sł. trad.
mel. trad.

Last night as I lay on my bed
Being not far from sleep
The thought of my true love come running through my mind
And poor sailors a-sailing on the deep.

As we set sail all on that day
Being not far from land
We espied a mermaid a-sitting on the rock
With a comb and a glass in her hand.

And the song she sang she sang so sweet
No answer could us make
Till at length our gallant ship she turned three times around
Which made our poor hearts for to ache.

Then up stepped the captain of our gallant ship
A well spoken man was he
"I have a wife in fair Bristol Town
Tomorrow a widow she will be".

Then up and there stepped our bosun bold
In his hand a lead and line.
All for to plough the seas that are so wide and deep
No hard rock nor sand could he find.

Then up and there stepped our little cabin boy
A pretty little boy was he
"I have a mother in fair Plymouth Town
Tomorrow a-crying she will be".

Launch a boat, launch a boat, you brave Plymouth boys.
Don't you hear how the trumpets sound?
For the want of a longboat on the ocean we were lost
And most of our merry men drowned.