Powder Monkey

In days of old, so the story's told
Of boys who went to sea
All of seven, eight and nine years old they say

To serve upon the warring ships, their captains and their kings
To serve the purpose they still serve today
To serve the purpose they still serve today

To carry up the powder from the magazine below
From a hold too dark and crowded for a man

They called them Powder Monkies
Every schoolchild ought to know
The price we pay to keep the promised land
The price we pay to keep the promised land

Send for the Powder Monkey
Send him down into the well
Send for the Powder Monkey
He'll fetch us a pail o' hell

To keep our cannon burnin'
He'll fall behind the gun
We'll just send for a Powder Monkey
'Cause there's more where he came from

They come from the city sidewalks
And they come from the family farms
To trust their fragile futures to the wind

They come from the Land of Plenty
Through the evergreens and corn
With more to lose than all the angry men
With more to lose than all the angry men

Was it the hunger of the family
Was it the anger of the street
That drove a lonely child to Satan's door

Where death was all but certain and damnation near complete
Save all for the holy innocent ashore
Save all the holy innocent ashore

Send for the Powder Monkey
Send him down into the well
Send for the Powder Monkey
He'll fetch us a pail o' hell

To keep our cannon burnin'
He'll fall behind the gun
We'll just send for a Powder Monkey
'Cause there's more where he came from

From high above the gun deck
Ring the orders of the realm
To roll out a battle cadence on the drum

As forward into darkness
Sail the cowards at the helm
And they shoot the stars to see how far they've come
Look at their sons to see how far they've come

In days of old, so the story's told
Of boys who went to sea
All of seven, eight and nine years old they say

To serve upon the warring ships, their captains and their kings
To serve the purpose they still serve today
To serve the purpose they still serve today

Send for the Powder Monkey
Send him down into the well
Send for the Powder Monkey
He'll fetch us a pail o' hell

To keep our cannon burnin'
He'll fall behind the gun

Send for the Powder Monkey
Send him down into the well
Send for the Powder Monkey
He'll fetch us a pail o' hell

To keep our cannon burnin'
He'll fall behind the gun
We'll just send for a Powder Monkey
'Cause there's more where he came from

We'll just send for a Powder Monkey
'Cause there's more where he came from

We'll just send for a Powder Monkey
'Cause there's more where he came from