New York Girls", also known as "Can't You Dance the Polka," is a traditional sea shanty. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 486.

Lyrics

The lyrics have many variations, but almost all versions contain this chorus, sung after each verse: A less common alternate chorus is: The lyrics are often a cautionary tale of a sailor being tricked by a pretty girl, who ends up spending all of his money and, in some cases, robbing him. This is summed up in these verses found in some versions:

Recordings

The song has been recorded by many artists: * Bob Roberts, in a BBC Archive recording by

Peter Douglas Kennedy Peter Douglas Kennedy (18 November 1922 – 10 June 2006) was an influential English folklorist and folk song collector throughout the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Family and upbringing Peter Kennedy was born and raised in London, and educated at L ...

(1950s) * Alan Mills, ''Songs of the Sea'' (1957) *

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, ...

, '' ...from the Hungry i'' (1959) *

Ian Campbell Folk Group The Ian Campbell Folk Group were one of the most popular and respected folk groups of the British folk revival of the 1960s. The group made many appearances on radio, television, and at national and international venues and festivals. They per ...

, ''New Impressions'' (1967) * Steeleye Span with

Peter Sellers Peter Sellers (born Richard Henry Sellers; 8 September 1925 – 24 July 1980) was an English actor and comedian. He first came to prominence performing in the BBC Radio comedy series ''The Goon Show'', featured on a number of hit comic songs ...

, '' Commoners Crown'' (1975) * Gordon Jones and Bob Thomas, ''Children in Need'' (1987) *

Oysterband Oysterband (originally The Oyster Band) is a British folk rock and folk punk band formed in Canterbury around 1976. History Early history The band formed in parallel to Fiddler's Dram, and under the name "Oyster Ceilidh Band" played purely as ...

, ''

Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a 1998 comedy by Millicen ...

'' (1989) *

Cyril Tawney Cyril Tawney (12 October 1930 – 21 April 2005) was an English singer-songwriter and a proponent of the traditional songs of the West of England, as well as traditional and modern maritime songs. Biography and notable works Tawney was born in ...

, ''Sailor's Delight'' (1990) * 97th Regimental String Band, Brass Mounted Army: Civil war Era Songs, Vol. VII (1999) * Roberts and Barrand, ''Across the Western Ocean'' (2000) *

Gaelic Storm Gaelic Storm is a Celtic band founded in Santa Monica, California in 1996. Their musical output includes pieces from traditional Irish music, Scottish music, and original tunes in both the Celtic and Celtic rock genres. The band had its first ...

, ''

Tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

'' (2001). *

Finbar Furey Finbar Furey (born 28 September 1946) is a multi-instrumental Irish folk musician, best known for his band of brothers, The Fureys. The Fureys were formed in Ballyfermot, Dublin, where they grew up. Early life Finbar Furey was born on 28 Septe ...

, '' Gangs of New York: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture'' (2004) *

Steve Tilston Steve Tilston (born 26 March 1950) is an English folk singer-songwriter and guitarist. Early life Steve Tilston was born in Liverpool and brought up in Leicestershire. A graphic designer before taking up music in 1971, Tilston lived in Bristol ...

, ''Of Many Hands'' (2005) * Bellowhead, '' Hedonism'' (2010)

In popular culture

* The song is featured in the 2002 film ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1927 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The film stars Le ...

''. * The song is featured in the 2014 video game ''

Assassin's Creed Rogue ''Assassin's Creed Rogue'' is a 2014 Action-adventure game, action-adventure video game developed by Ubisoft Sofia and published by Ubisoft. It is the seventh major installment in the Assassin's Creed, ''Assassin's Creed'' series, and is set betw ...

''. * The song is featured in the 2018 film ''

Fisherman's Friends The Fisherman's Friends are a folk music group from Port Isaac, Cornwall, who sing sea shanties. They have been performing locally since 1995, and signed a record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. Whilst essentially an a cappella group, ...

''.

References

{{authority control Sea shanties Songs_about_prostitutes Songs about New York City Year of song unknown Songwriter unknown