‘Twas a cold and dreary mornin’ in December. December! An’ all of me money it wuz spent. It wuz spent! Where it went to, Christ, I can’t remember. Remember! So I down to the shippin’ office went. Went, went! Paddy lay back, Paddy lay back! Take in yer slack, Take in yer slack! Take a turn around yer caps’n, heave a pawl, Heave a pawl! ‘Bout ship stations boys be ‘andy! For we’re bound for Valaparaiso ‘round the ‘Orn!
On that day there wuz a great demand fer sailors, Fer sailors! Fer the colonies and fer ‘Frisco an’ fer France. An’ fer France! So I shipped aboard a Limey barque the ‘Otspur, The ‘Otspur! An’ got paramalytic drunk on me advance. ‘Vance, ‘vance!
Now I joined ‘er on a cold December mornin’, A-mornin’! A-frappin’ o’ me flippers to keep me warm, Keep me warm! With the south cone a-’oisted as a warnin’, A warnin’! To stand by the comin’ of a storm. Storm, storm!
Now some of our felle’s had bin drinkin’, YES! An’ I meself wuz ‘eavy on the booze; On the booze! An’ I sat upon me ol’ seachest a-thinkin’, A-thinkin’! I’d turn in me bunk an’ ‘ave a snooze. Snooze, snooze!
I woke up in the mornin’ sick an’ sore, An’ sore! An’ I knew I wuz outward bound again. Bound again! When I ‘eard a voice a-bawlin’ at the door, The door! “lay aft, men, an’ answers to yer’s names!” Names, names!
‘Twas on the quarterdeck where first I saw-r-’em. I saw-r-’em! Such an ugly bunch I’d niber seen before. Seen before! There wuz a bum an’ a stiff from every quarter, A-quarter! And it made me poor ol’ ‘art feel sick an’ sore. Sore, sore!
There wuz Spaniards an’ Dutchmen an’ a Rooshian, A Rooshian! An’ Johnny Crapoos just across from France. Yes, from France! An’ most of-r-‘em couldn’t speak no English, No English! But answered to the name of “Month’s advance”. ‘Vance, ‘vance!
I wisht I wuz in the “Jolly Sailor”, The sailor! Along wid Irish Kate a-drinkin’ beer; Drinkin’ beer! An’ then I thought what jolly chaps were sailors, Were sailors! An’ with me flipper I wiped away a tear. Tear, tear!
