| Lyrics: | There were three brothers in merry Scotland,
In merry Scotland there were three, aye,
And
they did cast lots which of them should go,
Should go, should go, should go, aye,
And to
turn robber all on the salt sea,
To turn pirate all on the salt sea.
The lot of it
fell first to Henry Martin,,
The younger of all the three, aye,
That he should turn robber
all on the salt sea,
Salt sea, salt sea, salty sea, aye,
For to maintain his two brothers
and he,
To maintain his two brothers and he.
He had not been sailing but a long
winter's night
And part of a short winter's day, aye,
When he espied a stout lofty
ship,
Lofty ship, lofty ship, lofty ship, aye
Come abibbing down on him straight
away,
Come abibbing down on him straight away.
"Hello, hello," cried Henry
Martin,
"What makes you sail so nigh ?" aye,
"I'm a rich merchant ship bound for fair
London town, aye,
And will you not please for to let me pass by ?
won't you please for to
let me pass by ? "
"Oh no, oh no," cried Henry Martin,
"This thing it can never be,
aye,
For I have turned pirate all on the salt sea,
Salt sea, salt sea, salty sea,
aye,
For to maintain my two brothers and me,
To maintain my two brothers and
me."
"Come lower your top sail and slacken your mizzen,
And bring your ship under
our lee, aye,
Or we will give to you a full cannon ball,
Cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon
ball, aye,
And all your merry men drown in the sea,
All your merry men drown in the
sea."
"We won't lower our top sail nor slacken our mizzen,
Nor bring our ship under
your lee,
And you won't give to us your full cannon ball,
Cannon ball, cannon ball, cannon
ball, aye,
Nor all our merry men drown in the sea,
All our merry men drown in the
sea."
Then up him and at him and at him he went,
For fully two hours or three,
aye,
Till Henry Martin gave to them the death shot,
The death shot, aye,
And all
their merry men drowned in the sea,
All their merry men drowned in the sea.
Sad
news, sad news to old England came,
Sad news to fair London town, aye,
There's been a rich
vessel and she's cast away,
Cast away, cast away, cast away, aye,
And all her merry men
drowned in the sea,
All her merry men drowned in the sea |
