The Good Ship Calibar Guitar Chords And Lyrics
A traditional song that was recorded by Tommy Makem and The Clancy Brothers. I'm not too sure about the title being spelt ''Calibar'' as others have the spelling ''Calabar''
The Clancy brothers [ songs ] and later joined by Tommy Makem shot to fame way back in the early 60's
in the U.S. and had a huge influence on folk and
traditional music. Having no work in Ireland Tom
and Paddy went to America to make a living.
It all started in the 50's when they played a
few gigs to support their theater work.
They were earning more money doing the singing
than the theater work and decided to go all
out at the Irish ballads. The lads recorded their first
album in New York in 1956. Along with Tommy and
Paddy there were now 2 other members in the group,
Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem.
in the U.S. and had a huge influence on folk and
traditional music. Having no work in Ireland Tom
and Paddy went to America to make a living.
It all started in the 50's when they played a
few gigs to support their theater work.
They were earning more money doing the singing
than the theater work and decided to go all
out at the Irish ballads. The lads recorded their first
album in New York in 1956. Along with Tommy and
Paddy there were now 2 other members in the group,
Liam Clancy and Tommy Makem.
Come (A)all ye dry land sail-i-ars
And listen (G)to my (A)song
It's only forty verses
And I (G)won't detain you's (A)long
It's all about the adventures
Of (G)this old (D)Lisburn (A)tar
Who sailed as man before the mast
On the good ship (G)Cali(A)bar
Now the (A)Calibar was a spanking craft
Pitch bottomed (G)for and (A)aft
Her helm, it stuck out far behind
And her (G)wheel was a great big (A)shaft
With half a gale to fill her sail
She'd (G)do a (D)knot an (A)hour
She's the fastest craft on the Lagan Canal
And she's only (G)one horse (A)power
Now, the (A)captain was a strapping lad
And he stood just (G)four foot (A)two
His eyes was red and his nose was green
And his (G)cheeks was a prussian (A)blue
He wore a leather medal
That he (G)won in the (D)Crimea (A)War
And the captain's wife was the passenger cook
On the good ship (G)Cali(A)bar
Now, the (A)captain say to me "Me lad
Look here, me (G)lad" says (A)he
"Would you's like to be a sail-i-ar
And (G)sail the raging (A)sea?
Would you's like to be a sail-i-ar
On (G)foreign (D)seas to (A)roll
For we're under orders from Portadown
With a half a (G)ton of (A)coal"
It (A)was early next morning
The weather it (G)being su(A)blime
When passing under the old Queen's Bridge
We (G)heard the Albert's (A)chime
When going along the gaswork straits
A (G)very dange(D)rous (A)part
We ran ahole on a lump of coal
That wasn't marked (G)down on the (A)chart
Then (A)all became cunfuse-i-en
And the stormy (G)winds did (A)blow
The bos'n slipped on an orange peel
Fell (G)into the hold be(A)low
"Put on more speed" the captain cried
"For (G)we are (D)sorely (A)pressed"
But the engineer from the bank replied
"The horse is (G)doing his (A)best"
Then we (A)all fell into the water
And we all let (G)out a (A)roar
There was a farmer standing there
And he (G)threw us the end of his ga(A)lloses
And he (G)pulled us (D)all a(A)shore
No more I'll be a sail-i-ar
Or (G)sail the (D)raging (A)main
And the next time I go to Portadown
I'll go by the (G)bloody (A)train
And listen (G)to my (A)song
It's only forty verses
And I (G)won't detain you's (A)long
It's all about the adventures
Of (G)this old (D)Lisburn (A)tar
Who sailed as man before the mast
On the good ship (G)Cali(A)bar
Now the (A)Calibar was a spanking craft
Pitch bottomed (G)for and (A)aft
Her helm, it stuck out far behind
And her (G)wheel was a great big (A)shaft
With half a gale to fill her sail
She'd (G)do a (D)knot an (A)hour
She's the fastest craft on the Lagan Canal
And she's only (G)one horse (A)power
Now, the (A)captain was a strapping lad
And he stood just (G)four foot (A)two
His eyes was red and his nose was green
And his (G)cheeks was a prussian (A)blue
He wore a leather medal
That he (G)won in the (D)Crimea (A)War
And the captain's wife was the passenger cook
On the good ship (G)Cali(A)bar
Now, the (A)captain say to me "Me lad
Look here, me (G)lad" says (A)he
"Would you's like to be a sail-i-ar
And (G)sail the raging (A)sea?
Would you's like to be a sail-i-ar
On (G)foreign (D)seas to (A)roll
For we're under orders from Portadown
With a half a (G)ton of (A)coal"
It (A)was early next morning
The weather it (G)being su(A)blime
When passing under the old Queen's Bridge
We (G)heard the Albert's (A)chime
When going along the gaswork straits
A (G)very dange(D)rous (A)part
We ran ahole on a lump of coal
That wasn't marked (G)down on the (A)chart
Then (A)all became cunfuse-i-en
And the stormy (G)winds did (A)blow
The bos'n slipped on an orange peel
Fell (G)into the hold be(A)low
"Put on more speed" the captain cried
"For (G)we are (D)sorely (A)pressed"
But the engineer from the bank replied
"The horse is (G)doing his (A)best"
Then we (A)all fell into the water
And we all let (G)out a (A)roar
There was a farmer standing there
And he (G)threw us the end of his ga(A)lloses
And he (G)pulled us (D)all a(A)shore
No more I'll be a sail-i-ar
Or (G)sail the (D)raging (A)main
And the next time I go to Portadown
I'll go by the (G)bloody (A)train
“The Good Ship Calibar” is a grand comic ballad from Northern Ireland, perfect for that Donegal/Lisburn maritime humor! Let’s set the entire song cleanly in G Major (so you can sing it easily and play with standard open chords).
You’ll get:
✅ Full chorded lyrics (all verses transposed to G Major)
🎵 Strumming pattern
🎸 Fingerpicking tab for the first verse
🎶 “The Good Ship Calibar” — in G Major
Verse 1
Come [G]all ye dry land sail-i-ors
And listen [F]to my [G]song
It's only forty verses
And I [F]won’t detain you [G]long
It's all about the adventures
Of [F]this old [C]Lisburn [G]tar
Who sailed as man before the mast
On the good ship [F]Cali[G]bar
Verse 2
Now the [G]Calibar was a spanking craft
Pitch-bottomed [F]fore and [G]aft
Her helm it stuck out far behind
And her [F]wheel was a great big [G]shaft
With half a gale to fill her sail
She’d [F]do a [C]knot an [G]hour
She’s the fastest craft on the Lagan Canal
And she’s only [F]one horse [G]power
Verse 3
Now, the [G]captain was a strapping lad
And he stood just [F]four foot [G]two
His eyes were red and his nose was green
And his [F]cheeks were a Prussian [G]blue
He wore a leather medal
That he [F]won in the [C]Crimea [G]War
And the captain’s wife was the passenger cook
On the good ship [F]Cali[G]bar
Verse 4
Now, the [G]captain says to me, “Me lad,
Look here, me [F]lad,” says [G]he,
“Would you like to be a sailor
And [F]sail the raging [G]sea?
Would you like to be a sailor
On [F]foreign [C]seas to [G]roll,
For we’re under orders from Portadown
With a half a [F]ton of [G]coal.”
Verse 5
It [G]was early next morning,
The weather it [F]being sub[G]lime,
When passing under the old Queen’s Bridge
We [F]heard the Albert’s [G]chime,
When going along the gaswork straits,
A [F]very dan[C]gerous [G]part,
We ran ashore on a lump of coal
That wasn’t marked [F]down on the [G]chart.
Verse 6
Then [G]all became confusion,
And the stormy [F]winds did [G]blow,
The bosun slipped on an orange peel,
Fell [F]into the hold be[G]low.
“Put on more speed,” the captain cried,
“For [F]we are [C]sorely [G]pressed!”
But the engineer from the bank replied,
“The horse is [F]doing his [G]best.”
Verse 7
Then we [G]all fell in the water,
And we all let [F]out a [G]roar,
There was a farmer standing there,
And he [F]threw us the end of his gal[G]loses,
And he [F]pulled us [C]all a[G]shore.
No more I’ll be a sailor,
Or [F]sail the [C]raging [G]main,
And the next time I go to Portadown,
I’ll go by the [F]bloody [G]train.
🎸 Strumming Pattern
Keep it lively but steady, like a music-hall march in 4/4.
Pattern:
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
(count: 1 2 & & 4 &)
Or, for a lighter bounce:
Bass ↓ Up ↓ Up (folk swing feel)
Bass note (beat 1) alternates root–fifth:
G chord → play low E (3rd fret), then D string.
F chord → play low E (1st fret), then D string.
C chord → play A (3rd fret), then G string.
🪕 Fingerpicking Tab — Verse 1
Here’s a Travis-style fingerpicking for the first verse.
Thumb alternates bass; index and middle pluck the melody strings.
[G]
e|-------3---------3-|-------3---------3-|
B|-----0---0-----0---|-----0---0-----0---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|-3-------2---------|-3-------2---------|
[F]
e|-------1---------1-|-------1---------1-|
B|-----1---1-----1---|-----1---1-----1---|
G|---2-------2-------|---2-------2-------|
D|-3-------3---------|-3-------3---------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|1-------------------|1-----------------|
[G]
e|-------3---------3-|-------3---------3-|
B|-----0---0-----0---|-----0---0-----0---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|-3-------2---------|-3-------2---------|
[C]
e|-------0---------0-|-------0---------0-|
B|-----1---1-----1---|-----1---1-----1---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-2-------2---------|-2-------2---------|
A|3-------------------|3------------------|
E|--------------------|------------------|
[G]
e|-------3---------3-|-------3---------3-|
B|-----0---0-----0---|-----0---0-----0---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|-3-----------------|-------------------|
Play each chord for one or two bars, matching your singing rhythm (“Come all ye dry land sail-i-ors…”).
You’ll get:
✅ Full chorded lyrics (all verses transposed to G Major)
🎵 Strumming pattern
🎸 Fingerpicking tab for the first verse
🎶 “The Good Ship Calibar” — in G Major
Verse 1
Come [G]all ye dry land sail-i-ors
And listen [F]to my [G]song
It's only forty verses
And I [F]won’t detain you [G]long
It's all about the adventures
Of [F]this old [C]Lisburn [G]tar
Who sailed as man before the mast
On the good ship [F]Cali[G]bar
Verse 2
Now the [G]Calibar was a spanking craft
Pitch-bottomed [F]fore and [G]aft
Her helm it stuck out far behind
And her [F]wheel was a great big [G]shaft
With half a gale to fill her sail
She’d [F]do a [C]knot an [G]hour
She’s the fastest craft on the Lagan Canal
And she’s only [F]one horse [G]power
Verse 3
Now, the [G]captain was a strapping lad
And he stood just [F]four foot [G]two
His eyes were red and his nose was green
And his [F]cheeks were a Prussian [G]blue
He wore a leather medal
That he [F]won in the [C]Crimea [G]War
And the captain’s wife was the passenger cook
On the good ship [F]Cali[G]bar
Verse 4
Now, the [G]captain says to me, “Me lad,
Look here, me [F]lad,” says [G]he,
“Would you like to be a sailor
And [F]sail the raging [G]sea?
Would you like to be a sailor
On [F]foreign [C]seas to [G]roll,
For we’re under orders from Portadown
With a half a [F]ton of [G]coal.”
Verse 5
It [G]was early next morning,
The weather it [F]being sub[G]lime,
When passing under the old Queen’s Bridge
We [F]heard the Albert’s [G]chime,
When going along the gaswork straits,
A [F]very dan[C]gerous [G]part,
We ran ashore on a lump of coal
That wasn’t marked [F]down on the [G]chart.
Verse 6
Then [G]all became confusion,
And the stormy [F]winds did [G]blow,
The bosun slipped on an orange peel,
Fell [F]into the hold be[G]low.
“Put on more speed,” the captain cried,
“For [F]we are [C]sorely [G]pressed!”
But the engineer from the bank replied,
“The horse is [F]doing his [G]best.”
Verse 7
Then we [G]all fell in the water,
And we all let [F]out a [G]roar,
There was a farmer standing there,
And he [F]threw us the end of his gal[G]loses,
And he [F]pulled us [C]all a[G]shore.
No more I’ll be a sailor,
Or [F]sail the [C]raging [G]main,
And the next time I go to Portadown,
I’ll go by the [F]bloody [G]train.
🎸 Strumming Pattern
Keep it lively but steady, like a music-hall march in 4/4.
Pattern:
↓ ↓ ↑ ↑ ↓ ↑
(count: 1 2 & & 4 &)
Or, for a lighter bounce:
Bass ↓ Up ↓ Up (folk swing feel)
Bass note (beat 1) alternates root–fifth:
G chord → play low E (3rd fret), then D string.
F chord → play low E (1st fret), then D string.
C chord → play A (3rd fret), then G string.
🪕 Fingerpicking Tab — Verse 1
Here’s a Travis-style fingerpicking for the first verse.
Thumb alternates bass; index and middle pluck the melody strings.
[G]
e|-------3---------3-|-------3---------3-|
B|-----0---0-----0---|-----0---0-----0---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|-3-------2---------|-3-------2---------|
[F]
e|-------1---------1-|-------1---------1-|
B|-----1---1-----1---|-----1---1-----1---|
G|---2-------2-------|---2-------2-------|
D|-3-------3---------|-3-------3---------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|1-------------------|1-----------------|
[G]
e|-------3---------3-|-------3---------3-|
B|-----0---0-----0---|-----0---0-----0---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|-3-------2---------|-3-------2---------|
[C]
e|-------0---------0-|-------0---------0-|
B|-----1---1-----1---|-----1---1-----1---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-2-------2---------|-2-------2---------|
A|3-------------------|3------------------|
E|--------------------|------------------|
[G]
e|-------3---------3-|-------3---------3-|
B|-----0---0-----0---|-----0---0-----0---|
G|---0-------0-------|---0-------0-------|
D|-------------------|-------------------|
A|-------------------|-------------------|
E|-3-----------------|-------------------|
Play each chord for one or two bars, matching your singing rhythm (“Come all ye dry land sail-i-ors…”).
