There have been a couple of threads where this song have come up, and there's a good set of lyrics on Stan Kelly's website at http://www.feniks.com/skb/music/lull17.html

But I haven't been able to find a tune for this, and the threads where this song was discussed have not so far put forward any suggestions.

So does anybody know the tune, or can anybody point the way to a recording?

Thanks!


The Quality of Mersey
Words: Reconstructed from childhood memories by Stan Kelly

When I was young and handsome, lads,
As handsome as could be,
I said goodye [terrar] to me mother-in-law
Away I went to sea.
I went aboard a schooner, boys,
The schooner Mary Anne
And we set sail for Walton Gaol
Up the Manchester Ship Canal.


Well, the captain was a sailor, lads,
He'd never been to sea before.
He knew as much about the sea
As the knob on our wash-house [shit-house] door.
All day he slept on the upper deck,
All night he slept below
And he paid the crew a lousy screw,
We were glad to see him go.


Now the quality of Mersey, boys,
It isn't strained at all
It's full of ships [shit] and seaweed
And it tastes like paraffin oil.
We had to drink it every day
For beer we'd never see,
And I scarcely thing we'll get a drink
Till we get to Wallasey.