The Big Black Trawler

Alfred Noyes 1880 (Wolverhampton) – 1958 (Isle of Wight)



THE very best ship that ever I knew
-Ah-way O, to me O-
Was a big black trawler with a deep-sea crew-
Sing, my bullies, let the bullgine run.

There was one old devil with a broken nose
-Ah-way O, to me O-
He was four score years, as I suppose-
But sing, my bullies, let the bullgine run.

We was wrecked last March, in a Polar storm
-Ah-way O, to me O-
And we asked the old cripple if his feet was warm-
Sing, my bullies, let the bullgine run.

And the old, old devil (he was ninety at the most)
-Ah-way O, to me O-
Roars, ' Ay, warm as a lickle piece of toast '-
So sing, my bullies, let the bullgine run.

' For I soaked my sea-boots and my dungarees
-Ah-way O, to me O-
In the good salt water that the Lord don't freeze '-
Oh sing, my bullies, let the bullgine run.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

48 sec read
48

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBaC dBdc eBeC fBfc dBxc
Closest metre Iambic pentameter
Characters 754
Words 161
Stanzas 5
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Alfred Noyes

Alfred Noyes was an English poet best known for his ballads The Highwayman 1906 and The Barrel Organ more…

All Alfred Noyes poems | Alfred Noyes Books

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