Lift your lantern and stand
Gotta wake up old man
You're the lone ferryboat on this quay
I would hire your skiff
Row me out to a ship
I'll willingly double your fee

Despite all the traps
Our small flat's full of rats
A few days ago Jenny got bit
Now my home's quarantined
And they took her to Queens
Then they say she was sent to that ship

chorus
Keep your grip on those oars
Or you can swim back to shore
But this skiff makes the trip
My place is on that plague ship
I need to be beside her
My place is on that plague ship
in the harbor

I heard moans in the night
Morn she didn't look right
Jenny said she's OK off you go
When I got home this night
Found our place boarded tight
Walked for miles trying to find where to go

This life's not so great
You just work 'til you break
Her sweet kiss the one joy I've known
Got a foot in the grave
So this isn't so brave
Just won't have her dying alone

chorus

What is love? I don't know
But our stove used to glow
And her eyes used to burn in that light
I know she'd come nurse me
She wouldn't desert me
I've no home 'cept there by her side

I would settle your fee
Well, you needn't touch me
If you don't want my money that's fine
But I'll not be denied
And the quicker the ride
The sooner I'm gone from your life

chorus

© Bruce T. Holmes 2004 All Rights Reserved