Tiger Bay; set to the tune of The Lakes of Shilin/The Banks of the Bann/Shane (Lord of All Hopefulness)

Well, we sail through the day and we sail through the night
And we give a loud cheer when land comes into sight
If there’s peril at sea, then there’s pleasure ashore
Where the pretty girls beckon from every door

Now Jack sits in a tavern, happy as he can be
With a glass in his hand and a girl on his knee
Buy us one more, Jack, and sing us a song
Alas, cries poor Jack, All my money is gone

Then give me your jacket, I’ll pawn it for you
To buy you a drink, that’s the least I can do
Take off your waistcoat and hand it to me
To pay for a sailor who’s out on a spree

I shall have all your clothes when this evening is through
And if I could sell it, I’d take your skin too
With claws like a tigress, she strips poor Jack bare
And without a glance backward leaves Jack lying there

Now in the cold morning, Jack wakes in the street
No shirt on his back and no boots on his feet
And back to his ship he must make his sad way
For the sea is much safer than wild Tiger Bay

Henry Peacock