Henry Martin
Andreas Scholl Lyrics
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In merry Scotland there were three,
And they did cast lots which of them should go,
should go, should go,
And turn robber all on the salt sea.
The lot it fell first upon Henry Martin,
The youngest of all three;
Salt sea, salt sea.
For to maintain his two brothers and he.
He had not been sailing but a long winter's night
And a part of a short winter's day,
Before he espied a stout lofty ship,
lofty ship, lofty ship,
Come abiding down on him straight way.
Hullo! Hullo! cried Henry Martin,
What makes you sail so nigh?
I'm a rich merchant bound for fair London town,
London Town, London Town
Will you please for to let me pass by?
Oh no! Oh no! cried Henry Martin,
That thing it never could be,
For I am turned robber all on the salt sea
Salt sea, salt sea.
For to maintain my brothers and me.
Come lower your topsail and brail up your mizz'n
And bring your ship under my lee,
Or I will give you a full flowing ball,
flowing ball, flowing ball,
And your dear bodies drown in the salt sea.
Oh no! we won't lower our lofty topsail,
Nor bow ourselves under your lee,
And you shan't take from us our rich merchant goods,
merchant goods, merchant goods
Nor point our bold guns to the sea.
With broadside and broadside and at it they went
For fully two hours or three,
Till Henry Martin gave to her the deathshot,
the deathshot, the deathshot,
And straight to the bottom went she.
Bad news, bad news, to old England came,
Bad news to fair London Town,
There's been a rich vessel and she's cast away,
cast away, cast away,
And all of the merry men drown'd.
The song "Henry Martin" tells the story of three Scottish brothers who draw lots to decide which one of them will become a pirate to support their family. The youngest brother, Henry, is chosen and takes to the seas as a robber. In his first encounter with a merchant ship, he demands that they surrender their goods to him, but they refuse. The two ships engage in a battle, which ultimately ends with Henry's victory and the sinking of the merchant vessel. However, news of the tragedy reaches England, causing sadness and mourning for the lost men.
The song is a well-known example of a ballad, a form of traditional folk music characterized by narrative storytelling. The story of "Henry Martin" reflects the difficult circumstances faced by many people in Scotland during the 18th and 19th centuries when poverty and lack of opportunities compelled many to turn to illegal activities. The song also highlights the dangers and brutality of life at sea during that time.
* The earliest known printed version of the song dates back to the 18th century.
* The song is sung in a traditional Scottish dialect.
* The tune of the song has been used in various other pieces of music, including Benjamin Britten's "Folksong Arrangements."
* "Henry Martin" has been covered by many artists, including Joan Baez and Andreas Scholl.
* The song was included in the 2013 film "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."
* The story of Henry Martin is said to be based on a true account of a Scottish pirate who roamed the seas in the late 18th century.
* The ballad has been referred to as a "child ballad," a term used to describe traditional ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the late 19th century.
* The song was often sung by sailors on board ships as a form of entertainment.
* The ballad has been used as a plot device in various novels and plays, including Dorothy Sayers' "Clouds of Witness."
* The song's lyrics have been translated into various languages, including German and French.
Chords: The song is often played in D minor or E minor with a simple chord progression of Dm, C, and G.
Line by Line Meaning
There were three brothers in merry Scotland,
In Scotland there were three brothers.
In merry Scotland there were three,
In Scotland, three brothers were full of joy and fun.
And they did cast lots which of them should go,
They played a game of chance to decide who should perform a certain mission.
should go, should go, should go,
The decision of who should go to perform the mission was repeated for emphasis.
And turn robber all on the salt sea.
The selected person should become a pirate on the salt sea.
The lot it fell first upon Henry Martin,
The first person selected to become a pirate was Henry Martin.
The youngest of all three;
Henry Martin was the youngest among the three brothers.
That he should turn robber all on the salt sea,
He should become a pirate on the salt sea in order to support his brothers and himself.
Salt sea, salt sea.
The salt sea was an important location for this song.
For to maintain his two brothers and he.
He had to become a pirate to support himself and his two brothers.
He had not been sailing but a long winter's night
He had not been sailing for a long time.
And a part of a short winter's day,
He had only been sailing for a part of a short winter's day.
Before he espied a stout lofty ship,
He saw a big and tall ship.
lofty ship, lofty ship,
The ship he saw was very tall.
Come abiding down on him straight way.
The ship was approaching him quickly.
Hullo! Hullo! cried Henry Martin,
Henry Martin called out to the approaching ship.
What makes you sail so nigh?
He was wondering why the ship was sailing so close to him.
I'm a rich merchant bound for fair London town,
The ship's captain declared that he was a rich merchant going to London.
London Town, London Town
The captain emphasized that he was going to London.
Will you please for to let me pass by?
The captain politely asked Henry Martin to allow him to pass by.
Oh no! Oh no! cried Henry Martin,
Henry Martin refused to let the ship pass him by.
That thing it never could be,
He refused because it was impossible.
For I am turned robber all on the salt sea
He told the captain that he was a pirate on the salt sea.
Come lower your topsail and brail up your mizz'n
He commanded the captain to lower his topsail and bring his ship under his control.
And bring your ship under my lee,
He demanded that the captain bring his ship to him.
Or I will give you a full flowing ball,
He threatened to attack the ship with a full flowing ball, which was a type of cannonball.
flowing ball, flowing ball,
He repeated the type of attack he threatened to do to the ship.
And your dear bodies drown in the salt sea.
He threatened to sink the ship and drown everyone on board.
Oh no! we won't lower our lofty topsail,
The captain refused to lower the ship's topsail.
Nor bow ourselves under your lee,
The captain refused to bow the ship under his control.
And you shan't take from us our rich merchant goods,
The captain refused to give the pirate their merchant goods.
merchant goods, merchant goods
The pirate wanted to take the merchant goods from the captain.
Nor point our bold guns to the sea.
The captain refused to point their guns to the sea as a sign of surrender.
With broadside and broadside and at it they went,
They fought each other fiercely, exchanging broadsides, which was a form of naval warfare.
For fully two hours or three,
The battle lasted for two to three hours.
Till Henry Martin gave to her the deathshot,
After the long battle, Henry Martin gave the ship a shot that ultimately sank it.
the deathshot, the deathshot,
The type of shot that sank the ship was referred to as the deathshot.
And straight to the bottom went she.
The ship sank straight to the bottom of the sea.
Bad news, bad news, to old England came,
England received bad news about the sinking of the rich merchant ship.
Bad news to fair London Town,
The bad news was specifically related to London Town.
There's been a rich vessel and she's cast away,
A rich vessel has been lost.
cast away, cast away,
The vessel and its passengers were lost and adrift.
And all of the merry men drown'd.
All the people on board the ship, including the crew and passengers, lost their lives in the sea.
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