On a summer day, as the waves were rippling
By the soft and gentle breeze 
Did a ship set sail with her cargo laden 
For a port beyond the seas. Did she ever return? 
No she never returned 
And her fate was yet unlearned 
Tho' for years and years there were fond ones waiting 
For the ship that never returned.

Said a feeble lad to his anxious mother, 
"I must cross the wide, wide sea, 
For they say, perchance, in a foreign climate 
There is health and strength for me!"
'Twas a gleam of hope in a maze of danger 
And her heart for her youngest yearned; 
Though she sent him forth with a smile and a blessing 
On the ship that never returned.

"Only one more trip," said a gallant captain,
As he kissed his weeping wife. 
"Only one more bag of the golden treasure,
And 'twill last us all through life. 
Then we'll spend our days in a cozy cottage
And enjoy the rest I've earned." 
But, alas, poor man, who [bad word] 
On the ship that never returned.