Hi Pip,

I learned my version from Ewan MacColl. It was on the first folk LP that I ever bought: 'A Sailor's Garland' by Ewan MacColl & A.L. Lloyd, XTRA 5013, 1966. Ewan recorded 'The Dolphin' it from Sam Larner, of Winterton, Norfolk, who, in turn, learned it from his shipmate, 'Old Larpin' (James Sutton). Sutton was from an earlier generation than Sam and also from Winterton.

Sam can be heard singing the song on the recording, 'Now is the Time for Fishing' collected and edited by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger. This was originally issued by Folkways, in the 1960s, in the US, but Topic released a version of it in 1999 (Topic TSCD511). Ewan and Peggy's note to the song says that "[it is] known under several aliases as 'The Bold Pirate', 'The Pirate Song', 'The Irish Captain' and 'The London Man o' War', it has been collected from singers in Sussex, Norfolk, Dorset, Somerset and Nova Scotia."

I hope that this helps.