Folk and Traditional Song Lyrics:
Only Seventeen

Only Seventeen

Only Seventeen

I was only seventeen
When first I went to sea,
I was shipwrecked off the coast of France,
And just by chance
A woman in a boat
Grabbed me by the coat
And pulled me on the shore to dry.

Then much to my distress
She started to undress
A map of Bonny Scotland
Tattooed across her chest
And further down
To my surprise,
I saw the spot where Nelson lost an eye.

There was a map of the Portuguese
Tattooed across her knees
Japan and Singapore upon her thigh
Away up high
I was looking for Hong Kong
When her old man came along
So I let the rest of the world go by.

tune: Let the Rest of the World Go By
From memory, the singing of David Jones and "Grey Funnel
     Lines", Tawney RG
RG