Page:A treasury of war poetry, British and American poems of the world war, 1914-1919.djvu/332

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A rough job or a tough job—he's handled two or three—

And what or where he won't much care, nor ask what the risk may be. ..

For a tight place is the right place when it's wild weather at sea! C. Fox Smith

H, Grimsby is a pleasant town as any man may find,

An' Grimsby wives are thrifty wives, an' Grimsby girls are kind,

An' Grimsby lads were never yet the lads to lag behind

When there's men's work doin' on the North Sea ground.

An' it's "Wake up, Johnnie!" for the high tide's flowin',

An' off the misty waters a cold wind blowin';

Skipper's come aboard, an' it's time that we were goin',

An' there's fine fish waitin' on the North Sea ground.

Soles in the Silver Pit—an' there we'll let 'em lie;

Cod on the Dogger—oh, we'll fetch 'em by-an'-by;

War on the water—an' it's time to serve an' die,

For there's wild work doin' on the North Sea ground.

An' it's "Wake up, Johnnie!" they want you at the trawlin'

(With your long sea-boots and your tarry old tarpaulin');

All across the bitter seas duty comes a-callin'

In the Winter's weather off the North Sea ground.

It's well we've learned to laugh at fear—the sea has taught us how;

It's well we've shaken hands with death—we'll not be strangers now,

With death in every climbin' wave before the trawler's bow,

An' the black spawn swimmin' on the North Sea ground.