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American Ballads and Folk Songs
A mighty sea rolled on astern, and then it swept our deck, And soon our gallant little craft was but a floating wreck} All hands sprung forward, aft the mainsheet for to haul, And slap dash! went chicken coop into the raging can-all.
We took the old cook's petticoat, for want of a better dress, And rigged it out upon a pole, a signal of distress j We pledged ourselves hand to hand, aboard the boat to bide, And not to quit the deck while a plank hung to her side.
At length that horrid night cut dirt from the sky,
The storm it did abate, and a boat came passing by,
She soon espied our signal, while each on his knees did fall,
Thankful we escaped a grave on the raging can-all.
We each of us took a nip, and sighed the pledge anew, And wonderful as danger ceased, how up our courage grew, The craft in sight bore down on us, and quickly was 'longside, And we all jumped aboard and for Buffalo did ride.
And if I live a thousand years, the horrors of that night Will ever in my memory be a spot most burning bright} There's naught in this varsel world, can ever raise my gall, As the thought of my voyage on the raging can-all.
And now, my boys, I'll tell you how to manage wind and weather, In a storm hug the towpath, and lay feather to feather, And when the weather gets bad, and rain begins to fall, Jump right ashore, and streak it from the raging can-all.
The yarn is rather long, my boys, so I will let it drop,
You can get the whole particulars in Kearney's bookshop,
At two hundred seventy-two Pearl Street, you've only got to call,
And you'll gtt an extra dose of the raging can-all.
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