This is a
traditional chantey as well as a
tavern song. Earliest date for this song is recorded as
1841. Each
verse is another
unpleasant answer to the
question, "What do you do with a
drunken sailor?" and this is often used as the title. Some of these solutions would be
fatal.
Additional verses:
Throw him overboard and drag him on the anchor
Tie him to the topsail while she's yardarm under
Feed him to the sharks til the bones is floatin'
Hang him from the mast as a Jolly Roger
Give him a dose of salt 'n' water
Give him a taste of the Bosun's rope-end
Put him in a dress and throw 'im to 'is shipmates
Here are some additional,
modern additions:
Sever his dinghy, make a mini-series
Make him the captain of an Exxon tanker
Put him out to pee in the poison ivy