| We come on the sloop John B | 
| My grandfather and me | 
| Around Nassau town we did roam | 
| Drinking all night | 
| Got into a fight | 
| Well I feel so broke up | 
| I want to go home | 
| So hoist up the John B’s sail | 
| See how the mainsail sets | 
| Call for the Captain ashore | 
| Let me go home, let me go home | 
| I wanna go home, yeah yeah | 
| Well I feel so broke up | 
| I wanna go home | 
| The first mate he got drunk | 
| And broke in the Cap’n’s trunk | 
| The constable had to come and take him away | 
| Sheriff John Stone | 
| Why don’t you leave me alone, yeah yeah | 
| Well I feel so broke up I wanna go home | 
| So hoist up the John B’s sail | 
| See how the mainsail sets | 
| Call for the Captain ashore | 
| Let me go home, let me go home | 
| I wanna go home, let me go home | 
| Why don’t you let me go home | 
| (Hoist up the John B’s sail) | 
| Hoist up the John B | 
| I feel so broke up I wanna go home | 
| Let me go home | 
| The poor cook he caught the fits | 
| And threw away all my grits | 
| And then he took and he ate up all of my corn | 
| Let me go home | 
| Why don’t they let me go home | 
| This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on | 
| So hoist up the John B’s sail | 
| See how the mainsail sets | 
| Call for the Captain ashore | 
| Let me go home, let me go home | 
| I wanna go home, let me go home | 
| Why don’t you let me go home |