96 - Twiddles
Words by © Janie MeneelyTune by © Janie Meneely
Janie Meneely writes modern sea songs celebrating the maritime history, characters, and traditions of the Chesapeake Bay. She has kindly given Auntie Shanty permission to reproduce the lyrics so that we can enjoy her songs in the pub. If you would like to discover more of Janie's music, you can buy her CDs here.
When the boats all get to sailing and the men are off and gone
What about the women who are up and left alone
Do you think they sit and twiddle thumbs until their men come home
Ha! There’s other things to twiddle when a girl’s left on her own.
And it’s twiddly-i dee-i dee-i, twiddly-i dee-ay
Well it’s oftentimes a man will leave you broken with dismay
And it’s twiddly-i dee-i dee-i, twiddly-i dee-ay
But there’s other things to twiddle when your man has sailed away.
Well, I remember Nancy, she was young and she was gay
She won the heart of Captain Dan until he sailed away
He left her high and dry with just a kiss upon the chin
But as his ship went sailing out, another ship sailed in.
And it’s twiddly-i dee-i dee-i, twiddly-i dee-ay…
And then there was Lucinda Brown, as fair as any maid
Her true love went a voyaging, a sailorman by trade
“Oh, keep the fire burning, love,” those are the words he spoke
So she found herself another man to keep that fire stoked.
And it’s twiddly-i dee-i dee-i, twiddly-i dee-ay…
Lucy Jeffers’ man came back and knocked upon the door
She was as glad to see him as she’d ever been before
He left her sleeping in the bed, but Lucy didn’t care
Cuz the poor guy in the closet sure could use a little air.
And it’s twiddly-i dee-i dee-i, twiddly-i dee-ay…
Oh you hear a lot of stories 'bout the sailors and their sport
About how every sailor has a girl in every port
But if you added two and two, you’d figure out right quick
It’s just because the girls all have a lad on every ship.
And it’s twiddly-i dee-i dee-i, twiddly-i dee-ay…