The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #114305   Message #2438026
Posted By: stormalong
12-Sep-08 - 02:05 AM
Thread Name: DTStudy: Drink Old England Dry
Subject: ADD Version: Drink Old England Dry
For many years there used to be a Georgian festival in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) staged by a company of professional players. This is the version they had. It's close to other versions. I suspect they added the 'B' word for fun:

Drink Old England Dry

Come drink me brave boys as I've told you before
Come drink me brave boys till we boldly call for more
For the Frenchies have invited us: They say that they will try, will try
They say that they will come and drink old England dry

Aye dry, Aye dry me boys aye dry
They say that they will come and drink old England dry

Supposing we should meet with some Spanish by the way
Ten thousand to one we will show them British play
With our swords and our cutlasses we'll fight until we die, we die
Before that they shall come and drink old England dry

Aye dry, Aye dry me boys aye dry
Before that they shall come and drink old England dry

Up spake the Duke of Marlborough of fame and renown
He swears he'll be true to his country and his crown
Well, the cannon they will rattle and the bullets they will fly, will fly
Before we let the bastards drink old England dry

Aye dry, Aye dry me boys aye dry
Before we let the bastards drink old England dry

So it's drink me brave boys as I've told you before
Come drink me brave boys till we cannot drink no more
For the Frenchies they may boast and shout but their brags are all my eye, my eye
They'll never ever come and drink old England dry

Aye dry, Aye dry me boys aye dry
They'll never ever come and drink old England dry