[Verse 1]
Well, it's four o'clock in the afternoon
The anchors have been weighed
From Miami to Nassau
She's a-bound across the waves
She'll a-headin' south through Biscayne Bay
Into the open sea
Yarmouth Castle, she's a-dyin' and don't know it

[Verse 2]
For the many years she's been to sea
She's seen the better times
She gives a groan of protest
As they cast away her lines
And the grumble of her engines
And the rust along her spine
Tells the Castle she's too old to be sailin'

[Verse 3]
But the sands run out within her heart
A tiny spark glows red
And smolders through the evening
There's laughter overhead
Well, the dinner's served, the cards are dealt
And the drinks are passed around
While deep within the fire starts a-burnin'
[Verse 4]
It's midnight on the open sea
The moon is a-shinin' bright
Some people join the party
And others say goodnight
There's many who are sleepin' now
It's been such a busy day
And a tiny wisp of smoke is a-risin'

[Verse 5]
"Oh Lord," she groans, "I'm burnin'"
"Let someone understand"
But her silent plea is wasted
In the playin' of the band
Everybody's dancin' on the deck
And a-havin' such a time
And a voice says, "Shut up and deal, I'm losin'"

[Verse 6]
Deep within the Yarmouth Castle
The fire begins to glow
It leaps into the hallways
And climbs and twists and grow
The paint she wore to keep her young
Oh Lord, how well it burns
And soon that old fire is a-ragin'
[Verse 7]
Beneath the bridge she's a-climbin' now
The captain stands aloft
He calls up to the boatswain, 'n' says
"Boatswain, we are lost"
Them ragged hoses in their racks
No pressure do they hold
And the people down below are dyin'

[Verse 8]
Well, amidship so she's blazin' now
It's spreadin' fore and aft
And the people are a-scramblin'
As the fire blocks their path
That evil smoke surrounds them
And they're fallin' in their tracks
And the captain in his lifeboat is a-leavin'

[Verse 9]
Oh, then the ship, Bahama Star
Comes steaming through the night
She sees the Castle a-blazin'
And it tis a terrible sight
"Jump down, jump down!" the captain cries
"We'll save you if we can"
And the paint on his funnels is a-fryin'
[Verse 10]
"God help the ones who sleep below
And cannot find their way
Thank God for those we rescue
Upon this terrible day"
Oh, the heroes, they are many
And the times are growin' slim
For now from stern to bow she's a-blazin'

[Verse 11]
Oh, the Yarmouth Castle's moanin'
She's a-cryin' like a child
You can hear her if you listen
Above the roar so wild
Is she cryin' for the ones who lie
Within her molten sides?
Or is she cryin' for herself, I'm a-wonderin'

[Verse 12]
And soon they all were rescued
The ones who lived to tell
And from the Star they watched her
As she died there in the swells
Like a toy ship on a mill pond
She burned all through the night
And slipped 'neath the waves in the mornin'