A sailor's life, it is a merry life.
He robs young girls of their hearts' delight,
Leaving them behind to weep and mourn,
They never know when they will return.

Well, there's four and twenty all in a row
My true love he makes the finest show.
He's proper tall, genteel and all,
And if I don't have him, I'll have none at all.

Oh father, build for me a bonny boat,
That on the wide ocean I may float
And every queen's ship that we pass by,
There I'll enquire for my sailor boy

They had not sailed long on the deep
When a queen's ship they chanced to meet.
``you sailors all, pray tell me true,
Does my sweet william sail among your crew? ''

``oh no, fair maiden, he is not here
For he's been drownded we greatly fear
On yon green island as we passed it by,
There we lost sight of your sailor boy.''

Well, she wrung her hands and she tore her hair.
She was like a young girl in great despair.
And her little boat against a rock did run.
''how can I live now my sweet william is gone? ''

• A Sailor's Life
• After Halloween
• Autopsy
• Ballad of Easy Rider
• Banks of The Nile
• Bird on a Wire
• Blow Away
• Blue Tattoo
• Blues Run The Game
• Bold Jack Donahue
• Book Song
• Box Full of Treasure
• Bring 'em Down
• Bruton Town
• By The Time It Gets Dark
• Cajun Woman
• Cold Feet
• Come All Ye
• Crazy Man Michael
• Dawn
• Dear Landlord
• Down Where The Drunkards Roll
• East Virginia
• Eastern Rain
• Eppy Moray
• Farewell, Farewell
• Forever Young
• Fotheringay
• Genesis Hall
• Geordie
• Georgia on My Mind
• Green Grow The Laurels
• Gypsy Davey
• Hearts
• Here in Silence
• I'll Keep It With Mine
• I'm Leaving
• If You Saw Thro' My Eyes
• In Memory
• Iron Lion
• It Ain't Me Babe
• Knockin' on Heavens Door
• Let It Go
• Let No Man Steal Your Thyme
• Lowlands of Holland
• Magic Lady
• Makes Me Think of You
• Man of Iron
• Matty Groves
• Million Dollar Bash
• Motherless Children
• Mr Lacey
• My Ramblin' Boy
• Never Ending
• Night-time Girl
• No Man's Land
• Nothing More
• Nottamun Town
• Now & Then
• On The Banks of The Condamine
• One More Chance
• Painted Ladies
• Peace in The End
• Percy's Song
• Pleasure Pain
• Polly on The Shore
• Possibly Parsons Green
• Reno, Nevada
• Restless
• Reynard The Fox
• Reynardine
• Rigs of The Time
• Ringing Down The Years
• Rising for The Moon
• Sir Patrick Spens
• Sloth
• Some Sweet Day
• Stranger to Himself
• Suzanne
• Take Away The Load
• Tale in Hard Time
• Tam Lin
• The Angels Took My Racehorse Away
• The Ballad of Ned Kelly
• The Battle of Evermore
• The Boatman
• The Deserter
• The Hexhamshire Lass
• The King & Queen of England
• The Leaves of Life
• The Plainsman
• The Pond & The Stream
• The Sea
• The Way I Feel
• Throwaway Street Puzzle
• Too Much of Nothing
• Twisted
• Two Weeks Last Summer
• What is True?
• White Dress
• Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
• Wild Mountain Thyme
• Winter Winds