Blow the Man Down
Encyclopedia
Blow the Man Down is a sea shanty
. The lyric "Blow the man down" refers to the act of knocking a man to the ground.
Chorus:
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Way aye blow the man down
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow him away
Give me some time to blow the man down!
As I was a walking down Paradise Street
Way aye blow the man down
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,
Way aye blow the man down
So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now."
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow
Way aye blow the man down
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
But as we were going she said unto me
Way aye blow the man down
There's a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
But as soon as that packet was clear of the bar
Way aye blow the man down
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
It's starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl
Way aye blow the man down
For Kicking Jack Williams commands the Black Ball.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
So I give you fair warning before we belay,
Way aye blow the man down
Don't ever take heed of what pretty girls say.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
on April 14, 1965. It was released on the extended play
Shanties (HMV 7EGN 53).
It is sung by Artemus Gordon (in disguise as the "vinegary old salt of a man") in The Wild Wild West
episode The Night of the Headless Woman.
It was also featured in a commercial for Shell Gas, animated by Richard Williams.
It was also sung by Sheldon and Penny in the popular TV series The Big Bang Theory
, season 2 episode 18 (The Work Song Nanocluster).
It was also used in the 1930s adaptation of Popeye
by Fleischer Studios
as the background music for Bluto
.
It is the basis for a common seafaring song on the cartoon television show, Little Bear, based on books by Maurice Sendak.
The theme song to the television cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants
is set to the same melody as "Blow the Man Down". The episode "I Was A Teenage Gary", Gary, SpongeBob, and Squidward (all snails) "meow" to Blow The Man Down.
In the 1991 movie "What About Bob," Bill Murray mumbles the chorus while walking outside the home of Dr. Leo Marvin (played by Richard Dreyfuss).
In the classic computer game Kings Quest VI, it is played as the background song whilst Prince Alexander is visiting with the former ferryman between the islands of the Land of the Green Isles.
In the Pokémon Gold and Silver
versions for the Game Boy,if you talk to a sailor next to the Olivine City harbor,the sailor will sing the song.
In the PC game Aquanox
2, the main character's Skipper 'Amitab' quotes the title of the song many times.
In Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
, a lyricless version of the song is used as Rum Rogers, Jr.'s theme.
In the ¡Three Amigos!, a portion of the song is sung by the Singing Bush.
In the movie Down Periscope
the song was sung with adapted lyrics.
The song was used as background music in the 1980s cartoon, The Real Ghostbusters
.
Sea shanty
A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...
. The lyric "Blow the man down" refers to the act of knocking a man to the ground.
Lyrics
The full lyrics areChorus:
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow the man down
Way aye blow the man down
Oh, blow the man down, bullies, blow him away
Give me some time to blow the man down!
As I was a walking down Paradise Street
Way aye blow the man down
A pretty young damsel I chanced for to meet.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
She was round in the counter and bluff in the bow,
Way aye blow the man down
So I took in all sail and cried, "Way enough now."
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
So I tailed her my flipper and took her in tow
Way aye blow the man down
And yardarm to yardarm away we did go.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
But as we were going she said unto me
Way aye blow the man down
There's a spanking full-rigger just ready for sea.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
But as soon as that packet was clear of the bar
Way aye blow the man down
The mate knocked me down with the end of a spar.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
It's starboard and larboard on deck you will sprawl
Way aye blow the man down
For Kicking Jack Williams commands the Black Ball.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
So I give you fair warning before we belay,
Way aye blow the man down
Don't ever take heed of what pretty girls say.
Give me some time to blow the man down!
Chorus
In popular media
Tønsberg Sjømannsforenings shantykor (The Shanty Choir of Tonsbergs Sailor's Association) recorded it in OsloOslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
on April 14, 1965. It was released on the extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Shanties (HMV 7EGN 53).
It is sung by Artemus Gordon (in disguise as the "vinegary old salt of a man") in The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West
The Wild Wild West is an American television series that ran on CBS for four seasons from September 17, 1965 to April 4, 1969....
episode The Night of the Headless Woman.
It was also featured in a commercial for Shell Gas, animated by Richard Williams.
It was also sung by Sheldon and Penny in the popular TV series The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory
The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady, both of whom serve as executive producers on the show, along with Steven Molaro. All three also serve as head writers...
, season 2 episode 18 (The Work Song Nanocluster).
It was also used in the 1930s adaptation of Popeye
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929...
by Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios, Inc., was an American corporation which originated as an Animation studio located at 1600 Broadway, New York City, New York...
as the background music for Bluto
Bluto
Bluto is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his Thimble Theatre comic strip . Bluto made his first appearance September 12 of that year...
.
It is the basis for a common seafaring song on the cartoon television show, Little Bear, based on books by Maurice Sendak.
The theme song to the television cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants
SpongeBob SquarePants is an American animated television series, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg. Much of the series centers on the exploits and adventures of the title character and his various friends in the underwater city of "Bikini Bottom"...
is set to the same melody as "Blow the Man Down". The episode "I Was A Teenage Gary", Gary, SpongeBob, and Squidward (all snails) "meow" to Blow The Man Down.
In the 1991 movie "What About Bob," Bill Murray mumbles the chorus while walking outside the home of Dr. Leo Marvin (played by Richard Dreyfuss).
In the classic computer game Kings Quest VI, it is played as the background song whilst Prince Alexander is visiting with the former ferryman between the islands of the Land of the Green Isles.
In the Pokémon Gold and Silver
Pokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
versions for the Game Boy,if you talk to a sailor next to the Olivine City harbor,the sailor will sing the song.
In the PC game Aquanox
AquaNox
AquaNox is a series of submarine-based shooter/simulation games set in the distant future. The collection includes AquaNox, AquaNox 2: Revelation and AquaNox: The Angel's Tears...
2, the main character's Skipper 'Amitab' quotes the title of the song many times.
In Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge
Monkey Island 2: LeChuck's Revenge is an adventure game developed and published by LucasArts in 1991. It was the second game of the Monkey Island series, following The Secret of Monkey Island, and the sixth LucasArts game to use the SCUMM engine. It was the first game to use the iMUSE sound...
, a lyricless version of the song is used as Rum Rogers, Jr.'s theme.
In the ¡Three Amigos!, a portion of the song is sung by the Singing Bush.
In the movie Down Periscope
Down Periscope
Down Periscope is a 1996 comedy film starring Kelsey Grammer as the captain of a rust-bucket Navy submarine, the USS Stingray, who is fighting for his career....
the song was sung with adapted lyrics.
The song was used as background music in the 1980s cartoon, The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters
The Real Ghostbusters is an American animated television series based on the 1984 film Ghostbusters. The series ran from 1986 to 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television, DiC Enterprises, and Coca-Cola Telecommunications. "The Real" was added to the title after a dispute with...
.