The Old Seaman's Story: New Version

NEW VERSION

The Tasmanian steamer Nairana has been held up because the crew have received "instructions" that they are not to sign on again unless the owners agreed to the union's interpretation of a certain clause. The men also claimed the right to receive pay for time spent in a "stop-work" meeting.

Since me early youth I 'ave follered
    the sea,
An' I've seen some ups an' downs;
I'm old an' grey, an' I've 'ad me day—
(An' me nights)—In seaboard towns
I've took some knocks by the Frisco
    docks,
An' I've got in many a scrape;
But the worst o' the lot was the night
    we got
"Instructions" off the Cape!

I was reefin' a sail in a thunderin'
    gale,
With 'er beam ends under the wet,
When the bloke next me 'e sez, "Let
    be!
We 'ave formed a Soviet!
Come down on the deck an' let 'er
    wreck."
('E gives the shrouds a jerk.)
There's a wireless in from some sons
    o' sin:
"Ours we must stop work!"

So down we goes in our drippin'
    clo'es,
An' we 'olds a long pow-wow,
While the sail's in shreds flapped
    o'er our 'eads,
An' the ship went any'ow.

The Ole Man raves, an' the curln'
    waves
Come washin' round our necks,
But we yapped an' yapped, while
    'er riggin' clapped,
An' 'er poles went by the decks.

Then the Ole Man yells in the calmer
    spells,
"Ye lubbers! Save the ship!"
But we tells 'im straight this is the
    date
When we signs off for the trip,
An' we talks an' talks while the good
    ship walks
Each way for the shingled shore,
An' the breakers near we could
    plainly 'ear;
An' yet we talks some more.

Then the Old Man says, "I'd a mind
    to haze
You boys fer the thing you've done.
But say I must, that your claim is
    just,
An' I gives in every one.
Will you agree?" "Old 'ard," sez we,
"Life 'ere below is fleeting,
An' 'ere we stays unless you pays
Full time for this stop-work meeting!"

The winds they blew, an' she broke
    in two:
(My two eyes seen 'er sever)
An' the Captin 'e, as 'e took the
    sea,
Bobbed up and shouted, "NEVER!"

Then a roller green shut out the
    scene,
An' I found meself surrounded
Be the boundin' main; but I don't
    complain—
An' that's 'ow I was drownded.