Captain Ward

Описание: The ballad Captain Ward sung by Gavin Atkin - I learned it from the singing of Roy Harris.

For more from Gavin and from Julie Atkin, see http://julieandhersqueeze.com

The images are from the Wikimedia Commons:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil...
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fil...

There's a page on the Wikipedia that explains the story of Captain Ward of Faversham.

[lyrics as I sing them in early 2015 - I've learned the captain was named Rainborrow, not the ship named Rainbow]

Come all you bold seafaring men
And listen to me song
I'll tell you about a rover
And will not detain you long
This rover's name is Captain Ward
As quickly you shall hear
There hasn't been such a rover
Abroad for many a year

On the 14th day of January
A ship came from the west
With silks and satins loaded
A cargo of the best
Until she met with Captain Ward
Upon the watery main
He took her wealth and cargo
And sent her back again

He wrote a letter to our queen
On the 14th of July
To know of her if he might come
With all his company
To know of her if he might come
Old England for to view
And for his part he would lay down
Five hundred pounds in gold

The Queen has had a ship built
A ship of noble fame
Her captain was named Rainborrow
You may have heard the name
Her captain was named Rainborrow
And she went upon the sea
With full five hundred seamen
To be her company

She sailed to the place where
Captain Ward did lay
'Who is the admiral of this ship?'
Rainborrow he did say
'I'm here, I'm here,' says Captain Ward
'My name I'll not deny
'If you are one of the Queen's ships
'You are welcome to pass by'

'Oh no oh no you saucy Ward
'It grieves our Queen full sore
'That our merchant ships can't pass
'As they have done before'
'Well fight me then said saucy Ward
'I value you not a pin
'For if you have brass for your armature
'Well I have steel within'

Then Rainborrow he fired his guns
And he fired and fired in vain
'Til six and thirty of his men
Upon his decks lay slain
'Fight on fight on,' says Captain Ward
'Your style so pleases me
'I would fight you for a month or two
'For your master I must be'

At eight o'clock in the morning
This bloody fight began
And lasted till the evening
And the setting of the sun
'Go home, go home, says Captain Ward
'And tell your Queen from me
'She may be Queen over dry land
'I rule King over the sea.'