| A ship’s crew of sailors as you may understand
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| Bound for the West Indies or some foreign land
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| There’s one lad amongst them I wish I never knew
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| He’s my bonnie, bonnie sailor with a jacket so blue
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| The first time I saw my love he’d a spy glass in his hand
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| I went to talk to him but he would not stand
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| I went to talk to him but from me he flew
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| And my heart it went along with him and his jacket so blue
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| Says I my noble sailor I’ll buy your discharge
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| I’ll free you from sailing and set you at large
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| I’ll free you from that man-o-war if your heart does be true
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| And I’d never let a stain on your jacket so blue
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| Well said I my noble lady you’ll buy my discharge
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| You’ll free me from sailing and set me at large
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| You’ll free me from that man-o-war if my heart does be true
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| Ah but then what would my own lovely Scotch lassie do
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| For I have a lassie in my own country
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| And I would not slight her for her poverty
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| If I were to slight her then my heart wouldn’t be true
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| For she never left a stain on my jacket so blue
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| I’ll write off to Dublin to an artist of skill
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| And I’ll have my love’s picture drawn out in its full
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| And I’ll place it in my chamber quite close to my view
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| And I’ll say I loved a sailor with a heart that was true |