LaborArts


Sailor Stories, Sailor Songs

Songs

Seamen Three

Words and Music by Woody Guthrie
This is one of the thousands of songs Guthrie wrote but never recorded.

Cisco Houston, Woody Guthrie and Jim Longhi.
Photo from ciscohouston.com.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Shipped out to beat the fascists
Across the land and sea.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
We outsung all o' you Nazis
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
We talked up for the NMU
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Outsung all o' you finks and ginks
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Worked to haul that TNT
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
If you ever saw one you'd see all three
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Torpedoed twice and robbed with dice
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Not many pretty lasses did we miss
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Ocean's still a-ringin' with songs we sung
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
We fight and sing for the Willy McGhees
Across our lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Keep a-fightin' and a-singin' till the world gets free
Across my lands and seas.

We were seamen three,
Cisco, Jimmy and me;
Gonna keep workin' and a-fightin' for peace
Across my lands and seas.

WGP/TRO © 1962 Woody Guthrie Publications, Inc. & Ludlow Music, Inc. New York, NY
Administered by Ludlow Music, Inc. Used by permission.