Lily of Barbary
from Songs of the Sea by GreenMatthews
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about
A song from Pete Scrowther about a young man kidnapped by Barbary corsairs, who finds love far from home
lyrics
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.
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.
credits
from Songs of the Sea,
released July 31, 2023
Chris Green: voice, mandocello, guitar, bass guitar, baroque guitar
Sophie Matthews: baroque oboe, tenor recorder
Chris Green: voice, mandocello, guitar, bass guitar, baroque guitar
Sophie Matthews: baroque oboe, tenor recorder
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
shows
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Jun 19Hoddesdon, UK
discography
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Jul 2023 -
Dec 2022 -
Jun 2021 -
Dec 2020
contact / help
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