Captain Ward and the Rainbow
© 2007 by Golden Bough
Forest Moon Music, BMI, all rights reserved

Come all ye valiant seaman bold with courage beat your drum,
I’ll tell you of a rover that o’er the sea is come.
His name it is bold Captain Ward, so quickly you shall hear,
For such a rover there has not been nor seen for many a year.

On February the seventh day, a ship sailed from the west,
With silks and satins loaded and cargo of the best.
‘Til they met bold Captain Ward upon the watery main,
He took from her the wealth and store then sent her back again.

He wrote a letter to the queen on the 14^th of July,
To know of her if he might come with all his company.
To know of her if he might come, Old England to behold,
And for his pardon he would give 500 pounds in gold.

The queen she got a ship a-built, a ship of noble fame,
She was called the Rainbow, you may have heard her name.
She was called the Rainbow, and in the seas went she,
With full 500 seamen to bear her company.

When the Rainbow came unto the place where the water it did lay,
“Where is the admiral of your ship,” the captain he did say.
“I’m here, I’m here,” cried Captain Ward, “My name I’ll not deny,
But if you are one of the Queen’s ships, you’re welcome to pass by.”

“Oh no,” says gallant Rainbow, “it grieves our queen full sore,
That her rich merchant ships can’t pass as they have done before.”
“Come on, come on,” cried saucy Ward, “I value you not a pin,
But if you’ve got brass for an outward show, I’ve got steel within.”

Then that gallant Rainbow, she fired, she fired in vain,
‘Til 6 and 30 of her men all on her deck lay slain.
“Fight on, fight on,” says saucy Ward, “You’re style so pleases me,
I’ll fight you for a month or two for your master I must be.”

At 8 o’clock in the morning that bonny fight began,
It lasted ‘til the evening ‘til the setting of the sun.
“Go Home, go home,” cried Captain Ward, “and tell your queen for me,
If she was queen upon dry land, I rule king o’er the sea.”

Copyright © 1998 - 2007 by Golden Bough, Inc.