The Mermaid and the Swallow
Ian Bell ©2003
In Bristol, just before the war, the tankers loomed along the shore
And I would hang about the door of a shop down by the quay
It was there, when I was just a lad, I took the trade I've always had
And where the hand of my first master made its mark on me
The Union Jack, the rose and crown, the mermaid and the swallow
A dagger and an anchor, and a cock upon the knee
And when the bombers droned above we inked the names of the girls they loved
In hearts, upon the hearts of oak who'd soon put out to sea
I was a little older when the war was over, even then
The Navy still had need of men and so I signed aboard
In engine rooms, and on the grates I plied my trade among my mates
Gave them the mark they wanted most for what they could afford
The Union Jack, the rose and crown, the mermaid and the swallow
A dagger and an anchor and a cock upon the knee
And down there, in the oily dark on arms and backs I left my mark
Forever etched in indigo on sailor boys at sea
And then one day I came to land, across the western ocean
I shipped out of Halifax, and sailed the inland seas
And sometimes when I’d step ashore I used to take the notion
That I was not as young a man as once I used to be.
And now the canvas I sail under promises a "World of Wonder"
Step right up, I'll make my mark at a price that you can pay
In the dying days of August, captain in a sea of sawdust
But the fancies of a sailor's life are out of style today
The Union Jack, the rose and crown, the mermaid and the swallow
A dagger and an anchor, and a cock upon the knee
From the awning of my pitch the seaway's like a muddy ditch
As from this country fair I watch ships gliding towards the sea
The Union Jack, the rose and crown, the mermaid and the swallow
A dagger and an anchor, and a cock upon the knee
But where my shirt sleeve meets my skin I see a map of where I've been
And where the hand of my first master made its mark on me