Usual disclaimers... woe is me!

The beautiful shanty here is from a website with loads of traditional shanties on... it is The Mermaid Song - as sung by Capt. Jim Parsons from r e n d a n c e . o r g (extra spaces so it will show)

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Chapter 44 - The Party

Bessie stopped dead, her eyes wide with fright as she found herself surrounded by the crew all cheering and clapping. Jack slipped his arm around her waist. "Gentlemen!" he shouted. "Gentlemen!" Eventually they quietened down enough for him to be heard. "That's better!" he sighed. A broad grin broke across his face. "Gentlemen, may I have th' pleasure t' present t' yer Mistress Bessie Sparrow!" The crew erupted again and Jack had to wait for them to finish before he could continue. "Gibbs has asked that we have a little celebration t'night considerin' we aren't going straight t' Tortuga." More cheers, but this time for Joshamee. Ned Cotton's macaw flew to the top of the rigging, squawking at the noise. "I have only one thing t' say though," Jack warned. "No getting blind drunk fer th' King's Navy still patrol these waters... an' I expect a proper watch t' be kept regardless!"

Henry Holt brought one of the chairs from the cabin for her to sit on and Ned Cotton brought her some food that he had cooked that day. "Thank you," she smiled, saying Grace quietly as she always did. A number of crew found their musical instruments, some fiddles, a tin whistle and an assortment of hand-drums. Bessie smiled as Jem Harvey started singing, a rich baritone surprising for his small frame.

When I was a lad in a fishing town

My old man said to me:
"You can spend your life, your jolly life
Sailing on the sea.
You can search the world for pretty girls
Til your eyes grow weak and dim,
But don't go fishing for a mermaid, son
If you don't know how to swim"

The men started laughing, joining in with the chorus - their voices surprisingly tuneful for such a seemingly rough crew.

'Cause her hair was green as seaweed
Her skin was blue and pale
I loved that girl with all my heart
I only liked the upper part
I did not like the tail.

Bessie started to laugh at the song, listening intently as the crew hushed for Jem to sing again.

So I signed aboard of a whaling ship
And my first very day at sea
There I spied in the waves,
Reaching out for me
"Come live with me in the sea said she,
Down on the ocean floor
And I'll show you many's a wondrous thing
That you've never seen before

So over I jumped and she pulled me down,
Down to her seaweed bed
A pillow made of tortoise-shell
She placed beneath my head
She fed me shrimp and caviar
Upon a silver dish
From her head to her waist was just to my taste
But the rest of her was a fish

Jack watched, smiling to himself as the crew vied to entertain Bessie. Not only was she now married to their Captain, she had given them the location of her father's treasure - and that made her very special to them indeed. Again they sang the chorus of the song before letting Jem sing the final verse.

Then one day, she swam away
So I sang to the clams and the whales
"Oh, how I miss her seagreen hair
And the silvery shine of her scales
Then her sister, she swam by
And set my heart awhirl
From her head to her waist was an ugly fish
But the rest of her was a girl

Jem took a deep breath, his eyes twinkling mischievously as the crew all sang together.

'Cause her hair was green as seaweed
Her skin was blue and pale
I loved that girl with all my heart
I did not like the upper part
And that's how I get my ...

Bessie gasped as they finished the song, looking to Jack, her eyes wide as he laughed with the rest of the crew. Jem had a good voice and soon the crew demanded he sing again, which he did for most of the night until his throat was hoarse and Jack noticed that Bessie was nearly asleep in the chair. Some of the more adventurous crew had even asked her to dance with them and she was clearly exhausted. At least it appeared she was relaxing more with the crew than she had before - perhaps the fact that she was now married to him had changed her perception of things. He could only hope.

"Come on luv," he slurred, offering her his hand as he guided her towards the cabin. Jack ignored the ribald jeers from the men, shutting the door firmly and locking it. "Well that wasn't so bad, was it? Fer a while I even thought yer enjoyed yerself," he teased, reaching to untie her laces.

"It was fun," she admitted. "Jem has a good voice..."

"I seem t' recall yer can hold a tune too..." he smiled, remembering how she had sang as she washed her clothes the first time he had seen her. "Yer should sing more often..."

She slipped off her undershift, scooping up it and her dress and placing them carefully across one of the chairs. "I used to," she admitted, "when I was happy..."

"Aren't yer happy now?" Jack puzzled, wrapping his arms around her.

Bessie looked at her feet. "I don't know how I feel at the moment," she admitted. "This is not how I imagined my life, it will take some getting used to..."

"Am I such a bad choice?" Jack frowned.

"No..." she smiled shyly.

He tilted her face to meet his. "I'll keep yer safe, I promise Bessie. An' once we get th' treasure then yer'll be safe ashore... t' raise our child ashore..." He kissed her nose. "I'll miss you..." He slipped out of his own clothes, leaving them crumpled on the floor as he led her towards the side cabin, helping her into the bunk.

"Where will I live?" Bessie asked worriedly, turning to face him.

"I've been lookin' at a town on Hispaniola... Môle Saint-Nicholas. It's little more than a fishing town, but yer should be safe there... an' it's near enough fer m' t' visit yer regularly when th' crew go t' Tortuga." He stroked her cheek, smiling as he glanced down at her distended stomach. "An' I intend t' visit m' wife very regularly," he teased. "M' beautiful pregnant wife..."