as i roved [D] out one evening [Bm] fair
it bein' the [D] summertime to [G] take the [D] air
i spied a [D7] sailor and a [G] lady [D] gay
and i [Bm] stood to lis- [D] ten
[D] and i stood to [G] lis- [D] ten to [Bm#5] hear what [A7] they would [D] say.

he said "fair lady, why do you roam
for the day is spent and the night is on"
she heaved a sigh while the tears did roll
"for my dark-eyed sailor
for my dark-eyed sailor, so young and stout and bold."

"'tis seven long years since he left this land
a ring he took from off his lily-white hand
one half of the ring is still here with me
but the other's rollin'
but the other's rollin' at the bottom of the sea."

he said "you may drive him out of your mind
some other young man you will surely find
love turns aside and soon cold has grown
like the winter's morning
like the winter's morning, the hills are white with snow."

she said "i'll never forsake my dear
although we're parted this many a year
genteel he was and a rake like you
to induce a maiden
to induce a maiden to slight the jacket blue."

one half of the ring did young william show
she ran distracted in grief and woe
sayin' "william, william, i have gold in store
for my dark-eyed sailor
for my dark-eyed sailor has proved his all good troth"

and there is a cottage by yonder lea
this couple's married and does agree
so maids be loyal when your love's at sea
for a cloudy morning
for a cloudy morning brings in a sunny day.

I do the Steel Eye Span version, though I also quite like one done by Al O'Donnell
Bm#5 ( x 2 0 0 3 x )

variant of a British broadside ballad, Fair Phoebe And Her Dark-Ey'd Sailor, published by an unknown printer sometime between 1767 and 1808, and archived at the Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads, shelfmark: Johnson Ballads 2483