Naval Songs & Ballads

Hearts of Oak

Come cheer up, my lads, ‘tis to glory we steer,
To add something more to this wonderful year:
To honour we call you, not press you like slaves,
For who are so free as we sons of the waves?

Chorus
Hearts of oak are our ships,
Hearts of oak are our men,[Jolly tars are our men]
We always are ready,
Steady, boys, steady,
We’ll fight and we’ll conquer again and again.

We ne’er see our foes but we wish them to stay;
The never see us but they wish us away:
If they run, why we follow, and run them on shore,
For if they won’t fight us, we cannot do more.

Chorus

They swear they’ll invade us, these terrible foes,
They’ll frighten our women, and children, and beaux;
But should their flat-bottoms in darkness get o’er,
Still Britons they’ll find to receive them on shore.

Chorus

We’ll still make them feel an we’ll still make them flee,
and drub them at shore as we drub them at sea.
Then cheer up, my lads, with one voice let us sing,
Our soldiers, our sailors, our statesmen, and King.

Chorus

Quelle: Variation nach Garrick, David/Boyce, William, in: Publications of the Navy Records Society, Vol. XXXIII., Naval Songs and Ballads, S. 220.

Spanish Ladies

Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies,
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain;
For we’ve received orders for to sail for old England,
But we hope in a short time to see you again.

Chorus:
We will rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors,
We’ll rant and we’ll roar all on the salt sea.
Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England;
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.

We hove our ship to, with the wind from sou’west, boys,
We hove our ship to, for to strike soundings clear;
Twas forty-five fathoms, with a white sandy bottom,
[So] we squared our main yard and up channel did did steer.

Chorus

The first land we sighted it is called the Deadman,
Next Rame Head, off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight;
We sailed on by Beachy, by Fairly and Dungeness,
And then we hove up our ship for the South Foreland light.

Chorus

Then the signal was given for the grand fleet to anchor,
And all in the Downs that night for to lie;
Let go your shank painter, let go your cat stopper,
Hawl up your clew garnets, let tacks and sheets fly!

Chorus

Now let ev’ry man drink off his full bumper,
And let ev’ry man drink off his full glass;
We’ll sing and be jolly and drown melancholy,
And here’s to the health of each true-hearted lass.

Chorus

Quelle: Variation nach Marryat, Frederick: Poor Jack, London 1840, S. 116f.

Rule, Britannia!

1    When Britain first at Heaven’s command
Arose from out the azure main;
Arose, arose from out the azure main;
This was the charter, the charter of the land,
And guardian angels sang this strain;

Chorus:
Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves
Britons never never will be slaves.

2    The nations not so blest as thee,
Shall in their turns to tyrants fall;
While thou shalt flourish great and free,
The dread and envy of them all.

Chorus

3    Still more majestic shalt thou rise,
More dreadful from each foreign stroke;
More dreadful, dreadful from each foreign stroke;
As the loud blast, the blast that tears the skies,
Serves but to root thy native oak.

Chorus

4    Thee haughty tyrants ne’er shall tame,
All their attempts to bend thee down
Will but arouse thy generous flame;
But work their woe, and thy renown.

Chorus

5    To thee belongs the rural reign;
Thy cities shall with commerce shine;
All thine shall be the subject main,
And every shore it circles thine.

Chorus

6    The Muses, still with freedom found,
Shall to thy happy coast repair;
Shall to thy happy, happy coast repair;
Blest Isle! With matchless beauty crowned,
And manly hearts to guide the fair.

Chorus

Anmerkung: Gesungen wird heutzutage meist nur die 1., die 3. und die 6. Strophe.

Quelle: Variation nach Thomson, James/Arne, Thomas: The Works of James Thomson, Vol. II., London 1763, S. 191.

Don’t forget your old shipmate

Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.
Safe and sound at home again, let the waters roar, Jack.

Chorus
Long we’ve tossed on the rolling main, now we’re safe ashore, Jack.
Don’t forget yer [your] old shipmate, faldee raldee raldee raldee rye-eye-doe!

Since we sailed from Plymouth Sound,
Four years gone, to-night, Jack,
Was there ever chummies known,
Such as you and I, Jack?

Chorus

We have worked the self-same gun,
Quarter-deck division,
Sponger I, and loader you,
Through the whole commission.

Chorus

Oftentimes have we laid out,
Toil nor danger fearing,
Hauling out the flapping sail
To the weather ear-ring.

Chorus

When the middle watch was on,
And the time went slow, boy,
Who could choose a rousing stave,
Who like Jack or Joe, boy?

Chorus

There she swings an empty hulk,
Not a soul below now;
Number seven, starbord mess,
Misses Jack and Joe now.

Chorus

But the best friends must part,
Fair or foul the weather;
Tip us your flipper for a shake,
Now a drink togehter;

Chorus

Quelle: Traditionelle Variation, in: Publications of the Navy Records Society, Vol. XXXIII., Naval Songs and Ballads, S. 337f.