Digital Tradition Mirror

High Barbaree

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

(alternate:)

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

High Barbaree

There were two lofty ships, from old England came
     Blow High! Blow low! And so sailed we,
One was the Prince o' Luther and the other Prince o' Wales.
     Cruisin' down along the coast of the High Barbaree.

"Aloft, there, aloft!" our bully [jolly] bosun cried.
     Blow highl Blow low! An' so sailed we!
"Look ahead, look astern, look to weather an' a-lee!"
     All a-cruisin' down the coasts of the High Barbaree!

"Thcre's naught upon the starn, sir, there's naught upon the lee
But there's a lofty ship to wind'ard an' she's sailin' fast an' free"

"O hail her! O hail her!' our gallant cap'n cried,
Are you a man-o'-war or a privateer?" cried he.

"Oh, no I'm not a man-o'-war, nor privateer," cried he,
"But I'm a salt sea pirate, all a-lookin' for me fee!"
"For broadside, for broadside, a long time we lay,
Till at last the Prince o' Luther shot the plrate's mast away

"O quartcr! O quarter!' thosc pirates they did cry,
But the quarter that we gave 'em, was to sink 'em in the sea.

Note: Hugill gives two tunes: an older one, used as a forebitter, and
     a faster one, used as a shanty. Both are supplied. RG
From several sources; tunes from Hugill
DT #412
Laws K33
play.exe HIGHBRB2
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!