Graham Irwin - Spanish Ladies - with lyrics in the description

Graham Irwin sings Spanish Ladies accompanied on electro-acoustic 12-string guitar tuned to DADGAD. This is a traditional British naval song dating from the 1790s. It describes a journey from Ushant, an island off the French coast, across the channel, and then along the English Channel starting at Dodman Point (near Mevagissey in south Cornwall), Rame Head (Cornwall, near Plymouth), Start Point (south Devon), Portland Bill (Dorset), the Isle of Wight, Beachy Head (near Eastbourne), Fairlight (near Hastings), Dover, South Foreland lighthouse (near Dover). Cat stoppers are ropes or chains used to secure the anchor once it's been hauled up to the cathead (a beam projecting from the bow). Letting go the cat stopper releases the anchor so it can drop. Shank painters are ropes or chains that lash the shank (the long shaft) of the anchor against the ship's hull while it's stowed. Clearing the shank painter frees the anchor so it can swing loose and drop to the seabed. Clew garnets are tackles (rope-and-pulley systems) attached to the clews (lower corners) of the mainsail and foresail, used to haul the sail up to the yard when furling it. A bumper here just means a drinking glass or cup filled right to the brim. Full bumper is emphasizing that the glass is filled to capacity – a toast poured generously, not skimped on. The distance from Ushant to Scilly is Nautical league (3 nautical miles): ~33 leagues British/statute league (3 statute miles): ~38 leagues Images by Graham Irwin using OpenStreetMap and leaflet.js LYRICS: Farewell and adieu, to you Spanish ladies Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain For we've received orders to sail for old England And we hope in a short while to see you again. Chorus: We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors We'll rant and we'll roar all on the salt seas Until we strike soundings in the channel of old England From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues. We hove our ship to with the wind at south-west, boys Hove our ship to, two strikes soundings clear We let go our topsail and bore right away, boys Straight up the Channel our course we did steer. The first land we made was called the Dodman Rame Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight We sailed then by Beachy, by Fairlight and Dover Then bore away for the South Foreland light. The signal was made for the grand fleet to anchor All on the Downs that night for to lie We'll let go cat stoppers, so clear the shank painters Haul in clew-garnets, let sheets and tacks fly. Then let every man drink up his full bumper Let every man drink up his full glass We'll drink and be jolly and drown melancholy And drink a good health to each true-hearted lass.