Blow, Ye Winds

Oh, a ship was all rigg'd and ready for sea
And all of her sailors were fishes to be.

So, blow ye winds westerly, westerly blow
We're bound for the south'ard, so steady she goes



Oh, first came the herring, the kind of the sea
He jumped on the poop, "I'll be captain," said he

The next was a flat fish, they call him the skate:
"If you be the captain, why, sure, I'm the mate"

The next came the hake, as black as a rook
Says he, "I'm no sailor, I'll ship as the cook"

The next came the shark, with his two rows of teeth:
"Cook mind the cabbage, and I'll mind the beef"

And then came the codfish, with his chuckle head
He jumped in the chains, began heaving the lead

The next came the flounder, as flat as the ground:
"Damn your eyes, chuckhead, mind how you sound"

The next comes the mack'rel with his striped back
He jumped to the waist for to board the main tack

And then came the sprat, the smallest of all
He jumped on the poop, and cried, "Main topsail haul!"