The ship was built of native wood that grew on western spurs,
And all the stout and honest strength of Norway's work was hers.
The ship was called the Harriet , but in a foreign tongue,
For someone' mother-sister, who died when she was young —
A blue-eyed, fair-haired sister who was made on Norway's plan;
Ah! had she lived then someone would have been a better man.
And someone sinned and suffered, and suffered much and sinned:
The ship is sailing home again; down on the wind
The Harriet is sailing home, O see her plunge and reel!
With one mate standing ready by and two mates at the wheel.
The spars point out the buried past, the spars point on aloft,
Our figure-head an old head nurse with features none too soft.
O Head Nurse, hold her up a point and give us pause for breath:
Full many a night you've stood 'twixt us and choking, strangling death.
The captain wants to think tonight of stories strange and daft
Since first we left the Harriet and sailed in other craft.
The captain was a proud young fool with hair and eyes of brown,
The captain is an old grey man — a country lad in town.
We were but married children and but lately put to sea;
We sailed for Eldorado in the Golden Vanity ,
The ship was wrecked in London, and neither was to blame.
But liars lied in Sydney, and they spread their tales of shame.
The captain's hair greyed in a year, and not a word said he.
O would that he had never seen the Golden Vanity !
And next he sailed the Pride of Home and trusted in the Lord;
The Pride , she was a good ship but had mutiny aboard;
He snatched her clear of Envy Head, and from the Rocks of Spite,
He saved her in the Bay of Lies, marked down in black and white.
She struck the great grey Cliffs of Fate where high the breakers foam:
O how he fought through those dark days to save the Pride of Home !
The good ship Fame of After-Death , while sailing by a star,
Picked up the captain and his mates all clinging to a spar;
They sailed by Unexpected Ports to where Strange Things prevail,
And there they found the Harriet , and due that day to sail.
The captain's captain of his soul, untouched by truth or lie;
And now they're sailing home again, and sailing full and bye.
And all the stout and honest strength of Norway's work was hers.
The ship was called the Harriet , but in a foreign tongue,
For someone' mother-sister, who died when she was young —
A blue-eyed, fair-haired sister who was made on Norway's plan;
Ah! had she lived then someone would have been a better man.
And someone sinned and suffered, and suffered much and sinned:
The ship is sailing home again; down on the wind
The Harriet is sailing home, O see her plunge and reel!
With one mate standing ready by and two mates at the wheel.
The spars point out the buried past, the spars point on aloft,
Our figure-head an old head nurse with features none too soft.
O Head Nurse, hold her up a point and give us pause for breath:
Full many a night you've stood 'twixt us and choking, strangling death.
The captain wants to think tonight of stories strange and daft
Since first we left the Harriet and sailed in other craft.
The captain was a proud young fool with hair and eyes of brown,
The captain is an old grey man — a country lad in town.
We were but married children and but lately put to sea;
We sailed for Eldorado in the Golden Vanity ,
The ship was wrecked in London, and neither was to blame.
But liars lied in Sydney, and they spread their tales of shame.
The captain's hair greyed in a year, and not a word said he.
O would that he had never seen the Golden Vanity !
And next he sailed the Pride of Home and trusted in the Lord;
The Pride , she was a good ship but had mutiny aboard;
He snatched her clear of Envy Head, and from the Rocks of Spite,
He saved her in the Bay of Lies, marked down in black and white.
She struck the great grey Cliffs of Fate where high the breakers foam:
O how he fought through those dark days to save the Pride of Home !
The good ship Fame of After-Death , while sailing by a star,
Picked up the captain and his mates all clinging to a spar;
They sailed by Unexpected Ports to where Strange Things prevail,
And there they found the Harriet , and due that day to sail.
The captain's captain of his soul, untouched by truth or lie;
And now they're sailing home again, and sailing full and bye.