Lyrics

[Verse 1] A salty bunch of ensigns we from the great Atlantic fleet We're here to learn the reason why a valve must have a seat To learn about the iron whale that makes the foe retreat And we do it with a damned old steam torpedo [Chorus] We've only got this one complaint She winds up where the target ain't God bless the damned old steam torpedo [Verse 2] We're herе to study all about the tricky gyro gear To understand thе way to make the Bliss torpedo steer To study lubrication and some other things not clear And we'll do it with a damned old steam torpedo [Chorus] We've only got this one complaint She winds up where the target ain't God bless the damned old steam torpedo [Verse 3] With nuts and bolts and ratchet wheels we wrestle all day long And the hydrostatic piston which must never function wrong The pinion gears, the checking pawls and the pallets that belong To the complicated Navy steam torpedo [Chorus] We've only got this one complaint She winds up where the target ain't God bless the damned old steam torpedo [Verse 4] We do not get much money, but we have a lot of fun Each day we have two smoking lamps and cork off in the sun To hell with the carrier aircraft or the lousy long-range gun We'll do it with a damned old steam torpedo [Chorus] We've only got this one complaint She winds up where the target ain't God bless the damned old steam torpedo [Verse 5] Someday they'll think up something new, an automatic brain And all the stuff we're learning here will trickle down the drain Then we'll forget the ratchets, and we'll go completely sane And forget about the damned old steam torpedo [Chorus] We've only got this one complaint She winds up where the target ain't God bless the damned old steam torpedo