Spanish Ladies (AKA Farewell and Adieu to You)

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I picked up a copy of Shanties from the Seven Seas collected by Stan Hugill for 50p last week.It's a smashing book, and prompted my to take a stab at this well known shanty. I was also enthused to pick up my old Cadbury's tin guitar after re-posting my Merle Haggard vid.I'm plugged into my little amp and have added a little reverb. Unfortunately I didn't see fit to move the amp from behind me to a position closer to the camera, therefore most of the sound is disappearing up my ample ass!Lyrics (I got a few wrong...Should have worn my spectacles!)Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies,Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain.For we have received orders for to sail to old England.But we hope in a short time to see you again.ChorusWe'll rant and we'll roar, like true British sailors,We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas.'Till we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,From Ushant to Scilly 'tis thirty-five leagues.We hove our ship to, with the wind at sou'west, boys,We hove our ship to, for to take soundings clear.In fifty-five fathoms with a fine sandy bottom,We filled up our maintops'l, up channel did steer.The first land we made was a point called the Deadman,Next Ramshead off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight.We sailed then by Beachie, by Fairlee and Dover,Then bore straight away for the South Foreland Light.Now the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,We clewed up our top'ls, struck out tacks and sheets.We stood by our stoppers, we brailed in our spankers,And anchored ahead of the noblest of fleets.Let every man here drink up his full bumper,Let every man here drink up his full bowl.And let us be jolly and drown melancholy,Drink a health to each jovial an' true-hearted souls.

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  • Thank you, Antony.

  • Super.
  • I'm more used to playing this on the tuba with my brass band, as it features alongside a host of other sea-going anthems in Fantasia on British Sea Songs as arranged by Sir Henry Wood. When I played it, I would always think of Quint. 

  • Thanks Turtle and Maddog. "Here's to swimmin' with bowlegged women!"

  • Well done VH! Got a lil' Pirate growl in your voice too......I like it!

    Ha, like TH my first intro to this song was "Quint" many many moons ago  :-)

  • Thanks man! I live near Romney, WV, home of the WV school for deaf and blind and I was picturing a blind sailor having to read with fingertips to know what lines to pull! Not gonna tell you what I thiought spanker meant!

  • Thanks Derek, Jim and John.

    Jim I might be able to help with the phrase. 

    The Brail is one of several small ropes attached to the leech of a sail for drawing the sail in or up, and Brailed means to gather in the sail via those ropes.

    The Spanker (sometimes called a dolphin spanker) is a gaff rigged fore-and-aft sail set from and aft of the aftmost mast.

    Put 'em together and what've you got?

  • Nice flag!   Just what Mr. Morris said.  

    Loved it.  Another ration of rum and another song please, sir.

  • The cadbury sounds sweet and the singing is appropriately gruff for a sailor or pirate breathing the salt air. Now I have to look up what brailed in our spankers means! Well done.

  • Good stuff!

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