10. The Shantyboy's Alphabet

A is for axes, which all of you know
And B is for boys that can use them also.
C is for chopping we do first begin,
And D is for danger we ofttimes are in.

So merry, so merry, so merry are we,
No mortal on earth is as happy as we.
Hi Derry, ho Derry, hi Derry down,
Give the shanty boys whiskey and nothing goes wrong.

E is for echos that through the woods ring
And F is for foreman, the boss of our gang.
G is for grindstone , we grind our axe on,
And H is for handle so smoothly worn.

I is for iron, we mark all our pine,
And J is for jolly boys always on time.
K is for keen edge all our axes do keep
And L is for lice that keep us from sleep.

M is for moss we chink in our camps,
And N is for needle , we mend our own pants,
O is for owl that howl all the night
And P is for pine we fall in daylight.

Q is for quarrelling, we do not allow
And R is for river the logs we do plough
S is for sleighs so stout and so strong
T is for teams that haul them along.

U is for use we put our teams to,
And V is for valley we run our logs through,
W is for woods we leave in the spring
So now we have heard all I have to sing.