Irish traditional song lyrics — collected by Beer Belly Band.
Come all ye dry land sailors bold and listen to my song
There only forty verses so I won’t detain you long
‘Tis all about the history of a bold young Irish tar
Who sailed as man before the mast on board the Calibar
The Calibar was clipper flat, stern-fashioned fore and aft
The rudder it stuck out away behind and wheel was a great big shaft
With half a gale to swell her sail she could make two knots an hour
The smartest craft on the Grand Canal though only one-horse power
The skipper was a strapping youth and his height was four-foot-two
He nose was red and his eyes were black and his hair a Prussian blue
He wore a leather medal that he won in a terrible war
And his wife was passenger mate and cook on board of the Calibar
Chorus:
So heave away my hearty’s for we’re bound for lands a far
As we sail away from James’ Street onboard of the Calibar
We sailed away with a favoring breeze, the weather it was sublime
But just in the straits of Rialto Bridge where ye can’t pass two at a time
Another craft ran into us which gave us a serious check
It stove in the starboard paddle-wheel box and destroyed the hurricane deck
While hugging the shore of Inchicore a very dangerous part
We ran a top of a lump of coal that wasn’t marked on the chart
To save ourselves from sinking and to save each precious life
We hove the main deck overboard including the captain’s wife
Then all became confusion while the stormy winds did blow
The Boson slipped on an orange peel and fell into the hold below
The Captain cried “‘Tis a pirate’s brig and on us she does gain!”
When next I sail for Clondalkin, boys, be japers I’ll go by train!”
Chorus
So we got our ammunition out to meet the coming foe
Our cutlasses and boarding pikes and Gatling guns also
“Put on full speed,” the Captain cried, “for we are sorely pressed”
But the engineer replied from the bank, “Sure the horse is doing his best!”
O, thick and fast the heroes fell, in torrents blood was spilt
Great numbers were falling before they were hit, to make sure they wouldn’t be kilt
And at last when the pirate surrendered her flag, the crew being all on their backs
We found that she was a sister ship, with a cargo of cobbler’s wax
The ship is in the marine stores now, the crew in the county jail
And I’m the only survivor left to tell the terrible tale
But if I could release that ship, I’d sail her off afar
And Admiral be of the blooming fleet on the fighting Calibar
Chorus