Deb Seymour - Cleaning On A Boat

Cleaning On A Boat
© by Deborah B. Seymour
debseymourmusic.com / 833-503-1331


1. I am a cleaning woman, many houses I to keep
They send me out on many a job, my stalwart agency
But the latest place they’ve sent me is unusual I’d say
I’m cleaning for two live-aboards on a boat on Elliott Bay
The skipper and his missus are as kind as kind can be
They tell to clean how I want, but this they say to me
“You can’t use toxic chemicals, they’ll drain into the drink
That cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think!”

Chorus:
All aboard… (all aboard!) All aboard… (all aboard!)
You can bring your mops and buckets, brooms and even an ironing board
But don’t use toxic chemicals, they’ll drain into the drink
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think

2. The kitchen’s now a “galley” and the bathrooms now a “head”
The bedrooms are called “cabins” with “bunks” instead of beds
Don’t mix up your vocab or they’ll make you walk the plink (“plink?” “What?”)
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think
And then there is the dashboard, but here’s it’s called a bridge
With many a knob and dial that you’d better not mis-hit
Turn the wrong one on and o’er the side you’ll go ker-splish
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think

Chorus:
All aboard… (all aboard!) All aboard… (all aboard!)
You can bring your mops and buckets, brooms and even an ironing board
But don’t use toxic chemicals, they’ll drain into the drink
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think

3. There’s miles of brass to polish, got to make it shine
And lots of wood to rub made of a grain so fine
Make sure the oil you use is teak, not the one of mink
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think
Then there are the brownouts, they happen all the time
The microwave and dish machine don’t like to share the line
Don’t turn ‘em on all at once or they’ll all up and quit
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think

Chorus:
All aboard… (all aboard!) All aboard… (all aboard!)
You can bring your mops and buckets, brooms and even an ironing board
But don’t use toxic chemicals they’ll drain into the drink
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think

4. I asked the skipper what the difference is between a boat and yacht
He said “a yacht makes its own ice, a pleasure boat does not”
Well, all I know my nose it knows mold anywhere it stinks
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think
You’ve scrubbed and dubbed, rubbed off your buns, it’s time to call it a day
When you hear the sound of a tug and barge on good old Elliot Bay… (Honk!)
One blow of the smokestack and the soot falls black as ink…(“Awwwah”!)
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think!

Chorus:
All aboard… (all aboard!) All aboard… (all aboard!)
You can bring your mops and buckets, brooms and even an ironing board
But don’t use toxic chemicals they’ll drain into the drink
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think

Chorus Again
All aboard… (all aboard!) All aboard… (all aboard!)
You can bring your mops and buckets, brooms and even an ironing board
But don’t use toxic chemicals they’ll drain into the drink
Oh, cleaning on a boat is not as easy as you think