when my man goes to sea he steps so high and free i think i know as i watch him go that he has no need for me for me and when my man comes home and waits a while to roam i think i see when he smiles at me that he s dreaming of the foam the foam i m not a pious christian i do not go to mass but i pray to father neptune to let him safely pass i sing to the god with the three pronged rod and the whiskers wild and free that i ve got a man with a beard and tan and a passion for the sea he rides through the storm and the cold and the warm and he loves to risk his neck and i like to know when he goes below that it s just below the deck oh neptune father neptune i tell you fair and true that if you should lose my sailor i ll sing no more to you when he s home from sea he is half with me and he s gone when i close the door and it s still his creed that he has no need for a wife except onshore i know it s a boat that keeps him afloat but i like to think it s me and if it were not for this i would sink to the depths of the sea