury) writes with exemplary sailor discretion that “the verses heard today are a bit more intimate and reveal to a greater degree the charms of the ladies mentioned.”

Other versions use a separate refrain, for example, a droning: Take ‘em away.

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