We See Sad Sights Ashore

A popular song from 1893
words by John Gilbert
music by Henry Norman

The sheet music:

We-See-Sad-Sights-Ashore – Sheet MusicDownload

Accompaniment by Fred Feild:

We-See-Sad-Sights-Ashore – MIDIDownload

Lyrics

  1. In a lawyer’s shop when I was a lad
    We see sad sights ashore
    I learnt to take what others had
    We see sad sights ashore
    I wished to give my talents swing
    But there was no room in the boodle ring
    So I went to sea as a pirate king
    We see sad sights ashore

Refrain
Come away, I say
Out where the sea gulls soar
I’ve a pirate’s berth, you can have the earth
For we see sad sights ashore

  1. We pirates steal on the open sea
    We see sad sights ashore
    On land we spend our money free
    We see sad sights ashore
    Against land pirates people rail
    For the politician sets his sail
    To rob the poor man’s dinner pail
    We see sad sights ashore

Refrain
Come away, I say
Out where the sea gulls soar
There’s liberty on the open sea
But we see sad sights ashore

  1. My Mary Ann said she’d be true
    We see sad sights ashore
    When you sail away they always do
    We see sad sights ashore
    But I think I had a lucky streak
    For she married a lubber whose eyes were weak
    And so are his knees when he hears her speak
    We see sad sights ashore

Refrain
Get away, I say
Out where the sea gulls soar
The wife for me is my ship at sea
For we see sad sights ashore

  1. Our gold and silver is at par
    We see sad sights ashore
    And circulates both near and far
    We see sad sights ashore
    You can’t go on in this old groove
    Tariff and silver go to prove
    If Congress doesn’t get a move
    You’ll see sad sights ashore

Refrain
Get away, I say
Out where the sea gulls soar
If they don’t kill that silver bill
You’ll see sad sights ashore

  1. O give me the sea with its life so free
    We see sad sights ashore
    A home on land I cannot stand,
    We see sad sights ashore.
    We nail the black flag to the peak,
    And rob you while our cannons speak,
    On land they rob you on the sneak,
    We see sad sights ashore.

Refrain
Get away, I say,
Out where the sea gulls soar,
No whale or shark can harm our barque,
We see sad sights ashore.

6. In the game each fellow gets a throw,
We see sad sights ashore.
No man is lynched without a show,
We see sad sights ashore.
He gets a dose of rope and lead,
On land, if he’s white or black or red,
They hang him first then try him dead
We see sad sights ashore

Refrain
Get away, I say
Out where the sea gulls soar
There’s no excuse for this abuse
We see sad sights ashore

Sung here by Vancha March: