Roll the Old Chariot Along: what the song means

Roll the Old Chariot Along is one of our all-time favourite shanties to sing. It’s also known as A Drop of Nelson’s Blood – after the widely shared legend and iconic verse (more on this later). The song follows a simple call and response structure. The shantyman will call a line and it’ll be repeated back twice.

This structure lends itself to creativity and endless variations. The general theme of the song is things that sailors want to happen or are missing when at sea. We’ll explain our favourite verses, the story of Nelson’s blood and share some versions we really enjoy. If you fancy singing it, take a peek at our instrumental karaoke version of Roll the Old Chariot Along.

History of Roll the Old Chariot Along

This sea shanty includes lyrics that cover a range of debauchery, from women to boozing. This is somewhat ironic considering it appears to have originated as a religious song. It’s believed to be a variation of the Negro spiritual song “The Golden Chariot”.

There was even a gospel version of Roll the Old Chariot released in 1930 by Rev. T.T. Rose And Singers. This is all suggestive of the song having started as a spiritual song that was later appropriated by sailors. It’s easy to imagine a shantyman motivating the crew by taking a popular spiritual song and reworking it into a song filled with vices.

Roll the Old Chariot Along lyrics

Oh, we’d be alright if the wind was in our sails

We’d be alright if the wind was in our sails

We’d be alright if the wind was in our sails

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

(Chorus)

And we’ll roll the old chariot along

We’ll roll the old chariot along

We’ll roll the old chariot along

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

Oh, we’d be alright if we make it ’round the Horn

We’d be alright if we make it ’round the Horn

We’d be alright if we make it ’round the Horn

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

(Chorus)

–

Oh, a dram of single malt wouldn’t do us any harm

A dram of single malt wouldn’t do us any harm

A dram of single malt wouldn’t do us any harm

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

(Chorus)

–

Oh, a drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm

A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm

A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

(Chorus)

–

Oh, a night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm

A night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm

A night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

(Chorus)

–

Oh, a roll in the clover wouldn’t do us any harm

A roll in the clover wouldn’t do us any harm

A roll in the clover wouldn’t do us any harm

And we’ll all hang on behind

–

(Chorus) x2

What the lyrics mean

“We’ll roll the old chariot along”

In the gospel versions of the song, this was used to refer to spreading the word of God. The sea shanty version instead uses it to refer to the ship. It’s their chariot and they’re rolling along the waves of the ocean.

“We’d be alright if we make it ’round the Horn”

Anyone familiar with shanties, whalers, or merchant sailors will know about the Horn – Cape Horn in South America. It’s where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. This lets ships sail around the South American continent without using privately controlled passages. This had a massive effect on trade, whaling, and more.

The Horn was known for its violent storms and dangerous seas. Due to its location, the area is battered by strong winds, huge waves, powerful currents, and even icebergs! It was a truly treacherous journey.

The opening of the Panama Canal cut most traffic through the area, but navigating the Horn is still considered one of the major challenges of yachting. While sea shanties are no longer needed as working songs, maybe this will make a comeback with the yachters.

“A dram of single malt wouldn’t do us any harm”

For those uninitiated into the joy of whisky… a dram is a Scottish word for a measure of whisky. It’s not an exact measurement – it’s however much you’d like to pour in one glass. 

Single malt is a particular type of whisky. ‘Single’ means it comes from only one distillery, rather than ‘blended whisky’ which comes from multiple. Malt whisky refers to the type of grain used – it needs to be malt barley to meet the cut.

“A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm”

It’s time for an explanation of this maritime legend. The year is 1805, and Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson has just been shot and killed during the Battle of Trafalgar. Such a well-respected Admiral needs an honourable burial befitting his rank. But how to get him home?

The solution was to preserve his corpse in a barrel of rum. Our noble Admiral’s body was carefully sealed up inside the barrel and tucked away in the hold of the ship. Now, life on a ship is hard going. If you have the opportunity to get a wee drink, you’re going to take it.

That’s exactly what happened. Sailors would drill a small hole in the barrel and drink some of the rum with a straw – this earned the practice the name ‘tapping the admiral’. It’s rumoured that when the barrel was unloaded in England it was found to be dry. The sailors had drunk every drop of Nelson’s blood. True or not, it’s this story that caused “Nelson’s blood” to become slang for rum.

“A roll in the clover wouldn’t do us any harm”

This is a euphemism for sexy times. It seems fair that sailors who could be at sea for years at a time would be keen for some action once back on dry land.

Best versions of Roll the Old Chariot Along

David Coffin

This is THE version people have to compete with. If there’s one song David Coffin is most associated with, it’s this. With almost 5 million views you know it’s something special.

This performance at the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival shows the value of the shanty today. The easy to learn lyrics and repetition make it easy for everyone to get involved.

George Murphy

A beautiful version with an Irish take on the song. It includes backing instruments and has George Murphy as the sole vocals throughout. A very enjoyable listen – you can really hear the passion in Murphy’s voice.

Storm Weather Shanty Choir

This is the liveliest version. It’s filled with rowdy pub vibes. Well worth a listen. Cain’s comment on YouTube summarises it perfectly, “This song gives me the energy to crush my enemies and the vibe to be on a pirate ship.”

Final thoughts

You’ve learned about the gospel origins of this song, the legend of Nelson’s blood, and the meaning of the lyrics. We ended by sharing some fantastic versions  – think we missed a great one? Let us know in the comments.

If you’d like to try singing it, why not give our acoustic karaoke version a go?