The Mermaid (ballad)

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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.

[edit] 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

[edit] External links

• Quoted Text: The Mermaid
• Alternate Versions: The Mermaid