Can’t wait,” replied the seaman, licking his lips and happily skipping ahead of the group merrily singing to himself.
Heave away, haul away, the ship rolls along
Give a sailor his grog and there’s nothing goes wrong
The Sailor’s Alphabet is a traditional capstan and pumping shanty, sung to relieve the drudgery of these repetitive tasks. There are numerous versions of the song, but most versions follow a standard format, namely that each line of the four-line stanza begins with a letter of the alphabet, in alphabetical order, starting with the letter A and ending with the letter Z. Individual words can vary from section to section. Resembling a children’s nursery rhyme, the song acts as a memory device for the names of the parts of the ship along with a cheerful chorus that serves to lift the sailors’ spirits. Similar Alphabet songs exist among many communities, such as those of soldiers, bargemen, lumberjacks, and sheepherders.
A version from dating back to 1702, known as Tom Thumb’s Alphabet, appeared in an illustrated children’s book: A Little Book for Little Children by Thomas White, although some versions are known to have existed from as early as the 16th century.
The following lyrics are from the Fairport Convention version:
A’s for the anchor that lies at our bow
B’s for the bowsprit and the jibs all lie low
C’s for the capstan we all run around
D’s for the davits to lower the boat down
[Chorus]
Merrily, merrily, so merry sail we
No mortal on Earth like a sailor at sea
Heave away, haul away, the ship rolls along
Give a sailor his grog and there’s nothing goes wrong
E’s for the ensign that at our peak flew
F’s for the fo’c’sle where lives our wild crew
G’s for the galley where the salt junk smells strong
And H for the halyards we hoist with a song
I’s for the eyebolts, no good for the feet
J’s for the jibs, boys, stand by the lee sheet
K’s for the knighthead where our petty officer stands
L’s for the leeside, hard found by new hands
M’s for the mainmast, it’s stout and it’s strong
N’s for the needle that never points wrong
O’s for the oars of our old jolly boat
And P’s for the pinnace that lively do float
Q’s for the quarterdeck where our officers stand
And R’s for the rudder that keeps the ship in command
S is for the stun’sls that drive her along
T’s for the topsail, to get there takes long
U’s for the uniform mostly worn aft
V’s for the vangs running from the main gaff
And W’s for water, we’re on a pint and a pound
And X marks the spot where old Stormy was drowned
Y’s for yardarm, needs a good sailorman
Z is for Zoe, I’m her fancy man
Z’s also for zero in the cold wintertime
And now we have brought all the letters in rhyme
As mentioned before, there are many variations to this song. Here are two alternatives to replace the last two verses with, the first sung by Manus J. Bonner (1932), the second by Sam Larner:
U is the union to which our troubles pass,
V is the vang that holds steady the gaff.
W is the wheel by which we do steer, and
X, Y and Z are the rest of the gear.
U is for uniform, only wore aft,
V for the vangs running from the main gaff,
W for the wheel at which we spend time,
The last three letters they won’t come in rhyme.
Here is an alternative chorus by Manus J. Bonner (1932):
So merry, so merry, so merry are we,
No mortals on earth are as happy as we;
Hi derry, ho derry, hi derry down,
Give sailor boys rum and there’s nothing goes wrong!