Old Bloke Pickin' on the Banjo

A traditional capstan shanty that likely has its origins with black and Irish workers on the American railroads.^[1] The exact lineage of the song is difficult to trace, as many versions seem to consist largely of fragments from other songs, with lyrics often bordering on nonsensical. The earliest known written evidence of this version is its inclusion in Cecil J. Sharp's 1914 collection English Folk-Chanteys, but it likely emerged in the mid-19th century.

The band released their version of the song on the fourth Pieces of Eight EP, Prospect, on 6 June 2025.

Factoids

The song is closely related to, and may be a variant on, a song titled "Song of the Pinewoods" — the Roud index lists them as separate songs, but the Traditional Ballad Index groups them together. In any case, there is significant overlap between the two, often with only a chorus separating them.^[2]

It also appears to bear some relation to an Irish folk song called "Shule Agra"; one version of the "Pinewoods" variant has the chorus beginning, "Shu-li, shu-li, shula-racka-ru" (cf. "Shule Agra": "Shule, shule, shule a vil a ghra"), and Sharp calls the tune a variant on the same.^[3]

Other related songs include a shanty called "Paddy Works on the Railway" and a shore song known as "Pat Do This"; as noted on Mainly Norfolk, "There is obviously a complex of related texts, locations, tunes and floating verses which it is impossible to tease out and give sequence to."^[4]

The TLJ version of the song originally used the traditional title "Old Moke Pickin' on the Banjo". "Moke" in 19th century British slang referred to a donkey or mule. This usage also existed in the US, where the song originated, but there it was much more commonly used as a derogatory term for a black person, especially one associated with minstrelsy. Some sources also attest a broader meaning of "foolish person" in general, but the racialized usage seems to have been more common.^[5] When this definition was brought to the band's attention during the September 2022 livestream, they opted to change the lyric to "bloke" to avoid harmful connotations.

The exact meaning of give her gyp is unclear, though "to give (a person or thing) gyp" is recorded in late 19th c. British slang meaning "to punish or assault", or "to cause pain or distress to".^[6] This may be a more generalized slang usage, something like the modern "give it hell".

Mud hook was slang for an anchor.^[7]

Lyrics

As performed on Prospect. They largely match those recorded by Stan Hugill in his collection Shanties of the Seven Seas.^[8]

He bang, she bang, daddy shot a bear
Shot him in the stern me boys and never turned a hair
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

{Chorus}
Hoo-ra! What the hell's the row?
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

Pat get back, take in yer slack, and heave away, me boys
Heave away me bully boys, why don't y' make some noise?
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

{Chorus}

Rock her block, chock'a block, heave the capstan round
Fish that flamin' anchor up for we are outward bound
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

{Chorus}

Out chocks, two blocks, heave away or bust
Bend your backs, me bully boys, kick up some flamin' dust
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

{Chorus}

Roll her boys, bowl her boys, give her flamin' gyp
Drag the anchor off the mud and let the bastard rip
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

{Chorus}

Whiskey-oh! Johnny-oh! The mud hook is in sight
'Tis a hell of a way to the gals that wait and the old Nantucket Light
We're all from the railroad too-ra-loo
And the old bloke pickin' on the banjo

{Chorus 2x}

Recordings

Stream/Purchase

YouTube Videos

Gig Videos

Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, UK (16 June 2025)

Full Band Streams

Chill Streams

Gaming Streams

↑ https://mainlynorfolk.info/danny.spooner/songs/theoldmokepickingonabanjo.html
↑ https://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/Be022.html
↑ https://mainlynorfolk.info/danny.spooner/songs/theoldmokepickingonabanjo.html
↑ https://mainlynorfolk.info/danny.spooner/songs/theoldmokepickingonabanjo.html
↑ https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/315413/origin-of-moke-used-in-the-mildly-derogatory-term-you-lil-moke
↑ gyp, n.5." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2022, www.oed.com/view/Entry/82876. Accessed 28 May 2022.
↑ https://www.lexico.com/definition/mud-hook
↑ https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=71721#1228985

[1] ttps://mainlynorfolk.info/danny.spooner/songs/theoldmokepickingonabanjo.html

[2] ttps://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/Be022.html

[3] ttps://mainlynorfolk.info/danny.spooner/songs/theoldmokepickingonabanjo.html

[4] ttps://mainlynorfolk.info/danny.spooner/songs/theoldmokepickingonabanjo.html

[5] ttps://english.stackexchange.com/questions/315413/origin-of-moke-used-in-the-mildly-derogatory-term-you-lil-moke

[6] yp, n.5." OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2022, www.oed.com/view/Entry/82876. Accessed 28 May 2022.

[7] ttps://www.lexico.com/definition/mud-hook

[8] ttps://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=71721#1228985

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]