The Laws Of The Navy
Now these are the laws of the Navy,
Unwritten and varied though they be,
And he who is wise will observe them
When down in his ship to the sea.
As naught can outrun the destroyer,
Even so with the law and its grip,
For the strength of the ship is the service,
And the strength of the service the ship.
Take heed what ye sayest of thy seniors,
Be thy words whispered softly and low,
Lest the birds of the air pass it onwards,
And thy seniors thy burden shall know.
When thou laborest from morn until even,
Yet thou meetest with reproof for thy toil,
It were wise that thy gun should stay silent,
Thy compressor must check thy recoil.
And count not upon a certain promotion
To the office to which thou may aspire,
Though thy sight line may zero on the target,
There cometh perchance a misfire.
And take heed in thy manner of speaking
That the language thou usest be sound,
In the list of the words of thy choosing
"Impossible" must not be found.
Now these are the laws of the Navy,
And many and mighty are they,
But they boil down to one small commandment,
That commandment is "Thou Shalt Obey."
