| Lyrics: | STRIKE THE BELL
Up on the poop deck and walking about,
There is the second mate so
steady and so stout;
What he is a-thinkin' of he doesn't know himself
And we wish that he
would hurry up and strike, strike the bell.
Strike the bell second mate, let
us go below;
Look well to windward you can see it's gonna blow;
Look at the
glass, you can see it has fell,
Oh we wish that you would hurry up and strike, strike the
bell.
Down on the main deck and workin' at the pumps,
There is the larboard watch
just longing for their bunks;
Look out to windward, you can see a great swell,
And we wish
that you would hurry up and strike, strike the bell
CHORUS
Forward on the
forecastle head and keepin' sharp lookout,
There is Johnny standin', a-longin' fer to
shout,
Lights' a-burnin' bright sir and everything is well,
And he's wishin' that the
second mate would strike, strike the bell.
CHORUS
Aft at the wheelhouse
old Anderson stands,
Graspin' at the helm with his frostbitten hands,
Lookin' at the
compass through the course is clear as hell
And he's wishin' that the second mate would strike,
strike the bell.
CHORUS
Aft on the quarter deck our gallant captain
stands,
Lookin' out to windward with a spyglass in his hand,
What he is a-thinkin' of we
know very well,
He's thinkin' more of shortenin' sail than strikin' the bell.
CHORUS
Traditional. Hugill lists three shore songs which have the same
tune
as this pumping chantey: the Scottish tune "Ring the Bell
Watchman", the Australian tune from
the shearing sheds, "Click Go
the Shears", and the Welsh air "Twill Back y Clo".
At
the end of the watch (8 hours), everyone is ready to lay
below, and the last thing anyone
wishes to hear is a call for all
hands.
@sailor @work
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STKBELSM
DC
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