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Henry Martin / The Lofty Tall Ship

[ Roud 104 ; Master title: Henry Martin ; Child 250 ; Ballad Index C250 ; MusTrad MT338 ; VWML SBG/1/1/267 ; Bodleian Roud 104 ; GlosTrad Roud 104 ; Wiltshire 121 ; trad.]

Sabine Baring-Gould, H. Fleetwood Sheppard: Songs of the West Lucy E. Broadwood: English Traditional Songs and Carols Alan Helsdon: Vaughan Williams in Norfolk Frank Kidson: Traditional Tunes Jon Morrish: The Folk Handbook Roy Palmer: Everyman’s Book of British Ballads Peggy Seeger, Ewan MacColl: The Singing Island Cecil J. Sharp: One Hundred English Folksongs

Note: Steve Roud now considers Sir Andrew Barton [Child 167, formerly Roud 192] and Henry Martin [Child 250] as versions of the same song and catalogues both as Roud 104.

Phil Tanner sang the pirate ballad Young Henry Martin in a Columbia recording made in 1937 (CA 16052-2) that was included long after his death on the anthology The Child Ballads 2 (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 5; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1968), in 1968 on his eponymous EFDSS album Phil Tanner, in 1998 on the Topic anthology My Ship Shall Sail the Ocean (The Voice of the People Volume 2), and in 2003 on his Veteran anthology The Gower Nightingale. The EFDSS album’s notes commented:

A well known pirate ballad with more than one traditional tale woven into its history. The character most often associated with the song was John Barton, a Scot captured by Portugal in 1474. Barton’s three sons were given letters of reprisal against the Portuguese, but they seemed to have used these an an excuse for general piracy. Henry VIII sent Lord Charles Howard to capture the pirate Bartons, and they were killed at sea. In 1812 another character entered the ballad; Captain Charles Stewart, who replaced Lord Charles Howard in one version.

The Henry Martin ballad is often linked with Sir Andrew Barton (Child 167) although Cecil Sharp believed that the latter had nothing in common with Henry Martin.

A.L. Lloyd sang Henry Martin in 1956 on his and Ewan MacColl’s Riverside anthology The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Volume IV. This and his other songs from this album were reissued in 2011 on his Fellside CD Bramble Briars and Beams of the Sun. Lloyd also sang Henry Martin accompanied by Alf Edwards playing concertina on his and Ewan MacColl’s 1964 album English and Scottish Folk Ballads. He noted in a quite long essay:

In the earliest days of capitalist competition, there was often little difference between the merchantman and the pirate ship. In 1746, some Portuguese vessels plundered a rich Scottish ship owned by the merchant John Barton. As a result, the Scottish king granted “letters of reprisal” to the merchant’s sons, Andrew, Robert and John. Helped by his two brothers, and armed with the king’s permit, Sir Andrew Barton attacked not only ships of the Portuguese trade (at that time the richest in the world, due to discoveries and acquisitions in India) but also Flemish vessels engaged in business, legal or illegal, in the North Sea. Sir Andrew was a fierce man, who sent three barrels of salted Flemish pirates’ heads as a present to King James IV in 1506. A few years later, he took to piracy against English ships. Henry VIII sent out several vessels after him, and in a battle on 2 August 1511, Barton was killed, his ship captured, and (it is said) his head was cut off and taken to England for display. A long ballad (82 verses!) was made about the piracy, pursuit and defeat of Sir Andrew Barton. It was printed and sold from cheap stationers’ stalls in St. Paul’s churchyard and elsewhere. In the course of time, as it was passed on by word of mouth from one country singer to another, it grew shorter. At length, only the first part of the ballad, the account of the piracy, was remembered. Perhaps through mis-hearing at some stage, the name of the bold Scottish seaman had become altered from ‘Andrew Barton’ to ‘Henry Martin’, and in that form it became fixed and survived well into the twentieth century in many parts of England, in several versions that, on the whole, differ only slightly from each other. The Aeolian (La mode) tune used here was noted some sixty years ago from Roger Luxton, of Halwell, Devon, by the Rev. S. Baring-Gould.

Tony Wales sang Henry Martin in 1957 on his Folkways album Sussex Folk Songs and Ballads. Kenneth S. Goldstein noted:

This ballad (Child #250) is believed to have derived from the Ballad of Sir Andrew Barton (Child #l67), a longer naval ballad concerning piracy. Henry Martin texts usually contain the challenge to some merchant ship and its subsequent capture or sinking; Sir Andrew Barton continues from that point and has the King send out one of his captains to capture the pirates. The captain locates and defeats the pirates, and either kills or brings the pirate captain back to England to face the gallows. In America, both the shortened Henry Martin version and the longer ballad described above. have been collected frequently. In England, however, only the shorter Henry Martin version has been collected from tradition.

The tune of the version sung here, and the last three stanzas of the text, were collected from Mr C. Potter of Horsham. The first two stanzas are from a version collected by Cecil Sharp.

Sam Larner sang this song as The Lofty Tall Ship in two different recordings; one was recorded by Philip Donnellan for the BBC at Larner’s home in Winterton, Norfolk in 1958 or 1959 and published on his 1974 album A Garland for Sam, on the Topic anthology We’ve Received Orders to Sail (The Voice of the People Series, Vol. 12, 1998), and on the compilation CD English Originals. The other version is on his 1961 Folkways album Now Is the Time for Fishing. Here it is called Henry Martin and can easily be distinguished by the second verse starting with “where” instead of “now where”.

Jimmie Macgregor sang Henry Martin in a recording made by Peter Kennedy at Cecil Sharp House that was published in 1960 on the HMV album A Pinch of Salt: British Sea Songs Old and New.

Ewan MacColl sang Henry Martin in 1964 on his Folkways album The English and Scottish Popular Ballads: Vol. 3.

Martyn Wyndham-Read sang Henry Martin in 1964 on his W&G EP Folk Songs. The sleeve notes commented:

“[…] a stirring ballad of piracy (Henry Martin), part of which was collected in Sussex, part in America, but which probably stems originally from a long naval ballad called The Ballad of Sir Andrew Barton.

Danny Brazil sang a two-verse fragment of Henry Martin to Peter Shepheard at Over Bridge, Gloucester, on 12 May 1966. This recording was included in 2007 on the Brazil Family’s Musical Traditions anthology Down By the Old Riverside.

Bert Jansch sang Henry Martin in 1966 on his Transatlantic album Jack Orion.

Peter Bellamy learned Lofty Tall Ship from the singing of Sam Larner and sang it in 1968 on his first solo LP, Mainly Norfolk. He noted:

The late Sam Larner was not, perhaps, such a grand or subtle singer as Harry Cox, but what he lacked in finesse he compensated for with enormous vitality and humour. From him comes this grand version of the pirate ballad Henry Martin, called by Sam The Lofty Tall Ship.

Cyril Tawney sang Henry Martin in 1969 on his Polydor album of traditional ballads from Devon and Cornwall, The Outlandish Knight and in 1992 on his privately issued Neptune cassette of songs of voyages, battles and shipwrecks, Seamen Bold.

Tom Gilfellon sang this ballad as We Had Not Been A-Sailing in 1972 on his Trailer album Loving Mad Tom. He noted:

his beautifully pared-down version of the usually lengthier Henry Martin was collected from Sam Lamer of Winterton, Norfolk.

Derek and Dorothy Elliott sang Henry Martin in 1976 on their Traditional Sound Recordings album Yorkshire Relish.

John Wright sang Henry Martin in 1978 on his Topic album Unaccompanied, which was also included in 1984 on the Le Chasse-Marée anthology of ballads, laments and shanties of English sailors, Chants de Marins IV. He noted:

This is Phil Tanner’s well-known version, made famous a few years ago by Joan Baez, but with a rather unfortunate melodramatic chromatic run in the third line which I have always disliked. I have preferred to restore the modal structure that Tanner used.

Alan Reid and Brian McNeill sang Henry Martin in 1980 on their Topic album Sidetracks.

Bob Roberts sang Henry Martin on his 1981 Solent album Breeze for a Bargeman.

Louis Killen sang Henry Martin in 1995 on his CD Sailors, Ships & Chanteys.

Brian Peters sang Henry Martin in 1997 on his CD Sharper Than the Thorn.

Colleen Cleveland sang Andrew Bergine to Gwilym Davies at Riverview Orchards Rexford, New York State, on 18 January 1998. This recording was included in 2020 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Gwilym Davies collection, Catch It, Bottle It, Paint It Green, accompanying the book of the same name. Davies notes:

Colleen learnt the song from her grandmother, Sara. The song itself exists in various versions in the USA and Canada and gave rise to the English song Henry Martin. It is not often that English folk songs can be traced back to an actual event 500 years previously but this does seem to be the case with the ballad Henry Martin.

First the history: Andrew Barton (c.1466-1511) was a Scottish sailor, one of three brothers, who around the year 1507 was commissioned by James IV of Scotland to attack Portuguese shipping who had attacked Scottish ships. His interference with Portuguese shipping earned him the reputation in England of being a pirate. In 1511, as Barton was cruising the English coast looking for Portuguese shipping, he and his two ships were captured off Kent. Balladry has it that Barton was subsequently beheaded, despite his letter of permission from the Scottish King, although another account states that he died as a result of wounds sustained from the battle.

The story must have lingered long enough in public imagination for a ballad to appear over 100 years later with the snappy title “A True relation of the life and death of Sir Andrew Barton, a pirate and rover on the seas to the tune of, Come follow me loue”. In this ballad, Henry [VIII] is lobbied by mariners to do something about Andrew Barton who is interfering with their shipping. Lord Charles Howard volunteers to stop Barton, and Henry commands that a ship be built and that the finest archers in the land be put on board. After a fierce sea battle, Barton is slain and beheaded.

At this point the story becomes complicated. Information is lacking for the 1600s to 1700s but we can assume that the tale continued in oral tradition. In the USA, the ballad took root, with many variations on the name Barton, including Bardeen, Batan, Bergine, Marteen etc. In some of the American versions, history is turned on its head with Barton being the victor in the sea battle and sending the English ships back to England with a flea in their ear.

Meanwhile, a cut down version of the story, recounting little more than the pirate taking and sinking a rich merchant ship, much to the king’s displeasure, started to appear in the UK. The name of the hero had by then changed from Andrew Barton to Henry Martin and this is the ballad widely collected in the British Isles, even up to recent times. In this form ’Henry Martin the ballad has also been collected in the USA, along with ’Andrew Barton. It seems evident that Henry Martin derives from the older Andrew Barton, but mercifully cut down from over 60 verses to 7 or 8.

Colleen’s ballad has similarities to Captain Ward and the Rainbow (Child 287, Roud 224) which may have influenced the text.

Hughie Jones sang Henry Martin in 1999 on his Fellside album Seascape.

Dick Gaughan sang Young Henry Martin on Ashley Hutchings’ 2001 concept album of “dark traditional songs re-set in the present day”, Street Cries. This track was also included in 2006 on Gaughan’s anthology The Definitive Collection.

Martin Carthy learned The Lofty Tall Ship from Sam Larner too, and sang it in 2002 on Waterson:Carthy’s fourth album, A Dark Light. He noted:

For myself, there were two people in the late 1950s whose unforgettable wildly different performances—one at the Troubadour Folk Club in Earl’s Court and the other at Ewan MacColl’s Ballads and Blues Club in the upstairs room of a pub in the Edgware Road (the name of which I can’t remember)—decided for me the musical direction which my life was going to take. That pub, close to the old Metropolitan Theatre, may lie buried along with that famous theatre under the flyover which leads on to the M40 westway, but the memory will never, ever fade. The people I’m talking about are Séamus Ennis, whose version of The Devil and the Farmer starts this CD off, and Sam Larner, whose mighty telling of the Henry Martin story in Lofty Tall Ship was probably the single moment that ensured—bewildered though I was by what I thought of at the time at its baffling tune—that this music would embed its hooks into me for life.

Dr Faustus sang Young Henry Martin in 2003 on their Fellside CD The First Cut. They noted:

[…] the story of a real live pirate who was out and about being generally nasty during the reign of King Henry VIII. This is the version sung be the “Gower Nightingale”, Phil Tanner.

Paul and Liz Davenport sang Harry Barton, in 2006 on their Hallamshire Traditions album Under the Leaves. They noted:

The first time Paul sang this, [their son] Gavin remarked: “Everyone’s entitled to one Jim Eldon moment.” The ballad came into being after watching “Pirates of the Caribbean” on the one hand and running a fiddle workshop an the National on the other. So this version of Henry Martin is dedicated to two of our favourite performers, Johnny Depp and Jim Eldon (both of whom should star together in something suitably nautical.

Martin and Shan Graebe sang Henry Martin, accompanied by Keith Kendrick on concertina, in 2008 on their WildGoose CD Dusty Diamonds. This track was also included in 2016 on their WildGoose compilation Calm and Collected. This track was also included in 2016 on their WildGoose compilation They noted:

SB-G Manuscript Ref. P1, 122 (53) [VWML SBG/1/1/267] . Matthew Baker, a crippled labourer in Baring-Gould’s parish contributed this version of a ballad which is well known throughout England. The original, Andrew Barton, deals with the exploits of the eponymous Scotsman who caused problems for Henry VIII, and who then sent his two best admirals out to put a stop to his piracy. We have adopted a couple of irresistible verses from the version sung by Roger Luxton of nearby Bratton Clovelly, which bring the King’s Lifeguards into the story.

Marilyn Tucker and Paul Wilson sang Henry Martin on their 2009 Wren Trust album of songs of sea and shore, On the Tide. They noted:

One of the first sea songs we learnt together, back in 1979, for our touring show From Bratton to Porlock Boy which celebrated the work of Cecil Sharp (he collected this song from Robert Parish) and the songs and characters of Exmoor.

The Askew Sisters sang Henry Martin in 2010 on their WildGoose CD Through Lonesome Woods. They noted:

Our version is a mixture between one collected by Cecil Sharp from Jack Barnard in Bridgwater, Somerset, in 1906 and Phil Tanner’s version which was recorded in 1936 with wonderful microtonal singing. It’s a version of Child Ballad no. 250 and is thought to be a retelling of the story of Sir Andrew Barton who was a High Admiral of Scotland in the 15^th century (who is also the subject of a separate Child Ballad no. 167).

James Findlay sang Henry Martin in 2012 on his Fellside CD Another Day Another Story. He noted:

Sharp credits Somerset’s Lucy White of Hambridge and Captain Lewes of Minehead for the song. Child records the song as Sir Andrew Barton whilst a similar story appears in Percy’s Reliques under the same name in 1765. The 82 verses of Child’s Sir Andrew Barton follow the story quite closely to the real Sir Andrew Barton who was a Scottish privateer who lived from 1466-1511.

Steeleye Span sang The Lofty Tall Ship and Shallow Brown in 2016 on their CD Dodgy Bastards. They noted:

The Lofty Tall Ship is from the singing of Sam Larner, from Winterton in Norfolk. A grim story of piracy, we have followed it with an adapted version of the lovely Shallow Brown, turning it from a sea shanty into a lament. […]

False Lights sang Henry Martin on their 2018 CD Harmonograph. They noted:

This was in the repertoire of Phil Tanner of South Glamorgan and released on an EFDSS record in 1968, 18 years after his death.

Edgelarks sang Henry Martin as the title track of their 2020 CD Henry Martin. They noted:

People on the folk scene have often joked that we must do a version of the ballad Henry Martyn; and finally getting around to an arrangement proved to he the beginning of this record. We used Baring-Gould’s version from Songs of the West as our starting point. He collected the song several times in Devon, from Roger Luxton at Halwell, Matthew Baker of Lew Down, J. Masters of Bradstone, and someone sadly listed only as ‘a cripple on Dartmoor’. Baring-Gould tells us the ballad is based on real historical events—the life of Andrew Barton, in the reign of Henry VIII. Once we saw that Andrew Barton had morphed into Henry Martyn, we had no qualms at changing the spelling of ‘Martin’ to suit us!

Jon Wilks talked with Nick Hart about Henry Martin in January 2020 in Episode 1 of his Old Songs Podcast, and Nick Hart sang Henry Martin on his 2022 album Nick Hart Sings Ten English Folk Songs. He noted:

This song comes from the singing of Sam Larner and has been in my repertoirefor over a decade. As with Haynes’ Outlandish Knight, the seventh degree of the scale in this song is sometimes major, sometimes minor, giving a very interesting colour to the melody.The older ballad Andrew Barton, from which this one seems to be derived, recounts the capture of a real pirate in 1511.

And Jon Wilks sang Lofty Tall Ship in 2023 on his album Before I Knew What Had Begun I Had Already Lost. He noted:

I’m not particularly into owning things. I’ve moved around quite a bit during my life, so I’m quite happy to leave possessions behind. However, a first edition pressing of Now Is the Time for Fishing, the 1961 album by Sam Larner, is a rare pride and joy. That’s where I first heard this, a song that has bewitched me ever since. Everyone’s had a bash at it under various titles. Here’s mine.

Lyrics

Phil Tanner sings Young Henry Martin

There live’d in Scotland three brothers three,
In Scotland there lived brothers three,
And they did cast lots for to see which of them,
Which of them, which of them,
Should go sailing all on the salt sea.

The lot it fell out on young Henry Martin,
The youngest of these brothers three,
That he should go sailing all on the salt sea,
Salt sea, salt sea,
To maintain his two brothers and he.

We had not long been sailing on a cold winter’s morning,
Three hours before it was day,
Before we espied a lofty tall ship,
A tall ship, a tall ship,
Coming sailing all on the salt sea.

“Hallo, hallo,” cried bold Henry Martin,
“How dare you come sailing so high?”
“We’re a rich merchant ship bound for old England,
England, England,
Will you please for to let us pass by?”

“Oh, no, no, no,” cried bold Henry Martin,
“That never, no never can be,
For I am turned pirate to rob the salt sea,
Salt sea, salt sea,
To maintain my two brothers and me.”

“Take down your top royal, cut away your main mast,
Come hither in under my lee,
For I will take from you all of your flowing gold,
Flowing gold, flowing gold,
And I’ll turn your fair bodies to the sea.”

Then broadside for broadside we valiantly fought,
We fought for four hours and more,
Till at last Henry Martin gave her a dead shot,
A dead shot, a dead shot,
And down to the bottom she goes.

Bad news, bad news, to you English heroes,
Bad news I have for to tell,
There is one of your rich ships sunk off the land,
Off the land, off the land.
And all of your merry men drowned.

A.L. Lloyd sings Henry Martin

In merry Scotland, in merry Scotland,
There lived brothers three.
And they did cast lots which of them should go,
Should go, should go,
A-robbing all on the salt sea.

Well, the lot it fell out upon Henry Martin,
The youngest of these brothers three,
That he should turn pirate all on the salt sea,
Salt sea, salt sea,
To maintain his two brothers and he.

He hadn’t been sailing three long winter’s nights
Nor yet three short winter’s days
Before he espied a lofty tall ship,
A tall ship, a tall ship
Come bearing down on him straightway.

“Hallo, hallo,” cried Henry Martin,
“How far are you going?” says he.
“I’m a rich merchant ship, for old England I am bound,
I’m bound, I’m bound,
Will you please for to let me pass free?”

“Oh no, no no,” cries Henry Martin,
“Heave to and heave to,” says he.
“For I mean to take from you your rich
Flowing gold, flowing gold,
Or send your fair bodies to the sea.”

Then broadside for broadside and at it they went,
And they fought for three hours and more,
Till at last Henry Martin gave her the death shot,
The death shot, the death shot,
And down to the bottom went she.

Bad news, bad news, my brave English boys,
Bad news to fair London town.
There’s a rich merchant ship and she’s cast away,
Cast away, cast away,
And all of her merry men drowned

Tony Wales sings Henry Martin

There were three brothers in merry Scotland,
In Scotland there lived brothers three;
And lots they did cast which should rob on the sea,
To maintain his two brothers and he, and he,
To maintain his two brothers and he.

The lot it did fall on Henry Martin,
The youngest of all the three,
All for to turn robber all on the salt sea,
To maintain his two brothers and he, and he,
To maintain his two brothers and he.

We’ve scarcely been sailing three cold winter’s days,
Or scarcely three cold winter’s nights,
Before we did spy a rich merchant man.
Come sailing upon the salt sea, salt sea,
Come sailing along the salt sea.

“Come lower your topsails, you merchantmen bold,
Come lower them unto me.
For I will take away all your rich flowing gold,
And send all your bodies to sea, to sea.
And send all your bodies to sea.”

To broadside, to broadside, to battle we went,
We fought them three hours or more,
Until Sir Henry Martin, he gave the death wound,
And right down to the bottom sank she, sank she,
And right down to the bottom sank she.

Sam Larner sings The Lofty Tall Ship

As we were got sailing five cold frosty nights,
Five cold frosty nights and four days;
It was there we espied a lofty tall ship,
She come bearing down on us, brave boys.

“Now, where are you a-going, you lofty tall ship?
How dare you to venture so nigh?
For I have turned robbing all on the salt sea
To maintain my two brothers and I.”

“Now, come heave up your courses and let go of your main sheets
And let her come under my lee.
And I shall take from you your rich merchant’s good, merchant’s goods,
And I’ll point your bow guns to the sea.”

“I shall not heave up my courses nor let go of my main sheets
Not I’ll let her come under your lee.
Nor you shall take me my rich merchant’s good, merchant’s goods,
Nor you’ll point my bow guns to the sea.”

Now, broadside to broadside these two vessels did lay,
They were fighting four hours or more.
Till at length Henry Martin gave her a broadside
And she sank and she never rose more.

Sad news, Henry Martin, sad news I’ve to tell,
Sad news I’m a-going to tell,
Of a lofty tall ship lost on the salt sea
And the most of her merry men drowned.

Peter Ballamy sings The Lofty Tall Ship

We had not been sailing but four frosty nights,
But four frosty nights and five days;
When there we espied a lofty tall ship,
Come a-bearing down on us, brave boys.

“Hallo and hallo, you lofty tall ship,
What makes you to sail so nigh?”
“I’m a rich merchant’s ship bound for London Town
Won’t you please pull to and let me pass by.”

“Oh no and oh no, you lofty tall ship,
Such a thing well it never won’t be.
For I am turned robber all on the salt sea
For to maintain my two brothers and I.”

“So it’s let out your courses and let go of your main sheets
And bring your ship under my lee.
And I will take from you your rich merchant’s good, merchant’s goods,
And point your bow guns to the sea.”

“I won’t let out my courses nor let go of my main sheets
Nor bring my ship under your lee.
And you shan’t tear from me my rich merchant’s good, merchant’s goods,
Nor point my bow guns to the sea.”

So it’s broadside and broadside these vessels did lay
For fully two hours or more.
Until Henry Martin gave him the death shop
And she sank and she never rose more.

Bad news I’ve to tell you, bad news I’ve to tell,
Bad news I’m a-going to tell.
Of a lofty tall ship and she’s passed away
And the most of her mariners drowned.

Colleen Cleveland sings Andrew Bergine

There were three loving brothers in merry Scotland
And three loving brothers were they
And they all cast lots to see who would go
A-robbing all round the salt sea,
A-robbing all round the salt sea.

The lot it fell to Andrew Bergine
The youngest one of the three
That he should go sailing all round the salt sea
To keep his two brothers and he,
To keep his two brothers and he.

He sail-ed east, he sail-ed west
Until three ships he espied
A-sailing far off and a-sailing far on
’Til at last they came sailing close by,
’Til at last they came sailing close by.

“Who’s there, who’s there?” cried Andrew Bergine
“Who’s there with colours so high?”
“We are three merchant ships from merry England.
And if no offence, let us pass by,
And if no offence, let us pass by.”

“Oh no, oh no,” cried Andrew Bergine
“Oh no, that never can be.
For your ships and your cargo my men they will have,
And your bodies I’ll sink in the sea
And your bodies I’ll sink in the sea.”

So broadside to broadside the vessels did sail
And cannons so loudly did roar.
And Andrew Bergine sank the three merchant ships
And he sailed off to find some more,
And he sailed off to find some more.

Then the news it reached King Henry’s ear
The king that sat on the throne
That his ships and his cargo at sea were all lost
And his merry men they were all drowned,
And his merry men they were all drowned.

The king, he sent for Captain Charles Stuart
Saying, “This thing you must do for me.
Go build you a ship and catch Andrew Bergine
And his body you’ll sink in the sea,
And his body you’ll sink in the sea.”

The ship it was built and ready to sail
With cannons and men by the score
And one dark morning her anchor did weigh
And she sailed from old England’s shore,
And she sailed from old England’s shore.

She sail-ed east, she sail-ed west
Until three ships she espied
A-sailing far off and a-sailing far on
’Til at last they came sailing close by,
’Til at last they came sailing close by.

“Who’s there, who’s there?” cried Captain Charles Stuart.
“Who’s there with colours so high?”
“We are three bold robbers from merry Scotland.
And if no offence, let us pass by,
And if no offence, let us pass by.”

“Oh, no, oh no,” cried Captain Charles Stuart
“Oh no, that never can be.
For your ships and your cargo my men they will have,
And your bodies I’ll sink in the sea,
And your bodies I’ll sink in the sea.”

So broadside to broadside the vessels did sail
And cannons so loudly did roar.
And Andrew Bergine beat Captain Charles Stuart
And he sent him back to England’s shore,
And he sent him back to England’s shore.

“Go back, go back,” said Andrew Bergine,
“And tell old King Henry for me
That he may be king of all England,
But I will reign over the sea,
But I will reign over the sea.”

Martin Carthy sings The Lofty Tall Ship

As we were gone sailing five cold frosty nights,
Five cold frosty nights and four days,
Before we did spy there a lofty tall ship,
She come bearing down on us, brave boys.

“Oh where are you going, you lofty tall ship?
What makes you to venture so nigh?
For I have turned robbing all on the salt sea
To maintain my two brothers and I.”

“Then heave on your courses and let go your main sheets
And bring yourself under my lee.
And I will take from you your rich merchant’s goods, merchant’s goods,
And I’ll point your bow guns to the sea.”

“No, not heave up my courses nor let go my main sheets
Nor let her come under your lee.
Nor you will take from me my rich merchant’s goods, merchant’s goods,
Nor you’ll point my bow guns to the sea.”

Now broadside and broadside these vessels they went,
They were fighting four hours or more.
Till Henry Martin gave to her a broadside
And she sank and she never rose more.

Sad news, Henry Martin, sad news I’ve to tell,
Sad news it is going around.
Of a lofty tall ship and she’s cast away
And the whole of her merry men drowned.

Acknowledgements

Transcriptions from Sam Larner by Garry Gillard; transcription from Martin Carthy by Roberto Campo