I once saw a Hamburg four-masted bark,
Ch: To me hoodah! To me hoodah!
Her masts were as crooked as the Old Man's legs.
To me hoodah, hoodah, ho!
Blow, boys, blow!
For Californ-i-O!
There's plenty of gold, so I've bin told,
On the banks of the Sacramento!
Her decks were of iron, full of dirt and of muck,
The ship-cleaners in harbor thought she was vile.
Her fo'c'sle full of bugs, her galley full of mud,
The weevils they ran about freely.
The salt-meat was green, full of maggots the pork,
The rum was dished out at Christmas alone.
When we were trying to sail this old tub,
She'd sail ahead three and sail back four.
The captain was hopeless, the same as that ship,
The crew for that packet were all shanghaied men.