Shanghaied! . . . I swore I’d stay ashore
And sail the wide, wide seas no more! . . .
Shanghaied! Shanghaied!
Shanghaied — with pals I’ve never known,
And my heart’s as heavy as a stone . . .
Shanghaied! . . . Shanghaied!
Yes, here’s the wide, grey sea again
And the work that takes the souls from men,
Shanghaied! . . . Shanghaied!
Yes, yon’s the mist they call the shore,
And here’s the ropes I must haul once more —
Shanghaied! . . . Shanghaied!
Shanghaied — and on a ship I hate,
With a cur for a captain, a brute for a mate . . .
Shanghaied! . . . Shanghaied!
Oh, when I set my foot ashore
I’ll drink no more . . . and I’ll sail no more!
Shanghaied! . . . Shanghaied!
(Harry Kemp)
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Based on Topics: Man Poems, Soul Poems, Work & Career Poems, Hatred PoemsBased on Keywords: shanghaied