Come gather round you sailor boys and listen to my song
And when you've heard it through you'll pity me,
For I was a goddam fool in the port of Liverpool
The first time that I came home from sea.
I was paid off at the Hove for a trip from Sydney Cove
And two pound ten a month was all me pay
But I started drinking gin and was neatly taken in
By a little girl they all called Maggie May
Oh, Maggie, Maggie May, they have taken her away
And she'll never walk down Lime Street any more
For the judge he guilty found 'er
For robbing a homeward bounder
The first time that I came home from sea
The first time I saw Maggie she took me breath away
She was cruising up and down Old Canning Place
She had a figure fine as a warship of the line
And me being a sailor, I gave chase
In the morning I awoke, stiff and sore and stoney broke
No trousers, coat or weskit could I find
The landlady said Sir, I can tell you where they are
They'll be down at the pawnshop, Number Nine
Oh, Maggie, Maggie May...
To the bobby on the beat at the corner of the street
To him I went, to him I told me tale
And he asked, as if in doubt Does your mother know you're out?
But agreed the lady ought to be in jail
To the pawnshop I applied but no trousers could I find
So the bobbies came and took the girl away
The jury guilty found her for robbing a homeward bounder
And paid her passage out to Botany Bay
Oh, Maggie, Maggie May, they have taken her away
And she'll never walk down Lime Street any more
For the judge he guilty found 'er
For robbing a homeward bounder
The first time that I came home from sea
Alternative choruses:
Oh Maggie, Maggie May they have taken you away
To slave upon that cold Van Diemen shore
Oh you robbed so many sailors and dosed so many whalers
You'll never cruise down Lime Street any more
Oh, Maggie, Maggie May, they have taken you away
And you'll never walk down Lime Street anymore
You may search from here to China you'll not find a girl that's finer
That is finer than my darlin' Maggie May
Up above my head
I can feel it in the air
Up above my head
I can feel it in the air
And I really do believe
There's a heaven up there
A capital ship for an ocean trip
Was the Whalloping Window Blind
No storm that blew dismayed the crew
Or troubled the captain's mind
The man at the wheel was made to feel
Contempt for the wildest blow-ow-ow
And it often appeared when the gale had cleared
That he'd been in his bunk below.
So blow ye winds hi ho, a-roving I will go
I'll stay no more on England's shore
So let the music play-ay-ay
I'm off by the morning train
I'll cross the raging main
I'm off to my love with a boxing glove
Ten thousand miles away.
The bosun's mate was very sedate
Yet fond of amusement too
He played hop scotch with he starboard watch
While the captain he tickled the crew.
And the gunner we had was apparently mad,
For he sat on the after rail
And fired salutes with the captain's boots
In the teeth of a blooming gale.
The captain sat on the commodore's hat
And dined in a royal way
Off toasted pigs and pickles and figs
And gunnery bread each day,
And the cook was Dutch and behaved as such
For the diet he served the crew-ew-ew
Was a number of tons of hot cross buns
Served up with sugar and glue.
All nautical pride we laid aside,
As we ran the vessel ashore
On the Gulliby Isles where the PooPoo smiles
And the rubbly ugbugs road
One night I dreamed I was in slavery
'Bout 1850 was the time
Sorrow was the only sign
Nothing around to ease my mind
Out of the night appeared a lady
Leading a distant pilgrim band
First mate, she yelled pointing her hand,
Make room on board for this young man
Singing come on up, I got a lifeline
Come on up to this train of mine
Come on up, I got a lifeline
Come on up to this train of mine
She said her name was Harriet Tubman
And she drove for the underground railroad
Hundreds of miles we travelled onward
Gathering slaves from town to town
Seeking every lost and found
Setting those free that once were bound.
Somehow my heart was growing weaker
I fell by the waysides sinking sand
Firmly did this lady stand
She lifted me up and took my hand
Singing come on up, I got a lifeline
Come on up to this train of mine
Come on up, I got a lifeline
Come on up to this train of mine
She said her name was Harriet Tubman
And she drove for the underground railroad
Walter Robinson
Guitar chords for Harriet Tubman
Bm
One night I dreamed I was in slavery
G A Bm
'Bout 1850 was the time
F#
Sorrow was the only sign
G A Bm
Nothing around to ease my mind
Out of the night appeared a lady
G A Bm
Leading a distant pil-grim band
D E F#
First mate, she yelled pointing her hand
G A Bm
Make room on board for this young man
Bm
Singing come on up, mm mm mm, I got a lifeline
G A Bm
Come on up to this train of mine
Come on up, mm mm mm, I got a lifeline
G A Bm
Come on up to this train of mine
A G
She said her name was Harriet Tubman
D E F#7 Bm
And she drove for the under-ground railroad
Walter was an escaped slave and Harriet Tubman was a leader of the underground railroad, a secret network of ‘safe houses’ that helped slaves escape to the north during the American Civil War. For most slaves the only hope of freedom was escape.
I thought I heard the old man say
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
It's a long hard pull to the next pay day
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
It's a long hard pull to the next pay day
And it's time for us to leave her
The captain was bad but the mate was worse
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
He could blow you down with a sigh and a curse
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
He could blow you down with a sigh and a curse
And it's time for us to leave her
And a dollar a day is a Jack Shite's pay
When it's pump all night and work all day
Now the rats are all gone and we the crew
Oh it's time by Christ that we went too
Well it's pump or drown, the old man said
Or else by Christ we'll all be dead
I thought I heard the old man say
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Just one more pump and then belay
And it's time for us to leave her
Leave her, Johnny, leave her
Oh, leave her, Johnny, leave her
Just one more pump and then belay
And it's time for us to leave her
Earth my body, water my blood
Air my breath and fire my spirit
Rose, rose, rose, rose
Shall I ever see thee red?
Aye, marry, that thou wilt
An thou'lt but stay
The Lord said to Noah
There's going to be a floody, floody
There's going to be a floody, floody
Children of the Lord
So, rise and shine
And give God your glory, glory
And give God your glory, glory
And give God your glory, glory
Children of the Lord
So Noah he made him
He made him an arky, arky
With cedar plants and hickory barky, barky
Children of the Lord
So, rise and shine...
The animals they came in
They came in by two-sies, two-sies
Ele-phants and kangaroosies, roosies
Children of the Lord
So, rise and shine...
The animals, they came in
They came in by threesies, threesies
Or-ang-u-tangs and chimpanzeezies, zeezies
Children of the Lord
So, rise and shine
And give God your glory, glory
And give God your glory, glory
And give God your glory, glory
Children of the Lord
I lay on my back with the sun in my eyes
Soon I shall know what no living man knows
All of my life's been a fight against lies
Death brings the truth, now it's my turn to know
Send my mother a lock of my hair
Send my father the watch that he gave me
Tell my brother to follow me if he dare
Tell them I'm lost now, and no-one can save me
Remember, remember, send my love little yellow roses
My father taught me that all men are equal
Whatever colour, religion or land
Told me to fight for the things I believed in
This I have done, with a gun in my hand
Send my mother a lock of my hair
I met my love in a garden of roses
She pricked her finger - how sharp the thorn grows
We made a promise that till Death did part us
We'd never look on that wild yellow rose
Send my mother a lock of my hair
Send my father the watch that he gave me
Tell my brother to follow me if he dare
Tell them I'm lost now, and no-one can save me
Remember, remember, send my love little yellow roses
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you or me.
Says I, But Joe, you're ten years dead
I never died, says he
I never died, says he
In Salt Lake, Joe, says I to him
Him standing by my bed
They framed you on a murder charge
Says Joe, But I ain't dead
Says Joe, But I ain't dead
The copper bosses killed you, Joe
They shot you, Joe, says I
Takes more than guns to kill a man
Says Joe, I didn't die
Says Joe, I didn't die
And standing there as big as life
And smiling with his eyes
Joe says, What they forgot to kill
Went on to organise
Went on to organise
Joe Hill ain't dead, he says to me
Joe Hill ain't never died
Where working folk are out on strike
Joe Hill is at their side
Joe Hill is at their side
From San Diego up to Maine
In every mine and mill
Where workers strike and organise
It's there you'll find Joe Hill
It's there you'll find Joe Hill
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night
Alive as you or me.
Says I, But Joe, you're ten years dead
I never died, says he
I never died, says he
Earl Robinson and Alfred Hayes
Joe Hill was a labour organiser and poet who was framed and executed on a murder charge in 1915 in Utah, USA
Guitar chords for Joe Hill
G C G
I dreamed I saw Joe Hill last night a-live as you or me
C G
Says I, But Joe, you're ten years dead
A7 D7 G
I never died, says he. I never died, says he