The English translation is taken from www.kaizers.de.
Dekk Bord | Set the Table |
| Det var en lang vinter men til slutt blei det vår | It was a long winter, but in the end spring came |
| og alle mennene på skutå hadde fest | and all the men on the ship had a party |
| Det var tungrodde netter og en masse blod og svette | There were hard-rowed nights and lots of blood and sweat |
| Styrmannen jobbde som en hest | The steerman worked like a horse |
| Han var en mager liten raring som var svolten på erfaring | He was a strange little fellow who was hungry for experience |
| men rasjonane var stort sett vann og korn | but the rations were basically just water and wheat |
| Han stod ved roret heile dagen, hadde veddemål med Skagen | He stood at the rudder all day, had a bet with Skagen |
| om raskaste veien til Capp Horn | about the shortest route to Cape Horn |
| Dekk bord | Set the table |
| Når det var rolig på havet, me sko ha fri i frå kavet | When the ocean was still, we were free from the struggle |
| satte alle seg ner og spelte kort | everybody sat down and played cards |
| Styrmannen delte, resten av oss spelte | The steerman dealt, the rest of us played |
| og pengane skifta eigar ganske fort | and the money changed hands pretty quickly |
| Carlos var fortvilte mens mange andre smilte | Carlos despaired while many of us smiled |
| de sa; me loppe Carlos for alt han har | they said; let's take everything Carlos has got |
| Og seinare når dommen falt hadde Carlos mista alt | And later when judgment fell, Carlos had lost it all |
| Det var fordi han samla kun på spar | That's because he collected only spades |
| Ro ro heim til Transylvania | Row row home to Transylvania |
| Gløm nå personalia og andre trivialia | Forget now the personalia and other trivialities |
| Dekk bord, send et telegram til Victoria | Set the table, send a telegram to Victoria |
| for snart komme me fram | 'cause soon will arrive |
| Et par mann hadde me mista. Carlos var den siste | A couple of guys had been lost. Carlos was the last one |
| Det skjedde når me låg til land i Marseilles | It happened while we were at port in Marseilles |
| Han tapte en drikkekonkurranse mot Den Belgiske Sjimpansen | He lost a drinking competition with The Belgian Chimpanzee |
| og nå seile han ikkje meir | and now he sails no more |
| I Hong Kong var det kaos, me gjekk på skjær utfor Laos | In Hong Kong there was chaos. We stranded outside Laos |
| Me trudde aldri me kom levande derifrå | We never thought we'd get away alive |
| Så kom en innfødt stamme ut og trudde skipet vår var Gud | Out came a native tribe, thought our ship was God |
| og slepte oss ut på åpent hav | and dragged us into open sea |