When dangers gathered near.

If on the rocks the ship was cast,
And surges swept the deck,
Tom Tar was ever found the last
Who would forsake the wreck.

And when his only hat and shoes
The waters plucked from him,
Why, these, he felt, were small to lose,
Could he keep up and swim!

Then through the billows, foam, and spray,
That rose on every hand,
He'd, somehow, always find a way
Of getting safe to land.

The secret was, the fear and love
Of Heaven had filled his soul:
His trust was firm in One above,
Howe'er the seas might roll.

And Tom had sailed to many a shore,
And many a wonder seen:
The stories he could tell would more
Than fill a magazine.

He'd seen mankind in every state,
Almost, that man can know;
But envied not the rich and great,