The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #173610 Message #4210202
Posted By: GUEST,Julia L
21-Oct-24 - 09:38 PM
Thread Name: The wreck of the Ramillies Song/ Website
Subject: RE: The wreck of the Ramillies Song/ Website
Here's a version from Maine. It apears in our book "Bygone Ballads of Maine- Songs of Ships & Sailors"
THE FATED RENA LEE Text from the Kneeland Miscellany 1914 / James Kneeland Searsport, ME Tune as sung by his son Frank Kneeland Recorded Oct 1941 Helen Hartness Flanders, Middlebury VT
The miscellany transcript says "fated", Frank sings "fate of" and pronounces Rena as "renna"
1 Come ye bold seamen, pray now attend To read these few lines that have lately been penned Concerning the dangers of the salt sea And the sad destruction of the Rena Lee -Oh, the fate of Rena Lee
2 Seven hundred and seventy bold seamen had we And ninety brass cannon to bear us company And as we were a sailing to our sad surprise A most terrible storm did begin to arise -Oh, the fate of Rena Lee
3 The waves looked like fire and rolled mountains high While over the rigging the salt seas did fly Bear away, said our captain, and do the best you can For if the storm increases, we're lost, every man -Oh, the fate of Rena Lee
4 A few moments later, to our sad shock Our good ship, the Rena Lee, she struck upon a rock Had you heart like a Turk, I am sure you'd lament To have heard the sighs and groans as to bottom she went -Oh, the fate of Rena Lee