It was thirty days around the horn
The captain says it’s thirty-five more
The moon looks mean the crew ain’t staying
There’s gonna be some blood
Is what they’re all saying
It’s a shakedown cruise
And I was just another tool
There ain’t no easy way out
They’re gonna shake you ’til you shout
They treat you like a dog
But you’re only human
You miss your home Lord,
You miss that woman
The captain laughs he says,
“You boys want some sex”
You can squeeze the sails,
You can lick the decks
It was a shakedown cruise
I guess I just was born to lose
They tell you life is going cheap
I got myself in pretty deep
Star light lost in the night
Drift away and it feels all right
Star light alone in the night
Drift away and it feels all right
I guess it feels all right
The fever’s hot, the winds are blowin’ cold
The captain’s crazy eye puts the fear in your soul
I heard somebody cryin’ “Lord let this end
You know I’ll never go to sea again”
It was a shakedown cruise
And now we’re sendin’ out the news
There ain’t no victory at sea unless it’s mutiny
Now if I don’t get off alive
It’s just as well I’ll be waking up in heaven
‘Cause I’ve been through hell on this shakedown cruise
They call it a shakedown cruise
Shakedown, shakedown cruise
Shakedown, shake it up and move
Shakedown, shakin’ in my shoes