|
By kris kristofferson, bob neuwirth, roger mcguinn, seymour cassell |
|
The captain touched his swagger stick |
|
Up to his golden eye |
|
And boogied through the vestibule |
|
While bidding us goodbye |
|
The enemy surrounds us |
|
And our spirits almost gone |
|
The devil take the cavalry |
|
That sold us for a song |
|
There's chi-chi's on the starboard, lads |
|
And chi-chi's in the stern |
|
And hashish in the hookah pipes |
|
And bonny grass to burn |
|
Our mission is a secret |
|
But we're fool enough to try |
|
We'll sail the bloody ocean, boys |
|
Or drink the bastard dry |
|
"if i'd've been a carpenter," the swarthy |
|
Sergeant said |
|
"i'd never seen this ugly thing |
|
That hangs above my head |
|
The hell with all your heros |
|
And the wounds they hope to show |
|
I'm just a simple soldier, son |
|
With one more year to go" |
|
The albatross was tiring |
|
And the cook was in a stew |
|
The filthy little cabin boy |
|
Was whizzing in my shoe |
|
The captain's wife was aging |
|
And the first mate heard her scream |
|
When tommy slipped tabasco in the |
|
Captain's vaseline |
|
"our time will soon be gone," he said |
|
"it's all we've left to lose |
|
We've shot our ammunition |
|
And we're all but out of booze |
|
So here's to irma donegal |
|
Here's to nellie blye |
|
And here's to my old friend," he said |
|
And kissed his ass goodbye |
|
"give off! give off! you sorry lot. |
|
Give off!," the captain cried |
|
"we've lost our bloody anchor |
|
And we're driftin' with the tide |
|
The swollen surf is pounding |
|
Like a thousand cannons roar |
|
And i shake the hand of any man |
|
Who guides us into shore." |
|
"we're saved! we're saved!" |
|
The soldiers said |
|
"we're saved!," the sailors cried |
|
And soldiers climbed aboard |
|
While sailors left from either side |
|
Some swabbies hit the minefield and |
|
The rifles got the rest |
|
And somewhere there's a schooner |
|
Sinkin' slowly in the west |
