I left home when I was fifteen
Oh mother now pray for me
Me and Old Tom took to the sea
On the good ship Pelican's Wing
(Repeat the second and fourth lines for each verse)
Verse 2
The days were long but the nights were warm
And we sailed through the winds of the summer storms
Verse 3
First we made for the shores of France
With a load of silk and a girl who danced
Verse 4
Then we made for the English land
We were there three days, then we sailed again
Chorus 1
She was a swift-sailed trader with a merry crew
I liked each man and the captain too
And when the work was done we would laugh and sing
On the good ship Pelican's Wing
Verse 5
We were six days out of Bristol town
When Davy spied a sail that was bearing down
Verse 6
The captain said "Oh lads, I fear
We've come across the flag of a privateer."
Verse 7
So we raised our mains and we made to run
We were a peace-time trader and we had few guns
Verse 8
But though we flew over the ocean wave
The other ship caught us in just one day
Chorus 1
She was a swift-sailed trader with a merry crew
I liked each man and the captain too
And when the work was done we would laugh and sing
On the good ship Pelican's Wing
Verse 9
They came at us with dawn's first light
And we readied ourselves and we made to fight
Verse 10
Old Tom died with steel in his hand
And my other friends followed, nigh to the man
Verse 11
But they left me here upon this rock
With a piece of bread wrapped in old sailcloth
Verse 12
But they left me no water for the heat of the day
And I could hear them laughing as they sailed away