Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE DEATH OF ADMIRAL BENBOW, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE DEATH OF ADMIRAL BENBOW, by                    
First Line: Come all you sailors bold
Last Line: As our fathers did before / long ago
Subject(s): Sea; Ocean


Come all you sailors bold
Lend an ear,;
Come all you sailors bold ,
Lend an ear:
'Tis of our admiral's fame,
Brave Benbow call'd by name;
How he fought on the main
You shall hear.

Brave Benbow he set sail
For to fight,
Brave Benbow he set sail
For to fight:
Brave Benbow he set sail
With a fine and pleasant gale,
But his captains they turned tail
In a fright.

Says Kirby unto Wade
"I will run,"
Says Kirby unto Wade
"I will run:
I value not disgrace,
Nor the losing of my place,
My foes I'll not face
With a gun."

'Twas the Ruby and Noah's Ark
Fought the French,
'Twas the Ruby and Noah's Ark
Fought the French:
And there was ten in all,
Poor souls they fought them all,
They reckoned them not at all,
Nor their noise.

It was our admiral's lot,
With a chain-shot, with a chain-shot;
It was our admiral's lot,
With a chain-shot,
It was our admiral's lot,
With a chain-shot,
Our admiral lost his legs,
And to his men he begs,
"Fight on, my boys," he says,
"'Tis my lot."

While the surgeon dress'd his wounds,
Thus he said,
While the Surgeon dressed his wounds,
Thus he said:
"Let my cradle now in haste
On the Quarter deck be placed,
That the Frenchman I may face,
'Til I'm dead."

And there bold Benbow lay
Crying out,
And there bold Benbow lay
Crying out:
"O let us tack once more,
We'll drive them to the own shore,
As our fathers did before
Long ago."






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