Johnny Come Down to Hilo

"Johnny Come Down to Hilo" is a song with roots among enslaved workers in the American South. It is attested at least as far back as the mid-19th century, though there are so many variants of the song, it is difficult to pin down a precise origin. It appears to be related to (and often shares verses with) both Hog Eye Man and Shallow Brown.

The Longest Johns released their version as track 10 on Smoke + Oakum.

### Factoids

Depending on who was singing the song and when, **Hilo** can be read as a reference to Hilo, Hawaii, which was involved in the 19th century sugar and whaling trades, or to the port city of Ilo, Peru, an important stop in the nitrate trade. However, some of the earliest known antecedents of the song have the refrain as "Johnny come down de hollow", so it may simply be an evolution from that.

**Navvy**, originally short for "navigator", was a term applied (often derogatorily) to unskilled manual laborers working on large construction projects such as canals or railroads. The term was coined in the late 18th century in Great Britain when numerous canals were being built, which were also sometimes known as "navigations".

**Josey** is likely derived from "joseph", a type of women's cloak or riding habit first worn in the 18th century.

## Lyrics

From the version released on *Smoke + Oakum*.

>
> Well I never seen the like since I been born,
>
> A railroad navvy with his sea boots on
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
> When Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man
>
> Oh, wake 'er, oh, shake 'er
>
> Oh wake that gal with the blue dress on
>
> When Johnny come down to Hilo, poor old man
>
>
>
> I met a little gal across the sea
>
> She's a Boston beauty and she says to me
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> Who's been here since I've been gone?
>
> A pretty little gal with a josey on
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> Well, my wife died in Tennessee
>
> And they sent her jawbone back to me
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> Well, shake 'er bullies, helm's a-lee
>
> She'll get washed out with a big green sea
>
>
>
> {Chorus}
>
>
>
> Well I never seen the like since I been born
>
> A railroad navvy with his sea boots on
>
>
>
>

## Recordings

#### Streaming/Purchase

* Amazon Music
* Apple Music/iTunes
* Deezer
* Pandora
* Spotify

#### YouTube Videos

* Smoke + Oakum version
* What Happens When Shanty Singers Play Red Dead Redemption 2

#### Gig Videos

* The Origin Cafe, Thornbury (2013)
* The Studio at the Factory - Dallas, TX (23 Nov 2022)
* Kraków, Poland (26 Feb 2023)

#### Full Band Streams

* The Longest Johns and Friends, El Pony Pisador! (12 Aug 2018)
* The Longest Johns Early Octobermas (2 Oct 2019)
* Live Stream, All aboard the Good Ship Valentine(ish) with The Longest Johns (19 Feb 2020)
* STREAM (4 Aug 2021)
* Blue Stream of Death! (29 Jun 2022)
* Sega Streamcast (15 Feb 2023)

#### Gaming Streams

* Sea of Sings. Tonight we hit the high C's... - 10/07/2020
* Sea of Sings. Tonight we sink to the low C's... - 13/07/2020
* Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat! Boat! - 21/08/2020
* SHANT! - 02/10/2020
* Sea of Sings! with KroTukk! SHANT! - 3/11/2020
* Full Friendship followed by Battle Royale! - 23/11/2020
* Sea of Adventure with BehavingBeardly - 27/11/2020
* Sea of Good Tidings - 30/11/2020
* Welcome to the Shantdome! - 4/12/2020
* Two SoT streams in one week?!? What is this, 2020? - 01/04/2022

1. ↑ https://www.vwml.org/roudnumber/650#
2. ↑ http://bluegrassmessengers.com/johnny-come-down-to-hilo--version-17-shallow-brown-2.aspx
3. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navvy
4. ↑ https://www.wordnik.com/words/joseph