“Blow the Man Down”

Welcome to the 2024 Sea Song Showdown fundraiser. We’re singing our hearts out to raise money for our educational and interpretive programs at the Maritime Museum of BC!

To put the “fun” in “fundraiser”, we’re showcasing eight classic sea songs performed by maritime organizations in weekly matchups until 24 June; follow along on our blog and social media to see which sea song is this year’s favourite. All campaign proceeds go directly to support our programs, but you can let us know which sea song inspired your donation by voting each week.

The Black Ball Ferry Line presents a wonderful shanty describing the adventures of mariners aboard a Black Ball Line ship, called “Blow the Man Down”.

Halyard shanties tend to be long, as it takes a long time to hoist heavy yards. A yard is spar on a mast, that is set with sails. The halyard is the line. The call-and-response format of “Blow the Man Down” would give sailors a bit of a rest as the soloist sang, and then all would join together in action for the chorus.

The Lyrics

There are many versions and arrangements for this song. We’re using these lyrics:

From the Tie a Knot interpretive station:

Since sail vessels appeared about 4000 years ago, knots have been used to tie a boat to dock, fasten supplies to the deck, secure sails, and adjust their direction. During the Age of Sail, a full rigged ship used miles of rope rigging and sailors needed to tie hundreds of knots correctly for the ship to function. In their spare time at sea, merchant, whaler, and naval sailors transformed this knowledge into an art form, trading knots with members of their own crew and with sailors from other countries. Knot tying skills are still important today aboard boats of all kinds.

Photo: WRCNS training. Bayley Collection MMBC Archives P988.100.2.5.