The Mermaid (ballad)

"The Mermaid" is Child Ballad #289. Dating to around the mid 1700s, this song is known by a number of names, including "Waves on the Sea" and "The Wrecked Ship."

Lyrics

:'Twas Friday morn when we set sail,:And we had not got far from land,:When the Captain, he spied a lovely mermaid,:With a comb and a glass in her hand.

:Chorus:Oh the ocean waves may roll,:And the stormy winds may blow,:While we poor sailors go skipping aloft:And the land lubbers lay down below, below, below:And the land lubbers lay down below.

:Then up spoke the Captain of our gallant ship,:And a jolly old Captain was he;:"I have a wife in Salem town,:But tonight a widow she will be."

:Chorus

:Then up spoke the Cook of our gallant ship,:And a greasy old Cook was he;:"I care more for my kettles and my pots,:Than I do for the roaring of the sea."

:Chorus

:Then up spoke the Cabin-boy of our gallant ship,:And a dirty little brat was he;:"I have friends in Boston town:That don't care a ha' penny for me."

:Chorus

:Then three times 'round went our gallant ship,:And three times 'round went she,:And the third time that she went 'round:She sank to the bottom of the sea.

:Chorus

External links

*Quoted Text: [http://www.contemplator.com/sea/mermaid.html The Mermaid]
*Alternate Versions: [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch289.htm The Mermaid]