From the recording The Life and Death of Mary Read
Lyrics
Chests of slops are emptied
Monmouth caps are doffed
They’re gutting the navy
And the docks are crowded
Ships are decommissioned
Sailors are laid off
Scrambling for scraps
Like sows at a trough
The North Sea darkens
Bellows and heaves
As ten thousand men
Are turned to beggars and thieves
Grovel for the gaffer
Whittle down the fee
We underbid each other
When the docks are crowded
Celebrate the peace
And Britain’s victory
By coming to terms
With a life in poverty
The North Sea darkens
Bellows and heaves
As ten thousand men
Are turned to beggars and thieves