Spanish Ladies
Mr. Hurley und Die Pulveraffen Lyrics
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Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain;
For it's we've received orders for to sail for old England,
But we hope very soon we shall see you again.
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
Then we hove our ship to the wind at sou'-west, me boys,
We hove our ship to our soundings for to see;
So we rounded and sounded, and got forty-five fathoms,
We squared our main yard, up channel steered we.
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
Now let every man toss off a full bumper,
And let every man toss off a full bowl;
And we'll drink and be merry and drown melancholy,
Singing, here's a good health to all true-hearted souls.
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
Now let every man toss off a full bumper,
And let every man toss off a full bowl;
And we'll drink and be merry and drown melancholy,
Singing, here's a good health to all true-hearted souls.
The song "Spanish Ladies" by Mr. Hurley und Die Pulveraffen is a traditional sea shanty that tells the story of British sailors bidding farewell to the Spanish women they have met during their travels. The sailors have received orders to return to England and are saying goodbye to their Spanish lovers, hoping to see them again soon. The lyrics describe their journey across the sea as they sail towards England, with the sailors boastfully chanting about their skills and strength. They round the ship to take soundings, meaning they measure the depth of the water, ensuring they are safe to continue their journey.
The song's chorus is repeated three times, each time with a slightly different ending. The sailors vow to keep ranting and roaring across the salt seas until they reach the Channel of old England, a distance of 35 leagues or around 110 nautical miles. The song ends with the sailors raising a toast to all true-hearted souls, ready to drink and be merry and forget their troubles.
Overall, the song is a lively and upbeat celebration of the life and adventures of sailors, as well as a tribute to the love and longing that comes with being separated from loved ones while at sea.
Line by Line Meaning
Farewell and adieu unto you Spanish ladies,
We bid farewell and say goodbye to you, ladies from Spain
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain;
We say goodbye to you, the women of Spain
For it's we've received orders for to sail for old England,
We've received orders to sail back to England
But we hope very soon we shall see you again.
But we hope to see you again soon
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We will celebrate and make merry like true British sailors
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
We will celebrate and make merry on the salty seas
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
Until we reach the Channel of old England
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
The distance from Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues
Then we hove our ship to the wind at sou'-west, me boys,
Then we positioned the ship to face the south-west wind, boys
We hove our ship to our soundings for to see;
We positioned the ship to measure the depth of the water
So we rounded and sounded, and got forty-five fathoms,
We took measurements and found the depth to be forty-five fathoms
We squared our main yard, up channel steered we.
We adjusted our main sail and steered up the channel
Now let every man toss off a full bumper,
Now let every man drink a full glass
And let every man toss off a full bowl;
Let every man drain a full bowl
And we'll drink and be merry and drown melancholy,
We will drink, be happy and forget our sorrows
Singing, here's a good health to all true-hearted souls.
Singing, here's a toast to all pure-hearted people
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We will celebrate and make merry like true British sailors
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
We will celebrate and make merry on the salty seas
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
Until we reach the Channel of old England
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
The distance from Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues
We'll rant and we'll roar like true British sailors,
We will celebrate and make merry like true British sailors
We'll rant and we'll roar across the salt seas,
We will celebrate and make merry on the salty seas
Until we strike soundings in the Channel of old England,
Until we reach the Channel of old England
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues.
The distance from Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues
Now let every man toss off a full bumper,
Now let every man drink a full glass
And let every man toss off a full bowl;
Let every man drain a full bowl
And we'll drink and be merry and drown melancholy,
We will drink, be happy and forget our sorrows
Singing, here's a good health to all true-hearted souls.
Singing, here's a toast to all pure-hearted people
Contributed by Levi A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.