TURKISH MEN-O'-WAR
(The Marigold)

Our goodly ship was loaded deep,
    And anchor weighed to the bow;
Our course we steered it was east sou'east,
    As close to the wind as we could lie.
We had not sailed many miles
    Nor leaved very far our native shore,
Before we spies ten Turkish men-o'-war
    Before the wind down on us bore.

"Come douse your colors, you English dogs,
    And come in under our lee,
For all this night and forevermore
    You'll remain in our slavery.
What is your captain's name and your goodly ship,
    Your ship of fame?"
"Thomas Hare our captain from Bristol came,
    And the Marigold is our ship's name."

"Go aloft, go aloft, my little cabin boy,
    To our maintopsail high,
And it's there you'll spread King George's flag,
    And in under it we will fight and die."
Then at it we went like heroes bold,
    Like enemies when they do meet,
From eight in the evening until eight the next day,
    We remained in our bloody fray.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
'Twas three we sunk and three we burned
    And three like cowards ran away,
And one we towed into fair Bristol town
    To let King George know we had gained the day.

for an English version see "The Royal Oak: or the Marigold" (Surrey), Journal of the Folk-Song Society, v, 167-169

Source: Ballads and Sea-Songs of Newfoundland, by Elizabeth Bristol Greenleaf and Grace Yarrow Mansfield, #42, page 94