Roll Alabama Roll
Traditional:
courtesy of www.SailorSongs.com
In eighteen-hundred and sixty-one
Roll, Alabama, roll!
This ship's building was begun
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
When the Alabama's keel was laid
Roll, Alabama, roll!
It was laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
It was laid in the yard of Jonathan Laird
Roll, Alabama, roll!
It was laid in the town of Birkenhead -
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
At first she was called the Two-Ninety-Two
Roll, Alabama, roll!
For the merchants of the city of Liverpool
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
Put up the money to build the ship
Roll, Alabama, roll!
In hopes of driving commerce from the sea
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
Down the Mersey ways she rolled then
Roll, Alabama, roll!
Liverpool fitted her with guns and men
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
Down the Mersey she rolled one day
Roll, Alabama, roll!
And across the Western she plowed her way
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
From the Western Isles she sailed forth
Roll, Alabama, roll!
To destroy the commerce of the North
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
To fight the North Semmes did employ
Roll, Alabama, roll!
Every method to kill and destroy
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
The Alabama sailed for two whole years
Roll, Alabama, roll!
Took sixty-five ships in her career
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
With British guns, oh, she was stocked
Roll, Alabama, roll!
She sailed from Fayal; in Cherbourg she docked
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
To Cherbourg port she sailed one day
Roll, Alabama, roll!
To take her count of prize money
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
But off Cherbourg the Kearsarge lay tight
Roll, Alabama, roll!
With Cap'n Winslow spoilin' for a fight
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
The Kearsarge with Winslow was waiting there
Roll, Alabama, roll!
And Semmes challenged them to fight at sea
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
Many a sailor lad foresaw his doom-
Roll, Alabama, roll!
When the Kearsarge, it hove in view
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
'Twas a ball from the forward pivot that day
Roll, Alabama, roll!
Shot the Alabama's steerin' gear away -
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
'Twas outside the three-mile limit they fought
Roll, Alabama, roll!
And Semmes escaped on a fine British yacht
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
On June nineteenth, eighteen sixty-four
Roll, Alabama, roll!
They sent the Alabama to the cold ocean floor
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
The Kearsarge won the Alabama so brave
Roll, Alabama, roll!
Sank to the bottom to a watery grave
Oh, roll, Alabama, roll!
The author of this website has put a lot of time and effort into gathering the greatest collection of sea shanties for the world to enjoy - There are songs that have been to sung to a job of work at sea for many, many years and collecting them has been a great endeavour. - Roger Chartier has made the effort out of his own interest and the requests that he has gotten to do this work from fellow musicians who wanted a good source of sea shanties to draw on and learn from. He has been told that for this effort he is a remarkable man.
