Bluegrass Messengers

Home Came A Sailor- Britt (TN) 1953 REC

[This is not a traditional version. Arranged by Charles R. Grean & Tom Glazer, "Home Came a Sailor," was recorded in 1953 by Elton Britt & Rosalie Allen on the RCA Victor label- RCA. 47-5179 (20-5179). Homer and Jethro recorded a version under the same title about the same time.

The first line of the intro is lifted almost verbatim from Robert Louis Stevenson:

"Home came the sailor, home from the sea,"

A version appears in Frank Shay's "More Pious Friends and Drunken Companions" (N.Y.: Macaulay, 1928, pp. 104-105). Shay calls his version "a sterilization of a ribald ballad." He offers no tune. Eric Posselt ("Edgar Palmer") included it without attribution in "G. I. Songs" (N.Y.: Sheridan House, 1944).

See also "The Sailor's Return"

R. Matteson 2013]

Home Came A Sailor- Britt and Allen (TN) 1953 REC

Home came a sailor, home from the sea,
Home came a sailor boy to see what he could see.
(What he could see, what he could see.)

"Dear love, darlin' love, lovey-dove," said he,
"Whose horse is that a-standing where my horse should be?"
"Why you dear boy, darlin' boy, silly boy," said she,
It's nothing but a poodle my mother sent to me."
"Far have I traveled for many a mile or more,
But I never saw a poodle with a saddle on before."

So home came a sailor, home from the sea,
Home came a sailor boy to see what he could see.
What he could see, what he could see.

"Dear love, darlin' love, lovey-dove," said he,
Whose hat is that a-hanging where my hat should be?"
"Why you dear boy, darlin' boy, silly boy," said she,
"It's nothin' but a frying pan my mother sent to me."
"Far have I traveled for many a mile or more,
But I never saw a frying pan with ear muffs on before."

Oh home came a sailor, home from the sea,
Home came a sailor boy to see what he could see.
What he could see, what he could see.

"Dear love, darlin' love, lovey-dove," said he,
"Whose ring is on your finger where my ring ought to be?"
"Why you dear boy, darlin' boy, silly boy," said she,
"It's nothing but a band-aid my mother sent to me."
"Far have I traveled for many a mile or more,
But I never saw a band-aid with a diamond in before."

Dear love, darlin' love, lovey-dove," said he,
"Whose arms are those around you where my arms should be?"
"Why you dear boy, darlin' boy, silly boy," said she,
"It's nothing but an arm-chair my mother sent to me."
"Far have I traveled for many a mile or more,
But I never saw an armchair with a moustache on before."

Back went the sailor, back to the sea,
Back went the sailor boy he saw what he could see.

Sailor boys, sailor boys, take a tip from me,
You'd better lock your women up and throw away the key.