| |
| HOW can my poor heart be glad, | |
| When absent from my sailor lad; | |
| How can I the thought forego— | |
| He’s on the seas to meet the foe? | |
| Let me wander, let me rove, | 5 |
| Still my heart is with my love; | |
| Nightly dreams, and thoughts by day, | |
| Are with him that’s far away. | |
| |
| Chorus.—On the seas and far away, | |
| On stormy seas and far away; | 10 |
| Nightly dreams and thoughts by day, | |
| Are aye with him that’s far away. | |
| |
| When in summer noon I faint, | |
| As weary flocks around me pant, | |
| Haply in this scorching sun, | 15 |
| My sailor’s thund’ring at his gun; | |
| Bullets, spare my only joy! | |
| Bullets, spare my darling boy! | |
| Fate, do with me what you may, | |
| Spare but him that’s far away, | 20 |
| On the seas and far away, | |
| On stormy seas and far away; | |
| Fate, do with me what you may, | |
| Spare but him that’s far away. | |
| |
| At the starless, midnight hour | 25 |
| When Winter rules with boundless power, | |
| As the storms the forests tear, | |
| And thunders rend the howling air, | |
| Listening to the doubling roar, | |
| Surging on the rocky shore, | 30 |
| All I can—I weep and pray | |
| For his weal that’s far away, | |
| On the seas and far away, | |
| On stormy seas and far away; | |
| All I can—I weep and pray, | 35 |
| For his weal that’s far away. | |
| |
| Peace, thy olive wand extend, | |
| And bid wild War his ravage end, | |
| Man with brother Man to meet, | |
| And as a brother kindly greet; | 40 |
| Then may heav’n with prosperous gales, | |
| Fill my sailor’s welcome sails; | |
| To my arms their charge convey, | |
| My dear lad that’s far away. | |
| On the seas and far away, | 45 |
| On stormy seas and far away; | |
| To my arms their charge convey, | |
| My dear lad that’s far away. | |
| |
