Tom Lewis (additional verse by ARRR!!!)
My father often told me when I was just a lad
A sailor’s life is very hard, the food is always bad
But now I’ve joined the Navy, I’m on board a man-o’-war
And now I find a sailor ain’t a sailor anymore
Don’t haul on the rope, don’t climb up the mast
If you see a sailing ship it might be your last
Just get your civvies ready for another run ashore
A sailor ain’t a sailor ain’t a sailor anymore
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?
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 anymore
They gave us an Aldis Lamp so 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 anymore
They gave us a radar set to pierce the fog and gloom
Now the lookout’s sitting in a tiny darkened room
Loran does navigation, the sonar says how deep
The Jimmy’s three sheets to the wind, the skipper’s fast asleep
They gave us a songbook so we’d know what to do
They gave us some MP3s, we listened to ’em to
We know our scales and harmonies, but what’s a cutlass for?
A pirate ain’t a pirate ain’t a pirate anymore
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