The Wire-Harp Women - Two Queens and a Handkerchief | Winds of Wander

Grace O'Malley, sea captain of Clew Bay, sails to Greenwich in 1593, will not curtsey, speaks to the Queen in Latin and throws the court's lace handkerchief in the fire. A rousing wire-harp and warpipe song. "Two Queens and a Handkerchief" by The Wire-Harp Women, from the radio of Winds of Wander, made for the game with Suno. Winds of Wander is an age-of-sail trading and adventure game on the real coasts of the world, from 1402 to 1799. In development, by one maker. All the music, with the words and translations: https://windsofwander.com/music/ Lyrics Sixty years upon the western sea in weather foul and grand, Two husbands and a score of ships and castles on the strand, Then a governor took my sons, my cattle and my boats, So I sailed to see his mistress, with my grievance in my coat. Two queens at Greenwich, (hey!) and neither bent the knee, One rules by wax and parchment, and the other rules the sea, They spoke in Latin, cool as rain, while the lords stood dumb and stared, And the salt of Clew Bay walked the hall, and no man there quite dared! "Madam will curtsey." "Madam has curtseyed to no gale in sixty years. Madam will not start with a man in tights." "Madam will address Her Majesty in English." "Madam has none. Madam has Irish, and Latin. Which pleases Her Majesty?" "...Latin. It seems." Then I sneezed, and a lady passed a cloth of lace so fine, I blew, I thanked her, and I tossed it in the fire, as is mine, The court drew breath as one: "A gift!" I said, "Then hear me, dear: In Connacht what we've blown in, we burn. Ye pocket it. How queer!" She'd make me Countess of the West. I said, "Majesty, forbear, Thou canst not raise thine equal up; I'm queen of my own chair." Then I asked her for my sons again, my cattle and my keel, She gave me back the sons, a letter... and I'll fetch the rest with steel. And the Queen of England smiled at me, the way one captain will To another who has weathered worse and kept her hand on the till, She said, "Go home, and trouble not my ships." I said, "I'll try." (SHE DIDN'T!) And I sailed for Clew Bay laughing, with the west wind in my eye. Two queens at Greenwich, (hey!) and neither bent the knee, One rules by wax and parchment, and the other rules the sea, They spoke in Latin, cool as rain, while the lords stood dumb and stared, And the salt of Clew Bay walked the hall... and she walked out, unimpaired! #WindsOfWander #GameMusic #AgeOfSail