The song was written by the music hall performer Harry Clifton. Here are the lyrics and tune transcribed from the original Hopwood and Crew sheet music, compliments of Michael Heany of the Bodleian Library.


I'LL GO AND ENLIST FOR A SAILOR.
   Song of the Unfortunate Tailor.
   Written and sung by Harry Clifton. [1868]

List! oh list! to my sorrowful lay,
Attention give to my song I pray,
And when you've heard it all you'll say
   That I'm "an unfortunate tailor."
I once was as happy as a bird on a tree,
My Sarah was all the world to me,
But I'm cut out by a "son of the sea",
   She has left me here to bewail her.

        CHORUS.
Oh! why did my Sarah serve me so ?
No more will I stitch, no more will I sew,
My thimble and my needle to the winds I'll throw,
   And go and enlist for a sailor.

My Sarah was the daughter of a publican,
A gen'rous, kind, good sort of a man,
Who spoke very plain what he thought of a man,
   But he never look'd cross at the tailor;
My Sarah was as tall as a "poplar tree",
As "fair as a lily" and as "brisk as a bee",
And many were the smiles that she smil'd on me--
   Oh, why am I left to bewail her?

My days were happy, and my nights the same,
Till a man nam'd Cobb, from the ocean came,
With a "big black beard" and, a muskilar frame--
   A captain on board of a whaler,
He spent his money so frank and free,
With his "tales of the land" and his "songs of the sea",
He stole my Sarah's heart from me,
   And blighted the hopes of the tailor.

I went to plead, but she did refuse,
She lov'd another, so I must excuse
Her candour, but it was no use,
   She never could marry a tailor !
When telling my love in came that "Cobb",
Who cried, "Avast there, you lubberly swab!"
"If you don't belay, I'll scuttle your nob"--
   And Sarah smil'd at the sailor !

And so I'll cross the raging sea,
Since Sarah is untrue to me;
My heart's lock'd up and she's the key--
   A very unfeeling jailor.
Farewell, kind friends, a last a-doo,
No more my woes shall trouble you;
The world I'll wander thro' and thro'--
   I'll go and enlist for a sailor!

Source: Bodleian Library: Harding Mus. R 649
Sheet music published by Hopwood and Crew, 42 New Bond Street, London; s/n 1222
Transcribed by Michael Heaney.


ABC transcription of the melody:

X:1
T:I'll Go and Enlist for a Sailor
T:Song of the Unfortunate Tailor
C:Written by Harry Clifton, 1868
S:Sheet music published by Hopwood and Crew, London; s/n 1222
Z:Artful Codger
N:Bodleian Library: Harding Mus. R 649
%%MIDI program 1 69
M:C|
L:1/8
Q:1/2=60
K:Em
E3 E (EF) F G | B B G2 E3 D | D2 D2 (DE) E D |
w: List! oh list!_ to my sor-row-ful lay, At-ten-tion give_ to my
(AB) (AG) F2 (ED) | E3 E F3 F | G3 A B2 (GA) |
w: song_ I_ pray, And_ when you've heard it all you'll say That_
B2 B c B A (GF) | E4 {GF} HE2 (EF) | G2 G G G A B c |
w: I'm "an un-for-tu-nate_ tai-lor." I_ once was as happy as a
d2 d B G3 D | D D D2 (DE) F G | A2 (AF) D3 E |
w: bird on a tree, My Sa-rah was all_ the_ world to_ me, But
G2 (GA) B2 B> e | (dB) A> G F2 E F | D2 d2 (BA) G F |
w: I'm cut_ out by a "son_ of the sea", She has left me here_ to be-
(E3 F) HE2 ||   "^Chorus." B,2 | E2 E E (EF) (GA) | B2 G2 E3 D |
w: wail_ her.    Oh! why did my Sa-_rah_ serve me so? No
D2 D D (DE) (FG) | (AB) A G F3 D | E E E E F F F F |
w: more will I stitch,_ no_ more_ will I sew, My thim-ble and my nee-dle to the
G3 A B2 (GA) | B2 B c (BA) G F | (E3 F) E2 x2 |]
w: winds I'll throw, And_ go and en-list_ for a sail-_or.


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