Lyrics

Jackie
Good people give ear to me story
Now, pay attention, and none of your lip,
For I’ve brought you these lads
And their daddy,

Davy
And their daddy,

Jackie
Intending to build you’s a ship.

Men
Wallsend is wor habitation,
It’s the place we was all born and bred,

Jackie
And there’s no finer lads in the nation,

Men
And none are more gallantly led.

Jackie
Let’s get cracking gentlemen, chop chop! We’ve got a ship to build.

What’ve we got but the buzzer in the morning?
What’ve we got but the laying of a keel?

Jackie & Men
What’ve we got

Jackie
But the cranes above us soaring?
The commotion and the clamour in the welding of the steel.
What’ve we got

Davy
But the mist upon the river?


Jackie
What’ve we got,

Men
But the noise inside the hold?

Jackie & Men
What’ve we got

Jackie
But the arse end of the weather?
Where we work in horizontal rain, and

Jackie, Davy, Men
Shiver in the cold.

Jackie & Men
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t else.)

What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t else.)

Men
What’ve ye got

Jackie
But the singing in the cables?

Men
What’ve ye got

Davy
But the ringing in your ears?

Men
What’ve ye got

Billy
Well you can’t claim you’re disabled
‘Cause the bosses turned the tables
And your rights have disappeared.

Jackie & Men
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t else.)

What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t else.)


Jackie
Now what do you get for your politics?

Men
Now’t!

Jackie
What do you get for your vote?

Men
Now’t!

Jackie
Now what have we got at the end of the day?

Men
A great big bloody boat!

Jackie
You’ve got to die of something,
It’s written in your fate,
You might as well
Die on a Tuesday
And woe betide
You’re late.

Men & Jackie
What’ve ye got? (All you men what’s fit and able?)
What’ve ye got? (For the straining in your neck?)
What’ve ye got? (When you’re laid out on the table.)

Men
And the snapping of a cable when the rigging hits the deck?
What’ve we got

Tom
But a yard full of big brothers?

Men
What’ve we got

Tom
But a place to sling me tools?

Men
What’ve we got

Tom
I can’t wait to tell me mother!

Men
And we’ll teach you plenty other things you’ll never learn in school.

Jackie & Men
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t else.)

What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t else.)

What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
What’ve ye got? (What’ve we got?)
You’ve got now’t. (We’ve got now’t.)
We’ve got now’t, we’ve got now’t else...