Bush, Kate - The Handsome Cabin Boy Lyrics






'Tis of a pretty female
As you may understand.
Her mind being bent for rambling
Unto some foreign land,
She dressed herself in sailor's clothes,
Or so it does appear,
And she hired with a captain
To serve him for a year.

The captain's wife she being on board,
She seemed in great joy
To think the captain had engaged
Such a handsome cabin boy,
That now and then she'd slip him a kiss,
And she'd have liked to toy,
But 'twas the captain found out the secret
Of the handsome cabin boy.

Her cheeks they were like roses
And her hair rolled in a curl.
The sailors often smiled and said
He looked just like a girl.
But eating of the captain's biscuit
Her colour did destroy,
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell,
The handsome cabin boy.

'Twas in the bay of Biscay
Our gallant ship did plow.
One night among the sailors
Was a fearful flurry and row.
They tumbled from their hammocks
For their sleep it did destroy,
And they sworn about the groaning
Of the handsome cabin boy.

"Oh doctor, dear, oh doctor,"
The cabin boy did cry.
"My time has come, I am undone,
And I will surely die."
The doctor come a-runnin'
And a-smilin' at the fun.
To think a sailor lad should have
A daughter or a son.

The sailors when they saw the joke
They all did stand and stare.
The child belonged to none of them,
They solemnly did swear.
The captain's wife, she says to him,
"My dear, I wish you joy,
For 'tis either you or me's betrayed
The handsome cabin boy!"

Now sailors, take your tot of rum
And drink success to trade,
And likewise to the cabin boy
That was neither man nor maid.
Here's hoping the wars don't rise again
Our sailors to destroy,
And here's hoping for a jolly lot more
Like the handsome cabin boy.





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Bush, Kate The Handsome Cabin Boy Comments
  1. c.... p....

    stunning

  2. M.... C....

    Kate is special!

  3. t.... ....

    Kate fortunately we can still listent to you to escape the shit that offers the radio and the groups that change as the fashion changed they dont have their own stylde so ti must change as the teenager change you are one of the few that made what u wanted and you wanted was always something beatiful and timeless , thanks kate last day I found a sheet scrpt in 1993:"...I'm here in my room , there are people who seem they are near me fortunately there is you and it seem to me you are the only one near me that understand what I feel ...." Dave1993 alsom y father loved you and when we were in car i cant put a cassette only the seensual world and the dreaming were the unique cassette he liked ......i love you kate then my father died and i choose the never be mine and the sensual wolrdl to carry him him six feet under.....imiss u daddy, pls giveme the strwght u gave so generously just saying something , aand listen to kate will alway mesmerise me and make you feel more near me than ever especially "the sensual world " the album we loved so much and wich with we use to make hundred of kilometeres in the streets or the dreaming ......ciao dad ciao Kate thaNks

  4. K.... K....

    Thanks and posting tomorrow......

  5. c.... l....

    Lovely song!!

  6. F.... U....

    Good, but she's no Sandy Denny.

    F.... U....

    What's really the point of this comment. Wait I know, I was like this when I was a little shit, just being a cunt really. KEep your opinion to yourself, we dont share your opinion.

    F.... U....

    @Franky FourFingers I'm sorry I can only give you one thumbs up.

    F.... U....

    @James-Russell Gause ditto...

  7. d.... b....

    Kate Bush could make even Justin Bieber songs sound beautiful and otherworldly

  8. S.... S....

    Ms Bush's beautiful b.side 😙😙😙X

  9. A.... J....

    The Pentangle version is not quite the same song but the tune and the plot are extremely similar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwWfilV3LrQ

  10. A.... J....

    I didn't know Kate Bush had recorded this. The version I know is the Pentangle recording

  11. W.... ....

    I can't believe I didn't listen to this before.

  12. E.... G....

    Kate is a fairy!!! My fairy queen!!! I love you so much, Kate!!!

  13. M.... P....

    A great traditional song with a few parts missing, but a good version all the same. This was also done by the Irish trio Sweeneys Men in the 60s, and sung by the great Johnny Moynihan.

  14. P.... ....

    I adore Kate. She has left out a verse or two but I don't care. This is an amazing song.

  15. A.... W....

    Lovely.

  16. P.... L....

    Kate's version of this song is wonderful, though the missing two verses do give the story more sense.

  17. S.... J....

    This song is beautiful.

  18. A.... R....

    Kannte ich noch nicht!
    Danke!
    l.g.
    Achim

  19. P.... C....

    Last verse, which wraps it nicely, with a very funny line at the end...

    So each man took his drop of rum and he drunk success to trade,
    And likewise to the cabin boy who was neither man nor maid.
    It's hoping the wars don't rise again, us sailors to destroy,
    And here's hoping for a jolly lot more like the handsome cabin boy.

    P.... C....

    It more than wraps it up; it's profound particularity for it's era, it is a remarkable amazing song.

  20. P.... C....

    Missing second verse which explains the captain's wife's comment at the end!

    The captain's wife she being on board, she seemed in great joy
    To think her husband had engaged such a handsome cabin boy.
    And now and then she slipped him a kiss, and she would have liked to toy,
    But it was the captain found out the secret of the handsome cabin boy.

  21. P.... C....

    I'm learning this song as part of a shanty repertoire (although it's not a shanty, strictly), and it's lovely to hear Kate singing it! My favourite traditional version is actually A.L.Lloyd on Blow Boys Blow...

    As someone else said, it's a shame she missed out the second and last verses - I'll post them in a minute for completness (won't fit in one comment!)

  22. A.... C....

    hey this reminds me sort of the book "the true confessions of charlotte doyle" by avi

  23. g.... ....

    spellbinding - is this on any of her albums?

  24. V.... G....

    Kate is beautiful and i love her :3

  25. G.... R....

    I do not have this song in my discography, it(she) is beautiful...

  26. A.... ....

    Ewan McColl is old time. Kate Rusby is the only English traditional singer that I can handle, and not for very long.
    Kate Bush is the closest thing to a divine creature that this world can offer. Consider that.

    A.... ....

    Sandy Denny is the greatest traditional English singer - though she is of Scottish descent. I have spoken! p.s. you're right about Kate Bush's (near) divinity.

  27. K.... ....

    Not to take anythinga way from Kate's version, but the meaning of the song is changed significantly by the omission of the seond and last verses.

    The original being much more uplifitng and profoundly positive as a result.

  28. C.... ....

    Haunting and fantastic; I have the vinyl somewhere ! Thanks for posting.

  29. d.... c....

    Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention recorded this after Zappa heard it on an LP of Sea Shanties by Ewan McColl on Topic circa 1965, I wonder if Ms Bush had the same LP. Zappa never released it during the time he recorded it, but its available on 'Lost Episodes' which came out a few years after he died.

    Beefheart uses Zappa's riff on HCB on the song Electricity. I am keen to find out who came with the riff first.

  30. t.... ....

    Is this performance available on any commercially release?
    I must have it. Not on iTunes.
    Must check eBay for vinyl...