| Lyrics: | THE DREADFUL GHOST
Its of a sailor of whom I write.
Unto the seas he took great
delight.
Two maidens fair he did beguile,
And those two maidens he had with
child.
Oh, one of them for public shame
Unto some handsome grove she came,
And
there at length for to end all strife,
She cut it there, the thread of life.
She
hung herself down from a tree,
Where two men a-hunting, did her see.
They got a knife and
cut her down;
And on her bosom a note was found.
And this was writ in letters
large:
"Don't bury me, I do you charge.
But on the ground there let me lie,
That
maids may see me as they pass by."
"Let them take warning by my fate,
And quit this
folly before its too late."
And while on land she plagued him so,
To the seas at length he
was forced to go.
One morning on the topmast high,
A little boat he chanced to
spy.
A little boat with a large crew of men
And a female ghost who stood up
then.
Down decks, down decks this young man goes,
To greet the captain in his
morning clothes.
He says: "Captain, captain stand my defense,
For I see a spirit coming
hence."
So up on deck this captain goes,
And there he spies this dreadful
ghost.
She says: "Captain, captain, tell me true;
Does such a man sail among your
crew?"
"It was in St. Tallians this young man died,
And in Saint Tallians his body
lies."
She says: "Captain, captain don't tell me so,
For he's sailing down in your ship
below."
"And if you don't bring him up to me,
A mighty storm you soon shall
see.
Which will cause both you and your gallant men to weep,
And leave you slumbering in
the deep."
Down decks, down decks this captain goes,
And brings this young man up to
his foes.
And when she fixed her grim eyes on him,
It made him tremble in every
limb.
Oh don't you remember when I was a maid,
You caused my poor trembling heart to
bleed.
Now I'm a sprit and I come for thou;
You balked me once, but I've got you
now.
Down in her boat she forc-ed him.
Down in her boat he was forced for to
go.
And as he did, we all did admire,
For the boat went down in a flame of
fire.
And as she sank, she rose again;
And, aye, she sang this mournful
strain:
"You sailors all, who runeth behind,
Never prove false to young
womankind."
Recorded by John Roberts and Tony Barrand on Dark Ships in
the
Forest, Folk Legacy FSI65
@ghost @love @death @sailor
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DREDGHOS
DC
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