Spanish Ladies

Subject: Spanish Ladies
From: A small fluffy sheep
Date: 24 May 99 - 07:35 PM

Does anyone know the approximate date of this song?? I recently read a book that indicated that it was around in the late 1600s (in its original form of course).

ie in the chorus their is no reference to 'British', instead it reads:

'We'll rant and we'll roar all o'er the wild ocean'

Could anyone shed some light on this for me I would be most gratefull :)

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: Joe Offer
Date: 24 May 99 - 07:55 PM

Hi, Sheep - Click here to see the version we have in the Digital Tradition folk song database. If you put [spanish ladies] in square brackets in the search box on this page, you'll find related songs. You pose a good question - putting this song in historical contect would make it a lot easier to understand.
-Joe offer-

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: John Wood
Date: 24 May 99 - 08:01 PM

A group here in Norway called``The Folks Next Door´´,sung this song on a LP.they gave out a while back.
Their version is the one your asking about i.e. without ``British´´.
They called it``The Talcuanho Girls´´.
Sorry I can't tell you any more(I've only got the tape,without cover notes.)

Greetings John.

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: Lesley N.
Date: 24 May 99 - 09:01 PM

Funny you should ask. I was researching broadside ballads and came across a reference in The Broadside Ballad by Leslie Shepard that said a tune by the name of Spanish Lady was registered in England December 14, 1624 with the Stationer's Company.

I noted it because I have a couple of tunes named Spanish Lady and one Spanish Ladies, and We'll Rant and We'll Roar on my site (that's not to mention Yankee Whalermen and Brisbane Ladies that are lyrics to the Rant and Roar tune...) Anyway - the words to We'll Rant and Spanish Ladies fit in one another's tune but they are very different. Most of the e-mail I get is from people saying they know the tune by the Rant and Roar tune.

All of this is by way of saying I have not clue where the 1654 version fits in! If anyone else can clear this up it would be terrific!

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: Matthew B.
Date: 24 May 99 - 11:00 PM

Wow. And I thought I knew a lot of versions of this song -- 12 at last count, including the one in the movie, Jaws.

Good luck on the search.

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: GN
Date: 24 May 99 - 11:01 PM

"Spanish Ladies Love" was first entered in the Stationers' Register in 1603. [Ballads, not tunes, were sometimes entered in the Stationers' Register.] That song has no relationship to the one for which information was requested.

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: bigJ
Date: 25 May 99 - 05:47 PM

According to the book 'The Oxford Book of Sea Songs' edited by Roy Palmer, the earliest version of the song that he has seen is in the logbook of the Nellie of 1796 - if that's of any help.

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: Lesley N.
Date: 25 May 99 - 06:17 PM

GN - After I sent the message I realized I wrote tune - at a time when broadsides didn't have tunes to them... Obviously I need more research! Thanks.

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: Matthew B.
Date: 25 May 99 - 09:17 PM

This just keeps getting better and better.

Keep that research coming!

Subject: RE: Spanish Ladies
From: GUEST
Date: 30 Nov 04 - 09:00 PM

This website has some useful information about where the song dates from:
http://www.contemplator.com/sea/sladies.html