The ankers brak, and the topmasts lap,
It was sic a deadly storm;
And the waves came o'er the broken ship,
Till a' her sides were torn.60
"O where will I get a gude sailor,
To take my helm in hand,
Till I get up to the tall topmast,
To see if I can spy land?"
"O here am I, a sailor gude,65
To take the helm in hand,
Till you go up to the tall topmast,—
But I fear you'll ne'er spy land."
He hadna gane a step, a step,
A step, but barely ane,70
When a bout flew out of our goodly ship,
And the salt sea it came in.
"Gae fetch a web o' the silken claith,
Another o' the twine,
And wap them into our ship's side,75
And letna the sea come in."
They fetched a web o' the silken claith,
Another o' the twine,
And they wapped them roun' that gude ship's side,
But still the sea came in.80
"O laith laith were our gude Scots lords
To weet their cork-heeled shoon!
But lang or a' the play was played,
They wat their hats aboon.
And mony was the feather-bed85
That flatter'd on the faem;
And mony was the gude lord's son
That never mair cam hame.