Lyrics

in the service of the king I was a lad in a tavern in London town A stranger offered to buy a round I happily drank the whiskey down He ordered another for me When the barkeep locked the door I was passed out on the floor They dragged me off for evermore To slave away at sea I cannot read and I cannot write But they say I signed a pledge that night To join the navy and to fight in the service of the king Chorus: Hide your husbands hide your sons Protect them with knives broken bottles or guns Save them from oblivion In the service of the king Into service I was pressed A prisoner like all the rest A witness to a wretchedness Too torturous to tell I scrubbed the decks of the Royal fleet Under the Commanders’ feet Though I knew one day we’d meet I’d blow him straight to hell I knew the sound of the whip crack So when a pirate ship attacked I went on the account and never back To the service of the king