Liverpool Judies (Roll Bullies, Roll)
Traditional
(Recorded by Tom Lewis on Poles Apart)
When I was a young man I sailed with the
best,
On a Liverpool packet bound out for the West,
We anchored one day in the harbour of Cork,
And then we set sail for the port of New York,
Chorus:
And it's roll (ROLL!), roll bullies, roll,
them Liverpool Judies have got us in tow!
And it's roll (ROLL!), roll bullies, roll,
them Liverpool Judies have got us in tow!
For forty two days we was hungry and sore,
The winds was agin' us the gales they did roar,
Off Battery Point we did anchor at last,
With our jibboom hove in and our canvas all fast,
The boarding house masters was on in a trice,
a-laughing and promising all that was nice,
And one fat old crimp took a liking to me,
He says: 'Ye're a fool, lad, to follow the sea.',
Says he: 'There's a job that's just waiting for you,
With lashings of liquor and bugger-all to do',
He says: 'What d'yer say lad, will you jump her too?',
I says: 'You old bastard, I'm damned if I do.',
But the best of intentions they never goes far,
After forty two days, when ye're sat in a bar,
I tossed down m' liquor and what do you think?,
The cunning old bastard had 'doctored' m' drink,
And it's roll (ROLL!), roll bullies, roll,
them Liverpool Judies has got us in tow!
The next I remembers, I awoke in the morn,
On a three-skysail-yarder bound South round The Horn,
With torn suit of oilskins and an odd pair of socks,
A blooming great head and a dose of 'the pox',
Come all you young sailors take a warning by me,
Keep an eye on your drink when the liquor is free,
And pay no attention to 'runner' nor whore,
Keep your hat on your head and your feet on the floor,
And it's roll (ROLL!), roll bullies, roll,
them Liverpool Judies has got us in tow!
And it's roll (ROLL!), roll bullies, ro - o - olll,
them Liverpool Judies (slow) has got us in to - ow!
