we have sold our to the � we know that his price is fair the winked his western eye and swore by a china storm � they ha him a joseph s jury coat to keep his honour warm the three captains the against the tops the broad the in the empty hold and mourned for a wasted cord � the signal sped by the line o the british craft the called to his crew and put her about and laughed � it s haul my bully boys all � we ll out to the seas again � ere they set us to paint their saint or at his chain it s fore sheet free with her head to the sea and the swing of the � we ll make no sport in an english court till we come as a ship o the line till we come as a ship o the line my lads of thirty foot in the sheer lifting again from the outer main with news of a flying his pluck at our for of heaving his head for our lead in sign that we keep the sea then fore sheet home as she lifts to the foam � we stand on the outward tack we are paid in the coin of the white man s trade � the is hard ay and black the bird shall carry my word to the and the ho the three captains how a man may sail from a heathen coast to be robbed in a christian port how a man may be robbed in christian port while three great captains there shall dip their flag to a s rag � to show that his trade is fair ess the ballad of the down it was our war ship would sweep the channel clean wherefore she kept her close when the merry channel arose to save the marine she had one bow gun of a hundred ton and a great stern gun beside they dipped their noses deep in the sea they their stays and free in the wash of the wind whipped tide it was our war ship fell in with a light that carried the dainty gun and a pair o heels wherewith to run from the grip of a close fought fight she opened fire at seven miles � as ye shoot at a cork � and once she fired and twice she fired till the bow gun drooped like a lily tired that upon the stalk the m captain the bow gun the deck beams break below well to rest for an hour or twain and the shattered plates again and he answered make it so in she opened fire within the mile � as ye shoot at the flying duck � and the great stern gun shot fair and true with the heave of the ship to the blue and the great stern stuck captain the fills with steam the feed pipes burst below � you can hear the hiss of the helpless ram you can hear the twisted jam and he answered turn and go � it was our war ship and grimly did she roll swung round to take the s fire as the white whale faces the s ire when they war by the frozen pole captain the shells are falling fast and faster still fall we and it is not meet for english stock to bide in the heart of an eight day clock the death they cannot see i it the lie down lie down my bold a b we drift upon her beam we dare not ram for she can run and dare ye fire another gun and die in the steam it was our war ship that carried an belt but fifty feet at stern and bow lay bare as the of the s sow to the hail of the captain they hack us through and through the chilled steel are swift we have emptied the in open sea their bursts where our coal should be and he answered let her drift it was our war ship swung round upon the tide her two dumb guns glared south and north and the blood and the steam ran forth and she ground the s side captain they cry the fight is done they bid you send your sword and he answered her stern and bow they have asked for the steel they shall have it now out and board ii ft the it was our war ship up four hundred men and the delight as they rolled in the waist and heard the fight stamp o er their steel walled pen they cleared the end to end from tower to hold they fought as they fought in s fleet they were stripped to the waist they were bare to the feet as it was in the days of old it was the sinking heaved up her battered side � and carried a million pounds in steel to the and the corpse fed and the of the channel tide it was the crew of the stood out to sweep the sea on a won from an ancient foe as it was in the days of long ago and as it still shall be the ballad of the seven from all the world back to again rolling down the road drunk and raising give the girls another drink fore we sign away � we that took the out across the bay we put out from loaded down with rails we put back to cause our cargo shifted we put out from � met the winter � seven days and seven nights to the start we drifted her loose smoke white as snow all the coals adrift half the rails below like a pot like a � out we took the out across the bay one by one the lights came up winked and let us by mile by mile we on 