Rounding the Horn
Cliff Haslam Lyrics
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She lay in Plymouth Sound,
Blue Peter at her foremast head
For she was outward bound;
We were waiting there for orders
To take us far from home;
Our orders came for Rio,
And thence around Cape Horn.
We prepared for heavy gales;
We set up all new rigging, boys.
Bent on all new sails.
From ship to ship they cheered us
As we did sail along,
They wished us pleasant weather
In rounding of Cape Horn.
While beating off Magellan Strait
It blew exceeding hard;
Whilst shortening sails two gallant tars
Fell from the topmost yard.
By angry seas the ropes we threw
From their poor hands were torn.
We had to leave them to the sharks
That prowl around Cape Horn.
And when we got round the Horn, my boys,
We had some glorious days.
And very soon our killick dropped
In Valparaiso Bay.
Them pretty girls came down in flocks;
I solemnly declare
They're far before them Plymouth girls
With their long and curly hair.
They love a jolly sailor
When he spends his money free.
They laugh and sing and merry, merry be;
They enjoy a jovial spree.
And when your money is all gone
They won't on you impose.
They are not like them Plymouth girls
Who steal and pawn your clothes.
Farewell to Valparaiso,
And farewell for a while.
And likewise to them Spanish girls
All on the coast of Chile.
And if ever l live to be paid off
"God bless them pretty Spanish girls
We left around Cape Horn."
The lyrics of Cliff Haslam's "Rounding the Horn" recounts the journey of a frigate named Amphitrite, which was outward bound from Plymouth Sound for the port of Rio and then around Cape Horn. The sailors were waiting for orders to take them away from home, which they received at Rio. They prepared for heavy gales and set up all new rigging and sails while being cheered by other ships. However, the journey was not without danger, as two gallant tars fell from the topmost yard while shortening sails in the midst of strong winds. Their ropes were torn from their hands by angry seas, and they were left to the sharks that prowl around Cape Horn.
As the journey around Cape Horn progressed, the sailors encountered some glorious days, and eventually dropped anchor in Valparaiso Bay. The pretty girls there "came down in flocks" and were far before the Plymouth girls in beauty and merry-making. They loved jolly sailors who spent their money freely and would not impose on them when their money was gone, unlike the thieving Plymouth girls. The sailors bid farewell to Valparaiso and the Spanish girls, but hoped to be paid off someday so that they could bless those pretty Spanish girls they left around Cape Horn.
Line by Line Meaning
It's of the frigate, Amphitrite,
This song is about the frigate Amphitrite
She lay in Plymouth Sound,
The Amphitrite was docked in Plymouth Sound
Blue Peter at her foremast head
The ship was getting ready to set sail and displayed the Blue Peter flag
For she was outward bound;
The ship was leaving port
We were waiting there for orders
The sailors were waiting for orders to commence their journey
To take us far from home;
The orders would take them far from their home port
Our orders came for Rio,
They received orders to sail to Rio de Janeiro
And thence around Cape Horn.
From Rio, they were to circle around Cape Horn
And when we got to Rio
Once they arrived in Rio
We prepared for heavy gales;
The sailors prepped the ship for strong winds
We set up all new rigging, boys.
They installed new rigging on the ship
Bent on all new sails.
They put on new sails on the ship
From ship to ship they cheered us
Other ships saluted them as they passed by
As we did sail along,
While they continued their journey
They wished us pleasant weather
The crews of other ships hoped for good weather for the sailors on Amphitrite
In rounding of Cape Horn.
Specifically, they hoped for good weather when Amphitrite rounded Cape Horn
While beating off Magellan Strait,
As they sailed through the Magellan Strait
It blew exceeding hard;
There was an extremely strong wind
Whilst shortening sails two gallant tars
While they were reducing sail, two brave sailors
Fell from the topmost yard.
Fell from the highest point of the ship
By angry seas the ropes we threw
The waves were violent and they had to toss ropes overboard
From their poor hands were torn.
The ropes were ripped away from the sailors' hands
We had to leave them to the sharks
The sailors had to abandon their shipmates to the mercy of sharks
That prowl around Cape Horn.
The area surrounding Cape Horn is known for having many sharks
And when we got round the Horn, my boys,
Once they had completed rounding Cape Horn
We had some glorious days.
The weather was good for a while after rounding the Horn
And very soon our killick dropped
They soon dropped anchor
In Valparaiso Bay.
They arrived in Valparaiso Bay, Chile
Them pretty girls came down in flocks;
Many attractive women came to see the ship and its crew
I solemnly declare
The sailor wishes to emphasize the next statement
They're far before them Plymouth girls
The women of Valparaiso are better than the women in Plymouth
With their long and curly hair.
The women in Valparaiso have long and curly hair
They love a jolly sailor
The women in Valparaiso love cheerful, friendly sailors
When he spends his money free.
Especially when he spends his money liberally
They laugh and sing and merry, merry be;
They are happy and joyful
They enjoy a jovial spree.
They like to party
And when your money is all gone
Once the sailor's money runs out
They won't on you impose.
The women of Valparaiso don't pressure sailors for money
They are not like them Plymouth girls
The women in Valparaiso are different from women in Plymouth
Who steal and pawn your clothes.
Women in Plymouth have a reputation for stealing and hocking sailors' clothes
Farewell to Valparaiso,
The sailors must say goodbye to Valparaiso
And farewell for a while.
They will soon set to sea for another unknown destination
And likewise to them Spanish girls
They must also say goodbye to the women of Spain
All on the coast of Chile.
In the entire Chilean coast
And if ever l live to be paid off
In the future, if he returns home
"God bless them pretty Spanish girls
May God bless the pretty women of Spain
We left around Cape Horn."
The sailors wished the women well as they sailed away from them near Cape Horn
Contributed by Ava Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.