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Paddy Lay Back

from Raw Material by timlane

/

about

This traditional sea shanty holds a special place in my heart because I first and most frequently heard it sung by a fantastic Norfolk singer called Peter Coleman who belts it out like a proper shanty man. I first heard him sing it in the Wymondham folk club, upstairs at the Feathers public house and I was blown away. This is a demo of my arrangement for The Punch House Band

lyrics

PADDY LAY BACK

Twas a cold an' dreary mornin' in December, (December)
An' all of me money it was spent (it was spent),
Where it went I can't remember (remember),
So it was down the shippin' office that I went, (went, went),

CHORUS
Paddy, lay back (Paddy, lay back)!
Take in yer slack (take in yer slack)!
Take a turn around the capstan - heave and haul (heave and haul)
'Bout ship, stations, boys, be handy (be handy)!
For we're bound for Valaparaiser 'round the Horn!



That day there wuz a great demand for sailors (for sailors),
For the Colonies and for 'Frisco and for France (an' for France),
So I shipped aboard a Limey barque the Hotspur (the Hotspur),
An' got paralytic drunk on my advance ('vance, 'vance),

CHORUS

'Twas on the quarterdeck where first I saw 'em,
Such an ugly bunch I'd never seen afore;
a bum and a stiff from every quarter,
An' it made me poor ol' heart feel sick an' sore.

There wuz Dutchmen, Spaniards an' Rooshians,
An' Jolly boys jist acrosst from France;
Not one of ‘em could speak a word o' English,
But answered to the name of 'Month's Advance'.

CHORUS

I knew that in me box I had a bottle,
By the boardin'-master 'twas put there;
A little something for to wet me throttle,
Somethin' for to drive away dull care.

So down upon me knees I went like thunder,
Put me hand into the bottom o' the box,
An' to me great surprise an' wonder,
Found only a bottle o' medicine for the pox.


CHORUS

I axed the mate a-which a-watch wuz mine-O,
Sez he, 'I'II soon pick out a-which is which';
An' he blowed me down an' kicked me hard a-stern-O,
Callin' me a dirty son-o'-a-bitch.

CHORUS

So there wuz I once more again at sea, boys,
The same ol' ruddy business over again;
Oh, stamp the caps'n round an' make some noise, boys,
An' sing again this dear ol' sweet refrain.


CHORUS

credits

from Raw Material, released March 8, 2019
Composed trad. arr Tim Lane. Performed and prduced by Tim Lane

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timlane Norwich, UK

Welcome to the musical world of Tim Lane. I'm a musician and composer who lives in Norwich in the UK.
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