Classic Poem

1. Now, it's one cold and dreary morning in December When
all my money I 'ad spent, Where it 'ad all gone to I don't remember,
So I down to a shipping office went. Oh, now, that
day there being a great demand for sailors, From
London out to California'n' back to France, Well, I
shipped aboard of a Yankee ship, the Oxford , And I
went upon the booze with my advance. Walk back, heave in the
slack, Well a heave away the capstan, heave a
pawl, oh, heave a pawl! Oh, it's about ship, stations, boys, be
'andy. All raise tacks, sheets, and mains'l 'aul!

2. Now, next morning when I 'rived upon the quarter deck, Oh,
such a sight you'd never saw before. There were
sailors there, I'll swear, from every nation; There was
Rooshian Finns an' Irish Finns an' Japanees galore.
Now, I thought that I would go down into the
fo'c'sle An' turn into my bunk an' have a
snooze, When I heard a voice above me loudly bawling, " Lay
haft, you sons o' guns, an' answer to yer names! " Walk etc.

3. Now, I knew that in me bag there was a bottle, For I
saw the boarding master put it there; But be'old
to my astonishment an' wonder, Instead
of a bottle of whiskey it was a
bottle of medicine for a cough! Walk etc.

4. Now, when I got down at morning into the fo'csle, Oh,
such a crew you'd never saw before. There wasn't
one man that could understand another, And I
didn't know whether to go ashore. But be
'old, I thought I'd have to stay aboard of 'er, And
put me voyage through without an 'itch, So I
asked the mate a which a watch to go to, An' 'e
told me, " You'll be picked out soon enough! " Walk etc.

5. Now we singled up and the tugs they got beside of us,
They took us through the locks and out in to the river, byes,
And there we got down to Gravesend.
It was there the fun it started rather high.
Aw, the mate 'e lost 'is 'ead because 'e couldn't talk to
The sailors didn't understand 'im there at all.
So 'e told the captain then an' there to pay 'em off,
And that was all that I could git aboard.