"the merchant navy man"

[John F Collier]

You have seen him on the street rolling round on drunken feet,
You have seen him clutch the lamp post for support,
You have shuddered in disgust when he grovels in the dust,
Cause he's just a Merchant Seaman back in port.

You have seen him arm in arm with a maid of doubtful charm,
You have seen him, when his ship is on the spree,
But have you seen the slip of his dirty 'blacked out' ship,
Ploughing furrows through the mine infested sea.

You have cheered our naval lads in their stately iron clads,
You have spared a cheer for Tommy Atkins too.
You even send a prayer to the aircrews in the air
but do you give a damn about this crew.

Still they bring the wounded home through mine infested zones,
And they ferries all our troops, throughout the night.
Though he carries all our trade, he's still neglected, underpaid.
But still he's always there at the thickest of the fight.

To stand against the 'Hun' with just a 4 point seven inch gun,
He has ruined Hitler's Atlantic Ocean plan,
He's a hero he's a sport, until he's back in port,
Then he's nothing......but a drunken Sailor man.

[Doc Vernon]

The Merchant Navy Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKl51RFZiVQ

[Keith at Tregenna]

The Merchant Navy Man:

LINK: The Merchant Navy Man