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Here's the Tender Coming

[ Roud 3174 ; Ballad Index StoR177 ; trad.]

Frankie Armstrong sang the press-gang song Here's the Tender Coming in 1973 on the Topic LP The Valiant Sailor: Songs and Ballads of Nelson's Navy. It was also included in the French compilation album Chants de Marins IV: Ballads, Complaintes et Shanties des Matelots Anglais. Roy Palmer commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

This poignant song comes from the North-East. Newcastle and Sunderland were second only to London in providing men for the navy during the French wars. Resistance was sometimes violent, with women playing a prominent part. The Lawe is a high vantage point, whence the hated tender could be seen lying out beyond the harbour bar. The pressing tenders were like floating prisons, where “recruits” were assembled before being distributed to the various ships.

Jez Lowe & The Bad Pennies recorded Here's the Tender Coming in September 1991 for the Fellside anthology Voices. And The Unthanks sang it in 2009 as title track of their CD Here's the Tender Coming.

Lyrics

Here's the tender coming, pressing all the men;
Oh dear hinny, what shall we do then?
Here's the tender coming, off at Shield's Bar,
Here's the tender coming, full of men of war.

Hide thee, canny Geordie, hide thyself away;
Hide thee till the tender makes for Druridge Bay.
If they take thee, Geordie, who's to win our bread?
Me and little Jackie better off be dead.

Here's the tender coming, stealing off my dear;
Oh dear hinny, they'll ship you out of here.
They will ship you foreign, that is what it means;
Here's the tender coming, full of red marines.

Hey, bonny lassie. let's go to the Lawe,
See the tender lying, off at Shield's Bar,
With her colours flying, anchor at her bow.
They took my bonny laddie, best of all the crew.

(repeat first verse)