I'm Shipping Up To Boston – English Lyrics

• By: Dropkick Murphys

Lyrics & Translation

Dive into the electrifying world of 'I'm Shipping Up To Boston,' a quintessential Celtic punk anthem that offers a vibrant immersion into Bostonian culture and the raw energy of the genre. Its simple yet powerful lyrics, inherited from folk legend Woody Guthrie, make it an accessible and engaging song for language learners, while its driving rhythm and cultural references provide a unique glimpse into a specific facet of American identity and working-class pride.

[English]

I'm a sailor peg

And I lost my leg

Climbing up the topsails

I lost my leg!

I'm shipping up to Boston (Whoa)

I'm shipping up to Boston (Whoa)

I'm shipping up to Boston (Whoa)

I'm shipping off

To find my wooden leg

I'm a sailor peg

And I lost my leg

Climbing up the top sails

I lost my leg!

I'm shipping up to Boston (Whoa)

I'm shipping up to Boston (Whoa)

I'm shipping up to Boston (Whoa)

I'm shipping off

To find my wooden leg

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sailor /ˈseɪlər/ A2	noun - a person who works on a ship
leg /lɛg/ A1	noun - a limb of the body used for walking
climb /klaɪm/ B1	verb - to go up or ascend
shipping /ˈʃɪpɪŋ/ B2	verb - to send goods by ship or other means
Boston /ˈbɔːstən/ A2	noun - a city in the United States
wooden /ˈwʊdən/ B1	adjective - made of wood
lost /lɔst/ A2	verb - unable to find something
find /faɪnd/ A1	verb - to discover something
peg /pɛg/ B2	noun - a small cylindrical object used for fastening or supporting
top /tɒp/ A1	noun - the highest part or point

Key Grammar Structures

• And I lost my leg

  ➔ Simple past tense with 'lost'

  ➔ Use of the past tense 'lost' indicates a completed action in the past.

• Climbing up the topsails

  ➔ Present participle used as a gerund to show continuous action

  ➔ The gerund form 'climbing' shows ongoing action in the present.

• I'm shipping up to Boston

  ➔ Present continuous tense indicating future intention or arrangement

  ➔ The phrase 'I'm shipping up to' expresses a planned or intended future action.

• 'And I lost my leg'

  ➔ Conjunction 'and' connecting two independent clauses

  ➔ The word 'and' joins two related ideas in the sentence.

• To find my wooden leg

  ➔ Infinitive phrase indicating purpose

  ➔ The infinitive 'to find' expresses the purpose of shipping up to Boston.