Under the vessel’s keel the sail was passed,
And for the moment it had some effect;
But with a leak, and not a stick of mast,
Nor rag of canvas, what could they expect?
But still ’tis best to struggle to the last,
’Tis never too late to be wholly wrecked:
And though ’tis true that man can only die once,
’Tis not so pleasant in the Gulf of Lyons.