As I walked out one evening upon a night's career
I met a pretty pirate ship and to her I did steer
I hoisted up my sig-a-nals which she could quickly knew
And when I had me bunting up she immediately hove to

She had a dark and a roving eye, and her hair hung downs in ring-a-lets
A nice girl, a decent girl, but one of the rakish kind

"Excuse me sir," she said to me, "for staying out so late
For if my parents knew of this, then sad would be my fate
My father is a minister, a good and righteous man
My mother she's a Methodist; I do the best I can."

She had a dark and a roving eye, and her hair hung downs in ring-a-lets
A nice girl, a decent girl, but one of the rakish kind



I eyed that girl both up and down for I'd heard such talk before
And when she moored herself to me I knew she was a whore
But still she was a pretty girl; she shyly hung her head
"I'll go along with you, my lad," was what to me she said

She had a dark and a roving eye, and her hair hung downs in ring-a-lets
A nice girl, a decent girl, but one of the rakish kind

I took her to a tav-er-in and treated her with wine
Little did I think that she was one of the rakish kind
I handled her, I dandled her, and much to my surprise
Turns out she was a fireship rigged up in a disguise

She had a dark and a roving eye, and her hair hung downs in ring-a-lets
A nice girl, a decent girl, but one of the rakish kind

So up the stairs and into bed I took that maiden fair
I fired off my carronade into her thatch of hair
I fired off a broadside until my shot was spent
Then rammed that fireship's waterline until my ram was bent

Then in the morning she was gone, my money was gone too
My clothes she'd hocked, my watch she stole, my seabag bid adieu
But she'd left behind a souvenir, I'd have you all to know
And in nine days, to my surprise, there was fire down below

So come all you good whaler boys that sail the wintry seas,
And come all you good sailor boys, a warning take by me:
Beware of lofty clipper ships, they'll be the ruin of you,
For she not only made me walk the plank, she set fire to me mainmast, too.