Songs of the Sea
by GreenMatthews
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Full Digital Discography
Get all 13 GreenMatthews releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.
Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Songs of the Sea, Festive Favourites, The Wind in the Willows, Virtual Wassail, Midwinter Revels, Roots&Branches, Come Again! Sweet Love Doth Now Invite (live), A Christmas Carol: A Folk Opera, and 5 more.
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1. |
All For Me Grog
04:14
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All for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Cos I spent all me tin with a lassis drinking gin
And it's 'cross the western ocean I must wander
Where are me boots, me noggin’, noggin’ boots
They're all gone for beer and tobacco
For the soles are all worn worn and the uppers are all torn
And the heels are looking out for better weather
All for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Cos I spent all me tin with a lassis drinking gin
And it's 'cross the western ocean I must wander
Where is me shirt, me noggin’, noggin’ shirt
All gone for beer and tobacco
Cos the cuffs are all worn and the collar is all torn
And the tail is looking out for better weather
All for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Cos I spent all me tin with a lassis drinking gin
And it's 'cross the western ocean I must wander
I’m sick in the head, I haven’t been to bed
Since I first came ashore with me plunder
Cos I spent all me dough on the lasses, don't you know
So it's 'cross the Western ocean I must wander.
All for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Cos I spent all me tin with a lassis drinking gin
And it's 'cross the western ocean I must wander
All for me grog, me jolly jolly grog
All for me beer and tobacco
Cos I spent all me tin with a lassis drinking gin
And it's 'cross the western ocean I must wander
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2. |
Ward the Pirate
02:35
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Come all you gallant sailors bold,
All you that march to drum,
Let's go and look for Captain Ward,
Far on the sea he roams.
He is the boldest robber
That ever you did hear,
There's not been such a robber found
Above this hundred year.
A ship was sailing from the east
And going to the west,
Loaded with silks and satins
And velvets of the best;
But meeting there with Captain Ward,
It was a bad meeting;
He robbéd them of all their wealth,
And bid them tell their king.
O then King James provided a ship of noble fame,
She's call'd the Royal Rainbow
Perhaps you've heard the name;
She was as well provided for
As any ship can be,
Full thirteen hundred men on board
And all her company.
'Twas at eight in the morning
When they began to fight,
And so they did continue there
Till nine o'clock at night;
Fight on, fight on, says Captain Ward
This sport well pleases me,
For if you fight this month or more,
Your master I will be.
O then the Royal Rainbow, she fired
And fired in vain.
Till six and thirty of her men
All on the deck were slain;
Go home, go home, says Captain Ward
And tell your king from me,
That though he be the king on land
Ward is the king on the sea.
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3. |
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4. |
Lily of Barbary
05:09
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Just a cabin boy on a Whitby trader,
Mediterranean Sea, bound for Malta’s strand
The 15th day of June 1680,
The day my second life began.
We were caught and boarded by a Moorish galley,
The battle short, the outcome clear
My shipmates died in pain, only I was spared
And sold in a market in Algiers
But luck was with me, I found a kindly master
Learned to serve him - learnt to serve him well
And with my new name, clothes and language,
Thought little of my homeland, truth to tell
And when my master died his testament did free me,
With a gift of gold besides
So I became a merchant, a man of consequence,
With everything a rich man’s life provides
They say the fates of men are written on the wind
No-one knows where they may blow
I was taken in chains by a Barbary corsair
it was in Barbary I found my Lily fair.
Then one day in the slavers market, wide-eyed and trembling,
There among the goods on show
A frightened Cornish girl, snatched from hearth and home,
And pity in my heart did overflow
So I sent for gold and I bought her freedom,
Gave her shelter in my home
And in a few short weeks, love between us grew,
From each others side we swore we'd never roam
They say the fates of men are written on the wind
No-one knows where they may blow
I was taken in chains by a Barbary corsair
it was in Barbary I found my Lily fair.
But she missed her home and she missed her family,
Missed the wooded hills of England's shore
So I knew I must leave my home of twenty years,
I couldn't live without her anymore
So before the wind, bound for northern waters,
Watching Barbary's coast subside
And though no man may know what the future holds,
I'll sail with Lily by my side
They say the fates of men are written on the wind
No-one knows where they may blow
I was taken in chains by a Barbary corsair
it was in Barbary I found my Lily fair.
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5. |
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One for the Morning Glory
Two for the early dew
Three for a man that'll stand his round
and four for the love of you, my girl
Four for the love of you
I like a little drink at the end of the day
To lift up my heart and sing
Take a pint or two of a fine brown brew
And I'm ready for anything
At the Cross Keys Inn there were four maids
The landlord's daughters fair
And when all was quiet on a Friday night
I'd tiptoe up the stair, singing
One for the Morning Glory
Two for the early dew
Three for a man that'll stand his round
and four for the love of you, my girl
Four for the love of you
I got the call for to sail away
and fight with the foreign foe
So I thought no more of the sisters four
But still was sad to go
I signed on board a ship
The Morning Glory was her name
And we all fell down when the rum came round
But we just got up again, singing
One for the Morning Glory
Two for the early dew
Three for a man that'll stand his round
and four for the love of you, my girl
Four for the love of you
We sighted Boney's ships
When we were not too far from land
And they limbered out their larboard guns
And they let fly out of hand
The captain ordered rum
Which pleased us jack tars very well
And we limbered out our starboard guns
And we blew them all to hell, singing
One for the Morning Glory
Two for the early dew
Three for a man that'll stand his round
and four for the love of you, my girl
Four for the love of you
We took the ship, we took the crew
We took prize money as well
With my pockets jingling silver
I bade the Glory farewell
A rich man now, I went back home
And bought a little farm
And on Friday night when all was quiet
Those four maids took no harm, singing
One for the Morning Glory
Two for the early dew
Three for a man that'll stand his round
and four for the love of you, my girl
Four for the love of you
One for the Morning Glory
Two for the early dew
Three for a man that'll stand his round
and four for the love of you, my girl
Four for the love of you
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6. |
The Mermaid
05:14
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It was Friday morn when we set sail
And we were not far from land,
When our captain espied a mermaid so fair,
With a comb and a glass in her hand, her hand, her hand,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
Then up spoke the captain of our gallant ship,
And a fine old man was he,
O this pretty mermaid has warned us of our doom
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea, the sea, the sea
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
Then spoke the mate of our gallant ship,
And a fine young man was he,
O I have a wife in Portsmouth by the sea
And tonight she a widow will be, will be, will be,
And tonight she a widow will be.
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
And then up spoke the cabin boy,
And a bonny young lad was he;
O I have a sweetheart in fair Plymouth town,
And tonight she'll be weeping for me, for me, for me,
And tonight she'll be weeping for me
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
Then up spoke the cook of our gallant ship
And a bloody old butcher was he
O I care much more for my pots and my pans
Than I do for the bottom of the sea, the sea, the sea
Than I do for the bottom of the sea
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
Then three times round spun our gallant ship.
And three times round spun she;
And three times more spun our gallant ship,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea, the sea, the sea,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea.
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
And the raging seas did roar,
And the stormy winds did blow,
And we jolly sailor lads were up, were up aloft,
And the land lubbers lying down below, below, below
And the land lubbers lying down below
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7. |
Captain Kidd
04:12
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'Twas evil that I did, and all the angels hid
And my name was Captain Kidd, as I sailed, as I sailed
'Twas evil that I did, as I sailed, as I sailed
'Twas evil that I did, as I sailed
'Twas evil that I did, and all the angels hid
And my name was Captain Kidd, as I sailed, as I sailed
And I murdered William Moore, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I murdered William Moore, as I sailed.
I murdered William Moore and left him in his gore,
So many leagues from shore, as I sailed, as I sailed
And being cruel still, as I sailed, as I sailed,
And being cruel still, as I sailed.
And being cruel still, my gunner I did kill
And his precious blood did spill, as I sailed, as I sailed
I spied three ships from Spain, as I sailed, as I sailed,
I spied three ships from Spain, as I sailed.
I spied three ships from Spain and I fired on them a-main,
And the most of them were slain, as I sailed, as I sailed
I was sick and nigh to death, as I sailed, as I sailed
I was sick and nigh to death, as I sailed
I was sick and nigh to death and vowed with every breath
To walk in wisdom's ways, as I sailed, as I sailed
My repentance lasted not, as I sailed, as I sailed
My repentance lasted not, as I sailed
My repentance lasted not, my vows I soon forgot
So damnation was my lot, as I sailed, as I sailed
So a warning take from me, for I must die, I must die,
Take a warning now from me, for I must die.
Take a warning now from me, and shun bad company,
Lest you go to hell like me, for I must die, I must die,
'Twas evil that I did, and all the angels hid
And my name was Captain Kidd, as I sailed, as I sailed
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8. |
Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
04:20
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Here’s adieu sweet lovely Nancy, a hundred times adieu,
I’m going across the ocean, love, to seek for something new.
Come change your ring with me dear girl, come change your ring with me,
That it might be a token of true love while I am on the sea.
When I am far across the sea you’ll know not where I am,
Kind letters I shall write to you from every foreign land.
The secrets of your heart dear girl are best of my good will,
So let my body be where it might my heart will be with you still.
There’s a heavy storm a-rising, see how it gathers round,
While we poor souls on the ocean are fighting for the Crown.
Our officers commanding us and them we must obey,
Expecting every moment for to get cast away.
There's tinkers, tailors, shoemakers are snoring fast asleep,
While we poor souls on the ocean are ploughing through the deep.
There's no-one to protect us love or keep us from the cold.
On the ocean wide where we must bide like jolly sailors bold.
And when the wars are over there’s peace on every shore,
We’ll return to our wives and families and girls that we adore.
We drink the liquor merrily, we'll spend our money free,
And when the money it is all gone we will boldly go to sea.
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9. |
South Australia
04:17
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In South Australia I was born,
Heave away, Haul away!
In South Australia, round Cape Horn,
Bound for South Australia
Haul away, you rollin' kings!
Heave away, Haul away!
Haul away, you'll hear me sing!
Bound for South Australia
As I went out one morning fair,
Heave away, Haul away!
'twas there I met Miss Nancy Blair,
Bound for South Australia!
Haul away, you rollin' kings!
Heave away, Haul away!
Haul away, you'll hear me sing!
Bound for South Australia
I shook her up, I shook her down,
Heave away, Haul away!
I shook her all around the town!
Bound for South Australia
Haul away, you rollin' kings!
Heave away, Haul away!
Haul away, you'll hear me sing!
Bound for South Australia
There's just one thing that grieves my mind
Heave away, Haul away!
It's leaving Nancy Blair behind
Bound for South Australia
And as we wallop around Cape Horn,
Heave away, Haul away!
You wish to Christ you never were born!
Bound for South Australia!
Haul away, you rollin' kings!
Heave away, Haul away!
Haul away, you'll hear me sing!
Bound for South Australia
In South Australia I was born,
Heave away, Haul away!
In South Australia, round Cape Horn,
Bound for South Australia
Haul away, you rollin' kings!
Heave away, Haul away!
Haul away, you'll hear me sing!
Bound for South Australia
Haul away, you rollin' kings!
Heave away, Haul away!
Haul away, you'll hear me sing!
Bound for South Australia
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about
In 2022, English Heritage asked us to put together some music for their new Pirates! event. We had such fun researching and performing the songs that we decided to make an album. We hope you enjoy listening to it as much as we enjoyed recording it!
credits
released July 31, 2023
Chris Green: voice, mandocello, guitar, harpsichord, piano accordion, bass guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, piano, baroque guitar, mandolin
Sophie Matthews: voice, English border bagpipes, shawms, recorders, baroque oboe
Recorded, mixed and mastered at the Garret, Coventry January-July 2023 by Chris Green
Chris Green: voice, mandocello, guitar, harpsichord, piano accordion, bass guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, piano, baroque guitar, mandolin
Sophie Matthews: voice, English border bagpipes, shawms, recorders, baroque oboe
Recorded, mixed and mastered at the Garret, Coventry January-July 2023 by Chris Green
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
GreenMatthews Coventry, UK
Chris Green and Sophie Matthews play English traditional songs and tunes in a thoroughly 21st-century kick-ass style. Using a blend of ancient instruments such as cittern, English bagpipes and shawm as well as modern folk instruments such as guitar, flute and piano accordion, they breathe new life into material from hundreds of years ago, making it fresh and relevant for a modern audience. ... more
discography
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Jul 2023 -
Dec 2022 -
Jun 2021 -
Dec 2020
contact / help
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