It's of a pretty female


As you may understand.

Her mind being bent for rambling


Unto some foreign land,


She dressed herself in sailor's clothes,

Or so it does appear,


And she hired with a captain


To serve him for a year.




[The captain's wife she being on board,


She seemed in great joy

To think the captain had engaged


Such a handsome cabin boy,


That now and then she'd slip him a kiss,

And she'd have liked to toy,


But 'twas the captain found out the secret


Of the handsome cabin boy.]




Her cheeks they were like roses


And her hair rolled in a curl.

The sailors often smiled and said


He looked just like a girl.


But eating of the captain's biscuit

Her colour did destroy,


And the waist did swell of pretty Nell,


The handsome cabin boy.




It was in the bay of Biscay


Our gallant ship did plow.

One night among the sailors


Was a fearful flurry and row.*


They tumbled from their hammocks

For their sleep it did destroy,


And they sworn about the groaning






Of the handsome cabin boy.




"Oh doctor, dear, oh doctor,"

The cabin boy did cry.


"My time has come, I am undone,

And I will surely die."

The doctor come a-runnin'


And a-smilin' at the fun.

To think a sailor lad should have


A daughter or a son.



The sailors when they saw the joke


They all did stand and stare.

The child belonged to none of them,

They solemnly did swear.


The captain's wife, she says to him,

"My dear, I wish you joy,

For 'tis either you or me's betrayed


The handsome cabin boy!"



[Now sailors, take your tot of rum

And drink success to trade,


And likewise to the cabin boy

That was neither man nor maid.

Here's hoping the wars don't rise again


Our sailors to destroy,

And here's hoping for a jolly lot more