Henry Martin
© 2007 by Golden Bough
Forest Moon Music, BMI, all rights reserved

There were three brothers in merry Scotland, in merry Scotland there were three, aye
And they did cast lots which of them should go, should go, should go, who should go, aye
For to turn pirate all on the salt sea, to turn pirate all on the salt sea.

 The lot it fell first on young Henry Martin, the younger of all of the three, aye
That he should turn pirate all on the salt sea, sea salty sea, salty sea, aye
For to maintain his two brothers and he, to maintain his two brothers and he.

He had not been sailing but a long winter's night and part of a short winter's day, aye,
When he espied a stout lofty ship, lofty ship, lofty ship, lofty ship, aye,
Come up a-bearing down on him straightway, come a-bearing down on him straightway.

"Hello, hello," cries Henry Martin, "Now what makes you sail so nigh? Aye"
"I'm a rich merchant ship bound for fair London Town,  London Town, London Town, London Town, aye,
And will you not please for to let me pass by, won’t  you please for to let me pass by."

 "Oh nay, oh nay," cries Henry Martin, "Now this thing it never can be, aye.
For I have turned pirate all on the salt sea, sea salty sea, salty sea, aye
For to maintain my two brothers and me, to maintain my two brothers and me."

"Come lower your topsail and slacken your mizzen, and bring your ship under our lee,
Or we will give to you a full cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon ball, aye,
And all of your merry men drown in the sea, all your merry men drown in the sea."

"We’ll not lower our topsail, nor slacken our mizzen, nor bring our ship under your lee, aye
And you will give to us your full cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon ball, aye,
And all of our merry men drown in the sea, all our merry men drown in the sea."

Then up ‘em and at ‘em and at ‘em they went,  for fully two hours or three, aye,
’til Henry Martin gave them the death shot, the death shot, aye,
And all of her merry men drown in the sea, all her merry men drown in the sea.

Sad news, sad news, to old England came, ’twas sad news to fair London town, aye,
There's been a rich vessel and she's cast away, cast away, cast away, cast away, aye
And all of her merry men drowned in the sea, all of her merry men drowned in the sea.
All of her merry men drowned in the sea, all of her merry men drowned in the sea.

Copyright © 1998 - 2007 by Golden Bough, Inc.