When collecting shanties and sea songs at the Royal Alfred home for merchant seamen at Belvedere, in the summer of 1928, James Madison Carpenter recorded ‘Blow the man down’ being sung by Harry Johnson. In Carpenter’s transcription of the tune, the singer is given as “Bos’n Johnson”. Carpenter also has a transcription of the words of ‘Blow the man down’ ascribed simply to “The Bo’sn”. It seems quite likely that these actually refer to the same person.
Songs
- Blow The Man Down (Roud 2624)
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