The Marine Medley

NOW safe moor'd, with bowl before us,
Mess-mates heave a hand with me,
Lend a Brother Sailor Chorus,
While he sings our Lives at Sea:
O'er the wide wave-swelling ocean;
Toss'd aloft, or tumbled low,
As to fear, 'tis all a notion,
When our Time's come, we must go.

Hark the boatswain hoarsely bawling
By topsail sheets and haul-yards stand,
Down top-gallants, down be hauling,
Down your stay-sails, hand boys, hand;
Now set the braces,
Don't make wry faces,
But the lee top-sail sheets let go,
Starboard here,
Larboard there,
Turn your quid,
Take a swear,
Yo! yo! yo!

Oh, ye Landmen, idly lying
All along-side Beauty's Charms,
Safe in soft beds, seas defying,
Free from all but Love's alarms.
While on billows, billows rolling,
Death appears in every form,
On no Lady Laps we're lolling,
No kind Kiss can calm the Storm.

But loud peals, on peals are clashing,
Through rift rocks, the shrill wind shrieks;
In our eyes fierce lightning flashing,
Scorch the sails, and stench the decks.
Bursting clouds upon us pouring,
Black, o'erspread the face of day,
Burying seas in whirlpools roaring,
Fierey flies the sparkling spray.

High, the tossing Tempest heaves us,
Tow'rds the Pole aloft we go,
While the clouds seem to receive us,
Dreadful yawns the gulph below.
In that dark deep, down, down, down, down,
Down we sink from sight of sky,
By the swell, as instant up thrown,
Hark! what means yon dismal cry!

The fore-mast's gone, yells some sad tongue out
O'er the lee, twelve feet 'bove deck.—
A leak beneath the chestree's sprung out,
Call all hands to clear the wreck.
Quick the lannyard's cut in pieces,
Come my Hearts, be stout and bold,
Plumb the well, the leak encreases—
Four feet water's in the hold.

Worse and worse, the wild winds tearing
Warring waves around us foam,
For the worst, while we're preparing,
Nature sinks, and sighs for Home.
There, our babes, perhaps are saying,
In their little lisping strain,
As round mother's knees they're playing,
Daddy soon will come again.

If we must die, why die we must,
'Tis a birth in which all must belay mun.
When our debt's due, for Death won't trust,
Then all hands be ready to pay mun.
As to Life's striking its Flag, never fear,
Our Cruise is out, that's all my brother,
In this world we've luff'd it up, thus, and no near,
So let's ship ourselves now for another.

Overboard the guns be throwing,
To the pumps come ev'ry hand,
See her mizen mast is going
On the lee beam lies the land.
Rising rocks appear before us,
Hopeless, yet for help we call,
Ev'ry sea breaks fatal o'er us,
To the Storm's fell power we fall.

Now Dismay, with aspect horrid,
Swells each sleepless eye with tears;
And Despair, with bristly forehead,
On each bloodless face appears.
Sadly still we wait the Wave! —
Th' o'erwhelming Wave rolls mountain high;
The swell comes on, our sea-green grave, —
Hark, what means yon happy cry!

The Leak we've found, it cannot pour fast,
We've lighten'd her a foot or more;
Up and rig a jury Fore-Mast,
She rights, she rights, boys, wear off shore.
Now, my Hearts, we're safe from sinking,
We'll again lead Sailors lives;
Come, the Cann boys, let's be drinking
To our Sweethearts, and our Wives.