The Golden Vanity
Michiel Schrey Richard Irwin Sean Dagher Nelson Carter Nils Brown & David Gossage Lyrics
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And she sailed upon the sea,
And the name of the ship,
Was the Golden Vanity,
And she feared she would be taken,
By the Spanish enemy,
As she sailed upon the lowland, lowland, low,
As she sailed upon the lowland sea.
Then up stepped the cabin boy,
And boldly outspoke he,
And he said to the Captain,
What would you give to me?
If I would swim alongside,
Of the Spanish enemy,
And sink her in the lowland, lowland, love,
And sink her in the lowland sea.
Oh I would give you silver,
And I would give you gold,
And the hand of my daughter,
Your bonnie bride to be,
If you'll sneak alongside,
Of the Spanish enemy,
And you'll sink her in the lowland, lowland, low,
And you'll sink her in the lowland sea.
And then the boy he made him ready,
Then overboard sprang he,
And he swam alongside,
Of the Spanish enemy,
And with his auger shaft,
In the side he bore holes three,
And he sank her in the lowland, lowland, low,
He sank her in the lowland sea.
Then the boy he turned around,
And back swam he,
And he cried out to the skipper,
Of the Golden Vanity,
But the skipper did not heed,
For his promise he would need,
And he left him in the lowland, lowland, low,
He left him in the lowland sea.
He left him in the lowland sea.
The Golden Vanity is a traditional folk song that tells the heroic tale of the cabin boy's bravery in sinking a Spanish enemy ship despite the captain's betrayal. The song begins by describing the Golden Vanity, a little ship sailing on the sea. The ship and its crew are in danger of being captured by the Spanish enemy as they sail upon the lowland sea. The cabin boy then comes forward and suggests to the captain that he will swim alongside the enemy ship and sink it. The captain, eager to save his ship, offers the boy silver, gold, and even his daughter's hand in marriage if he succeeds in his plan.
The boy then jumps overboard and swims alongside the Spanish enemy ship. He manages to bore three holes in its side using his auger shaft and sinks it. He then turns around and swims back to the Golden Vanity, calling out to the captain, who, consumed by his greed and desire for self-preservation, refuses to save the boy and leaves him in the lowland sea.
The story of the Golden Vanity, as told in this song, is an allegory for the timeless tale of heroism being ignored by the powers that be, who care only for their own interests. The captain represents those in power who would rather betray those beneath them and ignore their heroism than share the rewards.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, there was a little ship,
There existed a small boat on the ocean.
And she sailed upon the sea,
The boat traveled across the vast water.
And the name of the ship,
The boat was called the Golden Vanity.
Was the Golden Vanity,
The boat went by the name of the Golden Vanity.
And she feared she would be taken,
The captain was scared the Spanish enemy would capture their ship.
By the Spanish enemy,
The Spanish naval force was their greatest threat.
As she sailed upon the lowland, lowland, low,
As they cruised across the shallow sea level.
As she sailed upon the lowland sea.
As they navigated through the shallow open water.
Then up stepped the cabin boy,
Then the cabin boy approached the captain.
And boldly outspoke he,
And he spoke confidently.
And he said to the Captain,
And he spoke to the captain.
What would you give to me?
What reward can I expect?
If I would swim alongside,
If I would swim next to the enemy vessel.
Of the Spanish enemy,
Of the Spanish naval force.
And sink her in the lowland, lowland, love,
And sink her in the shallow sea level.
And sink her in the lowland sea.
And sink her in the shallow open water.
Oh I would give you silver,
I would compensate you with silver.
And I would give you gold,
Additionally, I would reward you with gold.
And the hand of my daughter,
And you would be able to marry my daughter.
Your bonnie bride to be,
Your attractive partner-to-be.
If you'll sneak alongside,
If you can discreetly get close to the enemy's ship.
Of the Spanish enemy,
Of the Spanish naval force.
And you'll sink her in the lowland, lowland, low,
And if you ultimately sink her in the shallow sea level.
And you'll sink her in the lowland sea.
And if you ultimately sink her in the shallow open water.
And then the boy he made him ready,
Then, the cabin boy prepared himself.
Then overboard sprang he,
He then jumped overboard.
And he swam alongside,
He stealthily swam close to the enemy's ship.
Of the Spanish enemy,
Of the Spanish naval force.
And with his auger shaft,
Using an auger, a tool resembling a drill bit.
In the side he bore holes three,
He created three holes on the side of the vessel.
And he sank her in the lowland, lowland, low,
Thus sinking the vessel in the shallow sea level.
He sank her in the lowland sea.
Thus sinking the vessel in the shallow open water.
Then the boy he turned around,
Then the cabin boy turned and swam back.
And back swam he,
He swam back to the Golden Vanity.
And he cried out to the skipper,
He shouted to the captain.
Of the Golden Vanity,
Of the ship Golden Vanity.
But the skipper did not heed,
But the captain did not pay attention.
For his promise he would need,
For he needed to keep his promise of the reward.
And he left him in the lowland, lowland, low,
So he left the cabin boy in the shallow sea level.
He left him in the lowland sea.
So he left the cabin boy in the shallow open water.
Contributed by Grace C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.