[Editor: This poem by E. J. Brady was published in The Ways of Many Waters (1899).]
XVIII.
Yankee Packet.
Yankee packet’s down the water —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Third mate loved the skipper’s daughter —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Wey-hey-ho! Wey-hey-ho!
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
How’d you know ’t was a Yankee packet?
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Know’d her by the awful racket —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Wey-hey-ho, the cook was jealous,
Spilled the soup and bust his bellus —
Blow, my bully boys, blow!
Once she did a bit o’ trodin’ —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Third mate killed the cook at Aden —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Fill her up an’ let her go,
Down with coal to Callao —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Go she must, or go to blazes —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Shout the good old packet’s praises —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Lively Loo from Boston sailing,
All the girls were left bewailing —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Lively Loo she took my fancy —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
So I shipped with Captain Clancy —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Wind abaft — a lively breeze —
Sailed away to China seas —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Sad we left our loves behind us —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
To be true they long enjoined us —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
But we found in foreign places
Welcome smiles on fairer faces —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Oh! our skipper was a daisy —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Drove the whole fo’castle crazy—
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
So we left him ruck and rumbo
In the harbour of Colombo —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Lively Loo was heard no more on —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Went one night a dark lee shore on —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Sharks, they ate the old man’s nose off,
Bit his ears and then his toes off —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
’Longshore lasses came to greet us —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Bumboat men were glad to meet us —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Sold our togs to buy bad liquor,
Pawned my pants and popped the ticker —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Got another ship to sail in —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Went to Arctic Ocean whalin’,
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Struck a ’berg one night and sunk it,
Freezin’ cold, but couldn’t funk it —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Saw a right whale busy spoutin’ —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
“There she blows!” the look-out shoutin’ —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
“Lower away!” and off we goes, mate.
Sticks a harpoon in her nose, mate —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Off she goes and us behind her —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Got a calf, but never mind her —
Blow, my bully boys, blow:
Down she dives, our lances shunning —
Keeps the harpoon-reel a-running,
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Up she comes, and right beside us —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Goes about; — now woe betide us!
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Turned her tail — gee-whoop! — and thrashed us,
Into fifty pieces smashed us —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Missed the coxswain as we wallowed —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Angry whale poor chap had swallowed —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Second boat, she saw her spout then,
Killed the whale and cut him out, men —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Yankee packet’s down the river —
Blow, my bully boys, blow;
Fifteen hundred bales to give her —
Blow, my bully boys, blow.
Wey-hey-ho! Wey-hey-ho!
Fill her up and let her go —
Blow, blow, my bully boys, blow!
Source:
E. J. Brady, The Ways of Many Waters, Melbourne: Thomas C. Lothian, 1909 [first published 1899], pages 85-90
[Editor: Corrected “Spiled the soup” to “Spilled the soup”.]
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