I just read somewhere that modern versions of ABC allow you to put the lyrics below. I just tried it with EasyABC but it didn't work.

I recoded the song to display in a more consistant fasion

%%scale 1
X:1    %Music
T:Marianina
B:Singing Together, Summer 1968, BBC Publications
F:http://www.folkinfo.org/songs
M:4/4    %Meter
L:1/8    %
K:Eb
B3 G cc BB |A3 F D2 z2 |
w:O'er the o-cean flies a mer-ry fay
c3 A dd cc |B3 G E2 z2 |
w:Soft her wings are as a cloud of day,
B3 G cc BB |A3 F D2 z2 |
w:As she pass-es all the blue waves say:
c3 A dd cc |B2 BB cc BB |
w:"Ma-ria-ni-na, do not roam, Whi-ther, whi-ther is your
A2 AA BB AA |G4 e3 d |
w:home, Come and turn us in-to foam, Ma-ria-
d c3 d3 c |c B3 B3 =B |
w: ni-na, Ma-ria-ni-na, Come, O
d3 c BB AF |E4 z4 |]
w: come and turn us in-to foam!"

In this case the spread of notes and lyrics is the same throughout. I would have liked to reset the stems so that all stems go up away from the lyrics but I haven't figured that out yet.