Original lyrics by Cindy Tonkin. Inspired by the tune of Pirate gospel by Alela Diane.
Yo ho yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho ho ho
Sing the shanty gospel
Sing the shanty gospel
We all are bound for South Australia
We’re gonna round the old Cape horn
We’re gonna pass by Valparaiso
And be back by Tuesday morn.
oh oh oh oh
Yo ho yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho ho ho
Sing the shanty gospel
Sing the shanty gospel
We’ll step aboard the ocean liner
A full ten thousand miles away
we’ll heave a pawl by Santiago
molasses rum we’ll drink today.
oh oh oh oh
Yo ho yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho ho
Sing the shanty gospel
We’ll be bully in the alley
we sing an ancient sailors prayer
We’ll all be shipwrecked while out whaling
Whether the seas be foul or fair
Yo ho yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho ho ho
Sing the shanty gospel
Sing the shanty gospel
And when the hard times are all past us
when the good days are all gone
we’ll take the high road to shenandoah
The Onion ends the evening song
Yo ho yo ho yo ho ho
Yo ho yo ho ho ho
Sing the shanty gospel
Sing the shanty gospel
Chorus runs throughout the song as an underscore
Alternative Verses Lyrics written 2025
yo ho yo ho yo ho ho etc
In South Australia I was born
Heave away, haul away
In South Australia, round Cape Horn,
We’re all bound for South Australia
For I’m off on the bounding main
And I won’t be back again
I’m takin’ a trip on a government ship
Ten thousand miles away
Away! HO! Haul away,
We’ll haul away together
Away Haul Away,
We’ll hope for better weather
And it’s row, me bully boys,
we’re in a hurry, boys, a long way to go
And we’ll sing and we’ll dance and bid farewell to France
And it’s row, me bully boys, row
One more pull, boys. That’ll do, boys.
Soon we’ll draw alongside.
Hoist her upwards. Swing her inboards,
For the journey’s nearly done
So fare thee well my own true lover
When I return united we will be
It’s not the leaving of Liverpool that grieves me
But my darling when I think of thee
used to work in London town
in a merchant store
i thought i did a pretty good job
But i don’t work there any more
Oh it’s all part of being a pirate
can’t be a pirate with all your parts,
Oh it’s all part of being a pirate
Can’t be a pirate with all your parts
extras
Well you’re looking mighty fine, boy
All dressed up in your number ones
You’ve scrounged a new blade from the purser
To scrape the bum-fluff from off your chin.
The captain likes his whiskey
And the mate he likes his rum
You know us sailors we like bot
But we can’t get us none
All of your crying won’t do you no good
So get down off that cross|
Cause you know we could use all that wood
Come on up to the house
Shanty lyrics as sung at Redfern Shanty Club, Camperdown Shanty Club, Surry Hills Shanty Club. More info
Shanty Gospel, bot the original and the alternative are in-jokes to a certain extent. The first shanty gospel refers to many of the commonly sung shanties. The alternative literally lifts choruses from those songs. Given that the large part of the room is singing “Yo Ho, Yo Ho” for the whole of the verses, they don’t even hear the words to the choruses (but when they recognise them in the alt version it is fun for them).
The biggest challenge is singing the tune of the verses while singing the words to other choruses!
