sometime in october we sailed from england s shore when we sailed into a raging storm like i ve never ever seen before and all of the crew they were brave men but the captain he was braver he said never mind the ship me boys there s none of us here can save her chorus let her go down swim for your lives swim for your children swim for your wives but let her go down just let her go down lost in the open ocean there were some of the crew and me while the captain steered our wounded ship to the bottom of an angry sea and with his dying breath we all heard him say just the fortunes of a sailor and he said never mind the ship me boys there s none of us here can save her chorus he wondered if his shipmates were ready just to pray and give in so he called their names out one by one but there was no one else around but him he saw the ship go down in the fading light and he knew they couldn t save her he said the captain lied when the captain cried there s none of us here can save her chorus 