All the nice girls love a sailor, 1909.
words by A. J. Mills
music by Bennett Scott
This is an English music hall song well known by its subtitle, All The Nice Girls Love a Sailor. It was published worldwide. I’d say that everybody loves a sailor song.
The sheet music:
Accompaniment by James Pitt-Payne:
Lyrics
- When the Man o’ War or merchant ship
Comes sailing into port
The jolly Tar with joy
Will sing out, “Land ahoy!”
With his pockets full of money
And a parrot in a cage
He smiles at all the pretty girls
Upon the landing stage
Chorus
All the nice girls love a sailor
All the nice girls love a tar
For there’s something about a sailor
Well, you know what sailors are
Bright and breezy, free and easy
He’s the ladies pride and joy
Falls in love with Kate and Jane
Then he’s off to sea again
Ship ahoy! Ship ahoy!
- Jack is partial to the yellow girls
Across the Eastern Seas
With lovely almond eyes
The tar they hypnotise
And when he goes to the Sandwich Isles
He loves the dusky belles
Dress’d up a la Salome
Colored beads and oyster shells - He will spend his money freely
And he’s gen’rous to his pals
While Jack has got a sou
There’s half of it for you
And it’s just the same in Love or War
He goes through with a smile
And you can trust a sailor
He’s a white man all the while
Sung here by Fred Feild: