{"id":445,"date":"2010-03-08T16:52:34","date_gmt":"2010-03-09T00:52:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/?page_id=445"},"modified":"2010-03-09T10:31:32","modified_gmt":"2010-03-09T18:31:32","slug":"admiral-benbow-songs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/?page_id=445","title":{"rendered":"ADMIRAL BENBOW SONGS"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/a><\/p>\n

There are many versions of Admiral Benbow songs, dating from shortly after his death. These broadsheet songs were popular in sailors’ pubs. They are still sung to-day.<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL BENBOW BROADSHEET<\/h3>\n
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Actual Broadsheet circa 1820: Bodleian library<\/p><\/div>\n

\n

VERSIONS OF ADMIRAL BENBOW SONG<\/h3>\n

Admiral Benbow (1)<\/h4>\n

‘T was of an Admiral
\nCalled Benbow by his name
\nHe fought on the raging main
\nYou must know
\nOh, the ship rocks up and down
\nAnd the shots are flying round
\nThe enemy tumbling down
\nThere they lay, there they lay<\/p>\n

The ship rocks up and down
\nAnd the shots are flying round
\nThe enemy tumbling down
\nThere they lay, there they lay<\/p>\n

‘T was Reuben and Benbow
\nFought the French, fought the French
\n‘T was Reuben and Benbow
\nFought the French, fought the French
\nDown on his old stump he fell
\nAnd so loudly he did call
\nFight you on, my English lads
\n‘Tis my lot, ’tis my lot<\/p>\n

Down on his old stump he fell
\nAnd so loudly he did call
\nFight you on, my English lads
\n‘Tis my lot, ’tis my lot<\/p>\n

When the doctor dressed his wounds
\nBenbow cried, Benbow cried
\nWhen the doctor dressed his wounds
\nBenbow cried,
\nLet a bed be fetched in haste
\nOn the quarterdeck be placed
\nThat the enemy I might face
\n‘Til I die, ’til I die<\/p>\n

Let a bed be fetched in haste
\nOn the quarterdeck be placed,
\nThat the enemy I might face
\n‘Til I die, ’til I die<\/p>\n

On Tuesday morning last
\nBenbow died, Benbow died
\nOn Tuesday morning last
\nBenbow died
\nWhat a shocking sight to see
\nWhen Benbow was carried away
\nHe was carried to Kingston church
\nThere he lay, there he lay<\/p>\n

What a shocking sight to see
\nWhen Benbow was carried away
\nHe was carried to Kingston church
\nThere he lay, there he lay<\/p>\n

Paul Clayton, & Sailing Songs, Tradition TCD 1064 (original LP release: Whaling & Sailing Songs from the days of Moby Dick, Tradition Records TLP 1005, 1956)<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL BENBOW (2)<\/h4>\n

Come all ye seamen bold, and draw near
\nAnd draw near
\nCome all ye seamen bold, and draw near
\nIt is of an admiral’s fame
\nO brave Benbow was his name
\nHow he fought all on the main
\nYou shall hear, you shall hear.<\/p>\n

Brave Benbow he set sail, for to fight
\nFor to fight
\nBrave Benbow he set sail, for to fight.
\nBrave Benbow he set sail,
\nWith a fine and pleasant gale
\nBut his captains they turn’d tail
\nIn a fright, in a fright.<\/p>\n

Says Kirby unto Wade, “We will run,
\nWe will run.”
\nSays Kirby unto Wade, “We will run.
\nFor I value no disgrace
\nOr the losing of my place
\nBut the enemy I won’t face
\nNor his guns, nor his guns.”<\/p>\n

Then Ruby and Benbow fought the French
\nFought the French,
\nThen Ruby and Benbow fought the French.
\nThey fought them up and down
\n‘Til the blood came trickling down
\n‘Til the blood came trickling down
\nWhere they lay, where they lay.<\/p>\n

Brave Benbow lost his legs by chain shot
\nBy chain shot,
\nBrave Benbow lost his legs by chain shot.
\nBrave Benbow lost his legs
\nAnd all on his stumps he begs
\nFight on, my English lads
\n‘Tis our lot, ’tis our lot.<\/p>\n

The surgeon dress’d his wounds, cries Benbow
\nCries Benbow,
\nThe surgeon dress’d his wounds, cries Benbow.
\n“Let a cradle now in haste
\nOn the quarterdeck be placed,
\nThat the enemy I may face
\n‘Til I die, ’til I die.<\/p>\n

From English Folk Songs, Sharp<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL BENBOW (3)<\/h4>\n

Come all you seamen bold, landed here, landed here,
\nIt is of an Admiral brave called Benbow by his name,
\nHow he ploughed the raging main
\nYou shall hear, you shall hear.<\/p>\n

Last Tuesday morning last, Benbow sailed, Benbow sailed,
\nWhat a sweet and pleasant gale when Benbow he set sail
\nAnd the enemy they turned tail
\nIn a fright, in a fright.<\/p>\n

Great Reuben and Benbow fought the French, fought the French,
\nSee the boats go up and down and the bullets whizzing round
\nAnd the enemy they knocked down,
\nThere they lie, there they lie.<\/p>\n

Oh, Benbow lost his legs, by chain-slot, by chain-shot,
\nDown on his stumps did fall and so loud for mercy called,
\nOh, fight on my British tars,
\nIt is my lot, it is my lot.<\/p>\n

When the doctor dressed the wounds Benbow cried,
\nBenbow cried,
\nOh, pray pick me up in haste to the quarter deck my place
\nThat the enemy I might face
\nUntil I die, until I die.<\/p>\n

Last Tuesday morning last, Benbow died, Benbow died,
\nWhat a shocking sight to see when they carried him away
\nThey carried him to Se’m’s’on church
\nThere he lays, there he lays.<\/p>\n

Printed in The Copper Family Songbook – A Living Tradition<\/p>\n

ADMIRAL BENBOW (4)<\/h4>\n

We sailed from Virginia and thence to Fayall
\nWhere we watered our ships and then we weighed all
\nFull in view on the seas, boys, seven sails we did espy
\nSo we mann\u00e9d our capstans and weighed speedily.<\/p>\n

Now the first we come up on was a brigantine sloop
\nAnd we asked if the others was as big as they looked
\nAh, but turning to windward, as near as we could lie
\nWe saw there were ten men of war cruising by.<\/p>\n

We drew up our squadron in very nice line
\nAnd so boldly we fought them for full four hours time
\nBut the day being spent, boys, and night a-coming on
\nWe left them alone until early next morn.<\/p>\n

Now the very next morning the engagement proved hot
\nAnd brave Admiral Benbow received a chance* shot
\nAnd as he lay wounded to his merry men he did say,
\n“Take me up in your arms, boys, and carry me away!”<\/p>\n

Oh, the guns they did rattle and the bullets did fly,
\nBut brave Admiral Benbow for rout would not cry;
\n“Take me down to my cabin where there’s ease for my smarts,
\nIf my merry men see me, it would sure break their hearts.”<\/p>\n

Now, the very next morning at the break of the day
\nThey hoisted their topsails and so bore away;
\nWe bore to Port Royal, where the people flocked much
\nTo see Admiral Benbow buried in Kingston Church.<\/p>\n

So come all you brave fellows, wherever you’ve been,
\nLet us drink a good health to the King and the Queen,
\nAnd another good health to the girls that we know,
\nAnd a third in remembrance of great Admiral Benbow.<\/p>\n

version of Admiral Benbow as done by June Tabor on the “A Cut Above” recording with Martin Simpson<\/p>\n

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ADMIRAL BENBOW SET TO MUSIC<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is a link to various versions of the Admiral Benbow song<\/a><\/p>\n

Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

Click to e-mail author<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many versions of Admiral Benbow songs, dating from shortly after his death. These broadsheet songs were popular in sailors’ pubs. They are still sung to-day. ADMIRAL BENBOW BROADSHEET VERSIONS OF ADMIRAL BENBOW SONG Admiral Benbow (1) ‘T was of an Admiral Called Benbow by his name He fought on the raging main You […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-445","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=445"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":449,"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/445\/revisions\/449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bravebenbow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=445"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}