SPANISH LADIES  
British navy homeward bound song
sung at the capstan  

Lyrics courtesy of www.sailorsongs.com

Fare well and a–dieu to you fair Spanish ladies   

Fare well and a-dieu to you ladies of Spain

For we’ve received orders to sail to old England  

And hope very shortly to see you a-gain

CHORUS
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors   

We’ll rant and we’ll rave across the salt seas

Till we strike soundings in the channel of old England  

From here to home is so many leagues

We hove our ship to with the wind at the sou’west boys  

We hove our ship to for to take soundings clear

In fifty-five fathoms with a fine sandy bottom  

We filled maintops’le up channel did steer…..CHORUS

The first land we made was a point called the deadman   

Next Ramshead off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight

We sailed then by Beachie by Fairlee and Dover   

Then bore straight away for South Foreland Light….CHORUS

Now the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor  

We clewed up our tops’ls stuck out tacks and sheets

We stood by our stoppers, we brailed in our spankers  

And anchored ahead of the noblest of fleets……CHORUS

Let every man here drink up his full bumper  

Let every man here drink up his full bowl

And let us be jolly and drown melancholy   

Drink a health to each jovial and true hearted soul……CHORUS

Lyrics courtesy of www.sailorsongs.com