Drunken Sailor (What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor) - Chords, Lyrics and Origins

Origins

Drunken Sailor (also known as 'What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor?' or 'What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?') is a sea shanty. Sea shanties were sailors' work songs. Drunken Sailor was probably a 'walk away' shanty, meaning that it was sung in time to tasks that were performed at walking pace - for example, hauling a rope by marching along the deck. It first enters the historical record in the nineteenth century, and was one of the few shanties sung in the British Royal Navy. Although it is first recorded as being sung aboard American ships, it sounds very much like a British song to me.

Drunken Sailor is perhaps the most widely-known of all sea shanties. I remember singing it in primary school (for non-Brits, that means elementary school). It's also very simple to play, with only three chords - E minor, D and G (some versions of the chords miss out the G, but it works really well - try it). The lyrics are a moveable feast - you can add and remove verses at will.

Drunken Sailor has been recorded many times, including by The Irish Rovers, who you can hear in the YouTube video on this page. Also, notably, by Pete Seeger, and by The King's Singers (the first YouTube video on this page is of their recording). You may also recognize it in the background music to many NFL Films. You can find out more about Drunken Sailor's origins here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovUK1s1Plps

Chords

Verse

Em
What will we do with the drunken sailor?

D
What will we do with the drunken sailor?

Em
What will we do with the drunken sailor?

G D Em
Early in the morning!

Chorus

Em
Way, hey and up she rises,

D
Way, hey and up she rises,

Em
Way, hey and up she rises,

G D Em
Early in the morning!

Lyrics

What will we do with the drunken sailor?
What will we do with the drunken sailor?
What will we do with the drunken sailor?
Early in the morning!