Here's a song I wrote about Nelson from the point of view of a volunteer in the Royal Navy. I had the idea when I asked our first lieutenant (who was very upper class, but a nice bloke despite that) why the wardroom celebrated Trafalgar Night, but for the lower deck it was just another day in the navy. "That's because I'm descended from a line of gentlemen whilst you, Sugden, come from a shower of pressed men!" He was joking, I think, but being a keen naval historian, I knew his assertion to be wrong. The Volunteer's Testimony Here I sit, I cannot stand Born to the sea, beached on the land A veteran of the wars against the French When First I went to sea Bold Nelson commanded me The finest man who ever sailed the waves Ch. I wasn't pressed, I volunteered And I sailed with 'Our Nel' From St Vincent to Trafalgar And through many part of hell We fought the French, the Dons, the Danes We were masters of the seas Then a chain-shot at Trafalgar Cut me short below the knees Against the Spanish on Valentine's Day Admiral Jarvis led the way His orders came to tack about in line Nelson saw there wasn't time So without orders, broke the line His actions, Jarvis said, saved the day Against the shore at Aboukir Brueys thought his fleet secure But Foley found a way around From both sides our guns did pound And Napoleon's dreams of the orient Went up in a ball of flames Against those 'Brothers of Englishmen' And their fleet at Copenhagen Broadside we fought it out Through wreaths of smoke When Hyde-Parker saw the pall He flew the signal for recall A signal Nelson said he did not see And Nelson's final throw Saw the combined fleet's over throw The French and Spanish fleets put to rout But with victory in his grasp Bold Nelson breathed his last Even the pressed men cried into their grog So now you see me here But I pray, don't shed a tear For I volunteered for country And for king But now the wars are o'er We're left to rot upon the shore Nelson would have grieved to see us here
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