Prompt / Lyrics
[Verse 1] There’s tar on my hands and salt in my hair And the wind has a mind of its own We left with the dawn and a bottle to share By dusk half the boys were gone [Chorus] Heave Boys Heave For the widow at the harbor wall Stomp hard Breathe Till the breakers drown the boatsmen’s call Raise your roar Like a storm that shakes the timber tall Heave Boys Heave For the widow at the harbor wall [Verse 2] We hauled black rope till our fingers split Took a wave clear over the bow The sea rolled dice and it never quit It’s a mercy I’m singing now [Chorus] Heave Boys Heave For the widow at the harbor wall Stomp hard Breathe Till the breakers drown the boatsmen’s call Raise your roar Like a storm that shakes the timber tall Heave Boys Heave For the widow at the harbor wall [Bridge] [Voices drop to a low Unison chant] Name by name we count our dead Jack and Tom and Brother Paul Every footstep Every tread Beats its mark on the harbor wall (hey!) [Chorus] Heave Boys Heave For the widow at the harbor wall Stomp hard Breathe Till the breakers drown the boatsmen’s call Raise your roar So the lost can hear us through the squall Heave Boys Heave For the widow at the harbor wall
Tags
folk, Unvarnished sea shanty with powerful male a cappella vocals, thick stacked harmonies on the chorus, boots-on-wooden-deck stomps and sharp claps driving the pulse. Lead voice is rough and weary, with gang responses that swell like waves. Arrangement starts with a lone singer, builds to roaring call-and-response, then drops to a hushed final refrain for a haunting close., rhythmic, a cappella, raw, male vocals, ballad, shanty
Duration
2:17
Instrumental
No
Created
1/19/2026