Pull Down Below

A traditional shanty whose history is difficult to trace. The oldest known reference appears in Eckstorm and Smyth's Minstrelsy of Maine, published 1927, under the title "Church and Chapel", where the editors note that it was collected in 1904 from a local fisherman. Only one verse is given, and the chorus seems to have a slightly different rhythm than the modern version and lacks the "hieland laddy" phrase, but it bears noting that the song directly above it in that collection does feature "hielan' laddie" as a prominent chorus.

The other early evidence for the song is a wax cylinder recording made by collector James M. Carpenter in 1928 of Welsh sailor Rees Baldwin, who first went to sea in 1879. The words in Baldwin's chorus are difficult to make out on the recording, and the phrase rendered in the modern version as "hieland laddie", is variously transcribed as "eagle alley", "hee-dle-allie", or "pretty Allie" (and always "in the valley").

The song was not included in Stan Hugill's Shanties of the Seven Seas, but he did record a version in 1989 on the album A Salty Fore Topman with Stormalong John. This version has the "hieland laddy" line in place and uses more or less the same tune from from the 1928 recording, and it is Hugill's version from which most modern iterations seem to spring.

There is some speculation that "hielan'/highland laddie" was not part of the original song, and that Hugill or an unknown source of his, drawing from the 1927 book, saw the song above it on the page and either purposely or accidentally conflated the two, but without more versions to compare it is impossible to say with any certainty.

Interestingly, in the same 1928 recording session, the singer does another "Pull Down Below" song which appears to be a conflation with or variation on Johnny Come Down to Hilo, and of the "Church and Chapel" version, Carpenter notes that it shares a verse with Hog Eye Man, suggesting a possible connection to that family of shanties.

The song was released on the sixth Pieces of Eight EP, Salt, released on 1 August 2025.

Factoids

Poke is a slang term for a small bag or bundle.

Backalow/Backaloo refers to Baccalieu Island at the far eastern edge of Newfoundland, Canada, which served as a landmark for sailors. According to the Dictionary of Newfoundland English,

When practicable, they took their departure from Bacalieu...from which island they steered north-east for the ice; and as the northern ice usually drifts to the south-east, in returning, they were accustomed to steer north-west for the place of their departure. Hence it became a proverb: 'Wherever you are, steer north-west for Bacalieu.'

Lyrics

As performed on the Pieces of Eight release.

I went to church and I went to chapel
(Pull down below)
I went to church and I went to chapel
(Pull down below) [continues throughout]

{Chorus}
Oh, hielan' laddie
Pull down below
Hielan' laddie, bonnie laddie
Pull down below

And on the road I found a saddle
I found a saddle and an empty poke

{Chorus}

I found a saddle and an empty poke
But where the hell's the bleeding mule

{Chorus}

The mule is gone and I'll go too
I'll sail away to Backaloo

{Chorus}

Oh, hoist 'er her up and away we'll go
Hoist 'er up from down below

{Chorus}

Oh, give her sheet and let 'er go
We're outward bound to Backalow

{Chorus 2x}

Recordings

Stream/Purchase

• Amazon
• Anghami
• Apple Music/iTunes
• Bandcamp
• Deezer
• Pandora
• Spotify
• Tidal

YouTube Videos

• Music video
• Album version

Gig Videos

• Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth, UK (16 Jun 2025)

Full Band Streams

• What We Stream in the Shadows (11 Jun 2025)
• The Legend of Zelda, Ocastreama of Time (16 Jul 2025)
• Streamger Things (14 Jan 2026)