When you’re wet and cold in freezing rain,
A lookout aloft – some foggy shipping lane
You wish you knew who on earth to blame
For making you a seaman
When hurricane winds tear at your hair
Icy rain – you curse in despair
Cold spray stinging – you just don’t care
Whether you go to your God a seaman
Where there is water, water everywhere
Horizon stretching from here to there
The only company are the stars who dare
To look down and mock a seaman
When you’re woken in the middle of night
To stand watch till bleary twilight
Waiting for horizon to glow alight
It’s your lot in life – you’re a seaman
When weekends pass and you’re still working
In port, at sea – no rest, no shirking
Sundays are just Mondays lurking
To jibe and taunt a seaman
When you work below amid throbbing noise
In such cacophony – can’t hear your voice
Heat of machinery, sweat of the boys
It is because you’re a seaman
When sea pirates attack and hound
Coast Guard and port officials confound
When stowaways and smugglers abound
Curse the life of a seaman
Christmas and Easter slip by at sea
On Diwali you’re not where you should be
Missing celebrations with the family
Rue the life of a seaman
But if you love the whiff of fresh sea breeze
The gentle roll of waves at ease
The tranquil sunrise yonder east
Perhaps you’re born to be a seaman…
If you enjoy the warm camaraderie
Of a few good men from other countries
Braving loneliness and dangers at sea
Then yes…….
You’ll spend your life a seaman!
