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Admiral Benbow

[ Roud 227 ; Ballad Index PBB076 ; trad.]

Admiral Benbow was a British Navy hero who was wounded in action in 1702 and later died of this wound. He is commemorated in a song from the from the Copper Family's songbook A Living Tradition and Bob Copper sang it on the Copper Family's 4 LP box set of 1971, A Song for Every Season.

Swan Arcade, June Tabor and Louis Killen sang a quite different song with the same title; Swan Arcade in 1973 on their eponymous Trailer album, Swan Arcade, June Tabor in 1980 on her and Martin Simpson's album, A Cut Above, and Louis Killen (with an additional verse about Benbow's deserting subordinate captains Kirkby and Wade) on his 1997 CD A Seaman's Garland: Sailors, Ships & Chanteys Vol. 2. He commented in the liner notes:

Finally, songs of heroes and battles were great favourites. The Bold Princess Royal's triumphant flight from pirates is beloved by England's east coast sailors. This version comes from herring fisherman, Sam Larner. The death of Admiral Benbow, who started his naval career as an ordinary seaman, is celebrated in several songs, as is Paul Jones' battle with the Serapis, which was fought off Flamborough head in Yorkshire.

Dave and Toni Arthur sang Admiral Benbow in 1969 on their Topic album The Lark in the Morning. They commented in their sleeve notes:

John Benbow, the son of a tanner, was born in 1653. From being a butcher's apprentice, he rose to be Vice-Admiral in command of the West Indian Fleet in 1702. The song concerns Benbow's engagement with the French Fleet under Admiral du Casse. The English Fleet outnumbered the French seven to four, but only Captain Waldon of the Ruby agreed to fight alongside Benbow's flagship. The five captains who refused to fight were later court-martialled, and two of them executed. The Ruby was early disabled, and Benbow chased the French singlehanded. During the action Benbow was fatally wounded by chain-shot. He died in Port Royal on November 4th, 1702 and was buried at Kingston, Jamaica.

The version sung here is from Chappell's Old English Popular Music and is in a different metre from the usual one. The tune is a variant of Love Will Find Out The Way, first published in 1651. Originally, it circulated in the world of fashion, but after 1680 it seems to have passed almost exclusively into the keeping of agricultural workers. Chappell collected it from hop-pickers in the mid nineteenth century, and Lucy Broadwood found it in Sussex in 1898.

Cyril Tawney sang Admiral Benbow in 1992 on his cassette Seamen Bold: Songs of Voyages, Battles and Shipwrecks, Volume 1.

Lyrics

Bob Copper sings Admiral Benbow

Come all you seamen bold, landed here, landed here
It is of an Admiral brave called Benbow by his name
How he ploughed the raging main
You shall hear, you shall hear

Last Tuesday morning last, Benbow sailed, Benbow sailed
What a sweet and pleasant gale when Benbow he set sail
And the enemy they turned tail
In a fright, in a fright

Great Reuben and Benbow fought the French, fought the French
See the boats go up and down and the bullets whizzing round
And the enemy they knocked down
There they lay, there they lay

Oh, Benbow lost his legs, by chain-shot, by chain-shot
Down on his stumps did fall and so loud for mercy called.
Oh, fight on my British tars
It is my lot, it is my lot.

When the doctor dressed his wounds Benbow cried, Benbow cried
Oh, pray pick me up in haste to the quarter deck my place
That the enemy I might face
Until I die, until I die.

Last Tuesday morning last, Benbow died, Benbow died
What a shocking sight to see when they carried him away
Oh, they carried him to Se'm's'on church
There he lays, there he lays.

June Tabor sings Admiral Benbow

We sailed from Virginia and thence to Fayall
Where we watered our ship and then we weighed all.
Full in view on the seas, boys, seven sails we did espy;
We mannéd our capstans and weighed speedily.

Now the first we come up on was a brigantine sloop
And we asked if the others was as big as they looked;
Ah, but turning to windward, as near as we could lie
We saw there were ten men of war cruising by.

We drew up our squadron in very nice line
And boldly we fought them for full four hours time;
But the day being spent, boys, and the night a-coming on
We left them alone till the early next morn.

Now the very next morning the engagement proved hot
And brave Admiral Benbow received a chain shot;
And as he was wounded to his merry men he did say,
“Take me up in your arms, boys, and carry me away!”

Oh, the guns they did rattle and the bullets did fly,
But brave Admiral Benbow for rout would not cry;
“Take me down to the cabin where there's ease for my smarts,
If my merry men see me, it would sure break their hearts.”

Now, the very next morning by break of the day
They hoisted their topsails and so bore away;
We bore to Port Royal, where the people flocked much
To see Admiral Benbow carried to Kingston Church.

Come all you brave fellows, wherever you've been,
Let us drink to the health of our King and our Queen,
And another good health to the girls that we know,
And a third in remembrance of great Admiral Benbow.

Louis Killen sings Brave Admiral Benbow

Oh, we sailed to Virginia and thence to Fayall
Where we watered our ship in and then weighed all.
Then in view on the seas, boys, seven sails we did espy;
Oh, we mannéd our capstan and weighed speedily

The first we come up with was a brigantine sloop
And we asked if the others were as big as they looked.
Then turning to windward as near as we could lie
We found there was ten men of war cruising there by.

Oh, we drew up our squadron in a very nice line
And boldly we fought them for full four hours time;
Then the day being spent, boys, and the night coming on
We left them alone till the very next morn.

The very next morning the engagement proved hot
And brave Admiral Benbow received a chain shot.
And when he was wounded to his men he did say:
“Take me up in your arms, boys, and carry me away!”

Oh, the guns they did rattle and the bullets did fly,
But Admiral Benbow for help would not cry:
“Take me down to the cockpit, there is ease for my smarts,
If my merry men see me, it would sure break their hearts.”

And there Captain Kirkby proved a coward at last
And with Wade played at bo-peep behind the main-mast
And there they did stand, boys, and shiver and shake
For fear that those French dogs their lives they should take.

The very next morning at the break of the day
They hoisted their tops'ls and so bore away;
We bore up for Port Royal, where the people flocked much
To see Admiral Benbow carried to Kingston Church.

Come all you brave fellows, wherever you be,
And drink to the health of our King and our Queen.
And another good health to the girls that we know,
And a third in remembrance of brave Admiral Benbow.

Oh, yes, drink up a health, boys, to the girls we do know
And a third for remembrance of brave Admiral Benbow.

Acknowledgements

The lyrics are from the Mudcat Café thread Admiral Benbow (from June Tabor).