An appropriate song, given that it was International Rat Day on April 4th, especially dedicated to the nautical rat crowd (copy and paste into WORD/TIMES/12 to line up the chords):

RODENT MARINERS, THE

(By Hamish MacLaren, Sailor with Banjo, © 1930
Adapted by Charlie Ipcar
Tune adapted from: "Blow the Candle Out")


Dm-------Am----Dm
We are the rodent ma-ri-ne-ers,
Am/Dm---Am
As nobody needs be told,
------------Dm----Am--------Dm
For there's no mis-taking our nau-ti-cal airs,
Am/Dm---Am-----Dm
Our rolling eyes so bold;
Dm-------------------Am
There's never a ship leaves English ground,
------Dm----------------Am
From Liverpool Docks to Plymouth Sound,
----Dm---Am---Dm
For Frisco Bay or Bombay bound,
--------------Am--------Dm
But we have free run of her hold!

We march aboard in companies,
All in the dead of night,
Over the hawsers from the quays
In the shadow of the watch lamplight;
Each roving rat his ship will choose,
From nose to nose we pass the news
Of cargoes, destination, crews,
And none can us affright.

Each roving rat his ship will choose,
From nose to nose we pass the news
Of cargoes, destination, crews,
And none can us affright.

We'll eat like kings once we set sail,
Each vessel leaving land,
A wandering larder which entails
A feast for every hand;
Maize, apples, salmon, barley, rice,
Nutmegs, olives, South Sea spice,
Meats and India merchandise,
And all at our command!

We know the ports of all the world
All warehouses, all quays,
All islets coral-ringed and pearled,
The Blue Hesperides;
And men may search until they die,
And men may blow great fleets sky-high –
But rats alone can hold for aye
The Freedom of the Seas!

And men may search until they die,
And men may blow great fleets sky-high –
But rats alone can hold for aye
The Freedom of the Seas!

This song is from the same 1920's sailor's folk opera as the now famous "Yangtse River Shanty."

Cheerily,
Charley Noble