Ketelbinkie

When we departed from Rotterdam
On the Edam, an old boat
With cockroaches in the midship
And rat nests in the bow
We had a young boy
As a galley boy on board
Who was going to sea for the first time
And had never heard of sharks
Who, from his mother on the dock
Took a shy farewell
Because he didn't dare to kiss her
That street kid from Rotterdam

He was cursed at by the stoker
Because on the very first day
When we had just left the pier
He was seasick in the forecastle
And with gin and lemons
He was back on his feet
Because sick sailors are a liability
And cause damage to the cargo
When he then came hauling with his kettles
From the galley to the front
He was like a piece of despair
That street kid from Rotterdam

And when he lay in his bunk at night
And finally fell asleep tired from hauling
The man on watch in the bunk cursed
Because he called out for his mother
Then one fine morning
It was in the Pacific Ocean
While they were clamoring for their coffee
He didn't get up from his bunk
And when the mate with quinine
And castor oil came to him
He asked for an advance on his wages
For the old lady from Rotterdam

In canvas and on grating boards
He was placed on the hatch that day
The captain tipped his hat
And said a prayer in a loud voice
And with a one, two, three in God's name
The galley boy went overboard
Who didn't dare to kiss the old lady
Because that's not what sailors do
The man poured an extra shot
And the old lady received a telegram
That was the end of a sailor
That street kid from Rotterdam