Bill was once a sailor on a great and noble ship
But Billy had a problem, from a flask he liked to sip
Yes, Billy liked his ale and rum
Into a bottle he would run
And drink himself both blind and dumb
His work began to slip
We would often see him with a flask clutched in his fist
And when we gave him orders he would only get the gist
And if we pulled up near a beach
And there was rum just out of reach
He'd try to drain it like a leech
And everything would list
Drunken Billy sails the ocean blue
But starboard's hard to find
The only port he ever knew
Was of the drinkin' kind
He couldn't tell his fore from aft
His directions are the worst
The unkind Fates all point and laugh
That drunken helmsman's cursed
There are many dangers for a good ship of the realm
For storm and pirates often would a good crew overwhelm
But one thing every sailor knew
When danger struck out of the blue
You could be certain this was true
'Twas Billy at the helm
Drunken Billy sails the ocean blue
But starboard's hard to find
The only port he ever knew
Was of the drinkin' kind
He couldn't tell his fore from aft
His directions are the worst
The unkind Fates all point and laugh
That drunken helmsman's cursed
Billy wasn't sober when he sailed into the night
He thought a flash of lightning was a flickering tavern light
He turned the wheel to pull her in
The sky let loose with quite a din
The crew thought of their next of kin
The ship sank out of sight
Drunken Billy sails the ocean blue
But starboard's hard to find
The only port he ever knew
Was of the drinkin' kind
He couldn't tell his fore from aft
His directions are the worst
The unkind Fates all point and laugh
That drunken helmsman's cursed
Billy made it to a lifeboat though he feared the worst
He spied a ghostly ship and knew in doom he was immersed
The ship pulled up to take him on
He knew his hopes and dreams were gone
The ghostly Captain said, Hang on...
I hear that helmsman's cursed!
Drunken Billy sails the ocean blue
But starboard's hard to find
The only port he ever knew
Was of the drinkin' kind
He couldn't tell his fore from aft
And now he never will
He'd be better off in land based craft
Instead of some old leaky raft
The unkind Fates all point and laugh
He's in that lifeboat still.
Drunken Billy sails the ocean blue
But starboard's hard to find
The only port he ever knew
Was of the drinkin' kind
He couldn't tell his fore from aft
His directions are the worst
The unkind Fates all point and laugh
That drunken helmsman's cursed