August 2023 “Blow the Man Down”

Our Shanty of the Month for August is Blow the Man Down, a classic shanty made famous by many cartoons and popular shows over the years. Through the memories of various individuals, historians put the existence of this shanty in the 1860’s. It was a “halyard” shanty used for raising sails or movements requiring large hauls. Many early recordings have been captured by musicologists such as Percy Grainger in 1908, James Madison Carpenter in the 1930’s, and Helen Hartness Fladers in 1940.

There is debate from historians as to what “blow the man down” refers to. It either refers to a fight that could happen between two sailors on the ship or a vigorous storm that knocks the sailors down as they’re working on deck. Various verses have been collected that could confirm either meaning. Another meaning comes from a communication system used on older sailing vessels. The captain’s cabin would have a tube system that ran up on deck from “down” below. The captain would strike the pipe to get attention and would call out orders to the main deck from down below. “Blow the man down” could also be considered a term used to describe when the captain called a sailor down below.

Come out to our next event to sing Blow the Man Down with the rest of the crew!