The Cowry Shell V1 She was a humble fisher lass [And] I was a lord on the sea I captained a mighty schooner And the girl fell in love with me I'll not forget her glowing eyes The blush that tinted her cheek Chorus The cowry shell I gave her Was common on many a beach But I told her it was precious Her innocence to breach The cowry shell I gave her Was common on many a beach V2 From Africa to Portugal I've had women in every port But masts of oak and sails of silk [Ever] lured me away from the shore And for every maiden left behind There'd always be one more Chorus The cowry shell I gave her Was common on many a beach But I told her it was precious Her innocence to breach The cowry shell I gave her Was common on many a beach Bridge Yet often my thoughts would turn to the girl Alone on that distant coast The wanton lies I had told her Haunted me the most So one night off the Cape of Storms I swung my ship around But the sea is a jealous Mistress And she forced my vessel to ground Now I lie in the Siren's arms While seaweed cradles my head And coral's grown from my brittle bones In the years since I've been dead Chorus The cowry shell I gave her Was common on many a beach But I told her it was precious Her innocence to breach The cowry shell I gave her Was common on many a beach Outro I swear sometimes I see her Holding the shell to her breast And her wild tears deepen the ocean Where my soul can find no rest Only if she forgives me Can I leave this watery hell When I left her behind I knew I'd been damned By the girl with the cowry shell © Donna Devine
