The last Shanty

Plaatsingsdatum: 23-nov-2011 15:52:13

M’ father often told me, when 1 was just a lad,

A sailor’s life was very hard, the food was always bad,

But now I’ve joined the navy, l’m on board a man-o-war,

And now 1 find a sailor ain’t a sailor any more!

Refrein

Don’t haul on the rope, don’t climb up the mast,

1f you see a saillng-ship It might be your last,

Get your civvies ready for anot her run ashore,

A sailor ain’t a sallor ain’t a sailor any more!

The ‘killick’ of our mess, he says we’ve had it soft,

It wasn’t like this in his day, when he was up aloft,

We like our bunks and sleeping bags but what’s a hammock for?

Swinging from the deckhead or lying on the floor?

Refrein

They gave us an engine that first went up and down,

Then with more technology the engine went around,

We’re good with steam and diesel but what’s a mainyard for?

A stoker ain’t a stoker with a shovel any more!

Refrein

They gave us an Aldis Lamp, we can do it right,

They gave us a radio, we signal day and night,

We know our codes and ciphers but what’s a ‘sema’ for?

A ‘bunting-tosser’ doesn’t toss the bunting any more!

Refrein

Two cans of beer a day, that’s your bleeding lot!

But now we gets an extra one because they stopped The Tot,

So, we’ll put on our civvy-clothes and find a pub ashore,

A sailor’s still a sailor, just like he was before!

Refrein