Ten Thousand Miles Away

Sing ho! for a brave an' a gallant ship,
An' a fast an' fav'rin' breeze,
Wi' a bully crew an' a cap'n to
To carry me over the seas;
To carry me over the seas, me boys,
To me true love far away,
For I'm takin' a trip on a Government ship
Ten thousand miles away.

cho: Then blow, ye winds and blow!
An' a-rovin' I will go.
I'll stay no more on England's shore
To hear sweet music play*
For I'm on the move to me own true love
Ten thousand miles away.

My true love wuz beautiful,
An' my true love wuz gay,
But she's taken a trip on a Government ship
Bound out to Botany Bay,
Bound out to Botany Bay, m'boys,
An' though she's far away,
I'll never forget me own true love,
Ten thousand miles away!

Oh, it wuz a summer's mornin',
When last I saw my Meg
She'd a Government band around each hand
An' another one round her leg
Oh, another one round her leg, m'boys
As the big ship left the bay,
"Adieu," she sez, "remember me,
Ten thousand miles away!" **

I wish I wuz a bosun bold
Or a sailor widout fear***
I'd man a boat and away I'd float
An' straight for me true love steer;
An' straight for me true love steer, m'boys
Where the whales an' dolphins play,
Where the whales an' sharks are havin' their larks
Ten thousand miles away.

Oh, the sun may shine through the London fog
Or the river run quite clear,
Or the ocean brine turn into wine
Or I forget my beer
Or I forget my beer, m'boys
Or the landlord's quarter-pay
But I'll never forget me own true love
Ten thousand miles away.

* or "the fiddler play"
** or "When I'm in Botany Bay"
*** or "even a bombardier"

From Shanties from the Seven Seas, Hugill
note: According to Hugill, started out as a shore ballad sung
by street singers in Ireland, early 1800s. Then became a
popular music hall number. "A Capital Ship" (Carryl?) was
based on this. RG

RG