June 2023 “Randy Dandy Oh”

June’s Shanty of the Month goes to “Randy Dandy Oh”, a capstan shanty popularized by The Longest Johns (Written in Salt, 2016) but with origins dating all the way back to the early 1900’s! The earliest known reference to the shanty as we know it today dates back to 1917 where it was published in Capt. John Robinson’s “Songs of the Chantey Man” (don’t you just love all the different spellings of that word?).

Diving into the songs meaning, “rollicking” is sometimes substituted with “galloping” or bollocking, which means to mock or tell off. The original lyrics were meant to mock the uniform dress of the ships officers, with “dandies” implying that they were too good to get their hands dirty with the rest of the crew. The line, “Heave a pawl”, refers to the hinged bars attached to the capstan which sailors would push to turn it.

We’re so excited for “Randy Dandy Oh” to be our Shanty of the Month! Come out to our next event and learn how to sing along!