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".

Ross