Lyr Req: British Tars

Subject: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: Alex in Tokyo
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 09:52 PM

G'day all,

I'm looking for the lyrics to a song called "British Tars," which is mentioned in Patrick O'brian's "The Far Side of the World" It also appears in the movie "Master and Commander," based on the book.

The first two lines, which are all that appear in movie or book, are:

Come all you thoughtless young men, a warning take by me
And never leave your happy homes to sail the raging sea.

Or is this, in fact the whole song?

Thanks in advance,
Alex.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: Lighter
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 09:55 PM

Sounds to me like the start of "Polly on the Shore."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: GUEST,Anne Croucher
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 11:04 PM

'my' Polly on the shore starts
Come all you wild young men and a warning take by me
Never to lead your single life astray nor fall into bad company.

The words enquired of don't really sit on the Polly tune, not without some bending.   

Anne

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Sep 04 - 11:46 PM

This Google Search for "come all you thoughtless young men" brings up The Murder of Maria Martin. "Murder" has a couplet that is almost the same as what you cite, but in a different context.
Interesting puzzle.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 12:25 AM

I really liked the music in Master and Commander, and I wondered what all the songs were. I guess it's a good time to look at the DVD and copy down the list:

• "Ghost of Time"
  composed by Iva Davies, Christopher Gordon, and Richard Tognetti
  Performed by Iva Davies and Icehouse & violinist Richard Tognetti
  
• "Spanish Ladies" (traditional)
  
• "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis"
  Composed by Ralph Vaughn Williams
  
• "Endless Ocean"
  Composed by Christopher Gordon and Iva Davies
  
• Violin Concerto No. 3 (Mozart)
  
• "O'Sullivan's March" (traditional)
  
• "Raging Sea/Bonnie Ship the Diamond" (traditional)
  
• "Don't Forget Your Old Shipmates" (traditional)
  
• Prelude (from the Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major) (Bach)
  
• Adagio from Concerto Grosso in g Major (Archangelo Corelli)
  
• Boccherini La Musica Notturna Delle Strade Di Madrid (Boccherini)

Richard Tognetti and Emma Jane Murphy played the cabin music.

So, do you think they call the song in question, "Raging Sea"? It's not the Raging Sea that's been posted here.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 12:30 AM

It's a broadside song of the earlier part of the 19th century, which doesn't seem to have been found in tradition; or on recordings by revival performers. See Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads:

The British tars / The shipwrecked tar

Subject: ADD: British Tars
From: Joe Offer
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 01:45 AM

I found it on the DVD - it's right at the end of Chapter 11 of the DVD. The tune used in the movie is The Bonny Ship the Diamond. What I hear on the movie is:

Come all you bold young thoughtless men, a warning take by me
And never leave your happy homes to sail the raging sea

Here's my transcription of the lyrics from Harding B 25(294), one of the broadsides Malcolm linked to above.
-Joe Offer-

---

The British Tars

Come all you thoughtless young men,
A warning take by me
And never [leave] your happy homes
To sail the raging seas
For I have ploughed the raging main
This twenty years and more
But now I am turned adrift to starve
Upon my native shore.

When war at first assailed us,
I quickly left my trade,
Our country was in danger,
I flew to lend my aid,
And in my country's service,
Long, long fatigues I bore
But now I'm turned adrift to starve
Upon my native shore.

By storms and raging tempests
Shipwrecked three times I've been
And many a bloody battle
Upon the seas I have seen.
I've seen the cannon's glaring flash
Have heard its murd'rous roar
Tho' now I'm turned adrift to starve
Upon my native shore.

The British Seaman's valour
To all the world is known
We conquer still where e'er we go
The action is our own.
The Metor (sic - perhaps Meteor) flag of Haughty Gaul
Triumphantly we bore
But now we are turned adrift to starve
Upon my native shore.

Should hostile fleets e'er venture
Upon the raging main
True Hearts of Oak we British Tars
We'll push to sea again.
And bravely bring their ships to port
As we have done before.
So help us now while we are in want
Upon our native shore.

Come pity ye gentle stranger
A luckless British tar,
In your defence you yet may hurl
The thunder bolt of war
Come lend me some kind assistance
And heaven will bless your store
For now I'm turned adrift to starve
Upon my native shore.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: nutty
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 04:16 AM

Joe .... I read that line in verse 3 as

The meteor flag of haughty Gaul


meaning that we had beaten the French

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: Alex in Tokyo
Date: 28 Sep 04 - 07:21 PM

That's great.

Thanks very much, all.

Alex.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE BRITISH TARS (from Bodleian)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 29 Sep 04 - 01:29 AM

Harding B 25(294) has two versions of the lyrics. I posted the second one above. The first one has an additional verse, and a few differences in words here and there. Here 'tis.
-Joe Offer-

The British Tars

Come all ye thoughtless young men,
A warning take, by me!
And never leave your happy homes,
To plough the stormy sea,
For I have ploughed the stormy seas
These twenty years or more,
Now towed adrift and left to starve
Upon my native shore.

When waves first assailed us,
I quickly left my trade,
My country being in danger,
I flew to lend my aid,
And in my country's service,
Long fighting I bore
Now towed adrift and left to starve
Upon my native shore.

The British seamen's valour
To all the world is known
We conquer still where e'er we go
The victory is our own.
The matter flag of mighty gain
Triumphantly we bore
Now towed adrift and left to starve
Upon my native shore.

Should hostile fleets e'er venture
Upon the raging main
True hearts of oak, our British tars
Will go to sea again;
And bravely bring their ships to port
As we have done before.
So regard us now whilst e'er adrift
Upon our native shore.

By storms and raging tempests
Three times shipwrecked I have been,
And many bloody battles
Upon the seas I have seen;
Where thundering cannons rattled
Resounding from the shore,
Now all adrift and left to starve
Upon our native shore.

Regardless of all danger
Upon the raging main,
Where stormy winds and rattling guns
Did often us assail
I've seen the glaring cannons flash
And heard the murdered roar,
Now turned adrift and left to starve
Upon our native shore.

Come pity gentle strangers
The halpless British tar,
In your defence he yet may hurl
The thundering boast of war;
And lend some kind assistance
And heaven will bless your store
For now we're turned adrift to starve
Upon our native shore.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: British Tars
From: GUEST
Date: 10 Dec 05 - 04:26 PM

There's a nicer version to listen to of "The Bonny ship the Diamond":
www. contemplator.com, Link "Songs of the sea" The song "The Bonny Ship the Diamond" can be found under "Tales of the sea, sailors, ships and watermen" It's played automatically in the backgroung when you open the site.