O'er the lee-beam is the land, boys,
Let the guns o'erboard be thrown;
To the pumps come every hand, boys,
See! our mizen-mast is gone.
The leak we've found it cannot pour fast;
We've lighten'd her a foot or more;
Up and rig a jury fore-mast,
She rights, she rights, boys! wear off shore.
Now once more on joys we're thinking,
Since kind Heaven has saved our lives;
Come, the can, boys, let's be drinking
To our sweethearts and our wives.
Fill it up, about ship wheel it,
Close to our lips a brimmer jog;
Where's the tempest now, who feels it?
None!-all danger's drown'd in grog.
YE GENTLEMEN OF ENGLAND.*
By MARTIN PARKER.-Music by DR. CALCOTT.
E gentlemen of England,
That live at home at ease,
Little do ye think upon
The dangers of the seas.
Give ears unto the mariners,
And they will plainly show,
The cares and the fears,
When the stormy winds do blow.
Campbell's ballad of "Ye Mariners of England" is founded on this song. Mrs. Ireland relates that in 1799 Campbell was a frequent visitor to the house of her mother, Mrs. Keddie. He often heard the song of "Ye Gentlemen of England" sung there, and was so struck with the music of it, that he determined to write new words-hence the noble lyric which is so like in character.
All you that will be seamen,
Must bear a valiant heart,
For when you come upon the seas,
You must not think to start;
Nor once to be faint-hearted,
In hail, rain, blow, or snow,
Nor to think for to shrink,
When the stormy winds do blow.
The bitter storms and tempests
Poor seamen must endure,
Day and night, with many a fright,
We seldom rest secure.
Our sleep is disturbed,
With visions strange to know,
And with dreams on the streams,
When the stormy winds do blow.
In claps of roaring thunder,
Which darkness doth enforce,
We often find our ship to stray
Beyond our wonted course.
Which causes great distractions,
And sinks our hearts full low;
It is in vain to complain,
When the stormy winds do blow.
Sometimes in Neptune's bosom
Our ships are toss'd with waves,
And every man expecting
The sea to be his grave.
Then up aloft she mounteth,
And down again so low,
"Tis with waves, O, with waves,
When the stormy winds do blow.
Then down again we fall to prayer,
With all our might and thought,
When refuge all doth fail us,
"Tis that must bear us out.
To God we call for succour,
For Him it is we know,
Must aid us, and save us,
When the stormy winds do blow.
The lawyer and the usurer
That sit in gowns of fur,
In closets warm, can take no harm,
Abroad they need not stir.
When winter fierce in cold do pierce,
And beats with hail and snow,
We are sure to endure
When the stormy winds do blow.
We bring home costly merchandize,
And jewels of great price,
To serve our English gallantry,
With many a rare device.
To please the English gallantry,
Our pains we freely show,,
For we toil, and we moil,
When the stormy winds do blow.
We sometimes sail to the Indies,
For to fetch home spices rare,
Sometimes again to France and Spain,
For wines beyond compare.
Whilst gallants are carousing,
In taverns on a row,
Then we sleep, o'er the deep,
When the stormy winds do blow.
When tempests are blown over,
And greatest fears are past,
And when 'tis fair and temp'rate air,
We then lie down to rest.
But when the billows tumble,
And waves do furious grow,
Then we rouse up, we rouse up,
When the stormy winds do blow.
If enemies oppose us,
When England is at war
With any foreign nation,
We fear no wounds nor scar;
Our roaring guns shall teach them,
Our valour for to know,
Whilst they reel in the keel,
When the stormy winds do blow.
We are no cowardly shrinkers,
But Englishmen true bred,
We play our parts with bold hearts,
And never fly for dread.
We'll ply our business nimbly,
Where'er we come or go,
And our mates to the Straits,
When the stormy winds do blow.
Then courage, all brave mariners,
And never be dismay'd,
While we have bold adventurers,
We never shall want trade.
Our merchants will employ us,
To fetch them wealth we know,
Then be bold, work for gold,
When the stormy winds do blow.
Then we return in safety,
With wages for our pains,
The tapster and the vintner
Do help to share our gains.
We'll call for liquor roundly,
And pay before we go;
And we'll roar on the shore,
When the stormy winds do blow.
DREAR, DARK, AND DREADFUL LOW’RED
REAR, dark, and dreadful low'red the sky,
All chilling fell the drifting snow;
The raging surge ran mountains high,
The north-west wind did piercing blow.
"Twas winter. O'er the flowing can
The seamen quaff'd their cares away,
And Poll and Bess, and Sue and Nan,
Were chaunted in the seaman's lay.
The helm secured, the ship lay to,
But driving with the wind and tide;
Impending danger from below,
Arrests her progress and her pride.
She struck! the shock was felt amain,
The song was changed to frantic war,
All sprung on deck, but 'twas in vain,
She sunk, and ne'er was heard of more!
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