Singing the Traditional Lyrics of What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?

What is the Origin of What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor Lyrics?

The origin of the whimsical children’s song “What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?” is a bit of a mystery. It has been speculated that the lyrics may have originated in England or Ireland, and had been written by sailors who served on the Royal Navy during the 17th century. The earliest known published version was printed by William Elkanah Done, an English music publisher, in 1837.

The song is thought to originate from one of several drinking songs popularized among British sailors over centuries; most notably those that encouraged intoxication, often before sailing into battle. These songs were frequently sung in inns and pubs around port cities such as London’s East End and were likely adapted from other European sea songs.

The message behind the lyrics reveal how sailors at this time dealt with personal issues while out at sea—by numbing their emotions with alcohol. Various verses address subjects like having to work grueling shifts, as well as being away from home for extended periods of time—both strikingly relatable topics today!

Since its publication in 1837, “What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor?” has become a beloved maritime classic all around the world and can often be heard hollered joyfully by sailors when entering or leaving ports carrying cargo or passengers across oceans.

Exploring the Meaning Behind What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor Lyrics

What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor is an old English sea shanty that originated in the 19th century. It’s a traditional work song sung by sailors to keep their rhythm as they carried out various labor tasks. This particular shanty is believed to be of Irish origin and has been popularized in many versions over the years, but its original form follows this basic pattern: “What shall we do with a drunken sailor / Early in the morning?” The lyrics suggest that the answerer takes some kind of comedic action regarding the “drunken sailor” (i.e., someone who partakes too much alcohol).

The lines “Shave his belly with a rusty razor” and “Tie him up in a halyard, let him swing” refer to disciplinary measures taken against seafaring crewmembers for breaking naval regulations, such as not taking into consideration caution which could potentially endanger fellow sailors or ships. As alcohol was commonly abused on vessels at sea during these times, some believe that these actions might have also served as warnings against overindulgence or even severe punishment for those caught doing so.

Aside from its disciplinary implications, many interpretations exist regarding what lies beneath the surface meaning of What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? While it is common knowledge among sailors and historians alike that drunkenness frequently accompanied our ancestors’ lives at sea, there is speculation about other meanings behind this shanty today — either hinting at deeply problematic aspects of life aboard sailing ships throughout history or conversely viewed light-heartedly as songs meant for fun and entertainment purposes with no further message apart from good old-fashioned fun; although scholars might argue both sides adamantly.

Although different interpretations exist for this timeless classic, its clear message remains indicative of seafaring tradition – make merry when possible but remain vigilant against aberrant behavior especially in safety matters – which could prove beneficial both then and now!

An In-depth Look at the History Behind What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor Lyrics

The song, “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor,” is one of the most popular sea shanties of all time. It’s been recorded by various artists, from the Beach Boys and Johnny Cash to Pearl Jam and Dropkick Murphys, and even featured in Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean movie! But what is its origin?

“What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor” dates back as far as the 1700s when three-masted sailing ships first made their way across waters. The lyrics are believed to have originated before this time period – possibly originating with English or Irish sailors in the late 18th century.

The song recounts drunkenness among seafarers aboard merchant vessels and warships. While we take it only as an irreverent drinking song today, in early times it actually served a purpose: Sailors would chant it as they hoisted large barrels containing beer (or perhaps rum), wine, water, oil or other cargo on board their vessels for storage. This rhythmic marching chant helped maintain a steady pace among crew members so that no barrels were tipped during loading.

At some point during its evolution, someone thought to extend the tale further than just an ordinary chant about shipping cargo onto ships – hence why the word “drunken” was added into one of its earliest known versions. As maritime traditions began to merge over years of international trade and conquest between nations, stories about drunken sailors became associated with numerous national cultures and spread around aggressively throughout Europe via song writers’ renditions free of copyright laws at that time period. Even today many bars across England still share tales of drunkenness while they play traditional pub songs swapping verses here and there according to location or preference.

From then on till now our favorite drinking sea ballad has been expanded upon generation after generation – proving itself timelessly true more often than not! We’ve witnessed dozens if not hundreds of variations come and go due to personal preferences—instrumentation choices even being converted into different languages such as German & French over course of history giving us ample evidence for sure that What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor survives whatever modern contexts might throw at it – that’s right Sailors never change their tunes just get ‘soakin” them up!

Step by Step Guide to Understanding What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor Lyrics

The classic sea shanty, “What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor?”, has been re-contextualized numerous times in a variety of forms throughout the years. From cover versions, to use in movie soundtracks and all-ages singalongs, this timeless song has become an icon of good fun and celebration. But what does the song actually mean? If you’re wondering about the intriguing lyrics to this iconic shanty, then here is your step by step guide to understanding the true meaning behind it.

Unlike most early folk songs from England and Ireland, written by people who were not particularly educated or literate, this celebratory shanty is said to be easier to interpret than many other traditional works of similar origin. Knowing that drunkenness was considered a serious offence aboard vessels at sea during these eras, you can tell right away it is probably cheeky satire meant only in jest.

To start off, one must look at the structure of the verse – not only will it help provide context for understanding each line more thoroughly but also allow us to understand how they join together in an entertaining way. Most versions contain eight full lines which are divided into two sections made up by four lines each; both sections end with a refrain “What shall we do with a drunken sailor?”

Each line contains: An introductory phrase (“Early in,,” “Shave his,,” etc.), followed by some sort of punishment for being drunk (“have him up before,, etc.), and finishing off with evidence that being drunk was unacceptable (Earl-eye morning! Morning!) seemingly used as warning before reciting another punishment; This emphasis further verifies that while there may be mild amusement involved due to its playful structures – The overall morals are meant sternly as reminders that such behaviour should be avoided.

The punishments themselves spans from mild warnings such asshaving their head or making them take twelve spoonfuls of vinegar; To slightly more severe acts like locking them up below deck so they may contemplate their misconduct or tieing them through out pillory posts for all on board passersby to observe; Finishing off with some slightly outrageous but imagination rousing suggestions like putting bits around his nose or throwing him into icy waters so he might sober up …only gaining back admission when beginning anew completely sober message!

In conclusion though humorous anecdotes be within these lyrics: It looks ominous reminder against anything related overindulging alcohol while sailing were strongly emphasized during this period personified act letting any hear know what happened those who made mistakes! So next time you belly up bar chant along sailors sea remember aftereffects “Drunken sailor”!

Frequently Asked Questions about What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor Lyrics

Q: What is the meaning of the song “What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor”?

A: “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor” is an old sea shanty that has been around since at least the early 19th century. The lyrics to this song were often used as a call and response between two or more sailors as they went about their duties aboard ship. The basic story told by the song is that of a sailor who, presumably due to his indulgence in too much rum, has become very drunk and needs to be taken care of accordingly. The song itself offers some possible solutions to this predicament, such as putting him in bed with a bottle full of rum, rolling him over gently and so on. While the lyrics may seem humorous now, it can be assumed that drunkenness was far from amusing for those who lived through the days of sailing ships so long ago; best not take it all too lightly!

The Top 5 Facts About What shall we do with a Drunken Sailor Lyrics

1. The song originated in the early 19th century as an English-language sailor shanty and was collected by both Matty Malneck and Robert Wells in the late 1920s. It is thought to have originally been called “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?” before becoming commonly known as its current title.

2. It is commonly stated that there are no hard and fast rules for singing or playing the song; it has been adapted with different verses, tunes, and choruses over the years with some versions having additional verses specifically relating to sailing related activities that were well-known at the time.

3 . While most popularly associated with sailing and ships today, originally this song may have served as a call-and-response street chanty where audiences could playfully mimic mariners’ activity on board a ship such as weighing anchor or raising sails; hence many of its historic traditions featuring verses detailing specific actions one might take when attempting to get a drunken sailor off their feet.

4. In recent times, What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? has also become entrenched in modern folk culture due to its use in films such Sea Hawk (1976) or musical adaptations like Disney’s Pirates Of The Caribbean franchise where lyrics around “hoisting up the mainsails” appear repeatedly throughout the scores for all five installments of Pirates Of The Caribbean series.

5 . Finally, despite gaining many interpretations from different cultures around the world – from pop and rock culture to religious services – we must remember that this tongue–in–cheek sea shanty origins from maritime labor on long voyages, offering both solace and comic relief during longs watch shifts out on deck at sea!