Captain O'Rourke (She Shanty)
Written by Robert Boddington
Revised for She Shanty nights
LYRICS
CHORUS
Riddley dinka dola do rye an
I am Captain O'rourke I am
Don't be ailin' when I'm sailin'
I am a fine ship captain (hey!)
Riddley dinka dola do rye an
I am Captain O'rourke I am
There is no ship that I can't man
I am a fine ship captain
VERSE 1
Captain O'Rourke was a great ship captain
A great vessel had she
'Twas a grand galleon, so shiny and new
And she went out to sail on the deep ocean blue
But the ship hit a reef and was holed through and through
And sank with O'Rourke and all of her crew
But she cried
CHORUS
VERSE 2
Captain O'Rourke was a strong, old captain
A great vessel had she
'Twas a fine little frigate and, boy, was she fast
When she hit the water all boats were outclassed
But O'Rourke pulled a rope and it ripped off the mast
Then it capsized and filled up and went right down fast
But she cried
CHORUS
VERSE 3
Captain O'Rourke was an okay captain
A great vessel had she
'Twas a rickety rowboat which wasn't too grand
And one day O'Rourke tried to push it off land
But the boat had no bottom, so when it left the sand
It sank to the depths of the Galway bay strand
But she cried
CHORUS
VERSE 4
Captain O'Rourke was a silly, mad captain
A great vessel had she
She sailed on a thimble, she could barely fit in
She thought it was sturdy 'cause it was made out of tin
But all of the holes let the water right in
And she dredged back to shore, soaked to the skin
But she cried
CHORUS
VERSE 5
Captain O'Rourke was no ship's captain
A great vessel had she
She lived on an island and one morning, lo
She found a large plug and she pulled it out slow
And, from that deep hole, water did overflow
And she sank the whole island in one fell blow
But she cried
CHORUS x 2
