Hanging Johnny

This is a traditional sea shanty which, although ostensibly about hanging, is actually a work song which tells the boys who manned the crow’s nests when to ‘hang’ on the ropes. As part of a certain task, they would use sailors as human weights, and the rhythm of the ‘hang boys hang’ would be the signal. For more info on sea shanties, and an original recording of this song, visit this blog from the Library of Congress. After each first line of the verse, you can add the response: ‘Away boys away’, and after the third: ‘hang boys hang’.

Well they call me hanging Johnny,

Away, boys, away!

But I never hanged nobody 

So hang, boys, hang!

Well they say I hanged my mother,

Away, boys, away!

My sisters and my brothers

So hang, boys, hang!

Well they say I hanged my granny,

I’d hang the whole damn family

And we’ll hang and haul together

Away boys away

We’ll hang for better weather

So hang, boys, hang!

Well they say I hanged a copper,

I gave him the long dropper

A rope, a beam, a ladder,

I'll hang ye all together

Hang 'em from the yardarm,
Hang the sea and buy a pigfarm

And we’ll hang and haul together

Away boys away

We’ll hang for better weather

So hang, boys, hang!

Well they say I hang for money,

That I’d hang ‘most anybody

Well they call me hanging Johnny,

But I never hanged nobody

And we’ll hang and haul together

Away boys away

We’ll hang for better weather

So hang, boys, hang!