Mermaid comes up smiling with a grin that's big and wide
She's been swimming and a-swirling
In the lace that she's been wearing and she's

Skipping and a-twirling, spinning in his dreams
Like a shell twists round in spirals
When the tide leaves, when the tide leaves

And the man who almost caught her will search through every ocean
But you can bet there's a hole in his net
That's the reason why he'll never catch her

Skipping and a-twirling, spinning in his dreams
Like a shell twists round in spirals
When the tide leaves, when the tide leaves

For every grain of sand that gets washed up on the land
There's another mermaid smiling and another searching fisherman

Skipping and a-twirling, spinning in his dreams
Like a shell twists round in spirals
When the tide leaves, when the tide leaves

(Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah)