This is the song of the Sailor-Men
Who sail upon the Seas,
To fight the Wars and keep the Laws,
And live on yellow Peas.
 
They talks about the Army,
They talks about the drill,
They talks about the bloomin' lot
Enough to make you ill.
They takes 'em down to Aldershot
An' walks 'em up an' down,
An' calls 'em " Britain's darlin's "
An' " Defenders of the Crown."
 
We knows the ways of armies,
We've took 'em out to drill,
We 'ad 'em out to walk about,
We made 'em very ill.
We landed 'em an' coddled 'em
An' did the 'ole campaign,
An' sewed their bloomin' trousies up
An' brought 'em 'ome again.
 
We seed their boots begin to 'urt
An' make 'em proper wrecks,
We showed 'em 'ow to do a spurt,
An' slung 'em round our necks.
Ho! then the Regiments stands aside,
The Colonel 'e salutes,
An' it's " Way for Jack, without 'is pack,
A-swingin' of 'is boots! "
 
An' then they starts a-fallin' out
An' feelin' very ill.
They ain't been taught to go without,
It don't come in the drill.
They've always 'ad enough to eat,
They've always drunk their fill;
But now there isn't nothin' left -
Poor chaps! They're feelin' ill.
 
So, way for this Old Regiment
Wot's always fit for war ;
Whose barrack-square runs wide and fair
From Sydney to the Nore,
Whose sentries stand in every land,
Whose guard-room's out at sea.
Ho! where's the Soldier Regiment
That's comin' out wi' we ?
 
All over the broad Atlantic
We fought in the days of old,
We collared the Frenchman's victuals,
We finished the Spanish gold ;
Or ever a curb-chain jingled,
Or ever a soldier came,
We'd battled the Seas half over
For the might of the English name.
 
And now, when the days are over
And the long-backed liners go
Over the Seas we fought for,
Into the Lands we know,
Every flag that passes
Says " 'Ow do ye do" to we,
Dips low to the shine of the big steel line
To the Regiment of the Sea!
 
And ever throughout the ages
Still shall our vanguards go
Out to the Other Peoples,
Out to the Lands we know,
And ever throughout the ages
Still shall they bend the knee
To the first and greatest Regiment,
To the Regiment of the Sea!
 
So all you little soldier-men
Wot looks so mighty fine,
You pretty little soldier-men
Wot stands so nice in line,
We ain't no need to do a grunt,
But 'opes you'll bear in mind
That w'en it comes to " Action front"
You've got to git be'ind !
 
This is the song of the Sailor-Men
Who sail upon the Seas,
To fight the Wars and keel the Laws,
And live on yellow Peas.

H.M.S. Tourmaline December, 1895.

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