Jolly Rogers The Song Of A Ship
Chorus:
The song of a ship begins with the rhythm of the
hammer,
And it grows with the work of all the men who build
her.
She finds her voice and sings in every line and every
sail
A harmony with wind and sea, a duet with the gale.
First you find the trees whose curves are just right
Fell them to make timber, and use all your might
Haul the timber to the river, fit it to the mold
Get every piece just right, it'll be a sight to behold
Now we lay the keel, it's the first thing to get done,
Scarf the stem and fix the stern mortise and tenon
Heave your backs, my lads, and set the square frames
For the next job that we've got the transom stern to
stage.
Chorus
Man the saw and line the planks, short straw gets the
pit
Dub that oak frame with the adze so every strake will
fit
Now mind the augers, boys, and drill those holes true
Twenty thousand trunnels to hit and the day's almost
through
Now build those stanchions up and plank her decks with
pine
Sailors'll work the Weather deck, in the Lower they'll
live just fine
You caulkers drive that oakum in and pay out all those
seams
And we'll get her hull all coppered up so she sails
like a dream
Chorus
Build the rudder from the timber and fix it with iron
pins
Then ship it on the sternpost, watch the tiller don't
crack your shins
It's been most of a year's work and the wheel is
finally set
That's the last we have on the hull, but we're not
finished yet
With three masts and square-rigged sails she'll be a
proper ship
The first thing that we'll set on her will be jib and
bowsprit
Then we'll fit the foremast with the main and
mizzenmast behind
Now you riggers come aboard and get her fixed with all
her lines
Chorus
Standing rigging will hold the masts, these are the
shrouds and stays
Rove off the running rigging for working all her sails
This spider's web of hemp run through blocks each
sailor must learn
From the headsail at the bow to the gaff-rigged spanker
'stern
They'll write songs my lads, about the sailors on that
ship,
They'll sing of the adventures or the dangers of their
trip.
And as those songs are sung, we'll not hear a single
note
As our backs are bent and hammers ring while we build
another boat.
Chorus x2
