Lyrics:
We’d be alright if the wind was in our sails
We’d be alright if the wind was in our sails
We’d be alright if the wind was in our sails
And we’ll all hang on behind
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind
Well a night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm
A night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm
A night on the town wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind
A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
A drop of Nelson’s blood wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind
Oh, a bowl of Irish stew wouldn’t do us any harm
A bowl of Irish stew wouldn’t do us any harm
A bowl of Irish stew wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind
A glass of whiskey hot wouldn’t do us any harm
A glass of whiskey hot wouldn’t do us any harm
A glass of whiskey hot wouldn’t do us any harm
And we’ll all hang on behind
And we’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
We’ll roll the old chariot along
And we’ll all hang on behind
Featured On:
Songs of the Lakes, Rivers, and Seas
• Recordings I Learned From Or Like •
About the Song:
“Roll the Old Chariot Along” is a traditional stamp and go (or walkaway) sea shanty with roots in either the Salvation Army revivalist hymn “Roll the Gospel Chariot” or an even older African-American spiritual. A stamp and go shanty was used to accompany jobs that consistently had to be done like manning the braces. In some versions of this song, a golden wheel is used in place of the chariot. It is also occasionally sung with the melody of “Drunken Sailor”. Nelson’s Blood refers to grog, watered-down rum that was included in the British Navy’s rations. According to legend, grog got the nickname “Nelson’s Blood” after being used to preserve Lord Nelson’s body in a barrel. Sailors drank the grog upon learning how it was used.
Other names include A Drop of Nelson’s Blood, and less commonly, The Golden Chariot.