No. VIII · A Walk-Away Shanty
Drunken Sailor
“What shall we do with a drunken sailor, early in the morning?”
⚓ From the Log
The most famous sea shanty of all — a call-and-response song where the crew votes on what to do with a drunk sailor. Each verse suggests a new, increasingly absurd punishment: put him in bed with the captain’s daughter, shave his belly with a rusty razor, stick him in a barrel of scuppers and hose him down. The song dates to at least the 1830s and was revived in the 20th century, appearing in films and TV shows and becoming a viral sensation online.
Weigh-hay and up she rises
Weigh-hay and up she rises
Weigh-hay and up she rises
Early in the morning!
What will we do with a drunken sailor,
What will we do with a drunken sailor,
What will we do with a drunken sailor,
Early in the morning?
— Chorus —
Put 'em in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him,
Put 'em in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him,
Put 'em in the scuppers with a hose pipe on him,
Early in the morning!
— Chorus —
Put him in the brig until he's sober,
Put him in the brig until he's sober,
Put him in the brig until he's sober,
Early in the morning!
— Chorus —
Lyrics as performed in Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag.