A Sailor I (Part 1 Of 3) Poem by John Bliven Morin

A sailor, I, upon the decks
Of the great USS Maine;
I'm Robert, but they call me Tex,
Got no reason to complain.

Just from the Persian Gulf returned
From all the war and strife,
And the injuries when I was burned
And a buddy saved my life.

Can't wait to hug my family,
Can't wait to pet my dog;
When I get home I'll surely see
Ol' Grunter, my pet hog.

The strangest thing, when I was on
The operating table,
So burned I thought that I was gone,
That the doctors were not able

To save my life, I felt the pain,
Then I blacked and knew no more;
No longer was I on the Maine -
I lay on a wooden floor.

No, not a floor, a wooden deck;
Above me towered a mast,
Full sails aloft, I strained my neck
And sat up straight at last.

A stranger laughed and helped me stand,
Somehow I knew his name;
'What happened, Ned, ' I asked him, and
'You slipped, ' he laughed, 'for shame! '

Then suddenly I knew this ship,
She was the whaler Pride;
I knew her crew on this long trip
And all she held inside.


A sailor, I, upon the decks
Of the great USS Maine;
I'm Robert, but they call me Tex,
Got no reason to complain.

Just from the Persian Gulf returned
From all the war and strife,
And the injuries when I was burned
And a buddy saved my life.

Can't wait to hug my family,
Can't wait to pet my dog;
When I get home I'll surely see
Ol' Grunter, my pet hog.

The strangest thing, when I was on
The operating table,
So burned I thought that I was gone,
That the doctors were not able

To save my life, I felt the pain,
Then I blacked and knew no more;
No longer was I on the Maine -
I lay on a wooden floor.

No, not a floor, a wooden deck;
Above me towered a mast,
Full sails aloft, I strained my neck
And sat up straight at last.

A stranger laughed and helped me stand,
Somehow I knew his name;
'What happened, Ned, ' I asked him, and
'You slipped, ' he laughed, 'for shame! '

Then suddenly I knew this ship,
She was the whaler Pride;
I knew her crew on this long trip
And all she held inside.