(Verse 1) We’ve been ninety days on a diet of rope and the steam of a salty dog With a Captain who thinks a holiday is a double-shift in the fog. But the lookout spotted the harbor lights and the pier-head’s looking sweet And I’ve got a itch in my sailor’s soul and a blister on my feet. So scrub the grime from your fingernails and borrow a cleaner shirt We’re heading down to the Gilded Mermaid to wash away the dirt. (Chorus) So it’s up the stairs and mind the step, and mind the Madame’s eye She’ll take your silver, take your gold, and leave your pockets dry. There’s a girl with a wink like a cannon-flash and a laugh like a rolling drum She’ll treat you like a Commodore 'til you’ve run out of the rum. So heave away your dignity, boys, and leave it at the door The fleet is in and the fleet is drunk and we’re heading back for more. (Verse 2) There’s Big-Toothed Sal in the corner booth, she’s a-looking for a mate She’s got a grip like a grappling hook and a temper like the state. And Bonnie Kate has a velvet dress that’s seen a better year But she’ll tell you that you’re handsome, boys, for the price of a pint of beer. The floorboards creak like a rotting hull and the ceiling’s hanging low But it’s better than a hammock, lads, where the freezing breezes blow. (Chorus) So it’s up the stairs and mind the step, and mind the Madame’s eye She’ll take your silver, take your gold, and leave your pockets dry. There’s a girl with a wink like a cannon-flash and a laugh like a rolling drum She’ll treat you like a Commodore 'til you’ve run out of the rum. So heave away your dignity, boys, and leave it at the door The fleet is in and the fleet is drunk and we’re heading back for more. (Verse 3) Old Barney spent his pittance on a girl named Fancy Rose But he woke up in the gutter with a hole inside his hose. She took his boots and she took his watch and she took his tobacco tin And left him with a pounding head and a very toothless grin. But don't you worry about the cost or the morning’s heavy head It’s better being fleeced on land than a-floating with the dead. (Chorus) So it’s up the stairs and mind the step, and mind the Madame’s eye She’ll take your silver, take your gold, and leave your pockets dry. There’s a girl with a wink like a cannon-flash and a laugh like a rolling drum She’ll treat you like a Commodore 'til you’ve run out of the rum. So heave away your dignity, boys, and leave it at the door The fleet is in and the fleet is drunk and we’re heading back for more. (Outro) Where’s my boot? Where’s my pay? I think I’m going. The other way. Mind the step. Watch the door. See you in a month. Or four.

The Gilded Mermaid