"5
A Song About a Man-of-War
This sailor's song was copied into a notebook in 1768 by William
Lenoir, then a lad of seventeen, later a general in the Revolutionary
War and president of the board of the University of North Carolina
when it was founded in 1799 — a distinguished figure in NorUi Caro-
lina history. One of the counties of the state is named after him.
The song was sent in by Mrs. Sutton. Mr. Clyde L. Lenoir, the
General's descendant, wrote to her concerning it: "I carne across a
few lines of something in an old book of General Lenoir's. I will
copy them and send them to you. . . . General Lenoir seems to
have enjoyed writing for the pure joy of seeing how well it looked
on the page, for this old book is full of quotations and beautiful
letters and figures." The ballad is evidently of English origin,
most likely from a broadside or stall print, but the editor has not
found it recorded elsewhere. Some places in it are not easily con-
struable, and what "Bandogughn" and "marrender" in stanza 4
and "shost" in stanza 5 mean the editor has not been able to guess,
but it seems best to give it as it stands in the manuscript — except
for the line division and the pointing, which are editorial.
1 Once I courted a pretty girl,
A-thinking for to gain her.
She told me that she would prove true
When I was spending all my store,
And all I got I carried to her
Till I could get no more.
2 I went to her to get one kiss.
She didn't it to me deny.
She said, 'How can you think of this,
When you're going so far from here?
Be ruled by me, and, if you think fit.
Git on board the man of war.'
OLDER BALLADS — MOSTLY BRITISH 349
As I walked along the street
A captain I chanced to meet.
'Good morrow, countryman,' said he,
'I see you are in trouble here.
Be ruled by me and, if you think fit,
Git on board a man of war.'
As we walked along the street
He seemed very kind.
He said, 'Young man, you are in love.
But I'll have you not to mind.
We will away to the Bandogughn ;
There's a sign of a marrender.
Those cups of lips shall make you skip
Upon a man of war.'
The very first day I went on board
The man was to my sorrow ;
I could not sleep or rest that night
For thinking of tomorrow.
They tied my poor tender hands
With those damnation hickory bands ;
The shost me while I could not stand
On board of a man of war.
The captain ordered us all out
All on the deck to stand.
The bosun ordered us all out
For to answer our demand,
And by the hair they lug me out
On board of a man of war.
The diet they gave me to eat
It did not me well please ;
They fed me on their moldy bread.
Likewise their rotten cheese.
They made me drink their burgun ;
I swore it stunk like rue,
Which made me curse the whole ship's crew
On board of a man of war.
I throwed myself out in the deep ;
I swam unto the land ;
I traveled up to London town,
If you may understand.
And now I've set my foot on shore
There's never a damned
Who
On board of a man of war.