Tarpaulin Jacket
Traditional:
courtesy of www.SailorSongs.com - 1850s England
A tall stalwart lancer lay dying
And as on his deathbed he lay
To his friends who around him were sighing
These last dying words he did say
Wrap me up in my tarpaulin jacket
And say a poor buffer lies low
And six stalwart lancers shall carry me
Carry me with steps solemn, mournful and slow.
Had I the wings of a little dove
Far far away would I fly I'd fly
Straight for the arms of my true love
And there I would lay me and die
Wrap me up in my tarpaulin jacket
And say a poor buffer lies low
And six stalwart lancers shall carry me
Carry me with steps solemn mournful and slow
Then get you two little white tombstones
Put them one at my head and my toe my toe
And get you a penknife and scratch there
Here lies a poor buffer below
Wrap me up in my tarpaulin jacket
And say a poor buffer lies low
And six stalwart lancers shall carry me
Carry me with steps solemn mournful and slow
And get you six brandies and sodas
And set them all out in a row a row
And get you six jolly good fellows
To drink to this buffer below
Wrap me up in my tarpaulin jacket
And say a poor buffer lies low
And six stalwart lancers shall carry me
Carry me with steps solemn mournful and slow
And then in the calm of the twilight
When the soft winds are whispering low so low
And the darkening shadows are falling
Sometimes think of this buffer below
Wrap me up in my tarpaulin jacket
And say a poor buffer lies low
And six stalwart lancers shall carry me
Carry me with steps solemn, mournful and slow
The author of this website has put a lot of time and effort into gathering the greatest collection of sea shanties for the world to enjoy - There are songs that have been to sung to a job of work at sea for many, many years and collecting them has been a great endeavour. - Roger Chartier has made the effort out of his own interest and the requests that he has gotten to do this work from fellow musicians who wanted a good source of sea shanties to draw on and learn from. He has been told that for this effort he is a remarkable man.
