The text from Bone, _Capstan Bars_ (1931), for reference. He classes it among "fo'cas'le ditties." As Robert mentioned above, Bone notes that it was "popular in 1900" and "I have not heard it since then."

THE LIVERPOOL SONG

‘Twas in th’ cold month of December,
When all my money I had spent,
I shipped in the Clipper ship ‘Defender,’
An’ away to the west-ard I went.

CHORUS
An’ it is ‘Get ye back.’ Ho!
‘Take in y’er slack.’ Ho!
Heave away th’ capstan. Heave a pawl.
Heave a pawl!
‘Bout ship: stations, boys, be handy.
Raise tacks, sheets, an’ mains’l haul!

I joined on a bitter winter’s morning.
A-frappin’ my arms to keep warm.
An’ th’ south cone a-hoisted for a warnin’
To stand by th’ makin’ of a storm.

It was then that I heard a voice a-callin’.
I listened and I heard it again.
‘Twas th’ mate at th’ fo’cas’le door a-bawlin’.
‘Oh, lay aft an’ answer t’ y’er name.’

An’ when I arrived upon th’ quarter-deck,
Great Heavens, what a sight was there to see:
There were remnants of nearly every nation.
An’ I tell you th’ sight did sicken me.

There was Dutchmen an’ Roosians an’ Spanish,
An’ Johnny Creepaws straight across from France,
An’ most didn’t know a word of English,
But answered to the name o’ ‘Month’s Advance.’

Now in my chest I had a bottle.
I saw my boarding master put it there.
So I slipped off th’ deck t’ wet my throttle,
To drown off my sorrow an’ my care.


NB: The melody of the first two lines of the chorus is significantly different than Hugill's familiar melody version.