Liza Lee
Liza Lee, she promised me
Ch: Yankee John, Storm-a-long
She promised for to marry me
Ch: Yankee John, Storm-a-long
Additional verses from Jim Mageean's 2012 recording
When I sailed across the sea
Liza said she'd be true to me.
I promised her a golden ring
She promised me that little thing.
Oh Liza Lee, she slighted me,
Now she will not marry me.
Up aloft this yard must go,
Mister mate, he told us so.
I thought I heard the skipper say,
One more pull and then belay.
Colcord (Roll and Go) gives only the first verse of this and other “negro shanties” which seem to have originated in stowing cotton, but proved useful aboard ships as well.
The name Liza Lee is frequently used in versions of Clear the Track.