The Good Ship BlunderBuss

Affectionately dedicated to the Dillard University

History Group of the Federal Writers’ Project

                          By Marcus Bruce Christian

Here’s to the good ship, “BlunderBuss”

That sailed on a tortured sea

With maps and charts and apple-tarts

Bound for the Dark Countree.

Ah me, what a dark and murderous crew

They fought both night and day;

Though the skipper would toss them overboard

To frighten the sharks away..

There was first mate Blood

And second mate, Flood

But the Skipper, Assistant was wise

He was very meek, but his wits were weak

So he wore two pairs of eyes.

So he watched the crew both night and day

To catch them by surprise

But the first mate swore that he would drink

Some blood ere the trip was through;

And the second mate talked the men to death

And made them feel quite blue;

And the slumgullion stirred, by the cock-fine-bird –

Was enough to kill a crew.

So they sailed and sailed for many a day

Though they did not know what to do

And the good ship tossed and the charts were lost –

But what is a chart or two.

And all the while, the mate did smile

And stir up the murderous crew.

And at last the skipper was taken low,

So he took to bed with a pain in his head

That it even curled his hair.

And while he lay, both night and day,

The murderous were not done,

For they cursed each other as a lousy brother

And called each a sonovogun.

And while the Skipper lay each day

With tiddimcumtartarack

Each other they slammed and generally damned

And wanted the Skipper back.

And the only moral that they learned

Ere they reached the darkened isle,

Was that men who fuss, must sometimes cuss

Somebody once in a while.

Sunday October 15, 1939