Mon Cher L'bee

Ocracoke Island, NC

NoLL

Mon Cher L’bee

by Dick Mills

On one dark night on Lac Champlain
De win' she blow, blow, blow,
An' de crew of our Wes’sl sailing ship
Got scare an' run below.

For de win' she blow lak hurricane,
Bimeby she blow some more,
An' de wav rais’ up on Lac Champlain
Green water towards the fore.

De Captinne walk on de front deck,
An' walk de hin' deck too,
He call de crew from up de hole,
He call de wife up too.

De wife she's name was L’bee,
Was com from Syracuse,
Was captain’s girl sin’ 64,
She o’fer no excuse.

De win' she blow from nor'-eas'-wes',
De sout' win' she blow too,
W'en L’bee cry "Mon Cher Captinne
Mon Cher, w'at shall I do?"

Den de Captinne trow de big ankerre,
But still de boat she dreef,
De crew he can't pass on de shore,
Becos' he los' hees skeef.

De night was dark lak' one black cat,
De wave run high and fas'
W'en de Captinne tak' L’bee dear,
An' tie her to de mas'

He take de helm ‘tween his knees,
An cut de anker lin’.
He curs’ de win wid all his mite,
“Y’ll not drown this wife a min.”

Nex' morning very early,
'Bout haf' pas two-t'ree-four-
De Captinne-boat-an-Libby dear,
Clear de point on Valcour shore.

"For de win' she blow lak' hurricane,
Bimby she blow some more,
Tar-wa-tee, she like ol Lac Champlain
From her stern up to her fore.

Now all good Wes’sl sailor man
Who would takle Lac Champlain
Go an' marry some nice warm girl
T’ share ‘ur bed ‘n feel ‘ur pain.

De win' she blow on Lac Champlain,
An' den she blow some more,
You can't get drown on Lac Champlain
So long you stay on shore.

Apologies to William Henry Drummond,

author of “The Wreck of the Julie Plante”