From Liverpool across the atlantic
Our good ship sailed over the deep
The sky bright and fair above us
The ocean beneath us asleep

Not a badtempered mariner among them
A jollier crew never sailed
except the first mate a bit of a savage
but as good as a seaman ever hailed

One day as he came from below decks
grasping a lad by the arm
a poor little ragged young urchin
who should have been home with his mom

And he asked the boy pretty roughly
How he dared be stowed away
cheating the owners and merchants
sailing, sleeping, eating without pay

Now the boy had a face bright and winning
and a pair of blue eyes like a girls
Looks up at the mates bushy eyebrows
and shakes back his long shining curls

and he said in a voice slow and pretty
"my stepfather he brought me aboard,
and he lay me away down below decks
for to keep me he could not afford

and he said that this good ship would take me
to Halifax town oh so far,
and he said son the lord is your father
who dwells where the good angels are"

"It's a lie" said the mate "not your father
but one of those big skundards here
and they lay you away down below there
speak up tell the truth do you hear"

Now the boy with face bright and winning
clear and shining with innocent youth
looked up at the mates scolding face, lads
said "sir I have told you the truth"

Then the mate drew a watch from his pocket
as if he were drawing a knife
"if in 10 minutes more you don't speak lad
here's a rope and goodbye to your life"

Eight minutes passed all in silence
"speak up lad" said the mate "say your say"
his eyes slowly filled up with teardrops
faltering said "may I pray?"

First came the words "Our Father"
low and clear from those dear baby lips
and lo they were heard like a trumpet
from each man aboard of that ship ( at least that is what Dad sang)

Every bit of the prayer that he goes through
to "forever and ever amen"
not for all the gold in the west indies
I would not have heard them again

From his feet was the lad gently lifted
and pressed to the mates rugged breast
and fondly did the mate kiss him
his hair he did fondly caress

"You believe me now" said the youngster
"believe you!" he kissed him once more
"you've laid down your life for the truth,son
I believe you for now, and ever more"


This was a song that my dad learned when he was abroad in the Navy during 1950-55. But it is way older than that. It was used by the missionaries to try to get people to convert people to christianity at least that is what I read on an archive site. Hope this helped.