(Verse 1) (Call) I traded the spray for a patch of dry ground (Response) To find me a wife in the town (Call) I put on a waistcoat and polished my shoes (Response) And swapped out the rum for the blues (Call) I courted a girl with a ribbon so red (Response) But she wanted a house and a bed (Call) She didn't want salt or a man on the go (Response) She wanted the garden to grow! (Chorus) Oh, it’s harder to catch a good woman on shore Than a whale in a gale or a prize-ship of war! The knots on the rigging are easy to tie But a wedding-ring knot is a lonesome goodbye. You can navigate stars and the deep rolling sea But a lady’s a map that’s a mystery to me! (Verse 2) (Call) I met with a widow from over the hill (Response) She looked for a man with a bill (Call) She didn't want yarns about cannons and smoke (Response) She only wanted my poke (Call) I told her of gold in the Spanish Main sun (Response) She told me the dishes weren't done (Call) I spoke of the turtles in Tortuga Bay (Response) She asked for my weekly-earned pay! (Chorus) Oh, it’s harder to catch a good woman on shore Than a whale in a gale or a prize-ship of war! The knots on the rigging are easy to tie But a wedding-ring knot is a lonesome goodbye. You can navigate stars and the deep rolling sea But a lady’s a map that’s a mystery to me! (Verse 3) (Call) My back is a-breaking from hauling the plow (Response) I’d rather be hauling the bow (Call) I miss the old smell of the tar and the rope (Response) And the girl with the lavender soap (Call) She says that I smell like a bucket of bait (Response) And I’m always a-coming home late (Call) So it’s back to the harbor and back to the crew (Response) I’m done with the courting, I’m through! (Chorus) Oh, it’s harder to catch a good woman on shore Than a whale in a gale or a prize-ship of war! The knots on the rigging are easy to tie But a wedding-ring knot is a lonesome goodbye. You can navigate stars and the deep rolling sea But a lady’s a map that’s a mystery to me! (Outro) (Call) Pull the anchor (Response) Let it ride (Call) Leave the lady (Response) With the tide (Call) Better the ocean (Response) Than a wife (Call) That’s the end (Response) Of the quiet life

Landlubbers Lullaby