From The Oxford Book of Sea Songs 1986 Edn.

SAILOR'S ALPHABET

The chorus is given simply as
Sing High, sing low, wherever you go,
Give a sailor his grog and there's nothing goes wrong'

A's for the anchor that swings at our bow,
B's for the bowsprit throught he wild seas do plough.
C for the capstan we merrily around,
D are the davits we lower our boats down.

Eis for the ensign that flies at our peak,
F is for the focsle where the good sailors sleep.
G is for te galley where the good cooks hop around,
H is for the halliards we haul up and down.

Now I is for the iron the ship is made from,
J for the jib which moves her along.
K is the keel at the bottom of the ship,
L is the lanyards that never do slip.

Now M is the mainmast so neat and so strong,
N for the needles which never go wrong.
O for the oars we row our boats out,
P for the pumps that we keep her afoat.

Q for the quarterdeck where officers do stand,
R is the rudder that steers us to land.
S for the sailors which move her along,
T for the topsails we pull up and down.

U for the unicorn which flies at our peak,
V for the victuals which the sailors do eat,
W for the wheel where we all take our turn,
X,Y,Z is the name on our stern.


Comments 'The song appears to have originated in the Royal Navy, possibly in the 18th century, and spread to merchantmen, where it was sung both as a forebitter and a pumps shanty. The version here probably dates, because of the ref to iron, from the mid 19th century or later.it comes from Johnny Doughty, b 1903, or rye, Sussex, who served in the Royal navy and also worked as a fisherman'.