Talkin' Merchant Marine

Woody Guthrie

The Home of Bob Dylan, Hibbing MN - september 1960  

In bed with my woman just a-singing the blues
I heard the radio on telling the news
Said the big red army took a hundred towns
And the Allies dropping them two ton bombs
I started yelling
Dancing up and down like a bullfrog.

Doorbell rung and in come a man
I signed my name, I got a telegram
Says: if you want to take a vacation trip
Got a dish washing job on a liberty ship
Women a-crying, me a-flying
Out the door and down the line.

'Bout two minutes I run ten blocks
I come up to my ship down at the docks
Walked up the plank and I signed my name
Blowed the whistle and was gone again
Ships as far as I could see
Pulling away.

Ship loaded down with TNT
All out across the rolling sea
I stood on the deck and watched the fishes swim
I was a-praying them fishes wasn't made of tin
Sharks, porpoises, rainbow trouts
[mud-cats, jew-gars, all over that water].

This convoy's the biggest I ever did see
It stretches all the way out across the sea
The ships blow their whistles and ring their bells
Blow them Fascists all to hell
Win some freedom, liberty, stuff like that.

[Walked to the tail, stood on the stern
looking at the big brass screw blade turn
Listening to the sound of the engines pound
came sixteen feet everytime it went round
Get closer and closer
look out you Fascists.

I'm just one of the merchant crew
I belong to the union called NMR
I'm a union man from head to toe
I'm USA and CIO
Fighting out here on the waters
win some freedom, on the land.]