Rolling Along

It's a long way to Shanghai through the vast China Sea The topsails are full, but we're light on the breeze With a good clip down channel, and the passage looks calm And there's naught like a clipper, just rollin' along Rollin' along, boys, rollin' along And there's naught like a clipper just rollin' along 'Tween the skeleton beach and the Cape of Good Hope There's sandbars and reefs, boys, and they'll give you a grope To you skippers so darin', don't act too cocksure Or your ship may be wrecked, and you'll sail her no more Sail her no more, boys, sail her no more Or your ship may be wrecked, and you'll sail her no more There's pirates in waiting and storms to be tamed The shoals all bear names of the ships that they claimed But under our feet, the warm waters that roll Are blue as cut sapphires and shining like gold Shining like gold, boys, shining like gold As blue as cut sapphires and shining like gold Now our cargo is loaded and we catch the dawn tide I can bare see the vessels I race for the prize In the docks back in London, they wait for to see The sails of our clipper and the first stalk of tea First stalk of tea, boys, first stalk of tea For the sails of our clipper and the first stalk of tea Catchin' the westerly's haul, every hand Pile on the canvas, drop all she can stand For heart and for home, I hear calling me on And there's naught like a clipper just rollin' along Rollin' along, boys, rollin' along And there's naught like a clipper just rollin' along Rollin' along, boys, rollin' along And there's naught like a clipper just rollin' along