Disappointment Island

Auckland town's a fine old town
she watched me grow to be
but when I was grown she had no gold
so I left her for the sea
the captain called me to his side
said "it's time to earn your keep,
"be careful of that water's edge
"or someday there you'll sleep."

So heave her up and away we'll go
the captain he lay dyin
swear by God I'll sail no more
to Disapoointment Island

the sky was blue and the sun was gold
the day we left the bay
we were haulin sixteen knots northeast
as the bonny winds did stay
but three weeks in the grog went bad
crew morale went low
as greybeards charged across the sky
and the gales began to blow

So heave her up and away we'll go
the captain he lay dyin
swear by God I'll sail no more
to Disapoointment Island

the sun went down and the skies got dark
the moon came out no more
as rain and waves pounded the deck
the worst was still in store
cause our lookout spied a block of land
looming just ahead
but as we turned our ship about
she found that rocky bed

So heave her up and away we'll go
the captain he lay dyin
swear by God I'll sail no more
to Disapoointment Island

the starboard side was busted clean
the scuppers wouldn't drain
we pumped so much our hands had burst
thru the howlin winds and rain
then the mizzen snapped and landed hard
broke the skipper's bones
he ordered us "abandon ship
or meet old Davy Jones"

So heave her up and away we'll go
the captain he lay dyin
swear by God I'll sail no more
to Disapoointment Island

it's five long years we're stranded here
still waiting to hear the call
of the final ship to come our way
give us our homeward haul
of the twenty young men we started with
now there's nary three
I never asked to have this home
it would be the death of me

So heave her up and away we'll go
the captain he lay dyin
swear by God I'll sail no more
to Disapoointment Island

So heave her up and away we'll go
the captain he lay dyin
swear by God I'll sail no more
to Disapoointment Island