Reuben Ranzo
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A halyard shanty nearly ubiquitous among English and American whaling ships, attested at least as far back as the 1860s.[1] The Longest Johns released their version on 7 March 2025 as part of the Horizon collection from Pieces of Eight.
Factoids
Song collectors have long speculated on the identity of the "real" Ranzo, but none of the common theories are supported by any solid evidence, and the wild variations in spelling between different versions — from "Orenso" to "Robin Ranger" — make it difficult to pin down a true "original" name with any certainty.
Another possibility is that the lyric was not originally a name at all, as at least one researcher has identified a possible antecedent in an agricultural work song sung by enslaved people in the antebellum US South, wherein the refrain is rendered as, "O juranzo, ho!" or "Ju-ran-zie, hio ho."[2]
Lyrics
As performed on the album.
Oh, poor old Reuben Ranzo
(Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo)
Oh, poor old Reuben Ranzo
(Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo) [continues throughout]
Oh, Ranzo was no sailor
So he shipped aboard a whaler
Oh, Ranzo was no beauty
So he couldn't do his duty
Because he was so dirty
They gave him five and thirty
The skipper gave him thirty
But his daughter begged for mercy
She give him wine and water
And a bit more than she ought to
She gave him education
And she taught him navigation
Well, he got his first mate papers
He's a terror to the whalers
Ranzo, me boys, Ranzo!