Tom's Gone to Hilo

O, Tommy's gone, what shall I do?
Away down Hilo,
O, Tommy's gone, and I'll go too.
Tom's gone to Hilo.

O, I love Tom and he loves me,
Away down Hilo,
He thinks of me when out to sea.
Tom's gone to Hilo.

O, away around to Callao,
Away down Hilo,
The Spanish girls he'll see, I know.
Tom's gone to Hilo.
Tommy's gone, what shall I do?
Away down Hilo,
Oh, Tommy fought at Trafalgar,
Tom's gone to Hilo.

The Old Vict'ry led the way,
Away down Hilo,
The brave Old Vict'ry led the way,
Tom's gone to Hilo.

Tommy's gone for evermore,
Away, down Hilo,
I'll never see my Tom no more.
Tom's gone to Hilo.

Hilo is one of those names that turns up again and again in sea songs and it is hard to say just what it means - is it some kind of Nirvana for honest tars? One version of this song gives an answer. The second verse reads: 'Hilo town's in Old Peru...' This must mean the town of Ylo (always pronounced 'High-Low') which was captured by the buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp in 1681.

In those days, Chilean ports were closed to foreign vessels for lengthy periods of time, so vessels coming around Cape Horn passage had to put in at Ylo for replenishment of water and other supplies. Ylo was the first port in southern Peru.

At any rate, 'Tom's Gone to Hilo' is one of the most beautiful of all the halliard shanties. The sad thing is that in practice, the lines are just a little too long for optimum productivity. That is to say, if it is sung in proper time, there is too much singing in between hauls - something that was not appreciated by ship-owners. Nevertheless, 'Tom's Gone to Hilo' has survived intact as one of the most popular of all the shanties.