Three Sailor Boys- Gear (WY) 1914 Pound 1916 Syllabus/1922 American Ballads and Songs
[Louise Pound published this version twice; first an abbreviated version in the 1916 Syllabus of Nebraska and Central West Folk Songs and also in her 1922 book, American Ballads and Songs (No. 11).
This version uses the repeating and extended last verse found first in the 1868 Carmina Collegensia (also Child B, C, and D).
R. Matteson 2014]
THREE SAILOR BOYS- From Mrs. Jeanetta Gear, Junction, Wyoming, 1914.
Up spoke the man of our gallant ship,
And a well spoken man was he,
Saying, "I married me a wife in a far distant town,
And tonight a widow she will be, be, be,
And tonight a widow she will be."
For the roaring sea, they do roar, O roar,
And the stormy winds they do blow,
As the three poor [1] sailor boys they were mounted up aloft,
While the love land was lying down below, down below,
While the love land was lying down below.
Up spoke the boy of our gallant ship,
And a well spoken boy was he,
Saying, "I have a true love in a far distant town,
And tonight she'll be wailing for me, for me,
And tonight she'll be wailing for me."
Up spoke the girl of our gallant ship,
And a well spoken girl was she,
Saying, "I have been used to sleeping on a soft feather bed,
And tonight on the bottom of the sea, the sea,
And tonight on the bottom of the sea."
Up spoke the cook of our gallant ship,
And a greasy old thing was she,
Saying, "I can have more fun with my kettles and my pots
Than to sink to the bottom of the sea, the sea,
Than to sink to the bottom of the sea."
Six times around sails our gallant ship,
Six times around sails she,
Six times around sails our gallant ship,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea, the sea,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea.
1. 1916 version has "per" for poor."