To marry I'd a mind and a farmer I did find
He had twelve chickens and a cow
He offered them to me
But I denied his plea
For his horse pulled a very tiny plow
Oh, I'm off to wed a sailor
If I find one who will take me out to sea
For the rockin' and the rowin' are the very things he's knowin'
In a sailor's life, a happy wife I'll be
A sheriff of the land did offer me his hand
He ruled forty acres and a half
But I had to throw him back
For sadly, what he lacked
Was a long, hard official sheriff's staff
Oh, I'm off to wed a sailor
If I find one who will take me out to sea
For the rockin' and the rowin' are the very things he's knowin'
In a sailor's life, a happy wife I'll be
A blacksmith did de-clamor that we'd lead a life of glamor
Into my bed, romantically he climbed
His arms were big and strong
But we weren't betrothed for long
For his hammer missed my anvil every time
Oh, I'm off to wed a sailor
If I find one who will take me out to sea
For the rockin' and the rowin' are the very things he's knowin'
In a sailor's life, a happy wife I'll be
A sailor on the dock kissed me 'till I couldn't walk
And promised to take me on a trip
In the morning he was missing
But who cares, I love kissing
And there's more like him on every single ship
Oh, I'm off to wed a sailor
If I find one who will take me out to sea
For the rockin' and the rowin' are the very things he's knowin'
In a sailor's life, a happy wife I'll be
In a sailor's life, a happy wife I'll be