Now children, gather 'round, as we lay Sweet William down
To sing him to his final shore
And sing a song for me, and for these men, forever free
To sail without a captain evermore
To sail without a captain evermore

Now when he left this country
He had one thing on his mind
To wipe away the memory
Of everything he left behind
No cost too great to shoulder
No burden too high to bear
I'm going to Fennario
If they have to carry my body there

Now children, gather 'round, as we lay Sweet William down
To sing him to his final shore
And sing a song for me, and for these men, forever free
To sail without a captain evermore
To sail without a captain evermore

Out on the wild blue ocean
In the company of thieves
Every man on this planet
Hopes it knows his name before he leave
Try to leave a big impression
In the mind of every man he meets
I'm going to Fennario
If they have to drag me through the streets

Now children, gather 'round, as we lay Sweet William down
To sing him to his final shore
And sing a song for me, and for these men, forever free
To sail without a captain evermore
To sail without a captain evermore

And sing for the night that lasts forever
And sing for that man who's gone today
Who for his true love's sake left burnt cities in his wake
And killed every good man in his way

They're cutting down the timber
Soon all of this will be a memory
But there'll just be an empty cabin
When the wolf comes by for me
Pour out liquor for the captain
Sing around the fire until the dawn
I'm going to Fennario
Let everybody know I'm gone

Now children, gather 'round, as we lay Sweet William down
To sing him to his final shore
And sing a song for me, and for these men, forever free
To sail without a captain evermore
To sail without a captain evermore