Had only one notion for crossing the ocean,

⁠And that was to tingle his bell.

He was thoughtful and grave—but the orders he gave

⁠Were enough to bewilder a crew.

When he cried "Steer to starboard, but keep her head larboard!"

⁠What on earth was the helmsman to do?

Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes:

⁠A thing, as the Bellman remarked,

That frequently happens in tropical climes,

⁠When a vessel is, so to speak, "snarked."