Spanish Ladies
Words & Music: Traditional
(Recorded by POLES APART on The
Song Goes On)
Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish
ladies,
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain,
For we've received orders for to sail for old England,
We hopes in a short while to see you again.
Chorus:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of England,
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
We hove our ship to, with the wind from SouthWest,
We heaved on the lead deep soundings to take,
T’was forty-five fathoms and a fine sandy bottom,
We squared our mainyard and up Channel did make.
Well, the first land we sighted, a point called the Dodman,
Next Rame Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and Wight.
We sailed then past Beachy, by Fairlee and Dungerness,
Then bore straight away for the South Foreland Light.
Now the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,
We hauled down topsails, stuck in tacks and sheets.
We furled up our spanker and let go our anchor.
Our ship in the van of that noblest of fleets.
Then let every man here fill up his own bumper,
Let every Jack Tar lift high his full bowl,
For we shall be jolly and drown melancholy,
Here’s a health to each jovial and true-hearted soul.
