The Mermaid

'Twas Friday morn when we set sail,

And we had not got far from land,

When the Captain, he spied a lovely mermaid,

With a comb and a glass in her hand.

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Chorus

Oh the ocean waves may roll,

And the stormy winds may blow,

While we poor sailors go skipping aloft

And the land lubbers lay down below, below, below

And the land lubbers lay down below.

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Then up spoke the Captain of our gallant ship,

And a jolly old Captain was he;

"I have a wife in Salem town,

But tonight a widow she will be."

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Chorus

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Then up spoke the Cook of our gallant ship,

And a greasy old Cook was he;

"I care more for my kettles and my pots,

Than I do for the roaring of the sea."

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Chorus

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Then up spoke the Cabin-boy of our gallant ship,

And a dirty little brat was he;

"I have friends in Boston town

That don't care a ha' penny for me."

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Chorus

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Then three times 'round went our gallant ship,

And three times 'round went she,

And the third time that she went 'round

She sank to the bottom of the sea.

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Chorus

The Fair Sailor Lad

O the fair sailor lad

He was handsome and free,

And he loved a gentle maid,

And his wife she would be:

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"O my fair sailor lad,

Come and bide here wi' me!"

But the fair sailor lad

Sailed away, 'cross the sea.

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O the fair sailor lad

He was wae and forlorn:

"I must see yon gentle maid

From whose side I was torn.

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Tho' he sailed that very tide

Her he saw not again,

For that fair sailor lad

Sleeps for aye 'neath the main.

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O the fair sailor lad

He was handsome and free,

And he loved a gentle maid,

And his wife she would be:

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"O my fair sailor lad,

Come and bide here wi'me!"

But the fair sailor lad

Sleeps alone 'neath the sea.