Eddystone Light

Words & Music:

Traditional

Go look up the history of this extraordinary lighthouse. It has nothing to do with this delightful song, but was a huge step forward in engineering and is a fascinating tale in its own right.

G

My father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light.

A D7 G

He married a mermaid one fine night.

G

From this union there came three:

C D7 G

A porpoise & a porgy & the other was me.

CHORUS:

A7 D D7 G

Yo, ho, ho! The wind blows free! Oh, for the life on the rolling sea!

Late one night, I was trimming the glim

While singing a verse from the evening hymn.

A voice from starboard shouted, "Ahoy!"

And there was me mother sitting on a buoy.

CHORUS:

"What has become of my children three?"

Me mother she did ask of me.

"One was exhibited as a talking fish.

The other was served on a chafing dish."

CHORUS:

Then the phosphorus flashed in her seaweed hair.

I looked again and me mother wasn't there.

A voice came echoing out of the night,

"I don't like the keeper of the Eddystone Light."

[alt: "The Devil take the keeper of the Eddystone Light."]

CHORUS: