As I was a-walking down Winchester-street --
Hey-ho! Blow the man down! --
A pretty young girl I happened to meet --
Oh, give some time to blow the man down!
So we'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down --
Hey-ho! Blow the man down!
We'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down --
Oh, give some time to blow the man down!
She lived with a lady who lived with a bloke,
And when I got back to me ship I was broke --
Oh, blow the man down!
Six months had I bullied the salt seas about,
I did it all in and they cleaned me right out --
Blow the man down!
I hadn't enough for a cold morning's shout,
So we'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down.
Oh, give some time to blow the man down!
A wife in New York and a woman in 'Pool,
They say a sailorman's born a damn fool --
Oh, blow the man down!
So hitch up your breeches and turn in your cheek
The quid you've been chewing for over a week,
And blow the man down!
Me tongue was so dry that I hardly could speak --
Oh, blow the man up and blow the man down;
They'll give us some time to blow the man down.
There's old Billy Buntline that ought for to be
Much better behaved than a young chap like me --
Hey, blow the man down!
There's silly old Billy, who's sixty-and-four,
Last night he goes looking for pleasure ashore --
Comes back to the ship in his short and no more,
We'll blow the man up and we'll blow the man down.
Come, lend us a hand to blow the man down!
We hauls on the sheets, and we lays on the yard --
Salt beef does for Johnny and biscuits are hard --
Oh, blow the man down!
Oh, blather the bos'n and blither the mate!
'Tis all in the way of a sea-gangster's fate,
And blow the man down --
From Ratcliffe Highway and round to the Gate
We'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down.
Frank Drake was a sailor and Nelson was too;
They died in the Sarvice, like sailormen do --
Come, blow the man down!
Gold braid on their shoulders and monuments tall,
And poor merchant Johnny was nothing at all!
Oh, blow the man down!
A dirty mean trader and nothing at all,
But blow the man up and blow the man down,
We've lent them a hand to blow the man down!
We've lent them a hand in the way we were made
To build up the Empire for traffic and trade --
Oh, blow the man down!
A reef in her topsails and let her gang free,
The port of old London's the Port of the Sea --
Now, blow the man down!
For ever and ever and ever to be,
The port of old London's the port of the sea.
We'll blow the man up and we'll blow the man down --
Oh, give us some time to blow the man down!
First published in The Bulletin, 12 February 1925
Author: Edwin James Brady (1869-1952) was born at Carcoar, New South Wales, and later attended the University of Sydney, but did not graduate. He worked on the wharfs in Sydney as a time-keeper, an occupation that was to have a profound effect on his poetry. His first work was published in The Bulletin in 1891 and during his lifetime he published four collections of his verse. He moved to Mallacoota, Victoria, around 1912 and spent the rest of his life in that area, though he also travelled extensively.
Author reference sites: Austlit, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian Poetry Library
See also.
Hey-ho! Blow the man down! --
A pretty young girl I happened to meet --
Oh, give some time to blow the man down!
So we'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down --
Hey-ho! Blow the man down!
We'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down --
Oh, give some time to blow the man down!
She lived with a lady who lived with a bloke,
And when I got back to me ship I was broke --
Oh, blow the man down!
Six months had I bullied the salt seas about,
I did it all in and they cleaned me right out --
Blow the man down!
I hadn't enough for a cold morning's shout,
So we'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down.
Oh, give some time to blow the man down!
A wife in New York and a woman in 'Pool,
They say a sailorman's born a damn fool --
Oh, blow the man down!
So hitch up your breeches and turn in your cheek
The quid you've been chewing for over a week,
And blow the man down!
Me tongue was so dry that I hardly could speak --
Oh, blow the man up and blow the man down;
They'll give us some time to blow the man down.
There's old Billy Buntline that ought for to be
Much better behaved than a young chap like me --
Hey, blow the man down!
There's silly old Billy, who's sixty-and-four,
Last night he goes looking for pleasure ashore --
Comes back to the ship in his short and no more,
We'll blow the man up and we'll blow the man down.
Come, lend us a hand to blow the man down!
We hauls on the sheets, and we lays on the yard --
Salt beef does for Johnny and biscuits are hard --
Oh, blow the man down!
Oh, blather the bos'n and blither the mate!
'Tis all in the way of a sea-gangster's fate,
And blow the man down --
From Ratcliffe Highway and round to the Gate
We'll blow the man up, and we'll blow the man down.
Frank Drake was a sailor and Nelson was too;
They died in the Sarvice, like sailormen do --
Come, blow the man down!
Gold braid on their shoulders and monuments tall,
And poor merchant Johnny was nothing at all!
Oh, blow the man down!
A dirty mean trader and nothing at all,
But blow the man up and blow the man down,
We've lent them a hand to blow the man down!
We've lent them a hand in the way we were made
To build up the Empire for traffic and trade --
Oh, blow the man down!
A reef in her topsails and let her gang free,
The port of old London's the Port of the Sea --
Now, blow the man down!
For ever and ever and ever to be,
The port of old London's the port of the sea.
We'll blow the man up and we'll blow the man down --
Oh, give us some time to blow the man down!
First published in The Bulletin, 12 February 1925
Author: Edwin James Brady (1869-1952) was born at Carcoar, New South Wales, and later attended the University of Sydney, but did not graduate. He worked on the wharfs in Sydney as a time-keeper, an occupation that was to have a profound effect on his poetry. His first work was published in The Bulletin in 1891 and during his lifetime he published four collections of his verse. He moved to Mallacoota, Victoria, around 1912 and spent the rest of his life in that area, though he also travelled extensively.
Author reference sites: Austlit, Australian Dictionary of Biography, Australian Poetry Library
See also.
