The Farmer

(Verse 1)
(Call) I walked into the village for a loaf of crusty bread
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) I woke up with a copper-knot a-throbbing in my head
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) There’s a sergeant with a cutlass and a face like a baboon
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) And he says I’m bound for China by the rising of the moon!
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Chorus)
Oh, I never was a sailor and I never liked the spray
But the Press-Gang came a-knocking and they dragged me far away!
From the furrow to the fo’c’sle, from the clover to the clay
I’m a farmer by the morning and I’m going there to stay!
(Verse 2)
(Call) They stripped me of my waistcoat and they threw away my hat
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) They fed me salted leather and the whiskers of a rat
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) I’m a-climbing up the rigging with a belly full of fear
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) While the Boatswain plays a rhythm on my kidneys and my ear!
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Chorus)
Oh, I never was a sailor and I never liked the spray
But the Press-Gang came a-knocking and they dragged me far away!
From the furrow to the fo’c’sle, from the clover to the clay
I’m a farmer by the morning and I’m going there to stay!
(Verse 3)
(Call) If I ever reach the harbor where the barley used to grow
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) I’ll hide beneath the pig-sty and I’ll never let 'em know
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) They can keep their bloody medals and their pittance of a pay
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!
(Call) I’m a-heading for the meadow and I’m running from the bay!
(Response) Heave away and haul him in!

Dark call & response shanty, rhythmic thumping, deep male choir, gritty texture