When the boats all get to sailing and the men are off and gone
What about the women who are up and left alone?
Do you think they sit and twiddle thumbs until their men come home?
Well, there's other things to twiddle when a girl's left on her own

I remember Nelly, she was young and she was gay (she was?)
She won the heart of Captain Dan until he sailed away (she did?)
He left her high and dry with just a kiss upon her chin
But as his ship went sailing out, another ship sailed in

So wait Miss Nancy jumps and had her pick of any crew
The boys would always tell her that their love was pure and true (yeah, right)
But when the tide was up by God, they'd hoist their sails and go
And sweet Miss Nancy Johnson had to find anothe boat

Then there was Lucinda Brown, as fair as any maid
Her truelove went a voyaging, a sailorman by trade
"Oh, keep the fire burning, love, " those are the words he spoke
So, she went and found another man to keep that fire stoked

Lucy Jeffers man came back and knocked upon the door
She was as glad to see him as she'd ever been before
He left her lying in the bed, but Lucy didn't care
'Cause the poor guy in the closet sure could use a little air

Oh, you hear a lot of stories 'bout the sailors and their sport
About how every sailor has a girl in every port
But if you added two and two, you'd figure out right quick
That it's just because the girls all have a lad on every ship