What Shall We Do With the Drunken Sailor?
Early 19th Century 
UK / Ireland Lyrics
What shall we do with the drunken sailor,
What shall we do with the drunken sailor,
Earlye in the morning?
Chorus:
Hooray an' up she rises,
Hooray an' up she rises,
Hooray an' up she rises,
Earlye in the morning.
Put him in the longboat till he’s sober,
Put him in the longboat till he’s sober,
Put him in the longboat till he’s sober,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
Keep him there and make him bale her,
Keep him there and make him bale her,
Keep him there and make him bale her,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
Trice him up in a runnin’ bowline,
Trice him up in a runnin’ bowline,
Trice him up in a runnin’ bowline,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
Tie him to the taffrail when he’s under,
Tie him to the taffrail when he’s under,
Tie him to the taffrail when he’s under,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him,
Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him,
Put him in the scuppers with a hosepipe on him,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
Take him an’ shake him an’ try to wake him,
Take him an’ shake him an’ try to wake him,
Take him an’ shake him an’ try to wake him,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
That’s what we’ll do with the drunken sailor,
That’s what we’ll do with the drunken sailor,
That’s what we’ll do with the drunken sailor,
Earlye in the morning.
Chorus
History and Meaning
"What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?" is a traditional English-language sea shanty dating from the early 19th century. The song served as a capstan shanty, used by sailors on British and American ships to coordinate rhythmic tasks such as weighing anchor or hoisting sails. The melody is derived from the traditional Irish folk tune "Óró sé do bheatha 'bhaile" (meaning "Oh-ro, the welcome home"), an ancient clan march that acquired new lyrics during the Jacobite rising of 1745-1746. The earliest printed record of the music appeared in 1824 in a Baltimore publication, and the first description of the shanty itself dates to an 1839 whaling voyage from New London, Connecticut. The song experienced a revival in the 20th century, being adopted for glee singing at Eton College and becoming a regular at London's Savage Club, with the first audio recording made by composer Percy Grainger in 1906. It even gained renewed viral popularity on TikTok during the COVID-19 pandemic.