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Only Seventeen

I was only seventeen
When first I went to sea,
I was shipwrecked off the coast of France,
And just by chance
A woman in a boat
Grabbed me by the coat
And pulled me on the shore to dry.

Then much to my distress
She started to undress
A map of Bonny Scotland
Tattooed across her chest
And further down
To my surprise,
I saw the spot where Nelson lost his eye.

There was a map of the Portuguese
Tattooed across her knees
Japan and Singapore upon her thigh
Away up high
I was looking for Hong Kong
When her old man came along
So I let the rest of the world go by.


Let every kindred, every tribe On this terrestrial ball, On this terrestrial ball; To Him all majesty ascribe, And crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, crown Him, And crown Him Lord of all.
- Perronet, Edward (1726-1792)