Auckland To The Bluff

(Rudy Sunde)

Left the city, I was just a lad,

Times was hard and no work to be had,

So I signed on board of the Flora Belle,

Little did I know she was a ship from hell.

Ship was old and leaking at the seams,

Dirty old tub somewhat broad in the beam,

Sails was old and her planks was rotten,

She laid at the wharf a gently rockin.

Sailed from Auckland to the Bluff

A thousand miles and that's enough

A thousand miles on the heaving sea

Glory Hallelujah that's enough for me

We set sail on a Saturday night

It was early on the evening tide

All went well till Na-Tidi light

And then by God I got a fright

The ship was hit by a big beam sea

Christ, I thought, it was all up with me

She rolled and she lolloped like a big tin drum

Hell! I thought, my time has come.

Sailed from Auckland to the Bluff

A thousand miles and that's enough

A thousand miles on the heaving sea

Glory Hallelujah that's enough for me

"Shorten sails" the old man cried

"Shorten the sails or you buggers will all die

Get aloft, get aloft, and get up that mast

Get aloft, get aloft, and get up there fast."

Never in my life had I been so scared

Never in my life had I wished I was dead

But I climbed up the mast and I shortened sail

Then I climbed down again and threw up o'er the rail.

Sailed from Auckland to the Bluff

A thousand miles and that's enough

A thousand miles on the heaving sea

Glory Hallelujah that's enough for me

Man the pumps the skipper roared

Man the pumps or you'll sail the ocean floor

So I pumped and I pumped ‘til my hands were raw

I pumped and I pumped 'til the coming of the dawn

How we survived that night I don't know

The wind it did roar and the wind it did blow

But the sun came up and the seas went down

The wind did ease and we headed south

Sailed from Auckland to the Bluff

A thousand miles and that's enough

A thousand miles on the heaving sea

Glory Hallelujah that's enough for me

The work was hard and the pay was mean

The food was rotten, and the quarters none too clean

The journey south was always rough

So I jumped the ship when we pulled into Bluff

Here in Bluff I'll settle down

Never again will I leave this town

Never again will I go to sea

Never again will it see me

Sailed from Auckland to the Bluff

A thousand miles and that's enough

A thousand miles on the heaving sea

Glory Hallelujah that's enough for me

Sailed from Auckland to the Bluff

A thousand miles and that's enough

A thousand miles on the heaving sea

Glory Hallelujah that's enough for me

Blow The Man Down

(Trad)

I’m a flying fish sailor just home from Hong Kong

Way, hey, blow the man down

If you give me some whisky I’ll sing you a song