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the ballad of mad jack - schooner fare lyrics

-flute intro-

[verse 1: steve romanoff]
in a tumbledown graveyard in barnstable, m-ss.,
hangs a humble reminder to those who might p-ss
and notice the shingle high over the grave
that honors the bones of mad jack
he was born johnny percival, on scorton hill
a contrary lad from the goin’
he ran off to sea just to prove he was free
and was sixty long years in returnin’
with just nine months of school he departed the land
he moved up from cabin boy hand-over-hand
impressed by the english to service their king
as he jumped overboard they could all hear him sing:

[chorus: schooner fare]
come a sailor, come a soldier, come a captain, a king
if you dare me to do it i’ll do anything
i’ll take up the fight, i’ll even the odds
i’ll do what is right or i’m not from cape cod
i’m jack the cantankerous cuss from cape cod

[verse 2: steve romanoff]
in 1813, jack started to work
on a plan to reopen the port of new york
the british blockade had everyone down
so mad jack decided to turn it around:
he borrowed a fisherman’s smack, so i’m told
put goats on the deck and armed men in the hold
when a tender of red coats dared pull him aside
his men came out shootin’ as proudly he cried

-flute solo-

[verse 3: steve romanoff]
did you hear how mad jack saved “old ironsides” too
from the scr-pheap of flagships too old to renew
at sixty-five years he inspected each shroud
and promised the navy he’d make her stand proud
he collected the finest ship-riggers around
from boston, new bedford, and old portsmouth town
he rigged her and jigged her and made her stand tall
then he sailed her around the world once and for all

- schooner fare lyrics

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