Henry Martin- Williams (WV) 1975 Gainer
[From: Gainer, Folk Songs from the West Virginia Hills pp. 82-83. His notes follow.
Patrick W. Gainer has proven to be an unreliable source- creating informants and ballad texts. Whether this is legitimate is unknown. The fact that the name, Henry Martin, is rarely found (usually it's based on Andrew Barton) in the US and the ballad has only been found once in that region-- plus the wording is not traditional, lead me to believe that this too is a ballad recreation.
R. Matteson 2016]
HENRY MARTIN
(CHILD 250, "HENRY MARTYN")
This ballad is rare in West Virginia tradition. Cox has one version, found in 1916.
Henry Martin- Sung by L. P. Williams, Ritchie County.
1 There dwelt in old Scotland brothers three,
James, Robert and Henery,
And they drew straws to see which should go
A robbing on the salt, salt sea.
2 The short straw fell to Henery,
The youngest of the brothers three,
That he should go in the ship on the sea
To rob for all his brothers and he.
3 Henery sailed out from the shore,
All one night upon the sea,
When he met a great and mighty ship
A-sailing there across the sea.
4 Henery Martin drew close by her.
"I beg you now to let us go."
"No, no, by God, that will I not,
No, that I will never do."
5 Henery Martin said all to them,
"And you cannot sail by me,
For I have gone in a ship on the sea
To rob for all my brothers and me."
6 Broadsides on each other they gave,
They fought for all of hours three,
Until Henery Martin got a dead wound,
And sank down in the deep, deep sea.