USS Springfield Bluejackets, Inc
OLD SAILORS by: Larry Dunn RMCM(SS)(NAC)
Old sailors sit
And chew the fat
About things that used to be
Of the things they've seen
The places they've been
When they ventured out to sea
They remember friends from long ago
The times they had back then
The money they spent
The beer they drank
In their days as sailing men
Their lives are lived in the days gone by
With the thoughts that forever last
Of the bell bottom blues
Round white hats
And the good times of their past
They recall long nights
with the moon so bright
Far out on the lonely sea
The thoughts they had
As youthful lads
When their lives were wild and free
They know so well
How their hearts would swell
When their flag fluttered proud and free
As the Stars and Stripes made such a beautiful sight
As they plowed through an angry sea
They talked of the bread Ol' cookie would bake
And the shrill of the bos'n pipe
And how salt spray fell
Like sparks from hell
When a storm struck in the night
They remember mates already gone
Who forever hold a spot
In the stories of old
When sailors were bold
And lubbers were a pitiful lot
They speak of nights spent in a bawdy house
Somewhere on a foreign shore,
And the beer they'd down
As they gathered round
Cracking jokes with a busty whore.
Their sailing days now gone away
Never again will they cross the brow
But they have no regrets
For they know they've been blessed
'cause they honored their sacred vow
Their numbers grow less with each passing day
As the chits in life are called in
But they've nothing to lose
For they've paid their dues
And they'll sail with shipmates again
And you'll hear them say
Before getting away
That there's still some sailing to do
And they'll say with a grin
That their ship has come in
And the Good Lord is commanding the crew.