"The Sailor's Hornpipe", also known as "The College Hornpipe" and "Jack's the Lad" is a traditional hornpipe melody. The usual tune for this dance was first printed as the "College Hornpipe" in 1797 or 1798 by J. Dale of London. It was found in manuscript collections before then going back at least to 1770. The whole step modulation in the B part resembles the same structure in the B part of "Give the Fiddler a Dram".
Hornpipes were danced on British navy ships in the 18th century accompanied by a tin whistle, pipes or a fiddle. Captain Cook, who took a piper on at least one voyage, is noted to have ordered his men to dance the hornpipe for exercise while at sea.
In more recent times the tune has been used for comic effect by Groucho Marx, Looney Tunes characters, Woody Woodpecker, Donald Duck and Popeye. John Philip Sousa's "Jack Tar March", written in 1903, features "The Sailor's Hornpipe" tune in one of its segments.
It has been recorded by Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer and Mark O'Connor on Appalachian Waltz (1996).