The story is that Paddy West was a real character who ran a boarding house in Liverpool where he "trained" non-sailors to look like seasoned deckhands since sailors with experiences like "crossing the line (equator)" or sailing "three times 'round the horn" were paid more than unskilled hands. The tune is "Tramps And Hawkers". It was recorded by Ewan MacColl and A L Lloyd, Lou Killen, the Clancy Brothers and others. The first verse and chorus sung by a pub crowd was included on Tom Rush's album Wrong End of the Rainbow.