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> June Tabor > Songs > Royal Oak
> Martin Carthy > Songs > Royal Oak
> Dave Swarbrick > Songs > Royal Oak

The Royal Oak

[ Roud 951 ; Ballad Index VWL091 ; trad.]

In 1970, Tony Rose sang this ballad from The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs unaccompanied on his first LP, Young Hunting. He commented in the album sleeve notes:

The Royal Oak is something of an enigma, for there is no historical record of any such events as the one described here, involving a ship called the Royal Oak. Nevertheless the song has a fine tune, and with Britannia very definitely ruling the waves, I'm surprised the sung is not sung more widely.

June Tabor sang The Royal Oak live at the Stagfolk Folk Club at Shackleford Social Centre, near Godalming on 26 March 1972. However, this track was not included in the concert's LP Stagfolk Live but only in 2005 on the June Tabor anthology, Always.

Roy Harris sang it on his 1972 LP The Bitter and the Sweet; this track was also included in the maritime compilation CD Round Cape Horn.

And Martin Carthy and Dave Swarbrick recorded Royal Oak for their 2006 album Straws in the Wind. Carthy commented in the sleeve notes:

Not much historical background seems to be known about the Royal Oak if indeed such a background exists. According to A.L. Lloyd there are versions from the English West Country (from the Baring-Gould collection) and Aberdeenshire (from Gavin Greig) both of which name the ship as The Marigold, and suggests that the encounter took place at the end of 1669. I wonder myself whether it's just a great piece of imagination. Just a story with no basis in fact like so many other songs. Great story and great derring-do. Great melody too.

Lyrics

Tony Rose sings The Royal Oak	Martin Carthy sings Royal Oak
As we were a-sailing all on the salt sea, We hadn't sailed months past but two or three. Not before we saw ten sail of Turk, All men-o'-war full as big as we.	As we was sailing all on the salt sea, We hadn't sailed months past two or three. Long before we saw ten sail of Turk, All men-o'-war full as big as we.
“Pull down your colours, you English dogs! Pull down your colours, do not refuse. Oh, pull down your colours, you English dogs, Or else your precious life you'll lose!”	“Pull down your colours, you English dogs! Pull down your colours, do not refuse. Oh, pull down your colours, you English dogs, Or else your precious life you'll lose!”
Our captain being a valiant man, And a well-bespoken young man was he: “Oh, it never shall be said that we died like dogs, But we will fight them most manfully!”	And our captain being a valiant man, And a well-bespoken young man was he: “Oh, it never shall be said that we died like dogs, But we will fight them manfully!”
“Go up, you lofty cabin boys, And mount the mainmast tops'l high, For to spread abroad to King George's fleet. But we'll run the risk or else we'll die!”	“Go up, you lofty cabin boys, And mount the mainmast topsail high, For to spread abroad to our noble fleet We'll run the risk or else we'll die!”
The fight begun about six in the morn And unto the setting of the sun. And at the rising of the very next morn, Of them ten ships we could not see but one.	The fight begun 'bout six in the morning And unto the setting of the sun. Oh, and at the rising of the very next morning, Out of ten ships could not see but one.
For three we sank and three we burned, And three we caused to run away, And the one we took into Portsmouth harbour For to let them know we had won the day.	Oh, three we sank and three we burned, Three we caused to run away, And one we brought into Portsmouth harbour For to let them know we had won the day.
Well, if anyone then should enquire Or want to know our captain's name, Ol' Captain Wellfounder is our chief commander, And the Royal Oak is our ship by name.	And if anyone then should enquire Or want to know our captain's name, Captain Wellfounder is our chief commander, But the Royal Oak is our ship by name.

Acknowledgements

Lyris taken from The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, ed. Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd, Penguin, 1959:91, and adapted to the actual singing of Martin Carthy by Garry Gillard.