John Ireland song 'Sea Fever' based on poem by John Masefield (1940 disc, sung by Robert Irwin)

I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel's kick and the wind's song and the white sail's shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea's face, and a grey dawn breaking.

I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the sea-gulls crying.

I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull's way and the whale's way where the wind's like a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over.

John Masefield lived from 1878 to 1967.

He was English Poet Laureate from 1930-1967.

The poem "Sea-Fever" (with a hyphen) was published in 1902, so it is an early work of his.

Masefield published it originally with the title hyphenated, and the opening line of each stanza has these unidiomatic words: “I must down to the seas again…”

Notice that the words originally are not "go down”--instead, "I must down..."

But British schoolchildren have memorized it, and the words "go down" became part of the reciting.

John Ireland song "Sea Fever" based on poem by John Masefield (1940 disc, sung by Robert Irwin)