Talking Sailor

In bed with my woman, just singing the blues
Heard the radio telling the news
That the big Red Army took a hundred towns
And Allies dropping them two-ton bombs
Started hollering, yelling, dancing up and down like a bullfrog
Doorbell rung and in come a man
I signed my name, I got a telegram
Said, "If you wanna 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

'Bout two minutes I run ten blocks
I come to my ship, down at the dock
Walked up the plank, and I signed my name
Blowed that whistle, was gone again
Right on out and down the stream, ships as fur as my eye could see, woman a-waiting

Ship loaded down with TNT
All out across the rolling sea
Stood on the deck, watched the fishes swim
I'se a-praying them fish wasn't made out of tin
Sharks, porpoises, jellybeans, rainbow trouts, mudcats, jugars, all over that water

This convoy's the biggest I ever did see
Stretches all the way out across the sea
And the ships blow the whistles and a-rang her bells
Gonna 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 engine pound
Gained sixteen feet every time it went around
Getting closer and closer, look out, you fascists

I'm just one of the merchant crew
I belong to the union called the N. M. U.
I'm a union man from head to toe
I'm U. S. A. and C. I. O.
Fighting out here on the waters to win some freedom on the land