"Spanish Ladies" (Roud 687) is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the Royal Navy.
"Spanish Ladies" (Roud 687) is a traditional British naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the Royal Navy.
A ballad by the name "Spanish Ladies" was registered in the English Stationer's Company on December 14, 1624.[1] The oldest mention of the present song does not, however, appear until the 1796 logbook of HMS Nellie,[verification needed] making it more likely an invention of the Napoleonic era.[1] The timing of the mention in the Nellie's logbook suggests that the song was created during the War of the First Coalition (1793–96), when the Royal Navy carried supplies to Spain to aid its resistance to revolutionary France. It probably gained in popularity during the later Peninsular War when British soldiers were transported throughout the Iberian peninsula to assist rebels fighting against the French occupation. After their victory over the Grande Armée, these soldiers were returned to Britain but forbidden to bring their Spanish wives, lovers, and children with them.[2]
The song predates the proper emergence of the sea shanty. Shanties were the work songs of merchant sailors, rather than naval ones. However, in his 1840 novel Poor Jack, Captain Frederick Marryat reports that the song "Spanish Ladies"—though once very popular—was "now almost forgotten" and he included it in whole in order to "rescue it from oblivion".[3] The emergence of shanties in the mid-19th century then revived its fortunes,[4] to the point where it is now sometimes included as a "borrowed song" within the genre.[5]
"Spanish Ladies" is the story of British naval seamen sailing north from Spain and along the English Channel. The crew are unable to determine their latitude by sighting as the distance between Ushant to the south and the Scillies to the north is wide. Instead, they locate themselves by the depth and the sandy bottom they have sounded. Arthur Ransome, in his novel Peter Duck, suggests that the succession of headlands on the English shore indicates the ship tacking up-channel away from the French coast, identifying a new landmark on each tack.[6] However, one verse (quoted below) states that they had the wind at southwest and squared their mainsails to run up the Channel, rather than beating against a northeasterly.
This is the version recorded in the 1840 Poor Jack.[3] It is one of many. Notable variations are shown in parentheses after each line.
Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish ladies, (alt: "...to Spanish ladies")
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain; (alt: "...to ladies of Spain;")
For we have received orders (alt: "...'re under orders")
For to sail to old England,
But we hope in a short time to see you again. (alt: "And we may ne'er see you fair ladies again.")
(Chorus:)
We'll rant and we'll roar, like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas; (alt: "We'll range and we'll roam all on the salt seas;")
Until we strike soundings
In the Channel of old England,
From Ushant to Scilly 'tis thirty-five leagues. (alt: "34" or "45".[8])
Then we hove our ship to, with the wind at the sou'west, my boys, (alt: "We hove our ship to, with the wind from sou'west, boys,")
Then we hove our ship to, for to strike soundings clear; (alt: "...deep soundings to take;" "...for to make soundings clear;")
Then we filled the main topsail (alt: "'Twas 45 (or 55) fathoms with a white sandy bottom")
And bore right away, my boys, (alt: "So we squared our main yard")
And straight up the Channel of old England did steer. (alt: "And up channel did make." or "...did steer")
So the first land we made, it is called the Deadman, (alt: "The first land we sighted was callèd the Dodman")
Next Ram Head, off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and the Wight; (alt: "Next Rame Head off Plymouth, Start, Portland, and Wight;")
We sailèd by Beachy, (alt: "We sailed by Beachy / by Fairlight and Dover")
By Fairly and Dungeness,
And then bore away for the South Foreland light. (alt: "Until we brought to for..." or "And then we bore up for...")
Now the signal it was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor (alt: "Then the signal was made...")
All in the Downs that night for to meet; (alt: "...that night for to lie;")
Then stand by your stoppers, (alt: "Let go your shank painter, / Let go your cat stopper")
See clear your shank painters,
Hawl all your clew garnets, stick out tacks and sheets. (alt: "Haul up your clewgarnets, let tack and sheets fly")
Now let every man take off his full bumper, (alt: "Now let ev'ry man drink off his full bumper,")
Let every man take off his full bowl; (alt: "And let ev'ry man drink off his full glass;")
For we will be jolly (alt: "We'll drink and be jolly")
And drown melancholy,
With a health to each jovial and true hearted soul. (alt: "And here's to the health of each true-hearted lass.")
Some traditional English performances of the song can be heard on the British Library Sound Archive:
The folk song collectors Edith Fowke, Laura Boulton and Helen Creighton recorded versions from traditional singers in Canada, particularly in Nova Scotia.[13]
Helen Hartness Flanders recorded a man named William J Thompson of Canaan, Vermont, USA singing "Gay Spanish Ladies", which can be heard online courtesy of the Helen Hartness Flanders Collection.[14]
The song has been found in several different minor and major keys.[15] Cecil Sharp considers the version in minor keys to be the original.[16]
Several variants exist that utilize the same melody but substitute different lyrics:
As mentioned above, the song is quoted in full in the 1840 novel Poor Jack.[3] It appears in part in the 40th chapter of Herman Melville's Moby-Dick and in chapter 7 of Post Captain, the 2nd book and in Treason's Harbour, the 9th book of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set during the Napoleonic Wars. It also appears in Arthur Ransome's books Swallows and Amazons and "Missee Lee" and Wilbur Smith's works Monsoon and Blue Horizon.
The song notably appeared in the 1975 film Jaws.[17][18] It was also sung in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, based on the O'Brian books.
Robert Shaw, the actor who sang the tune in Jaws,[19][20] also sang it years earlier in a 1956 episode of the television show The Buccaneers.[21] It has also appeared in the series Homicide,[22] Sharpe,[23] Hornblower,[24] Jimmy Neutron,[25] The Mentalist,[26] Gossip Girl,[27] Monsuno,[28] and Turn.[29]
The video games Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed: Rogue feature "Spanish Ladies" as one of the collectible sea shanties that the sailors on the player's ship may begin singing while sailing between islands while out of combat.[30]
In The Mentalist episode "Ladies in Red" Patrick Jane sings the tune to himself whilst attempting to find the correct code to open the victim's panic room.
Michael McCormack and Guitarist Greg Parker recorded a version of the song for the end titles of the Jaws documentary "The Shark Is Still Working: The Impact & Legacy of Jaws".
Australian singer-songwriter Sarah Blasko produced a cover of the song which featured in the series Turn: Washington's Spies.
