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In 1602 I signed on a Dutch ship And we sailed for nutmeg and clove We had barrels of gin so good you could just sip But this sobrin' legend we wove The doldrums kept us for many a long year That gin, it all tasted so fine But when we sighted the land and we came near, We found it had robbed us of time. We were carrying gin through the Strait of Malacca With just a few barrels amiss And we hoped for some jewels, and maybe tobacco, But nothing prepared us for this ... *** Have centuries flown here? A city has grown here With iron ships floating offshore The chap says good morning, can I see your passports? We've built a place called Singapore Now what are you bringing? Those barrels for trading? You can't bring all that duty free. No money for taxes? Your hopes must be fading, Your gin will be staying with me So we carried our gin to the Strait of Malacca Then lost it to Singapore laws. With no gold of our own, and no wealthy backer It turned out our plan it had flaws! |
The country was blooming, the trade it was booming And I thought that I'd find a way So I brushed up my angles and tables assuming That counters and mappers could stay. They talked about sea and they talked about Java And these were all words that I knew And once I could navigate, with some palaver I found I could bluff my way through. So I practised my skills in the Strait of Malacca And shipped a few things on the way Many places, and maps, in a many byte stacker And that's where I work every day! *** I guess you may say that I've been a pirate, But those days are long gone astern I know what means public, protected, and private And buy all the music I learn! Just don't leave no trash, and don't get too sassy There's nothing to give you a fright Remember Xièxiè, and Terima Kasih And smile! And the folk are all right. So I carry my gin to the Strait of Malacca, But not quite as much on each trip No longer a pirate but always a hacker It's true I still love every sip! |