Ye Mariners All

Cliff pulls this out sometimes on nights when the room is more invested in the music than the scene.  This song was collected by H.E.W. Hammond in 1907 from Mrs. Marina Russell, Upwey, Dorset, and published in The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.

Ye mariners all, as ye pass by,
Come in and drink when you are dry.
Come spend, my lads, your money brisk,
And pop your nose in a jug of this.

Ye tipplers all, as ye pass by,
Come in and drink when you are dry.
Come spend, my lads, your money brisk,
And pop your nose in a jug of this.

Ye tipplers all, if ye’ve half a crown,
You’re welcome all for to sit down.
Come in, sit down, think not amiss,
To pop your nose in a jug of this.

Oh now I’m old and can scarcely crawl,
I’ve a long grey beard and a head that’s bald.
Crown my desire, fulfil my bliss,
A pretty girl and a jug of this.

Oh when I’m in my grave and dead,
And all my sorrows are past and fled,
Transform me then into a fish,
And let me swim in a jug of this.

Ye mariners all, as ye pass by,
Come in and drink when you are dry.
Come in, sit down, think naught amiss,
To pop your nose in a jug of this.

 

An older version is to be found in the Bodleian Library.

A Jug of This

You tiplers all as you pass by
Call in and drink if you be dry
Call in and drink think it not amiss
To pawn my shirt for a jug of this.

You mariners all if you have a crown
You are welcome here to sit all down
Come spend my lads your money brisk
And pop your nose in a jug of this.

Now I am bound unto some Spanish shore
Where thundering cannons loud will roar
Crown my desire fulfil my wish
A pretty girl and a jug of tiis.

Now I’m grown old and scarce can crawl
With my grey beard and my head bald
Transform me now into a fish
That I may swim in a jug of this.

When I am dead and in my grave
And all my sorrows past and fled
Crown my desire fulfill my wish
Write on my tomb a jug of this.

J. Pitts, London. Between 1819-1844.
Harding B16(120c)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *