(Dm) a hundred days at sea, a retch away from misery
(G) rummies and rats and tarry jacks my only family (break)
The island of salvation is still a scream a way
As the lungs of the night blow out the light my heart kneels down to pray

(Strait into chorus)

Lord why did you take her she meant so much to me
Now I'm a wretched soul on a privateer drowning out at sea
I'm killing and I'm drinking my blue heart to black
But I swear oh lord I'll never sin again if you bring her back
Gypsy was a siren, dripping with desire
Her moonless hair and skin so fair as warm as frozen fire
She had the loyalty of a cat, behind those pale green eyes
Through her cherry lips, the devil slipped, a thousand lies
A clan of rogues and vagabonds, occupied her head
That thieving band took her pale white hand and stole her from my bed
And like a ghost ship in the night, she drifted out once more
To land upon the sand of another lover's shore
Lord why did you take her she meant so much to me
Now I'm a wretched soul on a privateer drowning out at sea
I'm killing and I'm drinking my blue heart to black
But I swear oh lord I'll never sin again if you bring her back
In my sleeping mind she sings a sad and lonely lullabye
When I wake there's just the ache it will haunt me till I die
When those winds of vanity no longer blow her west
I pray they'll guide her home (across the foam) and put my heart to rest
Press gang filled this man-o-war to make the black mouthed cannon roar
Now all my trade is ball and blade, and blood forever more
And the sting of salt and spray, the ocean's howl and squall
A stumbling wreck, I roam the deck, at the devil's beck and call at the devil's beck and call
Lord why did you take her she meant so much to me
Now I'm a wretched soul on a privateer drowning out at sea
I'm killing and I'm drinking my blue heart to black
But I swear oh lord I'll never sin again if you bring her back