Johnny Come Down to Hilo

"Johnny Come Down to Hilo" is a song with roots among enslaved workers in the American South. It is attested at least as far back as the mid-19th century,^[1] though there are so many variants of the song, it is difficult to pin down a precise origin. It appears to be related to (and often shares verses with) both Hog Eye Man and Shallow Brown.

The Longest Johns released their version as track 10 on Smoke + Oakum.

Factoids

Depending on who was singing the song and when, Hilo can be read as a reference to Hilo, Hawaii, which was involved in the 19th century sugar and whaling trades, or to the port city of Ilo, Peru, an important stop in the nitrate trade. However, some of the earliest known antecedents of the song have the refrain as "Johnny come down de hollow",^[2] so it may simply be an evolution from that.

Navvy, originally short for "navigator", was a term applied (often derogatorily) to unskilled manual laborers working on large construction projects such as canals or railroads. The term was coined in the late 18th century in Great Britain when numerous canals were being built, which were also sometimes known as "navigations".^[3]

Josey is likely derived from "joseph", a type of women's cloak or riding habit first worn in the 18th century.^[4]

Lyrics

From the version released on Smoke + Oakum.

Well I never seen the like since I been born,
A railroad navvy with his sea boots on

{Chorus}
When Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man
Oh, wake 'er, oh, shake 'er
Oh wake that gal with the blue dress on
When Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man

I met a little gal across the sea
She's a Boston beauty and she says to me

{Chorus}

Who's been here since I've been gone?
A pretty little gal with a josey on

{Chorus}

Well, my wife died in Tennessee
And they sent her jawbone back to me

{Chorus}

Well, shake 'er bullies, helm's a-lee
She'll get washed out with a big green sea

{Chorus}

Well I never seen the like since I been born
A railroad navvy with his sea boots on

Recordings

Streaming/Purchase

YouTube Videos

Gig Videos

Full Band Streams

Gaming Streams

[1] ttps://www.vwml.org/roudnumber/650#

[2] ttp://bluegrassmessengers.com/johnny-come-down-to-hilo--version-17-shallow-brown-2.aspx

[3] ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navvy

[4] ttps://www.wordnik.com/words/joseph

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