Melody:		A Sailor's Prayer	Back to Roth's Song Index
By:		Tom Lewis
On:		Surfacing!

The story: I got to know Tom personally back in 1994-1995 at the Augusta Festival.  I love his original song, but as a small-business owner I wondered if it was a little unfair to the barkeep.  So I wrote this response, and with a group of friends performed it 'for' him at Augusta as 'Charles Roth and the Uncalled Four'.

Tom gracefully forgave me :-) and in recompense I went on to create the first couple versions of his website, which have since been vastly improved.

(Charles, in 1995: "Tom, you need a website!  I'll make you one."
Tom: "Charles, that's sounds great!  What's a 'website'?")

Of my inn I'm proud, I'll say it aloud
A nice clean place to drink in.
But the tars stream in and swill their gin
Until their breath is stinkin'.

CHORUS:

Auld Nick below, in Hell bestow
All shiftless sailing boozers
As drinks all night, and then pick fights
And fill my pub with losers.

Then this sailor free, girl on his knee
Goes reaching for her garters
He turns the miss to steal a kiss
Hey you! HANDS OFF -- MY DAUGHTER!

Drunk from the bar falls the jolly tar
On the floor his guts he's heavin'
For glasses smashed I'll take his cash
Which leaves us even-Stephen.