The Sailor

Little girl, O little girl,
Where did you sail to-day?
The greeny grass is all about;
I cannot see the bay.
“The greeny grass is water, sir;
I’m sailing on the sea,
I’m tacking to the Island there
Beneath the apple tree.
“You ought to come aboard my boat,
Or you will soon be drowned!
You’re standing in the ocean, sir,
That billows all around!”
Little girl, O little girl,
And must I pay a fare?
“A penny to the apple tree,
A penny back from there.
“A penny for a passenger,
But sailors voyage free;
O, will you be a sailor, sir,
And hold the sheet for me?”