| lyric | 1. Come all ye dryland sailors blod an d listen to my song.
It’s only forty verses and I won’t de tain you long.
’Tis all about the adventiors of a bold young Irish tar
Who sailed as man before the mast on the good ship Calabar.
2. The captain was a strappin' youth and his height was four-foot-two.
His nose was red and his eyes was black and his hair was a Prussian blue.
He wore a leather medal that he won in the Crimee war,
And his wife was passenger, mate and cook on the good ship Calabar.
3. We sailed away with a favouring breeze, the weather was sublime.
But just in the straits of Rialto Bridge where you can't pass two at a time
Another craft ran into us, which gave us a serious check.
It stove in the starboard paddle-wheel box and destroyed the hurricane deck.
4. When huggin‘ the shore of Inchicore, a very dangerous part,
We ran aground on a lump of coal that wasn't marked on the chart.
And to save ourselves from sinking and to save each precious life
We threw the main deck overboard along with the captain's wife.
5. Then all became confus-i-on while the stormy winds did blow.
The bosun slipped on an orange peel and fell into the hold below.
The captain cried ""'Tis a pirate's rig and on us she does gain.
And the next time I sail for Clondalkin, boys, I'll bloody sure go by train.""
6. We got our ammunition out for to meet the coming foe;
Our cutlasses and boarding pikes and gatlin guns also.
""Put on full steam,"" the captain cried,""For we are sorely pressed,""
But the engineer from the bank replied,""The oul' horse is doing his best.""
7. Thick and fast the heroes fell, in torrents the blood was spilt.
Great numbers were falling before they were hit to make sure that they wouldn't be kilt.
And at last when the pirate surrendered her flag, the crew being all on their backs, - We found that she was a sister ship with a cargo of cobbler's wax.
8. Now the ship is in the marine stores now and the crew in the county jail.
And I'm the only survivor left to tell of the terrible tale.
But if I could release that ship I'd sail her off afar,
And an Admiral be of the bloomin' fleet on the fighting Calabar. |