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Captain Stratton’s Fancy

Oh some are fond of red wine, and some are fond of white,
And some are all for dancing by the pale moonlight:
But rum alone’s the tipple, and the heart’s delight
    Of the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are fond of Spanish wine, and some are fond of  French,
And some’ll swallow tay and stuff fit only for a wench;
But I’m for right Jamaica till I roll beneath the bench,
    Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are for the lily, and some are for the rose,
But I am for the sugar-cane that in Jamaica grows;
For it’s that that makes the bonny drink to warm my copper nose,
    Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are fond of fiddles, and a song well sung,
And some are all for music for to lilt upon the tongue;
But mouths were made for tankards, and for sucking at the bung,
    Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are fond of dancing, and some are fond of dice,
And some are all for red lips, and pretty lasses’ eyes;
But a right Jamaica puncheon is a finer prize
    To the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some that’s good and godly ones they hold that it’s a sin
To troll the jolly bowl around, and let the dollars spin;
But I’m for toleration and for drinking at an inn,
    Says the old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Oh some are sad and wretched folk that go in silken suits,
And there’s a mort of wicked rogues that live in good reputes;
So I’m for drinking honestly, and dying in my boots,
    Like an old bold mate of Henry Morgan.

Notes

From SALT-WATER POEMS AND BALLADS, edited by John Masefield, published by The Macmillan Co., New York, US, © 1944, p. 125-126; first published in SALT-WATER POEMS, © 1902.

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Comments


  • Charley Noble Moderators member
    October 25
    Edit | Reply
    I do like a good pirate song, and Masefield is a master of the genre. He thoroughly enjoys fleshing out this old pirate, and yet there's also a dig at those "pirates" who manage to fly under the radar, "the mort of wicked rogues that live in good reputes." Evidently this old bold mate was more in love with the good life than gratuitous violence.

    I'll drink to that!

    Charley Noble