COME ALL YE JOLLY SAILOR BOYS

Well, come all ye jolly sailor boys who to the sea belong,
If you'll listen to me, I'll sing for you a song;
I've been as fine a seaman as ever furled a sail,
Until by lightning lost my sight in that last November gale.

There was a wealthy merchant in the town where I was born,
I own, I loved his daughter and she loved me, I swear;
The press gang they came after me, and I was forced to go,
He sent me away to plow the sea where stormy winds do blow.

On the fourteenth of November, from Cook's Harbour we set sail,
Bound down to Gibraltar, with a soothing, pleasant gale;
The wind blew fair, our course did steer and back before the wind,
But still my thoughts kept thinking on the girl I left behind.

We arrived at Gibraltar and we lay ashore while there,
And then bound for England the winds they did still blow fair;
The very day we put to sea, set was every sail,
When a storm came on, eclipsed the sun and blew a fearsome gale.

Strong winds still kept increasing up to a hurricane,
Our skipper cried, "Make haste my boys, close reef our main topsail!"
No sooner he gave orders, when up aloft we lay,
Like hardy tars through gales and storms his orders to obey.

Just as we reached our mainmast head a heavier flash came on,
Great God, I will remember this eclipse of the sun;
Our main top gallant mast was split up by a ball of light,
And then four seamen more, by the lightning lost our sight.

Now, early the next morning it was dismal for to view,
Our mate he was washed overboard and four more of our crew;
The thunder roared tremendously and lightning fierce did flash,
And swelling seas broke over us and around our ship did dash.

But now, thank God, we're home again and landed safe on shore,
Back unto Cook's Harbour to the girl whom I adore;
Where I found Mary waiting, so loving, kind and free,
And now we live in unity, but her I cannot see.

Author unknown

Sung by Morris Houlihan (b.1885) of Flatrock, NL, and published in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).