Otis Peabody Swift, “Old Sea Chanteys Cheer Sailors of Today,” Los Angeles Express (Jan. 26, 1919)

'Here is one of ‘Pop’s’ favorites:

"I met with a gay young Frisco girl, and my heart was not my own,
But when I kissed her goodby at last, my money and watch was gone,
As I was walking down the street and people was gazing at me,
Said they, ‘There’s a brave young sailor lad who’s off once more to sea.’

                         CHORUS

Once more, once more, he’s off to sea once more,
Oh, there’s a brave young sailor lad who’s off to sea once more.

"A boarding master picked me up, his name was Shanghai Brown,
And I’ll tell you the truth, he wasn’t so ill, for he gave me half a crown,
‘Look here, my brave young sailor lad, there’s no more work ashore,
But here’s your chance, take £10 advance, and go to sea once more.

"So I shinned me aboard of a whaler that was bound for the Arctic seas,
Where ice and snow and the cold winds blow, froze all my toes off’n me.
And the worst of it was I had no clothes to keep me dry and warm,
And I did swear if I ever got ashore I’d go to sea no more.

"Look here, my brave young sailor boys, take this as a warning from me,
Steer wide of the gay young Frisco gals and do not go to sea.
Drink no more whisky, smoke no more cigars, and go with no more girls,
But get married, my boy, and stop ashore, and go to sea no more.

"(It gets a bit lame in parts, and there’s where ‘Pop’ improvised when his memory failed him.)”