Just as long as he's "able"
and can sing me a shanty
"Oh, as I strolled out one evening, out for a night's career,
I met a lofty clipper ship an' arter her I steered.
I hoisted her me sig-a-nals, which she so quickly knew,
An' when she seed me bunting fly, she immediately hove to-o-o,
Oh, she'd a dark an' rollin' eye,
An' her hair hung down in ring-a-lets,
She wuz a nice gal, a decent gal,
But one of the rakish kind!
Kind sir, ye must excuse me, for being out so late,
For if me parents knew o' it, then sad would be me fate,
Me father he's a minister, a true and honest man,
Me mother she's a Methodist, an' I do the best I can.
I eyed that wench full warily, for talk like this I knew,
She seemed a little owerbold, she lied for all I knew,
But still she wuz a comely wench, her lips a ruby red,
Her bosom full, her hips so slim, she coyly hung her head.
I took her to a tavern an' treated her to wine,
Little did I think that she belonged to the rakish kind.
I handled her, I dangled her, an' found to my surprise,
She wuz nothin' but a fire ship, rigged up in a disguise."