When I was a young boy,
I wanted to sail round the world,
That's the life for me,
Living on the sea
Spirit of a sailor,
Circumnavigates the globe,
The lust of a pioneer,
Will acknowledge no frontier

I remember you by
Thunder clap in the sky,
Lightning flash, tempers flare,
Round the Horn if you dare

I just spent 6 months in a leaky boat,
Lucky just to keep afloat

Ay-o-ay, ay-o-ay, ay-o-ay

Aotearoa, rugged individual,
Glisten like a pearl,
At the bottom of the world
The tyranny of distance,
Didn't stop the cavalier,
So why should it stop me,
I'll conquer and stay free

Ah, c'mon all you lads,
Let's forget and forgive,
There's a world to explore,
Tales to tell back on shore

I just spent 6 months in a leaky boat,
6 months in a leaky boat

Ay-o-ay, ay-o-ay, ay-o-ay

Repeat verse 1