Refrain:
For that's the way with ev'ry sailor; he will knock you in the perch
then he'll leave you in the lurch.
From admiral to simple whaler -
He cannot resist the [bliss] of being kissed.
He will upset you, then forget you,
he loves to give the girls a treat.
And that's the way with ev'ry sailor:
They're all free men from the seaman to the adm'ral of the fleet.

A sailor's love is trong but doesn't last for long.
How can a man be faithful when sailing to Hongkong,
when sailing to Hongkong.
He travels fast and far from here to Zanzibar,
[And thousand] girls are sighing. We know what sailors are.
We know what sailors are.
[They're] girls from East and West tattooed upon his chest:
It helps him to remember which one he loves the best.

Refrain

You girls who live on land be sure you understand:
A sailor only loves, when that love is contraband,
that love is contraband.
A wife in ev'ry port - is his idea of sport.
That makes his life a gay one because he knows it's short,
because he knows it's short.
And so when he appears, you can be sure, my dears,
he'll show you paradise but you're bound to end in tears.

Refrain