The Sailor’s Alphabet

Traditional Maritime

 

‘A’ for the anchor of our gallant ship,

And “B” for the bowsprit, so neatly does fit,

‘C’ for the capstan, we all go around,

And ‘D’ for the davits our boat hands upon.

 

Chorus:

 

So merry, so merry, so merry are we,

No mortals on earth are like sailors at sea.

To me hi, to me ho, to me hi diddle dum,

Give sailors their grub, and there’s nothing wrong.

 

‘E’ for the ensign so gallant and true,

‘f’ for the fo’stle that holds all our crew,

‘G’for the grub that our captain sends ‘round,

‘H’ for the halyards we all sway upon.

 

Chorus

 

‘I’ for the iron on our topsail boom

‘J’ for the jigger block on the yardarm,

‘K’ for the keep away down below,

‘L’ for the lanyards we heave to and fro.

 

Chorus:

 

‘M’ for merlin spike that hangs on the nail,

‘N’ for the needle to se up our sails,

‘O’ for the oars of our jolly boat,

‘P’ for the pump that keeps us afloat.

 

Chorus:

 

‘Q’ for the quarterdeck polished and strong,

‘R’ for the rudder that steers her along,

‘S’ for the sails that drive her ahead,

‘T’ for the taffrail when we threw out the lead.

 

Chorus:

 

‘U’ for the ugliest cloud of them all,

‘V’ for the vapour that comes from the squall

‘W’ for the windlass on which we do wind,

‘XYZ’ well I can’t do the rhyme.