A Sailor's Prayer

A Sailor's Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Grant no other sailor take,
My shoes and socks before I wake.
Lord guard me in my slumber,
And keep my hammock on its number.
May no clews nor lashings break,
And let me down before I wake.
Keep me safely in thy sight,
And grant no fire drills tonight.
And in the morning let me wake,
Breathing scents of sirloin steak.
God protect me in my dreams,
And make this better than it seems.
Grant the time may swiftly fly,
When myself shall rest on high,
In a snowy feather bed,
Where I long to rest my head.
Far away from all these scenes,
From the smell of half-baked beans.
Take me back into the land,
Where they don't scrub down with sand.
Where no Demon Typhoon blows,
Where the women wash the clothes.
God thou knowest all my woes,
Feed me in my dying throes.
Take me back I'll promise then,
Never to leave home again.