You say I cannot love you
And leave you once again,
To explore distant mountains;
Search out the lion's den.
We are close, I grant you,
But to ask me to stay home,
Will break a gypsy heart,
For I must ever roam.

Oh I admire your lips, your eyes;
Enjoy your company;
But I must boat to islands,
Across the surly sea.
I'll freeze in Arctic wastes;
Brave Far East typhoon;
For adventure's spirit grips me
And I must leave you soon.

The yawing deck beneath my feet;
The salt spray in my face,
Will never let me stay long,
To settle in one place.
I guess I love you woman;
More than most I've met before.
Yet I must hunt the elephant,
The grizzly and the boar.

Find yourself a stay-at-home,
A city man to please,
Who can sip a cocktail
In perfect cultured ease.
Just give me the Hong Kong brawl,
The kiss of a wench in Greece;
I'll continue wandering,
My soul in God's own peace.