Farewell to Grog
(Caspar Schenk)

Come, messmates pass the bottle round
Our time is short, remember,
For our grog must stop and our spirits drop
On the first day of September

cho: For tonight we'll merry, merry be
For tonight we'll merry, merry be
For tonight we'll merry, merry be
Tomorrow we'll be sober.


Farewell old rye, 'tis a sad, sad word,
But alas! It must be spoken,
The ruby cup must be given up,
And the demijohn be broken.

Jack's happy days will soon be gone,
To return again, oh never!
For they've raised his pay five cents a day
But stopped his grog forever.

Yet memory oft' will backward turn,
And dwell with fondness partial,
On the days when gin was not a sin,
Nor cocktails brought court-martial.

(Bo's'n-mates pipe "All Hands Splice the Main Brace)

All hands to split the main brace, call,
But split it now in sorrow,
For the spirit-room key will be laid away
Forever, on tomorrow.

Note: on September 1, 1862 the United States Navy discontinued
regular liquor rations. This was reportedly composed on August
31.
RG