Songs of the Sea & Fo’castle

The Sloop John B

The American Folk Experience

The Sloop John B

by John Fitzsimmons | The American Folk Experience

~Traditional 

We came on the sloop John B
My grandfather and me
‘Round Nassau town we did roam.
Drinking all night,
Had many a fight.
Oh, I feel so broke up, I wanna go home.

So hoist up the John B. sails,
And scrub down all of the rails
Send for the captain ashore, take me back home.
I want to go home,
Oh, take me back home.
I feel so broke up:
I want to go home.

The first mate he got drunk, –
He broke open my trunk
Poor seasick me all over the foam,
Oceans are grand,
Just give me the land
I feel so broke up, I wanna go home. 

Our cook he got the fits –
He ate up all of my grits
Then he took and ate up all of my corn.
A terrible trip –
On a terrible ship, oh yea
I feel so broke up, I wanna go home. 

If you have any more information to share about this song or helpful links, please post as a comment. Thanks for stopping by the site! ~John Fitz

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I am indebted to the many friends who share my love of traditional songs and to the many scholars whose works are too many to include here. I am also incredibly grateful to the collector’s curators and collators of Wikipedia, Mudcat.org, MainlyNorfolk.info, and TheContemplator.com for their wise, thorough and informative contributions to the study of folk music. 

I share this scholarly research on my site with humility, thanks, and gratitude. Please cite sources accordingly with your own research. If you have any research or sites you would like to share on this site, please post in the comment box.  

Thanks!

 

Source: Wikipedia

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The John B. Sails
Traditional song
Nassau Harbor after 1877, Albert Bierstadt, de Young Museum, San Francisco
Other name
  • I Want to Go Home
  • Wreck of the John B.
  • Sloop John B
  • Hoist Up The John B Sails
StyleFolk
LanguageEnglish
Published1916

"Sloop John B" (Roud 15634, originally published as "The John B. Sails") is a Bahamian folk song from Nassau. A transcription was published in 1916 by Richard Le Gallienne, and Carl Sandburg included a version in his The American Songbag in 1927. There have been many recordings of the song since the early 1950s, with variant titles including "I Want to Go Home" and "Wreck of the John B".

In 1966, American rock band the Beach Boys recorded a folk rock adaptation that was produced and arranged by Brian Wilson and released as the second single from their album Pet Sounds. The record peaked at number three in the U.S., number two in the UK, and topped the charts in several other countries. It was innovative for containing an elaborate a cappella vocal section not found in other pop music of the era, and it remains one of the group's biggest hits.[1]

In 2011, the Beach Boys' version of "Sloop John B" was ranked number 276 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[2]

Earliest publications

"The John B. Sails" was transcribed by Richard Le Gallienne, with five verses and the chorus published in his article "Coral Islands and Mangrove-Trees" in the December 1916 issue of Harper’s Monthly Magazine.[3] Gallienne published the first two verses and chorus in his 1917 novel Pieces of Eight.[4] The lyrics describe a disastrous voyage on a sloop, with the vessel plagued by drunkenness and arrests and a pig eating the narrator's food.

Carl Sandburg included the first three verses and chorus of "The John B. Sails" in his 1927 collection The American Songbag. He states that he collected it from John T. McCutcheon, a political cartoonist from Chicago. McCutcheon told him:

"The John B. Sails" (3:25)
Banjo/vocal performance of the song.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Time and usage have given this song almost the dignity of a national anthem around Nassau. The weathered ribs of the historic craft lie imbedded in the sand at Governor's Harbor, whence an expedition, especially sent up for the purpose in 1926, extracted a knee of horseflesh and a ring-bolt. These relics are now preserved and built into the Watch Tower, designed by Mr. Howard Shaw and built on our southern coast a couple of points east by north of the star Canopus.

The Beach Boys version

"Sloop John B"
U.S. picture sleeve
Single by the Beach Boys
from the album Pet Sounds
B-side"You're So Good to Me"
ReleasedMarch 21, 1966
RecordedJuly 12 – December 29, 1965 (1965-07-12 – 1965-12-29)
StudioUnited Western, Hollywood
Genre
Length2:59
LabelCapitol
SongwritersTraditional, arranged by Brian Wilson
ProducerBrian Wilson
The Beach Boys singles chronology
"Barbara Ann"
(1965)		 "Sloop John B"
(1966)		 "Wouldn't It Be Nice"
(1966)
Music video
"Sloop John B" on YouTube
Audio sample

Arrangement

The Kingston Trio's 1958 recording of "The John B. Sails" was recorded under the title "The Wreck of the John B."[9] It was the direct influence on the Beach Boys' version. The Beach Boys' Al Jardine was a keen folk music fan, and he suggested to Brian Wilson that the Beach Boys should record the song. As Jardine explains:

Brian was at the piano. I asked him if I could sit down and show him something. I laid out the chord pattern for 'Sloop John B.' I said, 'Remember this song?' I played it. He said, 'I'm not a big fan of the Kingston Trio.' He wasn't into folk music. But I didn't give up on the idea. So what I did was to sit down and play it for him in the Beach Boys idiom. I figured if I gave it to him in the right light, he might end up believing in it. So I modified the chord changes so it would be a little more interesting. The original song is basically a three-chord song, and I knew that wouldn't fly.

Jardine updated the chord progression by having the subdominant (D♭ major) move to its relative minor (B♭ minor) before returning to the tonic (A♭ major), thus altering a portion of the song's progression from IV — I to IV — ii — I. This device is heard immediately after the lyric "into a fight" and "leave me alone".

So I put some minor changes in there, and it stretched out the possibilities from a vocal point of view. Anyway, I played it, walked away from the piano and we went back to work. The very next day, I got a phone call to come down to the studio. Brian played the song for me, and I was blown away. The idea stage to the completed track took less than 24 hours.[10]

Wilson elected to change some lyrics: "this is the worst trip since I've been born" to "this is the worst trip I've ever been on", "I feel so break up" to "I feel so broke up", and "broke up the people's trunk" to "broke in the captain's trunk". The first lyric change has been suggested by some to be a subtle nod to the 1960s psychedelia subculture.[2][11][12]

Recording

The instrumental section of the song was recorded on July 12, 1965, at United Western Recorders, Hollywood, California. The session was engineered by Chuck Britz and produced by Brian Wilson. The master take of the instrumental backing took fourteen takes to achieve. Wilson's arrangement blended rock and marching band instrumentation with the use of flutes, glockenspiel, bass saxophone, bass, guitar, and drums.[13]

The vocal tracks were recorded over two sessions. The first was recorded on December 22, 1965, at Western Recorders and produced by Wilson. The second, on December 29, added a new lead vocal and Billy Strange's 12-string electric guitar part. Jardine explained that Wilson "lined us up one at a time to try out for the lead vocal. I had naturally assumed I would sing the lead, since I had brought in the arrangement. It was like interviewing for a job. Pretty funny. He didn't like any of us. My vocal had a much more mellow approach because I was bringing it from the folk idiom. For the radio, we needed a more rock approach. Wilson and Mike [Love] ended up singing it."[14] On the final recording, Brian Wilson sang the first and third verses and Mike Love sang the second.

Kent Hartman, in his book The Wrecking Crew, described Billy Strange's contribution to the song. Brian Wilson called Strange into the studio one Sunday, played him the rough recording, and told him he needed an electric twelve-string guitar solo in the middle of the track. When Strange replied that he did not own a twelve string, Wilson responded by calling Glenn Wallichs, the head of Capitol Records and owner of Wallichs Music City. A Fender Electric XII and Twin Reverb amplifier were quickly delivered, despite the shop they were ordered from being closed on Sundays, and Strange recorded the guitar part in one take. Wilson gave Strange $2,000 to cover the cost of the equipment.[15]

Single release

A music video for "Sloop John B" was filmed for the UK's Top of the Pops, directed by newly employed band publicist Derek Taylor. It was filmed at Brian's Laurel Way home with Dennis Wilson acting as cameraman.[16]

The single, backed with the song "You're So Good to Me", was released on March 21, 1966 in the US and on April 15, 1966 in the UK. It entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart on April 2 and peaked at No. 3 on May 7, remaining on the chart for a total of 11 weeks. It charted highly throughout the world, and remained one of the Beach Boys' most popular and memorable hits. It was No. 1 in Germany, Austria, and Norway, all for five weeks each, as well as Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Africa, and New Zealand. It was placed No. 2 in the UK, Ireland (where it remained the group's highest-charting single), Canada, and in Record World. It was the fastest Beach Boys seller to date, moving more than half a million copies in less than two weeks after release.[17] It had a three-week stay at number 1 in the Netherlands, making it the "Hit of the Year".[18]

Cash Box described the single as a "topflight adaptation" that treated "the folk oldie in a rhythmic, effectively-building warm-hearted rousing style."[19] Record World said that "The Beach Boys have taken a tune from the folk books and given it an intriguing rock backing."[20]

Other releases

In 1968, the recording's instrumental was released on Stack-O-Tracks. Along with sessions highlights, the box set The Pet Sounds Sessions includes two alternative takes, one with Carl Wilson singing lead on the first verse, and one with Brian singing all parts.[citation needed] In 2012, Al Jardine released his own version as a bonus track on the reissue of his solo album A Postcard from California.[citation needed] In 2016, to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of Pet Sounds, Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, and Brian Wilson’s touring band performed “Sloop John B” live at Capitol Studios.[21].

Personnel

Per archivists John Brode, Will Crerar, Joshilyn Hoisington and Craig Slowinski.[22][23]

The Beach Boys

Additional musicians and production staff

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[24] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Chart history

Sylvie Vartan version (in French)

"Mister John B"
Single by Sylvie Vartan
LanguageFrench
B-side"La chanson"
ReleasedJuly 1966
RecordedSummer 1966
GenrePop
Length2:45
LabelRCA Victor
SongwritersTraditional, Brian Wilson, Giles Thibaut, Georges Aber, Eddie Vartan
Sylvie Vartan singles chronology
"ll y a 2 filles en moi"
(1966)		 "Mister John B"
(1966)		 "Ballade pour un sourire"
(1966)

In 1966, the song was adapted into French by Giles Thibaut, Georges Aber, and Eddie Vartan as "Mister John B" and performed by Vartan's sister Sylvie and released as a single in July 1966 as a non-album single, based on the Beach Boys version from earlier that year.[44] The song had on-and-off chart success from mid-to-late 1966 on the French Belgian charts, peaking at Number 35 on the French Belgian charts on November 19, 1966.[45] Vartan would go on to re-record the song for her 2013 album "Sylvie In Nashville" but failed to chart unlike the former version.[46][47]

Charts

Chart (1966) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) 35[45]

List of recordings

All versions titled "Sloop John B", except where noted.

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

  • 2022 - Isle 'Ave a Shanty - Swinging the Lamp album.[58]

References

  1. ↑ Moskowitz, David V., ed. (2015). The 100 Greatest Bands of All Time: A Guide to the Legends Who Rocked the World. ABC-CLIO. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-4408-0340-6. Archived from the original on February 22, 2017. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All-Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011.
  3. ↑ Richard Le Gallienne (December 1916). "Coral Islands and Mangrove-Trees". Harper's Monthly Magazine. 134 (799): 82–83.
  4. ↑ Le Gallienne, Pieces of Eight, p. 30
  5. ↑ Unterberger, Richie. "Great Moments in Folk Rock: Lists of Aunthor Favorites". www.richieunterberger.com. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
  6. ↑ Scullati, Gene (September 1968). "Villains and Heroes: In Defense of the Beach Boys". Jazz & Pop. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 July 2014.
  7. ↑ Perlmutter, Adam (May 9, 2016). "'Sloop John B' Has Seen a Sea Change Throughout the Years". Acoustic Guitar.
  8. ↑ "Before TikTok Inspired a Rising Tide for Sea Shanties, the Beach Boys Charted One of Their Own". 16 January 2021.
  9. ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 18 - Blowin' in the Wind: Pop discovers folk music. [Part 1]" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
  10. ↑ The Pet Sounds Sessions: "The Making Of Pet Sounds" booklet, pg. 25-26
  11. ↑ Matthew, Jacobs (April 16, 2013). "LSD's 70th Anniversary: 10 Rock Lyrics From The 1960s That Pay Homage To Acid". Huffington Post.
  12. ↑ Mojo Staff (April 24, 2015). "The Beach Boys' 50 Greatest Songs". MOJO.
  13. ↑ Granata, Charles L. (2003). Wouldn't it Be Nice: Brian Wilson and the Making of the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Chicago Review Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-55652-507-0.
  14. ↑ The Pet Sounds Sessions: "The Making Of Pet Sounds" booklet, pg. 26
  15. ↑ Hartman, Kent (2012). The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best Kept Secret. Thomas Dunne. pp. 149–151. ISBN 9780312619749. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  16. ↑ Badman, Keith (2004). The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band, on Stage and in the Studio. Backbeat Books. pp. 130–31. ISBN 978-0-87930-818-6.
  17. ↑ Murrels, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Disks. Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 978-0214205125.
  18. ↑ "The Beach Boys – Sloop John B". Single Top 100. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  19. ↑ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 26, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  20. ↑ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 26, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-07-17.
  21. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Brian Wilson & Al Jardine - Sloop John B (Official Video)". YouTube. 10 June 2016.
  22. ↑ "Sloop John B". beachboyssessions.com. Austin Heller. Retrieved February 10, 2026.
  23. ↑ Slowinski, Craig. "Pet Sounds LP". beachboysarchives.com. Endless Summer Quarterly. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  24. ↑ "British single certifications – Beach Boys – Sloop John B". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 13, 2024. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Sloop John B Beach Boys in the "Search:" field.
  25. ↑ "American single certifications – The Beach Boys – Sloop John B". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Beach Boys – Sloop John B" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  27. ↑ "The Beach Boys – Sloop John B" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  28. ↑ "The Beach Boys – Sloop John B" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  29. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - May 16, 1966" (PDF).
  30. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. p. 96. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  31. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  32. ↑ "Sloop John B | IRMA". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  33. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Beach Boys" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  34. ↑ "The Beach Boys – Sloop John B" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  35. ↑ "The Beach Boys – Sloop John B". VG-lista.
  36. ↑ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  37. ↑ "The Official Charts Company - God Only Knows by The Beach Boys Search". The Official Charts Company. 4 April 2014.
  38. ↑ "The Beach Boys Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  39. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, May 14, 1966". Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  40. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1966". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 October 2021.
  41. ↑ The 100 Best-Selling Singles of 1966
  42. ↑ Musicoutfitters.com
  43. ↑ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 24, 1966". Archived from the original on February 17, 2017. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
  44. ↑ "EP 60 – Site officiel de Sylvie Vartan" (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  45. 1 2 "Sylvie Vartan - Mister John B. - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  46. ↑ "Albums 2010 – Site officiel de Sylvie Vartan" (in French). Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  47. ↑ "Sylvie Vartan - Mr John B. [2013] - ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  48. ↑ Martin, Michel (May 9, 2012). "Major US Folk Music Archive Makes Online Debut". NPR.org. NPR. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  49. ↑ "Original versions of (The Wreck of the) John B by the Weavers | SecondHandSongs". SecondHandSongs.
  50. ↑ "Lonnie Donegan". The Official Charts Company.
  51. ↑ "Jimmie Rodgers". Billboard.
  52. ↑ "CHUM Hit Parade - September 12, 1960".
  53. ↑ "RPM Magazine - May 16, 1966 - page 5" (PDF).
  54. ↑ "Discogs Raymond Harper / The Vibrators (2) With Bobby Aitken's Carib Beats – Amour / John B". Discogs. 1966.
  55. ↑ "Discogs The Vibrators (2) / Raymond Harper & The Carib Beats – Sloop John B / Amour". Discogs. 1966.
  56. ↑ "History of the Original Boy Band". www.londonwelshmvc.org. Retrieved 24 October 2023.
  57. ↑ "Suck'em and Sea". www.last.fm. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  58. ↑ "Isle 'Ave a Shanty". www.elyfolkfestival.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_John_B._Sails

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Johnny Cash sings The Sloop John B…

The now classic version by The Beach Boys…

 

Performances, Workshops, Resources & Recordings

The American Folk Experience is dedicated to collecting and curating the most enduring songs from our musical heritage.  Every performance and workshop is a celebration and exploration of the timeless songs and stories that have shaped and formed the musical history of America. John Fitzsimmons has been singing and performing these gems of the past for the past forty years, and he brings a folksy warmth, humor and massive repertoire of songs to any occasion. 

Festivals & Celebrations

Coffeehouses

School Assemblies

Library Presentations

Songwriting Workshops

Artist in Residence

House Concerts

Pub Singing

Irish & Celtic Performances

Poetry Readings

Campfires

Music Lessons

Senior Centers

Voiceovers & Recording

 

““Beneath the friendly charisma is the heart of a purist gently leading us from the songs of our lives to the timeless traditional songs he knows so well…”

 

Globe Magazine

Join Fitz at The Colonial Inn

“The Nobel Laureate of New England Pub Music…”

Scott Alaric

Adventures in the Modern Folk Underground

On the Green, in Concord, MA Every Thursday Night for over thirty years…

“A Song Singing, Word Slinging, Story Swapping, Ballad Mongering, Folksinger, Teacher, & Poet…”

Theo Rogue

Songcatcher Rag

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Songs, poems, essays, reflections and ramblings of a folksinger, traveler, teacher, poet and thinker…

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The Queer Folk

by | April 18, 2016 | Journal, Songs | 0 Comments

True to my words of earlier this week, I finished this song last night, and at the time, I liked it--but in the clear light of day, too much of it seems forced, especially the rhymes. But that is part of the process. I think I am almost there. Let me get my saw and...
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Presenting…

by | February 3, 2014 | Essays, Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

"Anything worth succeeding in, is worth failing in."~by Edison?      A contractor friend showed up at my house a few weeks ago just after I finished making the hearth and installing my new wood/coal stove. He complimented me on how "awesome" it looked. I then lamented...
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Metamorphoses

by | March 25, 2026 | Journal | 0 Comments

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Goathouse

by | May 23, 2014 | Poetry, Raccoon | 0 Comments

Goat house In reaching for the scythe I’m reminded of the whetstone and the few quick strokes by which it was tested-- the hardness of hot August; the burning of ticks off dog backs. It’s winter now in this garage made barn, and the animals seem only curious that I’d...
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Somewhere North of Bangor

by | August 12, 2014 | Fires in the Belly, Songs | 0 Comments

Somewhere north of Bangor
on the run from Tennessee.
Lost in back scrub paper land
in section TR-3.
It’s hit him he’s an outlaw
a Georgia cracker’s son,
who killed a man in Nashville
with his daddies favorite gun.
It’s hit him with the loneliness
of wondering where you are
on a long ago railway
stretched between two stars.

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Rainmaker

by | August 28, 2014 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

I loved the rain last night. Last week, in a bow to reality, I reclaimed my gardens and made them into yard. Four of my kids got poison ivy in the process and I (and more "they") got an extra ten feet of width to add to the soccer field--for really that is about the...
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No Dad To Come Home To

by | August 12, 2014 | Dawghouse, Songs | 0 Comments

Rain’s falling outside of Boston—
Thank God I’m not working tonight.
I’ve got six of my own,
And a stepdaughter at home,
And a momma keeping things right.
I wonder if they’re at the table
With their puzzles, their papers and pens?
When I get off the highway
And pull in that driveway,
Will they run to the window again?

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Auto Draft

by | March 25, 2026 | Journal | 0 Comments

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A Late Night Metacognition

by | April 13, 2014 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after ~Henry David Thoreau           When you need something done, find a busy person to help you get it done. My mother loved repeating that to me all the way to her dying day,...
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In Reply To Einstein

by | July 14, 2014 | Poetry, Raccoon | 0 Comments

*God casts the die, not the dice. ~Alfred Einstein I am cold down the neck, turtling my head to showers of ice that fall dancing and skidding on skins of crusted snow. I hold my breath when I step, inflating hopes of a weightlessness, and so be undetected
to the play...
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China Journal: Part One

by | July 23, 2015 | Essays, Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

I           The dull staccato throb in light rain on a dark night. Unseen barges make their way up the QianTian River—concrete shores marked by the arch of the bridge, the spans of beam stretched on beam, the impeccable symmetry of the street-lights broken by a stream...
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Ready. Set. Go.

by | April 7, 2014 | Essays, Journal, Teaching | 0 Comments

Who forgets to rinse his hair? Me, I guess, for that was the start of my day. I smelled something like coconut oil on my way to school, and then I realized, dang, my hair is still pretty wet. Wet with hair conditioner. And then I get sot school all coconutty smelling...
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Thanksgiving

by | November 28, 2013 | Journal, Poetry | 0 Comments

I am surprised sometimes by the suddenness of November: beauty abruptly shed to a common nakedness— grasses deadened by hoarfrost, persistent memories of people I’ve lost. It is left to those of us dressed in the hard barky skin of experience to insist on a decorum...
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Searching for an Alibi

by | August 12, 2014 | Fires in the Belly, Songs | 0 Comments

Here I am out on the road again
and it feels longer than it was back then;
when I was younger, man, it saw me through—
now it don’t do
what I want it to—

Too ra loo ra loo ra lady I—
I’m just out searching for an alibi
Too ra loo ra loo ra lady I
I’m just out searching for an alibi.

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The Right Side of the Inevitable

by | July 27, 2016 | Essays, Journal | 0 Comments

  Like birds of a feather, we gather together, 'Cuz they're feeling exactly like you... ~John Prine   I am not afraid of being a white minority. I had lunch today with a Jamaican drummer, a Ugandan farmer, and a Senagalese potter. I don’t say this out of...
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