Lyrics

Reuben Ranzo

Oh, poor old Reuben Ra-an-zo.
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
Oh, poor old Reuben Ra-an-zo.
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

His father was a New York ta-i-lor.
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
An’ shipped ‘im aboard a wha-i-ler.
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

But Ranzo was no beau-u-ty.
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
He could not do his du-u-ty!
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

For Ranzo was no sai-i-lor.
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
No use aboard a wha-i-ler.
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

But ‘e worked on nav-i-ga-ashun,
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
T’ fit ‘im for ‘is stay-ay-shun.
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

Now ‘e’s Captain of a Black-ball li-i-ner.
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
An’ nothin’ could be fi-i-ner.
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

But Ranzo was no sai-i-lor.
Ranzo, boys, Ranzo!
No use aboard a wha-i-ler.
Ranzo, boy-ees, R-r-ran-zo!

Song Notes

In the contemporary maritime music scene, Reuben Ranzo is one of the most well known, most performed and most recorded sea shanties.  While often performed much faster than it was when in use aboard ship, it features a typical and easy call-and-response that is representative of many ship-board work songs.  The first two times we heard this was, first, on the Library of Congress recording, American Sea Songs & Shanties, and then at the Milwaukee Sea Shanty Sing-Outs hosted by David HB Drake in 2003.