G
[Verse 1]
C G
My name is Isaac Lewis, I'm an able-bodied man
Am D
On the ship the Royal Charter, bound off for Van Diemen's Land
G C
Oh, the sea that took six months to cross, we could do in two
Bm Am D
So it's up that Mersey River, out of Liverpool we flew
[Verse 2]
G C
And some of us were sailors, all hardy, young and old
Bm C D
And some of us were pioneers, bound off for the gold
G C
There were merchants and musicians, Christian soldiers of the cross
Bm Am D
We stared into that foamy sea, saw our dreams there in the broth
[Chorus]
G C D G
Sail on, sail on and on and on
C Bm Am G
My name is Isaac Lewis, this shall be my song
[Verse 3]
C G
So we landed there in Botany Bay, and the boys went on the town
Am D
And I met a girl named Emma Gray, I loved her up and down
G C
And I swore that I'd return for her, one more tour at sea
Bm Am D
But I had to tell my father what he meant to me
[Verse 4]
G C
For every night, I dreamed a dream, as the wind swept through the sails
Bm C D
That I was in my father's house, back in northern Wales
G C
And I reached out for my father, I said, "I love you very much,"
Bm Am D
But the ship rolled o'er and the dream was drowned before we got to touch
[Chorus]
G C D G
Sail on, sail on and on and on
C Bm Am G
My name is Isaac Lewis, this shall be my song
[Verse 5]
C G
So I kissed the lips of Emma Gray and set sail for Liverpool
Am D
And the parrots perched in the riggings, boys and the dolphins swam in schools
G C
Our trip, it was a pleasant one, till we reached the coast of Wales
Bm Am D
And one day out from Liverpool, god unleashed a gale
[Verse 6]
G C G
Good lord, I've seen some squalls, me boys and hurricanes at sea
Am D
And many nights I'd rediscovered, faith on bended knee
G C
But I never seen it blow so hard, we anchored her at last
Bm Am D
But the waves rolled o'er the top of us, we had to cut the mast
[Verse 7]
G C G
And all the mining magnates clutched their gold, believing they'd be saved
Am D
But their bloody greed destroyed them first, beneath the angry waves
G C
All the women and the children, lost to eternity
Bm Am D
Ah, man has tamed and shaped the land, he'll never tame the sea
[Verse 8]
G C
And every night I had dreamed a dream, as the wind swept through the sails
Bm Am D
That I was in my father's house, back in northern Wales
G C
And I reached for my father, I said, "I love you very much,"
Bm Am D
But the ship rolled o'er and the dream was drowned before we got to touch
[Chorus]
G C D G
Sail on, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm
C Bm Am G
hmmm, hmmm, hmmm, hmmm
[Verse 9]
C G
We were caught upon the rocks, just ten yards from the shore
Am D
And we saw men standing on the rocks, maybe three or more
G C
And I swear I saw my father waving at me through the squall
Bm Am D
And I screamed that I was coming home, that's all that I recall
[Verse 10]
G C G
For the waves they swept me overboard with the broken mast and sails
Bm C D
And I drowned, where as a child I'd fished, on the rocks of northern Wales
G C
And in three days time I washed up on the whitened sandy shore
Bm Am D
One hundred yards from Moelfre and my father's white oak door
[Chorus]
G C D G
Sail on, sail on and on and on
C Bm Am G
My name is Isaac Lewis, this shall be my song
[Verse 11]
C G
And some will shout coincidence, or say this can't be true
Am D
I only say, just tell your loved ones what they mean to you
G C
For you shall sail the seas of life, pursuing golden schemes
Bm Am D
Yet, drown so closely to your home, the cradle of your dreams
[Chorus]
G C D G
Sail on, sail on and on and on
C Bm Am G
My name is Isaac Lewis and this has been my song
C Bm Am G
My name is Isaac Lewis and this has been my song
