Bold Fisherman, The

There was once a bold Fisherman,
Who sailed forth from Billingsgate,
To catch the mild bloater
And the gay mackerel,
But when he arrove off Pimlico,
The wind it did begin to blow.
And his little boat it wibble-wobbled so,
That slick overboard he fell.

CHANT: All among the Conger eels, and the Dover soles, and the kippered herrings, and the Dutch plaice, and the Whitebait, and the Blackbait, and the Tittlebats and the Brickbats—

Dinkle doodle dum, dinkle doodle dum,
That's the highly interesting song he sung,
Dinkle doodle dum, dinkle doodle dum,
Oh! the bold fisherman.

First he wriggled, then he striggled,
In the water so briny;
He bellowed, and he yellowed
Out for help, but in vain;
Then down did he gently glide,
To the bottom of the silv'ry tide,
But previously to that he cried,
"Farewell, Mary Jane."

CHANT: On arriving at the terra firma, at the bottom of the aqua pura he took a cough lozenge, and murmured,

Dinkle doodle dum, dinkle doodle dum,
That's the refrain of the gentle song he sung,
Dinkle doodle dum, dinkle doodle dum,
Said the bold fisherman.

His ghost walked that night
To the bedside of his Mary Jane,
He told her how dead he was;
Then says she, "I'll go mad.
For since my love's dead," says she,
"All joy from me's fled," says she,
"I'll go a raving luniack," says she,
And she went, very bad.

CHANT: She thereupon tore her best chignon to smithereens, danced the "Can-can" on top of the water-butt, and joined "the woman's rights association," and frequently edifies the angelic members by softly chanting,

Dinkle doodle dum, dinkle doodle dum,
That's the kind of soul-inspiring song she sung,
Dinkle doodle dum, dinkle doodle dum,
Oh! the bold fisherman.


Alternate last stanza:

His ghost walked at midnight
By the bedside of his Mary Jane,
When he told her how dead he was;
Said she, "I'll go mad.
If my love is dead," says she,
"No joy on earth can ever be," 
"I never more can happy be"
And she went raving mad.