A Seaman's Life- Hill/Wasp (Suf) 1931 Moeran
[From: Moeran, Six Suffolk Folk Songs, 1931 published in 1932. The third line of both stanzas is corrupt.
R. Matteson 2017]
A Seaman's Life- sung by George Hill of Earl Stoneham and Oliver Wasp of Coddenham. 1931
1. Oh a seaman's life is a merry, merry life,
They'll rob young girls of their heart's delight,
They will leave them behind for to sail one morn[1],
But they never know when they will return.
2. There's four and twenty sailor boys all in row,
My sweet William is the bridegroom's show,
For he is small,
If I can't have him I'll have none at all.
3. Oh a seaman's life is a merry, merry life,
They'll rob young girls of their heart's delight,
They will leave them behind for to sail one morn,
But they never know when they will return.
1. usually, "for to weep and mourn"