'PC' rewrite turns drunken sailor into grumpy pirate

Published on Thursday 29 January 2009 21:02

A TAXPAYER-funded literacy charity has changed the lyrics of the children's song What Shall We Do With A Drunken Sailor? to remove any reference to alcohol, it has emerged.

Bookstart, which promotes reading at a young age, has changed the words to the traditional sea shanty – penned in 1891 – from "drunken sailor" to "grumpy pirate".

But its sobered-up version of the rhyme has attracted criticism. Conservative MSP Bill Aitken said: "Should we not grow up? The drunken sailor reference would have offended no-one." He added that he believed bodies such as Bookstart acted in such a fashion because they were scared of causing offence in any way.

Katherine Soloman, spokeswoman for Bookstart, admitted she could see how some people would think the change was politically correct. But she said the rewrite was to fit in with a "pirate theme" the charity was promoting.