Song of the Master and the Boatswain by W. H. Auden

Song of the Master and the Boatswain

 

At Dirty Dick's and Sloppy Joe's

We drank our liquor straight,

Some went upstairs with Margery,

And some, alas, with Kate;

And two by two like cat and mouse

The homeless played at keeping house.

 

There Wealthy Meg, the Sailor's Friend,

And Marion, cow-eyed,

Opened their arms to me but I

Refused to step inside;

I was not looking for a cage

In which to mope my old age.

 

The nightingales are sobbing in

The orchards of our mothers,

And hearts that we broke long ago

Have long been breaking others;

Tears are round, the sea is deep:

Roll them overboard and sleep.