Digital Tradition Mirror

Chivalrous Shark

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Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Chivalrous Shark
(Wallace Irwin)

The most chivalrous fish of the ocean,
To ladies forbearing and mild,
Though his record be dark
Is the man-eating shark
Who will eat neither woman nor child.

He dines upon seamen and skippers,
And tourists his hunger assuage,
And a fresh cabin boy
Will inspire him with joy
If he's past the maturity age.

A doctor, a lawyer, a preacher,
He'll gobble one any fine day,
But the ladies, God bless 'em.
He'll only address 'em
Politely and go on his way.

l can readily cite you an instance
Where a lovely young lady of Breem,
Who was tender and sweet
And delicious to eat,
Fell into the bay with a scream.

She struggled and flounced in the water
And signaled in vain for her bark,
And she'd surely been drowned
If she hadn't been found
By a chivalrous man-eating shark.

He bowed in a manner most polished.
Thus soothing her impulses wild:
"Don't be frightened," he said,
I've been properly bred
And I eat neither woman nor child."

Then he proffered his fin and she took it-
While the passengers cheered
As the vessel they neared
And a broadside was fired in salute.

And they soon stood alongside the vessel,
When a life-saving dinghy was lowered
With the pick of the crew,
And her relatives too,
And the mate and the skipper aboard.

So they took her aboard in a jiffy
And the shark stood at attention the while,
Then he raised on his flipper
And ate up the skipper
And went on his way with a smile.

And this shows that the prince of the ocean,
To ladies forbearing and mild,
Though his record be dark,
Is the man-eating shark
Who will eat neither woman nor child

Reprinted in Song Fest by Dick and Beth Best
  from Nautical Lays of a Landsman by Wallace Irwin
@fish @animal
Copyright 1904 Wallace Irwin
SOF

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!