Another ShantyTok favourite popularised by Nathan Evans… Leave Her Johnny is a shanty with a unique purpose – traditionally it would only be sung on one occasion (we’ll explain that shortly). It sometimes goes by the alternate names Time for Us to Leave Her and Leave Her Bullies.
There are loads of alternate verses available. Why? That’ll make perfect sense shortly. The general theme of the song is sailors fed up with ship life and wanting to head back to land. We’ll explain our favourite verses, the one occasion this song was sung, and share some versions we really enjoy. If you fancy singing it, take a peek at our instrumental karaoke version of Leave Her Johnny.
History of Leave Her Johnny
This song is old. Exactly how old is difficult to pinpoint. The earliest written record is 1917. However, in Shanties from the Seven Seas, Stan Hugill says, “It probably came to life about the time of the Irish potato famine, in the (18) forties, and was originally sung in the Western Ocean Packets in this fashion:”. He goes on to suggest that the song has its origins in the shanty Across the Rockies.
It’s worth pointing out there is a meaning sometimes given to the song that we think is likely false. Some people claim that the ‘her’ is actually a woman onshore. We think this is unlikely and ‘her’ being the ship seems much more consistent with the lyrics of the song.
Assuming that ‘her’ is indeed the ship, let’s talk about the narrative of the song… It’s a tired and weary crew asking the captain to abandon the trip because of a range of problems. The captain is known as the generic ‘Johnny’ – much in the same way we use Joe Bloggs today. Now, this brings us to the one occasion this song may be sung at.
The only time this song was traditionally sung was as the ship was very close to completing her voyage – almost in the docks. It was used by the crew to share all their complaints about the ship, crewmates, officers, and rations. At this point, they’re so close to home that it doesn’t matter if they annoyed anyone. There will be no repercussions for their actions.
Some very explicit verses were sung. They would often be personalised based on the traits of the crew. It’s also worth mentioning that this song wasn’t sung on naval ships because they were expected to respect the chain of command at all times. However, merchants, whalers, and pirate ships would all make use of this tune to give the higher-ups some cheek. As a rule, this would be accepted with good humour; after all, they’ve just spent several months working the crew hard.
A couple of insulting and commonly used verses are featured below:
The Mate was a bucko an’ the Old Man a Turk
The Bosun was a beggar with the middle name o’ work
The cook’s a drunk, he likes to booze
Between him and the mate, there’s little to choose
Leave Her Johnny lyrics
Oh, the times were hard and the wages are low
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
I think it’s time for us to go
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
Oh, I thought I heard the old man say
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Tomorrow you will get your pay
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
–
It’s rotten beef and weevily bread
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
It’s pump or drown the old man said
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
The wind was foul and the sea ran high
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
She shipped it green and none went by
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
(Chorus)
–
I hate to sail on this rotten tub
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
No grog allowed and rotten grub
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
The ship won’t steer, or stay, or wear
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
And so us shellbacks learnt to swear
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
(Chorus)
–
The old man shouts, the pumps stand by
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, we can never suck her dry
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
We swear by rote for want of more
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
But now we’re through so we’ll go onshore
And it’s time for us to leave her
–
(Chorus)
What the lyrics mean
“Oh, I thought I heard the old man say”
The ‘old man’ was a slang term for the captain of the ship.
“It’s pump or drown the old man said”
Every ship had pumps to remove any water that got inside. There are several sea shanties that were used specifically for keeping time when pumping.
“She shipped it green and none went by”
There are two likely interpretations of this line. The first is talking about them getting hit by a big wave. When the wave is higher than the ship it appears green in colour – due to the magic of physics and light getting refracted through the water. ‘None went by’ means that they were hit by every single wave.
The other possibility is their talking about the fresh supplies. The fruit and veg was ‘shipped green’ – aka unripe, so it would last for longer. ‘None went by’ is saying that they ate it all before any could go bad. This is being used as another reason to head home.
When taken in the context of the entire verse, we think the first interpretation is more likely. But it’s quite possible the other interpretation was also intended as witty wordplay.
“The ship won’t steer, or stay, or wear”
This is saying that the ship is not fit for purpose. It can’t steer in a direction. It can’t stay the course – continue in one direction. And it can’t wear. ‘Wear’ means to change the direction the ship is moving in sideways. In short, the ship is broken.
“And so us shellbacks learnt to swear”
‘Shellback’ is slang for an experienced sailor. Originally it was used to refer specifically to those that had crossed the equator. ‘Learnt to swear’ is saying the ship is in such bad condition that even the experienced sailors think it’s bad. The conditions are so bad that they’re forced to swear about it.
“Oh, we can never suck her dry”
This is in reference to pumping the ship. It’s taken on so much water that they’ll never be able to get it all out. Pumping was a hard task. It would be even worse when it’s all that needs to be done before your voyage is complete.
“We swear by rote for want of more”
‘By rote’ means they’re doing it by habit – it’s a practised thing. Remember that this song was sung on almost every ship at the time. The line is saying they’re singing all these complaints as a regular thing. They’re acknowledging this is a tradition and many of the complaints are repeated on every ship.
Best versions of Leave Her Johnny
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag
An old favourite of anyone who played Assassin’s Creed. It’s a well-produced and powerful take on the classic tune. Sung by Sean Dagher, Nils Brown and Michiel Schrey we can’t recommend this version enough.
Johnny Collins
This version is by an English folk singer. It’s simple and feels authentic. Well worth a listen.
Coda
Bad video quality, bad audio quality… but EXCELLENT singing. This is a heartfelt version sung by a group of 7. A few drinks, good mates, and sea shanties – it looks like a good time!
Final thoughts
You’ve learned this song was traditionally sung as the last song before disembarking a vessel. We’ve explained the meaning of all the tricky 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?
Discovered this article while in hospital. Made a “Grey time” a bit less Grey. Enjoyed singing along with all three versions. Rhank you.
Thanks so much for getting in touch! I’m really glad we could make it a slightly better time for you. Hope you’re back to 100% now!
Check out the version by The Longest John’s.
It’s great! I assumed most people know The Longest John’s, so I wanted to share some lesser-known versions. Cheers.
Just discovered this song recently through the version of d’Artagnan featuring The O’Reillys and the Paddyhats. Not as pured out as the other performances, but it still stuck on me! Next to that, the ‘mass choir’ version of the Longest John’s is also fantastic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fow61Zsn2s)
I hadn’t heard the d’Artagnan version before; it’s fab! Thanks for sharing. And agreed,the Longest John’s are always a good listen.
Thank you for this article, very intersting!
I would like to mention the version of La Nef, from their “Sea Songs & Shantie” album: https://youtu.be/PCLm33UM8GM
Cheers
That’s a very peaceful version that I’ve never heard before! Thanks for sharing.
I just watched The Alehouse Sessions on BBC4 last night and Bjarte Eike did a stunning version, ending with the group singing in a market and going their separate ways, much as a long haul crew might have done 150 years ago.
Awesome, I’m going to find it on YouTube now. Thanks for sharing!
Seamus Kennedy does a great job!
Always loved this shanty, but since “the old man” is obviously the captain (being addressed in the 3rd person), I always assumed “Johnny” was a fellow enlisted sailor (who is addressed in the 2nd person throughout).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Fow61Zsn2s
This is a shortened song which is the first time I’ve heard the song.
Would you please provide documentation about pirates singing this song? “However, merchants, whalers, and pirate ships would all make use of this tune … ” I’ve been looking for references to pirates actually singing shanties and you seem to have found one or more!
I can’t find a source in relation to the lyric but re the line “we swear by rote for want of more, but now we’re through so we’ll go onshore”, the explanation above does not really feel like it fits the meaning of “by rote” (meaning from memory, without thought, or mechanically). I had always understood that there was an oath / contract involved for sailors that they would faithfully complete their service for payment after the voyage. “Swearing by rote for want of more” in that sense would mean taking the oath / contract and going to sea in hope of a payday. The Merchant Seaman Act of 1728 first introduced a duty on the Ship’s Master to have written and signed contracts for all merchant seaman but it’s difficult to imagine that merchant seaman were literate enough to read them. Perhaps it relates to swearing an oath before this time, repeating the terms of a contract back to the reader after this act, but my sense is it relates to the men swearing / agreeing to something in a mechanical or repetitive way. Would love to read any potential sources.