(Chorus)
But the man of the sea's not the man that you see
When you see him away from the sea
For the sickness of the man that you see upon the land
Oh, the landsman never see on the sea
If the captain's lady only knew,
the dreadful way he serves his crew
She'd never stoop to bear his name, for the way he treats us is a shame.
His wife lives like a courtesan, she thinks he's such a gentle-man
But on board he'd blow ya down or worse for the simple crime of a sailors curse
(Chorus)
If the first mates lady only knew,
the things her husband puts us through
She'd never stoop to bear his name, for the way he beats us is a shame
To seven kids upon dry land, he'd never even raise a hand
But once upon the sea he sails, the lash upon our backs he flails
(Chorus)
If the Bo's'ns lady only knew,
the things her husband makes us do
She'd never stoop to bear his name, for the way he works us is a shame
With the sleep of his family dear, he'd never think to inter-fere
But he's quick to call "All Hands on Deck!" not caring of the dreams he'll wreck
(Chorus)
If our cooks lady only knew, the
things her husband makes us chew
She'd never stoop to bear his name, for the way he feeds us is a shame
At home he bakes such nice meat pies, a treat for any sailors eyes
From the galley he serves up something nasty, Dares to call it Cornish Pasty!
(Chorus)
If the sailors lady only knew,
the things her husband gets up to
She'd never stoop to bear his name, for the way he cheats her is a shame
When back from sea and by her side, he's faithful to his loving bride
But when he gets away from home, his eyes will very quickly roam
(Chorus x 2)