The Blackball Line
Traditional:
courtesy of www.SailorSongs.com
In the Black Ball Line I serv'd my time
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
In the Black Ball Line I serv'd my time
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
The Black Ball ships are good and true,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They are the ships for me and you.
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
For once there was a Black Ball ship,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
That fourteen knots an hour could slip,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
Her yards were square, her gear all new
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
She had a good and gallant crew,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
One day whilst sailing on the sea,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They saw a vessel on their lee,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They knew it was a pirate craft,
All armed with guns before and aft,
She fired a shot across their bow,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
Which was not kind you must allow,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They did not fear as you may think
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
But made the pirates water drink,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They gave that vessel their sharp stem,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
And cut her through; more praise to them,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They seized the pirates' wicked mate,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
He was so bad they broke his pate,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
The skipper and his wicked crew,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
They sunk beneath the waters blue,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
It was a plucky thing to do
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
To cut the Pirate vessel through,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
Then drink success to the Black Ball Line,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
Their ships are good, their men are fine.
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
In the Black Ball Line I served my time,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
In the Black Ball Line I served my time,
Hurrah for the Black Ball Line!
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.
