G                                         C          G
You can see the squares of canvas dancing over the horizon
                                       D              D7
You can feel the chanty wailing to the heaving of the men
        C                D                     G               C
You can feel the seas up to your knees and you know the sea is rising
        G                  C            D
And you know the clipper's day has come again

G                                      C       D7      G
To the men on high, the bosun's cry commands a killing strain
                                  D    D7
Till every mother's son begins to pray ...
        C                D                  G               C
With a hearty shout, she comes about as she heads into the rain
        G              D      D7     G
And the ship has never seen a better day

[Chorus]
D                                  C             G
Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open waters
          C               G              C               D
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
   C              D                 G              C
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
        G                     C               D          D7    G
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again

[Verse 2]
G                                 C                  G
Wooden beams and human dreams are all that makes her go
                                   D     D7
And the magic of the wind upon her sails ...
      C                D                G             C
She'd rather fight the weather than the fishes down below
    G              C            D
God help us if the rigging ever fails

       G                                  C        D7       G
As the timber creaks, the captain speaks above the vessel's groan
                                      D    D7
'Til every soul on board can hear the call ...
     C               D              G               C
It's nothing but the singing of the ship inside her bones
    G                D       D7      G
And this is when she like it best of all

[Chorus]
D                                  C             G
Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open waters
          C               G              C               D
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
   C              D                 G              C
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
        G                     C               D          D7    G
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again

[Verse 3]
G                                             C                 G
Where the current goes, the clipper's nose is plowing fields of green
                                            D    D7
Where fortune takes the crews, we wish them well ...
      C                 D              G               C
Where men could be when lost at sea is somewhere in between
    G            C            D
The regions of a heaven and a hell

        G                               C   D7     G
They're sailing eastern harbors and the California shores
                                          D   D7
If you set your mind to see them then you can ...
       C                  D                G              C
As you count each mast go sailing past you prouder than before
            G                  D       D7    G
Then you'll know the clipper's day has come again

[Chorus]
D                                  C             G
Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open waters
          C               G              C               D
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
   C              D                 G              C
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
        G                     C               D          D7    G
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again