A Salty Dog

Album: A Salty Dog 1969; One Eye to the Future (2008), The Best of – Then and Now (2010)

Picture sleeve: many

Taking Notes and Stealing Quotes on this song

Cover-version: many

Words by
Keith Reid

See also the Latin text as sung by the Gary Brooker ensemble, and by Procol Harum + the Hallé Orchestra and choir

'All hands on deck, we've run afloat!'
I heard the captain cry
'Explore the ship, replace the cook:
let no one leave alive!'
Across the straits, around the Horn:
how far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course,
and no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man,
where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold,
could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day
we made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue,
no mortal place at all

We fired the gun, and burnt the mast,
and rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept:
our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many Junes
have passed since we made land
A salty dog, this seaman's log:
 your witness my own hand 

More songs from
this album

Words from other
Procol Harum albums

Warning about
copyright