Patrick Spenser- Bell (TN) 1934 Niles
[From The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles; 1937. The odds that this ballad is authentic are slim, at best. The difficultly is figuring out Niles-- who did collect ballads and did admit (Wilgus) recreating them. Niles created elaborate stories and adventures associated with ballads he obviously recreated. Malcolm Douglas once said that he thought the Niles collection would be somewhat vindicated someday- I can't see how. Niles of course knew that Kirkland collected a version in Tennessee.
The burbled in the second line could be a reference to the Harris MS. Niles had the Child books I'm sure.
R. Matteson 2014]
Patrick Spenser- Christopher Bell (TN) 1934 Niles
1. Oh the King stood with his fighting men,
The King sat with his court.
A sailor man he sore did need,
And one of good report, report,
And one of good report.
2. Then went the King to Dunfertown
To burble the wine so red,
"Are all my sailing captains gone?
Mayhap they all be dead."
(repeat last 2 lines of each verse)
3. "The season's off," an old knight said,
"'Tis winter," cried a youth.
"Your cargo and your ship will drown
In the Northern Sea, forsooth."
4. Oh, strong was Patrick Spenser's arm
And sharp his seaman's eye,
And sharper still the sense of him
To ken a sullen sea.
5. The King spoke to his footy page,
"Ye must not stop nor stay
Until Pat Spenser well doth know
The royal will today."
6. "What man hath done me all this ill,
What man hath done me sore,
To send me forth agin the sea
When I should not sail more?
7. "Oh, hasten ships and sailor men,
Oh, hasten sandlers[1], too,
Oh, hasten down the endless sea
The King's wild will to do.
8. "For two days past I saw the sun
And yester eve'ing the moon,
Tonight I saw a blood-red star
And know my end is soon."
9. When Patrick Spenser sailed away,
A laugh did light his eye.
When Patrick Spenser came to rest,
Hit was his time to die.
Oh, some sit in the chimney book[2],
And some walk on the strand,
And some do watch the whole day out
For Spenser's ship to land.
But Patrick Spenser's long since home
Where sailors all must haven.
The Scottish lords and all their crew
Are in the sailors' heaven.
Oh, at his feet the Scottish lords
Lay mid the ocean's wailing,
And at his head, in letters red,
The orders for his sailing.
1 Chandlers?
2. Nook.