American Old Time Song Lyrics: 05 The Bugaboo

Theater, Music-Hall, Nostalgic, Irish & Historic Old Songs, Volume 5

THE BUGABOO.

Come all ye tender hearted boys,
Wherever you may be,
And I'll tell you of the dangers
Upon the dark blue sea-
Of the dangers And the hardships, my hoys,
That I went through,
When I shipped as cook and steward, my boys,
On board of the Bugaboo.

The day when I first joined her,
She lay in James street canal;
She was large and stout and beautiful-
Forget her shape I never shall;
The captain wore a large straw hat,
Knee breeches and a body coat so blue,
Arrah! boys, he made a fine figurehead
For to ornament the Bugaboo

We soon weighed anchor and set sail
To plongh the raging surf,
We were bound for the bog of Allan
To get a load of turf;
We sailed until we passed the back
Of Richmond barracks so true,
When the gallant 84th fired a royal salute of bricks
At the captain of the Bugaboo.

We sailed three years when a storm arose,
And the sea ran mountain high,
The thunder rolled, the lightning flashed
And lit the dark blue sky.
So the second mate gave orders
To lower the sails and crew.
While the captain down below was smoking in his bed-
He set fire to the Bugaboo.

When the captain found what he had done,
He loud for help did shout,
He called up through the chimney top
For the helmsman to come and put it out;
But the helmsman was fast asleep,
And to his post untrue.
And the fire burned so hard through the middle of the turf,
They couldn't save the Bugaboo.

When fifteen thousand miles'from land,
In latitude fifty four,
The fire burned so hard one night
That it couldn't burn any more;
So the captain he gave orders
To lower he boats and save the crew,
While 1,000 rods of turf and 50,000 men
Were smothered in the Bugaboo.