I Saw a Ship A-Sailing

Natalie Merchant

I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea,
And it was full of pretty things
For baby and for me.

There were sweetmeats in the cabin,
And apples in the hold,
The sails were made of silk,
And the masts were made of gold.

The four-and-twenty sailors
That stood between the decks,
Were four-and-twenty white mice,
With chains about their necks.

The captain was a duck,
With a packet on his back,
And when the ship began to move,
The captain cried, "Alas, alack!"

I saw a ship a-sailing,
A-sailing on the sea,
And it was full of pretty things
For baby and for me.