Original by Cindy Tonkin and Dan Werndly.
A whipjack was someone who claimed to be shipwrecked, and relied on people’s charity to live.
They call me the whipjack though that’s not my name
Spare me your lashes, you don’t know my tale
From port to port, I play a hard game
I am the whipjack they say
I come from the bowels of the city
The deck stacked against me from birth
Despite all the odds, i made my way
I am the whipjack they say.
Down on my luck I met Danny
He said you don’t have to work hard
You claim to be shipwrecked, the people they’ll pay
I am the whipjack they say.
I travelled the world with this wisdom
No family, no friends and no home
But i have my freedom, all the long day
I am the whipjack they say.
So now that you’ve heard my sad story
My hand stretched before you in plea
Spare me some coinage, i’ll be on my way
I am the whipjack they say
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