Polly on the Shore

Not to be mistaken with the traditional song of the same name (also called The Valiant Sailor), this piece was written by Lester Simpson, of Coope, Boyes and Simpson. They recorded it on their album Funny Old World in 1996. There is an attribution for the song on Mudcat Cafe to a Randy Newman, but this appears to be erroneous.

The Longest Johns perform Polly on the Shore in one of their earliest Youtube videos, stating: This one is a Coope, Boyes and Simpson original, with the lyrics written by Lester Simpson. If you haven't come across them, look them up now (http://www.coopeboyesandsimpson.co.uk)! Their album 'What We Sing' is in our manager's top 5 albums of all time. We hope we do it justice! There's one more of us, so the arrangement is a little different.

Lyrics
These lyrics are based on the version performed by the Longest Johns in their Video. She's your Polly, She's your Polly, She's your Polly, She's your Polly on the shore. {Andy} She was used she was abused she never knew she was a victim Her drunken father's pleasure before she was half grown Her Ma' ignored and she endured until one night in anger She broke the bottle on his head and launched out on her own {Chorus} So you can think that she's your Polly on the shore She'll be your mother or your sister or your whore She'll be waving 'til you're safely out of view Then she's looking for another sailor gullible as you {Andy} She headed down to Sailor town, began her education and Polly knew the only way to win was fighting back She learned the ropes, and fleeced the dopes and dreamed above her station And she kept half of everything she ever stole from Jack {Chorus} When the crimp said her Ma' was dead she wished she could have cried As rumours of a drunken murder spread to Sailortown Her Pa' went free with drunken glee so Polly had him shanghai'd He woke up on a hellship, Yokohama bound! {Chorus} {Andy} Now Polly dines on finest wines, she is quite the lady And she owns half of everything in dirty Sailortown And Polly hires and Polly fires and Polly says what may be Oh but maybe Polly can't forgot enough to settle down {Chorus}

So you can think that she's your Polly on the shore She'll be your mother or your sister or your whore She'll be waving 'til you're safely out of view Then she's looking for another sailor Coastal fisherman or whaler, Lookin' for another sailor gullible as you!