Lyrics Talking Sailor Blues - Jack Elliott

Talking Sailor Blues

In bed with my woman, just a singing the blues
And I heard the radio a telling the news
Said, the big Red army took a hundred towns
And the allies dropping them two ton bombs
I started hollering, yelling
Dancing up and down like a bullfrog
Doorbell rung, in come a man
I signed my name, I got a telegram
Says,"If you want to take a vacation trip
Got a dish washing job on a liberty ship"
Woman a crying, me a flying
Out the door and down the line
About two minutes I run ten blocks
I come to my ship down at the docks
Walked up the plank and I signed my name
Blowed the whistle and was gone again
Right on out and down the stream
Ships as far as my eye could see, pulling away
Ship loaded down with TNT
All out across the rolling sea
I stood on the deck and watched the fishes swim
I was a-praying them fishes wasn’t made of tin
Sharks Porpoises
Jelly beans, rainbow trout, mud-cats, jew-gars
All over that water
This convoy’s the biggest I ever did see
It stretches all the way out across the sea
The ships blow their whistles and ring their bells
Going to blow them fascists all to hell
Win some freedom, liberty, stuff like that
Walked to the tail, stood on the stern
Looking at the big brass screw blade turn
Listened to the sound of the engines pond
Came sixteen feet every time it went round
Gets closer and closer, look out, you Fascists
I’m just one of the merchant crew
I belong to the union called the NMR
I’m a union man from head to toe
I’m U-S-A and C-I-O
Fighting out here on the waters
Win some freedom on the land