Bold Pirates- Douglass (NY) 1841-1860 Thompson
[From: A Pioneer Songster (1841-1860): Texts from the Stevens-Douglass Manuscript; Page 25; 1956 Harold W. Thompson, which was reprinted Harold W. Thompson, Edith E. Cutting - 2009. This is the earliest known documented traditional version.
R. Matteson 2014]
7. The Bold Pirates
[Child, 285]
According to the Child version entitled "The 'George Aloe' and the 'Sweepstake,' " the story seems to be as follows: Two English merchant ships were bound for Safee (probably Safi, Morocco). Although the George Aloe anchored for a time, the Sweepstake proceeded but was attacked and defeated by the French. The George Aloe in turn overtook the French and defeated them, allowing no quarter. The Douglass ballad, after the first stanza, tells only the latter incident. The refrain in line 2 is quite different from the Child refrain, "With hey, with ho, for and a nony no," though line 4 is close to the English, "And along the course of Barbary." The names of the ships vary, appearing in Neeser (a similar version with one additional stanza) as Prince Rupert and Prince of Wales. Trident prints the tune to "High Barbaree," as this song is sometimes called. The fragment given in Brown corresponds quite closely to Douglass stanzas 1, 2, and 4, the ship names being the same and the refrain also.
The Bold Pirates
1 . Two lofty ships from England they came
Blow high blow low so sailed we
One was the prince of hither the other prince of wales
Cruising down on the coast of Barbary
2. Aloft aloft our jolly bosum cried
Blow high blow low so sailed we
Look A stern look A stern look a weather look a lee
Look down on the coast of barbary
3. I see nothing a stern I see nothing A lee
Blow high, &c
But I see A ship at windward and A lofty ship is she
Cruising, &c
4. Hio hio our jolly bosun cried
Blow high, &c
Are you A man of war or a privateer says he
Cruising, &c
5. I am no man of war no privateer says he
Blow high, &c
But I am A bold pirate seeking for my fee
Cruising, &c
6. Then broad side and broad side for A long time we lay
Blow high, &c
And the broad side we gave them we cut their mast away
Cruising, &c
7. Oh quarters oh quarters these pirats did say
Blow high, &c
But the quarters that we gave them we sunk them in the sea
Cruising, &c