[Verse 1] The pirate anchored on a Wednesday And why he came to port, I wonder To see a lady, so my friends say She dances for the sailors in a smoky cabaret bar underground Down in a cellar in a harbour town [Verse 2] I know he told her love was treasure And they would reap the fullest bounty He only comes to port for pleasure So when the winds of morning blew the curtains in she woke and found he'd gone I saw his sails unfurling Thursday dawn [Chorus 1] The pirate he will sink you with a kiss, he'll steal your heart and sail away Saturday early we met in the cove near the forest He'll leave you drowning in the flotsam of a broken promise in the bay Dancing we wakened the dawn and the birds into chorus He came again to see her, yes, I think they told me it was Saturday Ask Penance Crane, she was out in her garden, she saw us I was at sea then, I didn't see them [Verse 3] I don't believe what you are saying It isn't true, I hardly knew him Is this some game that you are playing? Go ask the dancer, she's the one who saw him last, the one who drew him here He hasn't come to me since spring last year [Chorus 2] There was a time when he would bring me silks and sandalwood and Persian lace Then came another "goodbye" and another "Please don't go" And he would hold me close and tell me sailing stories by the fireplace All night I dance and all day I keep watch with my sorrow I was at sea, I tell you, I was nowhere near the mentioned murder place Searching for sails that don't come and I guess but I don't know [Outro] Go ask the dancer She knows the answer I don't know She knows the answer I don't know She knows the answer I don't know