Rolling Down To Old Maui
Traditional:
courtesy of www.SailorSongs.com
from the 1859 log of the New Bedford Whaleship "Atkins Adams"
It's a damned tough life full of toil and strife
We whale men undergo
And we don't give a damn when the day is done
How hard the winds did blow
For we're homeward bound from the Arctic ground
With a good ship taut and free
And we don't give a damn when we drink our rum
With the girls of Old Maui
Rolling down to Old Maui me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Once more we sail with a northerly gale
Through the ice and wind and rain
Them native maids them tropical glades
We soon shall see again
Six hellish months have passed away
One the cold Kamchatka Sea
But now we're bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui.
Rolling down to Old Maui me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
Once more we sail with a northerly gale
Towards our island home
Our mainmast sprung our whaling done
And we ain't go far to roam.
Our stuns'l bones is carried away
What care we for that sound
A living gale is after us
Thank God we're homeward bound.
Rolling down to Old Maui me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
How soft the breeze through the island trees
Now the ice is far astern
Them native maids them tropical glades
Is a-waiting our return
Even now their soft brown eyes look out
Hoping some fine day to see
Our baggy sails running 'fore the gales
Rolling down to Old Maui
Rolling down to Old Maui me boys
Rolling down to Old Maui
We're homeward bound from the Arctic ground
Rolling down to Old Maui
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.
