FATHOM THE BOWL

Come all you bold heroes, give an ear to my song
And we'll sing in the praise of good brandy and rum
There's a clear crystal fountain near England shall roll
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl

Chorus:
I'll fathom the bowl, I'll fathom the bowl
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl

From France we do get brandy, from Jamaica comes rum
Sweet oranges and lemons from Portugal come
But stout and strong cider are England's control
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl

My wife she do disturb me when I lay at my ease
She does as she likes and she says as she please
My wife, she's a devil, she's black as the coal
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl

My father he do lie in the depths of the sea
With no stone at his head but what matters to he
There's a clear crystal fountain, near England shall roll
Bring me the punch ladle, I'll fathom the bowl

OH GOOD ALE

It's of good ale to you I'll sing
And to good ale I'll always cling
I like my mug filled to the brim
And I'll gladly drink up all you'll bring

Chorus:
Oh Good Ale, thou art my darling
Thou art my joy both night and morning

I love you in the early morn
I love you in daylight, dark or dawn
And when I'm weary, tired and spent
I'll turn the tap and ease the vent

It is you that makes my friends my foes
And makes a beacon of my nose
It's you that makes me wear old clothes
But it's up you comes and down you goes

And if my wife should me despise
I'd gladly give her two black eyes
But if she loved me as I love thee
What a happy couple we should be

SOME FRIENDS AND I

Some friends and I in a local pub
Were playing dominos one night
When all of a sudden in the tap man rushed
And gave us a terrible fright
"What's up", says Brown, "Have you seen a ghost?
Have you seen your aunt Mariah?"
"Oh, me aunt Mariah be blowed" says he,
"The bleeding pub's on fire!"

Chorus:
And there was Brown, upside down
Mopping up the whiskey on the floor
"Booze! Booze!" The firemen cried
As they came knocking at the door (2 knocks)
Don't let 'em in 'till it's all mopped up,
Somebody shouted "MacIntyre" (MACINTYRE!)
And we all got blue blind paralytic drunk
When the old Dun Cow caught fire

"On fire?" says Brown, "What a bit of luck
What a bit of luck" cried he
"And it's down to the cellar if the fire's not there
We'll have us a gay old spree!"
So we all went down, with good old Brown;
And the beer we could not miss
But we hadn't been there ten minutes or more
Before we were quite pissed!

Then Smith walked over to the port wine tub
And gave it a just a couple of knocks (2 knocks)
He started taking off his pantaloons
Likewise his shoes and socks
"Aye up," says Brown, "if you want to wash your feet
We've got some right stuff 'ere.
Don't wash your trotters in the port wine tub
When we've got some Tetley's beer!"

Just about then with a hell of a crash
Half the bloody roof gave way
We were all drowned in the fireman's hose
But still we were quite gay
So we got some rags and some old tin tacks
And we nailed ourselves inside
And we kept on drinking good old ale
'Till we were bleary-eyed

I LIKE TO RISE

In spring we sup at the harvest mow
And that is how the seasons round they go
But of all the times to choose I may
To be rambling in the new mown hay

Chorus:
I like to rise when the sun she rises
Early in the morning
And I like to hear them small birds singing
Merrily upon their laylum
And hurrah for the life of a country boy
And to ramble in the new mown hay

In winter when the sky is grey
We hedge and we ditch our time away
But in summer when the sun shines gay
We go rambling in the new mown hay

PLEASANT AND DELIGHTFUL

It was pleasant and delightful one midsummer's morn
When the fields and the meadows were covered in corn
And the blackbirds and the thrushes sang on every green spray
And the larks they sang melodious at the dawning of the day

Chorus:
And the larks they sang melodious X 3
At the dawning of the day

As a sailor and his true love were a-walking one day
Said the sailor to his true love "I am bound far away
I am bound for the East Indies where the loud cannons roar
I must go and leave you Nancy, you're the girl that I adore"

Chorus:
"I must go and leave you Nancy" X 3
"You're the girl that I adore"

Then a ring from her finger she instantly drew
Saying "Take this, dearest William and my heart will go too"
And whilst he stood embracing her, tears from her eyes fell
Saying "May I come along with you?"
"Oh no my love, farewell"

Chorus:
Saying "May I come along with you?" X 3
"You're the girl that I adore"

"So its farewell my dearest Nancy, I can no longer can stay
For the topsail is hoisted, and the anchor's aweigh
And the ship she lies a-waiting for a full flowing tide
And if ever I return again I'll make you my bride"

Chorus:
"And if ever I return again" X 3
"I will make thee my bride"

NEW YORK GIRLS

As I walked down the Broadway
One evening last July
I met a maid who asked my trade
And a sailor Jack says I

Chorus:
And away you Santee
My dear Annie
Oh you New York girls
Can't you dance the polka?

To Tiffany's I took her
I did not spare expense
I bought her two gold earrings
And they cost me fifteen cents

Says she 'You limejuice sailor'
'Now take me home you may'
But when I reached her cottage door
She unto me did say

My flash man he's a Yankee
With his hair cut close behind
He wears a tarry jumper
And he sails on the Blackball Line

I kissed her hard and proper
Before her flash man came
So fare thee well my Bowery girl
I know your little game

I wrapped me glad rags round me
And to the docks did steer
I'll never court another maid
I'll stick to rum and beer

I joined a Yankee blood-boat
And sailed away next morn
Never trust those New York girls
You're safer off Cape Horn!

THE HOLLY AND THE IVY

The holly and the ivy, when they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown

Chorus:
At the rising of the sun
And the running of the deer
The playing of the merry organ
Sweet singing all in the choir

The Holly bears a blossom, as white as any flower
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To be our sweet Sav-iour

The Holly bears a berry, as red as any blood
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
To do us sinners good 

The Holly bears a prickle, as sharp as any thorn
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
On Chris-i-mas day in the morn

The Holly bears a bark (woof!), as bitter as any gall
And Mary bore sweet Jesus Christ
For to redeem us all. 

The holly and the ivy when they are both full grown
Of all the trees that are in the wood
The holly bears the crown

JOHN KANAKA

I heard, I heard, the old man say
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!
Today, today is a holiday
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!

Chorus:
Tu-rai-ay, Oh! Tu-rai-ay!
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!

We'll work tomorrow, but not today
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!
We'll work tomorrow, at the break of day
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!

We're bound away for 'Frisco Bay
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!
We're bound away at the break of day
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!

We're bound away around Cape Horn
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!
We wish to Christ we'd never been born!
John Kanaka-naka tu-rai-ay!

CLEMENTINE

In a cavern, in a canyon
Excavating for a mine
Lived a miner forty-niner
And his daughter Clementine

Chorus:
Oh my darling, oh my darling
Oh my darling, Clementine
Oh my darling, Clementine!

Light she was and like a fairy
And her shoes were number nine
Herring boxes, without topses
Sandals were for Clementine

Drove she ducklings to the water
Every morning just at nine
Hit her foot against a splinter
Fell into the foaming brine

Ruby lips above the water
Blowing bubbles, mighty fine
But, alas, I was no swimmer
So I lost my Clementine

How I missed her! How I missed her
How I missed my Clementine
But I kissed her little sister
And forgot my Clementine!

DIDO, BENDIGO

As I was a walking one morning last autumn
I've overheard some nobles foxhunters
And between the two of them was the Duke of Wellington
So early before the day was dawning

Chorus:
There was Dido, Bendigo, Gentry he was there-o
Traveller, he never looked behind him
There was Countess, Rover, Bonnie Lass and Jover
These were the hounds that could find him

Well the first fox him being young
And his trials just a-dawning
He made straight way for his cover
He's run up yon highest hill
And gone down yon lowest gill
Thinking that he'd find his freedom there forever

Well the next fox being old
And his trials nearly over
He's made straight way for the river
Well the fox he's jumped in
But the hounds jumped after him
It was Traveller who straited him forever

Well they've run across the plain
And they'll soon return again
The fox nor the hounds never failing
It's been twelve months today
Since I heard the squire say
Hark, forward me brave hounds forever

Now when I waters the workers' beer
I puts in strychnine
Some methylated spirits
And a can of paraffin
Ah, but such a brew's so terribly strong
It would make them terribly queer
So I reaches my hand for the watering-can
And I waters the workers' beer

Chorus:
I'm the man, the very fat man
That waters the workers' beer
I'm the man, the very fat man
That waters the workers' beer
And what do I care if it makes them ill
If it makes them terribly queer
I've a car, a yacht, and an aeroplane
And I waters the workers' beer

Now a drop of good beer is good for a man
When he's tired, thirsty and 'ot
And I sometimes have a drop myself
From a very special pot
For a strong and healthy working class
Is the thing that I most fear
So I reaches my hand for the watering-can
And I waters the workers' beer

Now ladies fair, beyond compare
Be you maid or wife
Spare a thought for such a man
Who leads such a lonely life
For the water rates are terribly high
And the meths is terribly dear
And there isn't the profit there used to be
In watering the workers' beer

COME DRINK ME BRAVE BOYS

Come drink me brave boys
As I've told you before
Come drink me brave boys
And we'll boldly go to war
For the French they have invaded us
They say that they will try
They say that they will come and drink
Old England dry

Chorus:
Aye dry
Aye dry me boys aye dry
They say that they will come and drink
Old England dry

And what if by chance we meet
The Germans on the way
Here's ten thousand to one
We'll show them British play
With our swords and our cutlasses
We'll fight until we die
Before that they will come and drink
Old England dry

Then up spoke bold Wellington
Of fame and renown
Saying drink me brave boys
For your country and your crown
For the cannons they may rattle
And the bullets they may fly
Before that they will come and drink
Old England dry