In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say,
In Amsterdam there lived a maid
And she was mistress of her trade.
Chorus:
I'll go no more a roving with you fair maid
A-roving, a-roving
Since roving's been my rue-I-ay
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid.
I kissed her once, I kissed her twice,
Mark well what I do say,
I kissed her once, I kissed her twice,
She said, "Young sir that's oh so nice."
Chorus...
I put my hand upon her knee,
Mark well what I do say,
I put my hand upon her knee;
She said, "Young sir you're fancy free."
Chorus...
I put my arms around her waist,
Mark well what I do say,
I put my arms around her waist;
She said, "Young sir you're in great haste!"
Chorus...
I put hand upon her thigh,
Mark well what I do say,
I put hand upon her thigh;
She said, "Young sir you're awful high!"
Chorus...
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say,
In Amsterdam there lived a maid;
And she was mistress of her trade.
Hugill's Version: (from Shanties of the Seven Seas)
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say,
In Amsterdam there lived a maid
And she was mistress of her trade.
One night I crept from my abode
To meet this fair maid down the road.
I met this fair maid after dark
An' took her to her favorite park
I put me arm around her waist
Sez she, "Young man yer in great haste!"
I put me hand upon her knee,
Sez she, "Young man, yer rather free!"
I put my hand upon her thigh,
Sez she, "Young man, yer awful high!"
I towed her to the Maiden's Breast,
From south the wind veered wes'sou'west [sou'sou'west].
An' the eyes in her head turned east an' west,
And her thoughts wuz as deep as an ol' sea-chest.
We had a drink -- of grub a s*****
We sent two bottles down the hatch
Her dainty arms were white as milk,
Her lovely hair was soft as silk.
Her heart was poundin' like a drum
Her lips wuz red as any plum.
We laid down on a grassy patch,
An' I felt like such a ruddy a**.
She pushed me over on my back,
She laughed so hard her lips did crack.
She swore that she'd be true to me,
But spent me pay-day fast and free.
In three weeks time I wuz badly bent
Then off to sea I sadly went.
In a bloodboat Yank bound round Cape Horn,
Me boots an' clothes wuz all in p***.
Bound round Cape Stiff through ice and snow
An' up the coast of Callyo.
An' then back to the Liverpool Docks,
Saltpetre stowed in our boots an' socks.
Now when I got back home from sea,
A soldier had her on his knee.
Mark well what I do say,
In Amsterdam there lived a maid
And she was mistress of her trade.
Chorus:
I'll go no more a roving with you fair maid
A-roving, a-roving
Since roving's been my rue-I-ay
I'll go no more a-roving with you fair maid.
I kissed her once, I kissed her twice,
Mark well what I do say,
I kissed her once, I kissed her twice,
She said, "Young sir that's oh so nice."
Chorus...
I put my hand upon her knee,
Mark well what I do say,
I put my hand upon her knee;
She said, "Young sir you're fancy free."
Chorus...
I put my arms around her waist,
Mark well what I do say,
I put my arms around her waist;
She said, "Young sir you're in great haste!"
Chorus...
I put hand upon her thigh,
Mark well what I do say,
I put hand upon her thigh;
She said, "Young sir you're awful high!"
Chorus...
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say,
In Amsterdam there lived a maid;
And she was mistress of her trade.
Hugill's Version: (from Shanties of the Seven Seas)
In Amsterdam there lived a maid,
Mark well what I do say,
In Amsterdam there lived a maid
And she was mistress of her trade.
One night I crept from my abode
To meet this fair maid down the road.
I met this fair maid after dark
An' took her to her favorite park
I put me arm around her waist
Sez she, "Young man yer in great haste!"
I put me hand upon her knee,
Sez she, "Young man, yer rather free!"
I put my hand upon her thigh,
Sez she, "Young man, yer awful high!"
I towed her to the Maiden's Breast,
From south the wind veered wes'sou'west [sou'sou'west].
An' the eyes in her head turned east an' west,
And her thoughts wuz as deep as an ol' sea-chest.
We had a drink -- of grub a s*****
We sent two bottles down the hatch
Her dainty arms were white as milk,
Her lovely hair was soft as silk.
Her heart was poundin' like a drum
Her lips wuz red as any plum.
We laid down on a grassy patch,
An' I felt like such a ruddy a**.
She pushed me over on my back,
She laughed so hard her lips did crack.
She swore that she'd be true to me,
But spent me pay-day fast and free.
In three weeks time I wuz badly bent
Then off to sea I sadly went.
In a bloodboat Yank bound round Cape Horn,
Me boots an' clothes wuz all in p***.
Bound round Cape Stiff through ice and snow
An' up the coast of Callyo.
An' then back to the Liverpool Docks,
Saltpetre stowed in our boots an' socks.
Now when I got back home from sea,
A soldier had her on his knee.