Classic Poem

What did the captain say to the cook
When the ship went down the river?
“I've left my girl in Melbourne town,
Her hair was black and her eyes were brown;
And I'll love my girl for ever.”

Wey-ho! We'll love the girls forever!
What did the cook to the captain say
When the ship went down the river?
“I've left my gal in Melbourne too,
Her hair was gold and her eyes were blue;
And I'll love my gal for ever.”

Wey-ho! We'll love the gals for ever!
What did the crew at the capstan sing
As the old tank nosed the river?
“We've left our gals in Melbourne town,
With eyes of blue and eyes of brown;
And we'll love our gals for ever.”
Hey! We will forget them never!

What did the cook to the captain say
As the ship came down the river?
“I've left my gal in London town,
Her hair is black and her eyes are brown,
And I'll love my gal for ever.”

What did the captain say to the cook
As the ship swung down the river?
“I've left my girl in London too,
Her hair is gold and her eyes are blue,
And I'll love my girl for ever.”
What did the crew at the capstan sing?
Nothing at all but the same old thing
As the ship came down the river:
“We've left our loves in London town,
And some were black and some were brown,
But we'll love our loves for ever.”

L'ENVOI

So blow your money, my bullies all
(The old tank's down the river),
Blow your money and knock it down;
For some are short and some are tall,
And some are black and some are brown,
And the world goes round for ever.