Talking Sailor Blues - Jack Elliott

In bed with my woman, just a singing the blues

And I heard the radio a telling the news

Said, the big Red army took a hundred towns

And the allies dropping them two ton bombs

I started hollering, yelling

Dancing up and down like a bullfrog

Doorbell rung, in come a man

I signed my name, I got a telegram

Says,"If you want to take a vacation trip

Got a dish washing job on a liberty ship"

Woman a crying, me a flying

Out the door and down the line

About two minutes I run ten blocks

I come to my ship down at the docks

Walked up the plank and I signed my name

Blowed the whistle and was gone again

Right on out and down the stream

Ships as far as my eye could see, pulling away

Ship loaded down with TNT

All out across the rolling sea

I stood on the deck and watched the fishes swim

I was a-praying them fishes wasn’t made of tin

Sharks Porpoises

Jelly beans, rainbow trout, mud-cats, jew-gars

All over that water

This convoy’s the biggest I ever did see

It stretches all the way out across the sea

The ships blow their whistles and ring their bells

Going to blow them fascists all to hell

Win some freedom, liberty, stuff like that

Walked to the tail, stood on the stern

Looking at the big brass screw blade turn

Listened to the sound of the engines pond

Came sixteen feet every time it went round

Gets closer and closer, look out, you Fascists

I’m just one of the merchant crew

I belong to the union called the NMR

I’m a union man from head to toe

I’m U-S-A and C-I-O

Fighting out here on the waters

Win some freedom on the land