Rio Grande

A traditional capstan shanty collected by all the major text compilers including Hugill, Doerflinger, and others. It is remarkably well-attested in the written record as dating at least to the 1860s,^[1] with the earliest known contemporary reference appearing in 1868.^[2]

The Longest Johns released a YouTube video of their version of the song on 18 October 2023, and it was later included on Caught in the Net Vol 1, released 18 October 2024.

Factoids

According to Robert B Waltz at the Traditional Ballad Index, "The 'Rio Grande' of this song is almost certainly not the river of southwestern North America, but rather the province Rio Grande do Sul of southern Brazil".^[3] The reference to the southern star (Polaris Australis) in the first verse supports the idea that they are indeed headed south of the equator.

Scoff is a slang term meaning to eat or consume, often in a quick or voracious manner.^[4] Lime juice was provided to sailors as a source of vitamin C, to prevent scurvy. 2022-05-29

Lyrics

These lyrics are based on the version performed by the Longest Johns in their livestreams; an extensive compilation of older versions can be found here.

Our ship went a-sailin' on over the bar
(Away for Rio!)
And we pointed our bow to the old southern star
(And we're bound for the Rio Grande!) [continues throughout]

{Chorus}
And away, boys, away!
Away for Rio,
So fare thee well, all you pretty young girls,
And we're bound for the Rio Grande.

Oh say was you never down Rio Grande?
It's there that the water runs down golden sand

{Chorus}

There was some of us sick and some of us sore
We scoffed all our lime juice and can't get no more

{Chorus}

So pack up your donkeys an' get underway
Them girls we are leavin' will get our half-pay

{Chorus}

Goodbye to Molly and goodbye to Sue
You folks on the quay side, it's goodbye to you

{Chorus}

Sing only one pull avast heaving my sons
Sing only one chorus it's blowing big guns

{Chorus 2x}

Recordings

Stream/Purchase

YouTube Videos

Full Band Streams

Gaming Streams

↑ https://www.vwml.org/search?q=RN317&collectionfilter=RoudFS;RoudBS&is=1
↑ https://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=79100#3191518
↑ Waltz, Robert B.; Engle, David G. (2025). "Rio Grande". The Traditional Ballad Index. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
↑ Wiktionary contributors (2026-02-08). "scoff". Wiktionary. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.

[1] ttps://www.vwml.org/search?q=RN317&collectionfilter=RoudFS;RoudBS&is=1

[2] ttps://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=79100#3191518

[3] Waltz, Robert B.; Engle, David G. (2025). "Rio Grande". The Traditional Ballad Index. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.

[4] Wiktionary contributors (2026-02-08). "scoff". Wiktionary. Archived from the original on 2026-03-12. Retrieved 2026-03-12.

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