Music You Can Read®

"Blow the Man Down"
       
     
"Blow the Man Down"
 


"Blow the Man Down" Lyrics, Text Format



Tonic and dominate 7th arpeggios with dotted eighth and sixteenth note rhythms.

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Description
 
  • Grade: Second

  • Origin: Sea Chanty

  • Key: F Major

  • Time: 6/8

  • Form: ABCD

  • Rhythm: advanced: | ti/ ri ti ti ti ti | ta/ ta/ |
    | ti/ ri ta ti | ti ti ti ta/ | ti/ ri ti ta ti ri |

  • Pitches: intermediate: Do Re Mi Fa So La

  • Intervals: advanced: Do/Mi/So ascending tonic arpeggio, So\Mi\Do descending tonic arpeggio, La\Fa, Fa\Re, So\Fa\Re\Ti descending dominate 7th arpeggio, Ti/Re/Fa ascending dominate 7th arpeggio, Re/La (perfect 5th)

  • Musical Elements: notes: dotted quarter, quarter, dotted eighth, eighth, sixteenth, feeling duple meter in 6/8 time, pickup beat

  • Key Words: sailing songs, parts of a ship, geography, Black Ball Lines, fellows, trim, preparing, aft (rear), poop (roof of the rear cabin), tinker, tailor, sights, shoemaker, sailors, aboard; abbreviations: you'll (you will), I'll (I will), there's (there is)

 
 


"Blow the Man Down"

       
 
1.
Come all you young fellows that follow the sea,
To me way hey, blow the man down!
Now pray pay attention and listen to me,
Give me some time to blow the man down.
 
       
 
2.
When a trim Black Ball liner's preparing for sea,
To me way hey, blow the man down!

You'll split your sides laughing such sights you would see,
Give me some time to blow the man down.
 
       
  3. Come quickly, lay aft to the break of the poop,
To me way hey, blow the man down!
Or I'll help you along with the toe of my boot,
Give me some time to blow the man down.
 
       
  4. There's tinkers and tailors, shoemakers and all,
To me way hey, blow the man down!
They're all shipped for sailors aboard the Black Ball,
Give me some time to blow the man down.
 
       
The Black Ballers were fast ships of the American Black Ball Line that sailed between New York, USA and Liverpool, England in the second half of the nineteenth century. When a sailor said that a man was blown down, it meant that he was knocked to the ground. Blow the Man Down is a song about the unfair treatment of sailors aboard these ships.


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Additional Formats


music

"Blow the Man Down" Music Format
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beats

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rhythm

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pitch numbers

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solfeggio

Click to Enlarge: "Blow the Man Down" Solfeggio Format
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letter names
Click to Enlarge: "Blow the Man Down" Letter Names Format
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