A RIGHT PROPER BAR STEWARD
PERFORMED BY TRISH SHANTER AT THE LINLITHGOW MATT MCGINN TRIBUTE CONCERT, 2014
A RIGHT PROPER BAR STEWARD
by
Matt McGinn
He worked on the boats as a steward
As a steward in one of the bars
And he was a proper bar steward
To all of the other Jack Tars
They sang, ‘Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he, was he
Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he’
He served them all short-measured whisky
All the time he was at sea
One held up his glass and he pointed
‘Behold in my glass walks a flea!’
They sang, ‘Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he, was he
Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he’
Said the steward, ‘So what’s so unusual?
Can you not let that little flea pass?
It’s the first flea that I’ve seen afloat
And touching the foot of the glass’
They sang, ‘Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he, was he
Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he’
He worked on the boats as a steward
Almost the whole of his life
He knew how to serve gin and tonic
And where to place each fork and knife
They sang, ‘Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he, was he
Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he’
They sang, ‘Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he, was he
Barsteward, barsteward
A right proper barsteward was he’