THREE RINGS AND A CURL

by Ross Carnduff AB/ST
HMCS Uganda

1. He stood upon the quarterdeck,
Scope beneath his arm,
The tartan scarf about his neck
Fresh from a Scotian farm.

2. With baleful eye and curling lip,
his voice a rasping prattle,
Ah! My ship, my ship,
Put that man in the rattle.

3. The lad before him, cap in hand
Wears not a sailor's lanyard,
What ho! What ho! You foul brigand,
Thou should hang from the longest halyard.

4. Divisions, Quarters, Rig O· the Day,
Guard to clean and band to play,
These are the things, I'll have all these
I am the boss, I'll do as I please.

5. My ship I'll run as Nelson did,
She'll go to battle fame,
As long as butts go in the kid,
She'll have a famous name.

6. A day has hours twenty four,
but for my crew I'll have much more,
For late to bed and early to rise,
Make me healthy, wealthy and wise.

7. My crew, I meet them ten by ten
In the early morning, when
Request men and Dafaulters muster,
And before them I stand and bluster.

8. Now to all you may have read
Thou lusty slingers of the lead,
Add this note it is the last
All this will soon be in the past.