Leave Her Johnny
Traditional (Collected by Stan Hugill). Arr.: Tom Lewis
(Recorded by Tom Lewis on Poles Apart)
Oh, the times was hard and the wages low,
Leave her Johnny, leave her!
Now it's time for us to roll and go,
And it's time for us to leave her.
Chorus:
Leave her Johnny, leave her! Oh, leave her Johnny, leave her!
For the voyage is done and the winds don't blow,
And it's time for us to leave her!
The winds blew foul and the seas ran high,
We shipped 'em green not one went by.
The Mate was a bucko and the Old Man a Turk,
We'd a hard case Bos'n with the middle name of "Work".
There was rotten meat and weevil'y bread,
"You can eat it or starve!"; the Old Man said.
I thought I heard the Old Man say:
"You can go ashore and draw your pay".
No more Cape Horn, no more stand-by,
We'll pump her out and leave her dry.
