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    Home > Port

    The drunken sailor, hornpipe

    Port
    Source Paddy O'Brien Tune Collection
    Key Signature A minor
    Time Signature 4/4
    Number of Parts 2
    Tonic a

    No other hornpipe has invaded my consciousness like this one. When hearing Tony MacMahon play it on Ciarán Mac Mathúna’s ‘A Job of Journeywork’ programme on our home radio, I was struck by the power of the tune. Parts of it stayed with me for days and even weeks. It was a long time before I heard it again, this time played by Offaly’s own John Bowe. However, I was prepared with a Grundig reel-to-reel recorder, which I had bought a few weeks earlier. This was April 1964. Ten years later, I heard Tommy Potts play it at his home in Walkinstown, Dublin. Tommy composed the tune’s sixth part and usually played it in G minor. He also (in his noble way) referred to it as ‘The Inebriated Mariner.’

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    The drunken sailor, hornpipe

    In copyright - Educational Use Permitted 
     =F3 G | A2 AG AB cd | ed cB AG EF | G2 GA GA Bc |
 dB{/c} GB edcB | (3ABA AG ABcd | ed{/e} cB AGEF | G2 gf ed Bd |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EFG || A2 AG AB cd | ed cB AG EF | G2 GA GA Bc |
 dB{/c} GB edcB | AE CE AB cd | ed cB AG EF | G2 gf ed Bd |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 B || (3cec cB cdef | gd Be dB{/c} G2 | (3BAG dG eGdG |
 (3BAG dG eGdB | (3cec cB cdef | ge ce dB{/c} GB | A2 ag ed Bd |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 B || (3cec cB cdef | gd Be dB{/c} GA | (3BAG dG eGdG |
 (3BAG dG eGdG | (3ABc Bd{/e} cdef | ge ce dB GB | A2 ag ed Bd |
 (3cec A2 A2 ce || a3 a af ga | ba gf e3 f | gdad bdad |
 gdad bagf | ea{/b} aa eac'a | ba gf ed{/e} Gd | (3efg fa gedB |
 (3cec A2 A2 ce || a3 a af ga | ba gf e3 f | gd ad bd ad |
 gd ad ba gf | ea{/b} aa eac'a | bagf edGd | (3efg fa gedB |
 (3cec A2 AE=FG || Ac ec Ac eF | GB dB GB dB | (3ABA ec Aceg |
 dc BA GB dB | (3ABA ec Acec | GB dB{/c} GBdB | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EFG || Ac ec Ac eF | GB dB GB dB | (3ABA ec Aceg |
 dc BA GB dB | (3ABA ec Acec | GB dB GB dB | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 a || ae ac' ae ab | gd gb gd gb | ae ac' ae c'a |
 ge dB eB dB | cA ce EG Bd | cB ce dG Bd | (3efg fa gedB |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 a || aa ea c'a ea | g2 dg bg dg | ae ab bc' ba |
 ge dB eB dB | cA ce EG Bd | cB ce dG Bd | (3efg fa gedB |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EGE || EA Be EA Be | EG Bd EG Bd | EA Be EA Bd |
 e=f ed BG EG | (3ABA ec Acec | GB dB GB dB | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EGE || EA Be EA Be | EG Bd EG Bd | EA Be EA Bd |
 e=f ed BG EG | (3ABA ec Aceg | d2 BG DG Bd | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 AEFG || (3ABA AG ABcd | ed cB AG EF | G3 G GA Bc |
 dB{/c} GB edcB | AE CE AB cd | ed cB AG EF | G2 gf ed Bd |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EFG || (3ABA AG ABcd | ed cB AG EF | G2 GA GA Bc |
 dB{/c} GB edcB | (3ABA AG ABcd | ed cB AG EF | G2 gf ed Bd |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 B || (3cec cB cdef | gd Be dB G2 | (3BAG dG eGdG |
 (3BAG dG eGdB | c2 cB cd ef | ge ce dB{/c} GB | A2 ag ed Bd |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 B || c2 cB cd ef | gd Be dB G2 | (3BAG dG eGdG |
 (3BAG dG eGdG | Ac Bd cd ef | ge ce dB{/c} GB | A2 ag ed Bd |
 cc A2 A2 ce || a3 a afga | ba gf e2 ef | gd ad bd ad |
 gd ad ba gf | ea{/b} aa eac'a | ba gf ed Gd | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2{/B} A2 ce || a3 a afga | ba gf e3 f | gd ad bd ad |
 gd ad ba gf | ea{/b} aa eac'a | ba gf ed Gd | (3efg fa gedB |
 (3cec A2 AE=FG || Ac ec Ac eF | GB dB GB dB | (3ABA ec Aceg |
 dc BA GB dB | (3ABA ec Acec | GB dB GB dB | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 AEFG || Ac ec Ac eF | GB dB GB dB | (3ABA ec Aceg |
 dc BA GB dB | Ac ec Ac ec | GB dB{/c} GBdB | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 A3 a || ae ac' ae ab | gd gb gd gb | ae ac' ae c'a |
 ge dB eB dB | cA ce{/G} EGBd | cB ce dG Bd | (3efg fa gedB |
 (3cec A2{/B} A3 a || aa ea c'a ea | g2 dg bg dg | aeab bc'ba |
 ge dB eB dB | cA ce EG Bd | cB ce dG Bd | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EGE || EA Be EA Be | EG Bd EG Bd | EA Be EA Bd |
 e=f ed BG EG | (3ABA ec Acec | GB dB{/c} GBdB | eg fa ge dB |
 (3cec A2 A2 (3EGE || EA Be EA Be | EG Bd EG Bd | EA Be EA Bd |
 e=f ed BG EG | AA ec Ac eg | d2 BG DG Bd | (3efg fa gedB |
 AE CE A,4 |

    This ABC was generated by computer