Spanish Ladies

[Redbeard]

Avast there shipmates,

Be there any of ye swabs out there what as knows all of the words to "Farewell and adiu to you fair Spanish Ladies". Cos Oi knows the tune and the first line, and it's been running around in me'ead for days, an it's driving me nuts as Oi dont know the rest of the words.

Arrgh!

[Trapper]

And here ye' be, lad.

Fair singin' to ye,

Trapper

SPANISH LADIES

Farewell and adieu, you gay Spanish ladies,

Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain;

For we've received orders to sail to old England,

But we hope in a short time to see you again.

cho: 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 old England:

From Ushant to Scilly 'tis thirty-five leagues.

Then we hove our ship to, with the wind at sou'-west, my boys,

Then we hove our ship to, our soundings for to see;

Then we rounded and sounded and struck forty-five fathoms,

We squared our mainyard and up Channel steered we.

So the first land we made it is called the Dodman,

Next Ram Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight;

We sailed hy Beachy, by Fairly and Dungeness,

And hove our ship to at the South Foreland light.

Now the signal it was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,

All on the Downs that night for to meet;

Then stand by your stoppers, let go your shank-painters,

Haul all your clew garnets, stick out tacks and sheets.

Now let every man toss off a full bumper,

And let every man toss off a full bowl;

For we will be jolly and drown melancholy,

Saying, here's a good health to all stout-hearted souls.

--from the singing of Robert Kotta / Howling Gael

[Fox]

some alternative bits:

We hove our ship to with the wind from sou'West boys

We hove our ship to, deep soundings to take

'Twas forty-five fathoms with a white sandy bottom

so we squared our main yard and up channel did make

and the bit of land off Plymouth is Rame Head, not Ram.

An interesting point about the song:

Almost every version I have ever seen or heard of this song has the wind from or at South West, however, as Peter Duck explains in the novel of that name by Arthur Ransome the sailor who wrote the song must have been sailing against the wind up the channel otherwise he would have followed the wind straight up the channel and not kept putting in towards land, therefore the wind was TO south west, not from it.

Now, here's the question: Does anyone have any evidence for this song being any older than late 18th century?

[Redbeard]

Yarr!

Thank'ee kindly shipmates,

Now me and me scurvy crew will be able to make a truly horrible din when we sings the roight words instead of just humming along to the tune. Thank'ee again.

[Coastie04]

Right words? In a sea shanty??? Please! I've heard at least four different versions of Spanish Ladies that are 'traditional'. I can think of a version for 'Yankee Whalermen' and one for 'Canadian Fishermen'. I would highly doubt that there is no version for the Australian trade, and I've heard a more modern version about pirates. Just as long as the words fit, it's right.

Coastie

[Trapper]

Aye, I agree. And yes, there is an Australian version. The chorus starts,

"We'll rant and we'll roar, like true Queensland drovers".

As far as age, the Oxford Collection dates mention of "Spanish Ladies" to 1796.

I always liked Bob Kotta's version of it (which is the one I quoted), because it flowed well and was easy for people to sing along with.

Fair winds and full tankards,

Trapper

[Hawkyns]

Here's another version of Spanish Ladies. This is a version by John Tams, the English folksinger, and was written for the TV series "Sharpe". Tams played Rifleman Hagman in the Napoleonic War series, and wrote a lot of the music for the show. The CD, "The Music of Sharpe" is available from Amazon UK. A pretty song, but not to be listend to after too much rum. A bit more of the reality than the normal sailors rant.

Hawkyns

Spanish Bride

O'er the hills and o'er the main

Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain

King George commands and we obey

Over the hills and far away

And we sailed out of England bound for Lisbon harbour

With bayonets a-gleaming and pride to the fore

We'd little to hope but we tried hard to cherish

The thoughts of our loved ones on England's fair shore

And soon we were transported through hell and its fury

Through smoke and through fire, through shot and through flame

And at Telavera we stole Boney's Eagle

And in that short time we were heroes of Spain

And I met with a maiden hair black as the raven

Her eyes they did glister like two diamonds bright

We spoke not a word at our very first meeting

And I lay in her arms all that long Spanish night

And we travelled together o'er mountain and valley

And she by my side through many's the fight

She tended my suffering and she salved me of pity

And bore me a daughter for my heart's delight

And we marched into Lisbon proud Wellington's army

The war being over it's homeward we're bound

And all on the quayside - the weeping and wailing

Four thousand women left on that cold ground

Farewell and adieu to you Spanish lady

Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain

For we're under orders to sail home to England

But I know in some time we'll return once again

And if ever I'm returning it's with gold in great plenty

And if I return it's with gold in great store

I'll search far and wide for my Spanish lady

Who brought me such peace in the midst of such war

Farewell and adieu to you Spanish lady

Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain

For we're under orders to sail home to England

But I know in some time we'll return once again

Once again

Once again

Once again

O'er the hills and o'er the main

Through Flanders, Portugal and Spain

King George commands and we obey

Over the hills and far away

[TalesOfTheSevenSeas]

Anyone know where to find a printable on-line version of this song's sheet music?

[TalesOfTheSevenSeas]

Ah-ha!! Found it I did!! Here is the melody line for any o' ye that would like it....

SPANISH LADIES

[JoshuaRed]

There have been many many versions of this song over the years...all of them wonderful. This is one of the most sweetly haunting melodies I've ever heard. It's just one of those "I have to stop what I'm doing and listen to this and sing along" tunes! :)

[Bloody_Mary_Bonney]

all i know is that singing that to a great white shark will get you aten sorry though i have not the words.