� I am a young mariner headed to war I'm thinking about my family and what it was for There's water on the wood and the sails feel good And when I get to shore I hope that I can kill good � My father was a sailor named Captain Kennedy He lost his wooden schooner to the Germans on the sea Exploded on the water for everyone to see And humiliate that American Captain Kennedy � I saw him in Nassau in 1971 His strength was failing but he still ran and ran He worked till his fingers wore to the bone To buy that wooden schooner and sail on his own � He was known in the islands as Hundred Foot Iron That steel hull freighter was passing its time And time flew by faster with life on the sea And the days grew shorter for Captain Kennedy � I am a young mariner headed to war I'm thinking about my family and what it was for There's water on the wood and the sails feel good And when I get to shore I hope that I can kill good �