Leave Her Johnny -Resource Pack

Tradition holds that this beautiful, poignant shanty, also known as Time for Us to Leave Her, was the last the to be sung aboard a vessel at the end of a long voyage, often during the last round of pumping while the ship was tied up in port. It is said to have been used as a means of airing grievances, with lyrics being altered for the occasion in order to playfully mock the Captain, Bosun and other senior members of the crew.

As with many arrangements I write, this song can be done using virtually any combination of singers. As indicated in the score, the parts can be taken down an octave if necessary. Directors of mixed choirs might also wish to create mixed voice parts that span an octave. Choir leaders know their choirs’ voices far better than arrangers, so it down to your discretion as to how you would like to organise your choir to sing this song. However, in an ideal world this is the configuration I would suggest, depending on the make up of your choir…

All women: voice 1 – soprano, voice 2 – soprano, voice 3 – alto
Women with a small number of men: voice 1 – soprano, voice 2 – alto, voice 3 – alto and bass (an octave lower)
Two thirds women / One third men: voice 1 – soprano, voice 2 – alto, voice 3 – bass (an octave lower)
An equal number of men and women: voice 1 – soprano and tenor (an octave lower), voice 2 – soprano and bass (an octave lower), voice 3 – alto and bass (an octave lower)
Two thirds men / One third women: voice 1 – soprano, voice 2 – bass (an octave lower), voice 3 – bass (an octave lower)
Men with a small number of women: voice 1 – soprano and tenor (an octave lower), voice 2 – bass (an octave lower), voice 3 – bass (an octave lower)
All men: voice 1 – tenor (an octave lower), voice 2 – bass (an octave lower), voice 3 – bass (an octave lower)