A few years ago, I was listening to Sesame Street and noticed that the only alphabet song being used was performed by Ladysmith Black Mombasa. I wrote them up a sailor's version for fore and aft rig and arranged that the video could be made with Clearwater and members of the Hudson River Sloop Singers. The response I got back was "If it is not originated here, we are not interested."

My version is below:

THE CLEARWATER ALPHABET
April 20, 1994

A's for the Anchor which hangs from our bow,
B stands for Bowprit where our big jib comes down;
C's for the capstan we turn with a song
And d's for the davits our yawl boat hangs from.

Cho: Merrily, merrily, so merrily sail we,
      No mortals on earth like a sailor at sea,
      Blow high or blow low as the sloop sails along
      Just give us fair winds and nothing is wrong.

E's for the Ensign, our lag at the peak,
F is the Fo'c'sle where all the hands sleep;
G is the galley where cabbage smells strong,
And H is for Halliars we pull with a song.

I is the Icebox which keeps our food sweet,
J's for the Jib that we haul up so neat,
K is for knots which tie things up right,
and L stands for Lanyards which pull things up tight.

M's for the Mas so tall and so long,
N is the Needle that never points wrong,
O's for the Oars of our Jully Boat,
And P is for pumping which keeps us afloat.

Q is the Quarterdeck, where our captain does walk,
R's for the Rigging so strong and so taut;
S is our sloop which sails day and night,
And T is the Topsail all at a great height.

U's Under Full Sail as we voyage our craft,
V's for the Vangs that control the gaff;
W's the whippings that keep rope ends sound,
And X marks the spot where treasure is found.

Y's for the Yawlboat, which we row with ease,
and Z is the Zephyr, a favoring breeze;
Now this is the end of my jolly old song,
So heave away sailors, oh, heave long and strong.

As mentioned, the video never got made but it does get sung occasionally during education sails.