The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #137861 Message #3154734
Posted By: Ross Campbell
15-May-11 - 08:05 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Bold Princess Royal (Song)
Subject: Lyr Add: The Bold Princess Royal
The Bold Princess Royal Trad
On the fourteenth day of February we sailed from the land On the bold Princess Royal bound for Newfoundland We had forty brave seamen in the ship's companie And boldly from the eastward tae the westward sailed we
Now we had not been sailing scarce days two or three When the man on our masthead strange sails he did see He come bearing down on us for to see what we were And under his mizzen, boys, black colours he wore
Oh Lord, cries our captain, What shall us do now Here a-comes a bold pirate for to rob us, I know O no, cries the first mate, That never shall be so We'll pull out our reef boys and away from him we'll go
Now this bold pirate he hove alongside With a loudspeaking trumpet, Whence gang you, he cried Our captain being up, my boys, he answered him so We come from fair London and we're bound for Peru
Come heave up your courses and bring your ship to I have a long letter to send home by you I shall not heave up my courses nor bring my ship to It will be in some harbour, not alongside of you
Now he chased us to the windward all of that live long day And he chased us to the westward but couldn't get no way He fired shots after us but none did prevail And the bold Princess Royal soon showed him her tail
Good Lord, cries our captain, Now the pirate is gone Go you down to your grog, boys, go down every one Go you down to your grog, boys, and be of good cheer While the bold Princess has sea-room, brave boys, never fear
Slightly different version from the one in the DT, and something like the version I sing. Didn't keep details of where I found this, but it's annotated "As sung by Louis Killen".