The Death of Admiral Benbow

Come, all ye seamen bold, lend an ear, lend an ear,
Come, all ye seamen bold, lend an ear :
'Tis of our admiral's fame,
Brave Benbow called by name,
How he fought on the main you shall hear, you shall hear,
How he fought on the main you shall hear.

Brave Benbow he set sail for to fight, for to fight,
Brave Benbow he set sail for to fight ;
Brave Benbow he set sail
With a sweet and pleasant gale ;
But his captains they turned tail in a fright, in a fright,
But his captains, etc.

Says Kirby unto Wade, ' I will run, I will run,'
Says Kirby unto Wade, ' I will run.
I value not disgrace,
Nor the losing of my place ;
For my enemies I'll not face with a gun, with a gun,
For my enemies? etc.

Twas the Ruby and Noah's Ark fought the French, fought the
French,
Twas the Ruby and Noah's Ark fought the French ;
For there was ten in all,
Poor souls, they fought them all;
They valued them not at all, would not flinch, would not flinch,
They valued them, etc.

Hard fortune that it was, by chain shot, by chain shot,
Hard fortune that it was, by chain shot,
Our admiral lost his leg,
And of his men did beg,
'Fight on, my British boys ; 'tis my lot, 'tis my lot;
Fight on] etc.

While the surgeon dressed his wounds thus he said, thus he said,
While the surgeon dressed his wounds thus he said :
'Let my cradle now in haste
On the quarter-deck be placed,
That mine enemies I may face till I'm dead, till I'm dead,
That mine enemies] etc.

And there bold Benbow lay, crying, ' Boys,' crying, ' Boys,'
And there bold Benbow lay, crying, ' Boys,'
'Let us tack about once more;
We'll drive them all on shore :
I value not a score, nor their noise, nor their noise,
I value not a score] etc.

[Unsupported thus he fought, nor would run, nor would run,
Unsupported thus he fought, nor would run
Till his ship was a mere wreck,
And no man would him back,
For the others would not slack to fire a gun, fire a gun,
For the others, etc.

For Jamaica then at last he set sail, he set sail,
For Jamaica then at last he set sail,
Where Wentworth he did try,
And those cowards that did fly
And from the French in fright turned tail, turned tail,
And from the French, etc.

And those found most to blame, they were shot, they were shot,
And those found most to blame, they were shot;
Brave Benbow then at last,
For grief of what was past,
In a fever died at last, by hard lot, by hard lot,
In a fever, etc.]