They taught us how to heave the lead and steer,
And how to handle guns and how to shoot.
We fancied we'd be leaving right away
To capture prizes on the Spanish Main,
And be raising merry hades
With the dusky Spanish laddies,
And within a month come steaming home again.

CHORUS.

"But instead we ran a ferry
All along the Jersey shore,
And our turns were empty very,
And our hands were awful sore.
We would give our bottom dollar
Just to see a cable car,
Just to hear a newsboy holler,
Just to smoke a good cigar.

"In times of peace we do not have to sweep
Or carry coal or stand on watch all night;
We do not have to scrub down decks or keep
Our toothbrush chained, or brasswork shining bright.
We never washed our faces in a pail,
We never heard the fog-horn's awful shriek,
We never ate salt horse,
We combed our hair, of course,
And we never wore our stockings for a week."

CHORUS.