Spanish Ladies

"Spanish Ladies" (Roud 687) is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the Royal Navy.

Origins

A ballad by the name "Spanish Ladies" was registered in the

"Spanish Ladies" is the story of British naval seamen sailing north from Spain and along the English Channel. The crew are unable to determine their latitude by sighting as the distance between Ushant to the south and the Scillies to the north is wide. Instead, they locate themselves by the depth and the sandy bottom they have sounded. Arthur Ransome, in his novel Peter Duck, suggests that the succession of headlands on the English shore indicates the ship tacking up-channel away from the French coast, identifying a new landmark on each tack.^[6] However, one verse (quoted below) states that they had the wind at southwest and squared their mainsails to run up the Channel, rather than beating against a northeasterly.

This is the version recorded in the 1840 Poor Jack.^[3] It is one of many. Notable variations are shown in parentheses after each line.

Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies, (alt: "...to Spanish ladies")
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain; (alt: "...to ladies of Spain;")
     For we have received orders (alt: "...'re under orders")
     For to sail to old England,
But we hope in a short time to see you again. (alt: "And we may ne'er see you fair ladies again.")

(Chorus:)
We'll rant and we'll roar, like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas; (alt: "We'll range and we'll roam all on the salt seas;")
     Until we strike soundings
     In the Channel of old England,
From

Scilly 'tis thirty-five leagues. (alt: "34" or "45".^[8]

)

Then we

sou'west

, my boys, (alt: "We hove our ship to, with the wind from sou'west, boys,")
Then we hove our ship to, for to strike soundings clear; (alt: "...deep soundings to take;" "...for to make soundings clear;")
     Then we filled the main topsail (alt: "'Twas 45 (or 55) fathoms with a white sandy bottom")
     And bore right away, my boys, (alt: "So we

main yard

")
And straight up the Channel of old England did steer. (alt: "And up channel did make." or "...did steer")

So the first land we made, it is called the Deadman, (alt: "The first land we sighted was callèd the Dodman")
Next Ram Head, off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and the Wight; (alt: "Next Rame Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and Wight;")
     We sailèd by Beachy, (alt: "We sailed by Beachy / by Fairlight and Dover")
     By

Dungeness

,
And then bore away for the

South Foreland light

. (alt: "Until we brought to for..." or "And then we bore up for...")

Now the signal it was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor (alt: "Then the signal was made...")
All in the Downs that night for to meet; (alt: "...that night for to lie;")
     Then stand by your

cat stopper

")
     See clear your

shank painters

,
Hawl all your

clew garnets, stick out tacks and sheets

. (alt: "Haul up your clewgarnets, let tack and sheets fly")

Now let every man take off his full bumper, (alt: "Now let ev'ry man drink off his full bumper,")
Let every man take off his full bowl; (alt: "And let ev'ry man drink off his full glass;")
     For we will be jolly (alt: "We'll drink and be jolly")
     And drown melancholy,
With a health to each jovial and true hearted soul. (alt: "And here's to the health of each true-hearted lass.")

Some traditional English performances of the song can be heard on the British Library Sound Archive:

• Walter Pardon, a Norfolk carpenter who had learnt it from a man who had in turn learnt it from a sailor^[9]
• Ron Fletcher of Gloucestershire who had first heard it sung by two old ladies in St. Johns, Newfoundland while he was serving in World War II^[10]
• Harold Sykes of Hull, Yorkshire^[11]
• Edward Tise of Smarden, Kent^[12]

The folk song collectors Edith Fowke, Laura Boulton and Helen Creighton recorded versions from traditional singers in Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia.^[13]

Helen Hartness Flanders recorded a man named William J Thompson of Canaan, Vermont, USA singing "Gay Spanish Ladies", which can be heard online courtesy of the Helen Hartness Flanders Collection.^[14]

Variants

The song has been found in several different minor and major keys.^[15] Cecil Sharp considers the version in minor keys to be the original.^[16]

Several variants exist that utilize the same melody but substitute different lyrics:

• "Brisbane Ladies" is an Australian tune about drovers instead of sailors.
• A significantly modified version called "The Ryans and the Pittmans", widely known as "We'll Rant and We'll Roar", is from Newfoundland; this version was recorded as "Rant and Roar" by Great Big Sea on their album Up.
• There is an American major-key variant called "Yankee Whalermen". This variant is sung by the character Quint in the movie
  Boston
  .
• A version was created especially for the Bluenose, a famed Canadian ship based in Nova Scotia.
• The song forms part of Sir
  Henry J. Wood's composition Fantasia on British Sea Songs
  .
• A variant called 'The Spanish Bride' was recorded by John Tams for the TV series Sharpe with the lyrics changed to reflect British soldiers returning home at the end of the Peninsular War.