What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor
Sheet music for Recorder Quartet

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Standard Parts

Soprano Recorder Alto Recorder Tenor Recorder Bass Recorder
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About 'What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor'

Artist:

Trad. (

biography)

Born:

- , -

Died:

- , -

The Artist:

Traditional Music of unknown author.

Composed:

1800s

Info:

"What Shall We do with a Drunken Sailor" is a sea shanty, sung to accompany certain work tasks aboard sailing ships. It is believed to originate in the early 19th century or before, during a period when ships' crews, especially those of military vessels, were sufficiently large to permit hauling a rope whilst simply marching along the deck. There are many variants of verses, each successive verse suggests a method of sobering or punishing the drunken sailor.

Lyrics

What shall we do with a drunken sailor,
What shall we do with a drunken sailor,
What shall we do with a drunken sailor,
Early in the morning?

Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Early in the morning

Traditional verses:

Put in the long boat 'til he's sober.
Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him.
Pull out the plug and wet him all over.
Scrape the hair off his chest with a hoop-iron razor.
Give 'im a dose of salt and water.
Stick on his back a mustard plaster.
Give 'im a taste of the bosun's rope-end.

Time Signature:

2/4 (

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Duration:

1:45

Score Key:

G minor (Sounding Pitch) (

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Tempo Marking:

Allegro moderato