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2 - 21st century UK folk singer.
The Golden Vanity
Sam Kelly Lyrics
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the name of the ship it was the golden vanity
and the one day she came upon the Spanish enemy
as she sailed upon the lowlands, lowlands low
as she sailed upon the lowlands low.
Well up spoke the cabin boy of only 12 and 3
he said to the captain, now what would you give to me
and sink here in the lowlands, lowlands low
and sink her in the lowlands low.
In the lowlands, in the lowlands
and sink her in the lowlands low.
Well I will give you silver, and I will give you gold
if you should attempt it is daring and so bold
oh and me lovely daughter's hand in marriage you shall hold
if you sink her in the lowlands, lowlands low
if you sink her in the lowlands low.
In the lowlands, in the lowlands
and sink her in the lowlands low.
Well then the young cabin boy jumped straight into the sea
and with a rope around his waist, he swam up to the enemy
and with the hammer bored a hole and then another three
and he sunk her in the lowlands, lowlands low
and he sunk her in the lowlands, low.
In the lowlands, in the lowlands
he sunk her in the lowlands low.
Well oh me captain I have done the deed you asked of me
I have sunk the Spanish ship into the briny sea
so won't you throw a ladder down or drowned I shall be
cause I'm sinking in the lowlands, lowlands low
I'm sinking in the lowlands low.
But, to the drowning cabin boy, the captain paid no heed
cause he had made a promise that he never meant to keep
his daughter he would marry to a man with wealth to reap
so he left him in the lowlands, lowlands low
he left him in the lowlands low.
In the lowlands, in the lowlands
he left him in the lowlands low.
In the lowlands, in the lowlands
he left him in the lowlands low.
The Golden Vanity is a traditional English ballad that tells the story of a young cabin boy aboard a ship named the Golden Vanity who saves his crew from a Spanish enemy. The ballad begins by introducing the ship and its crew, before revealing the encounter with the Spanish enemy. The young cabin boy, who is only 12 or 13 years old, offers to swim up to the enemy ship and sink it. The captain offers him silver, gold, and his daughter's hand in marriage if he succeeds. The boy dives into the water and bores three holes into the enemy ship, causing it to sink. However, when he asks for help to climb back onto the Golden Vanity, the captain fails to keep his promise and abandons him to drown.
The ballad tells a story of bravery, sacrifice, and betrayal. It highlights the unfair treatment of the lower class by the upper class, as the captain of the ship uses the cabin boy's bravery as a means to his own ends and then abandons him when he is no longer useful. Additionally, the ballad raises questions about the morality of violence, as the boy must take the lives of the Spanish enemy to save his own. Overall, The Golden Vanity is a tragic and thought-provoking song that addresses complex themes and emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
Well there once was a lofty ship that sailed upon the sea
Once upon a time, there was a grand ship that sailed on the ocean.
the name of the ship it was the golden vanity
The ship was called The Golden Vanity.
and the one day she came upon the Spanish enemy
One day, it encountered an enemy ship, which was Spanish.
as she sailed upon the lowlands, lowlands low
As The Golden Vanity sailed upon the lowlands, where the water is shallow.
Well up spoke the cabin boy of only 12 and 3
Then, the young cabin boy, who was only twelve years old and three years, spoke up.
he said to the captain, now what would you give to me
He then asked the captain what he would give him.
if I were to swim up to the Spanish enemy
The cabin boy proposed to swim up to the Spanish enemy.
and sink here in the lowlands, lowlands low
He was willing to sabotage and sink the ship in the lowlands.
Well I will give you silver, and I will give you gold
The captain promised to reward the young cabin boy with silver and gold.
if you should attempt it is daring and so bold
But, it's a daring and bold endeavor.
oh and me lovely daughter's hand in marriage you shall hold
If the cabin boy succeeded, he would also receive the captain's daughter's hand in marriage.
if you sink her in the lowlands, lowlands low
But he had to sink the enemy's ship in the lowlands to receive these rewards.
Well then the young cabin boy jumped straight into the sea
So, the young cabin boy courageously jumped into the sea.
and with a rope around his waist, he swam up to the enemy
With a rope tied around his waist, the cabin boy swam up to the enemy ship.
and with the hammer bored a hole and then another three
Then, with a hammer, he bored a hole into the ship, and repeated the act three times.
and he sunk her in the lowlands, lowlands low
He ultimately sunk the enemy's ship in the shallow water.
Well oh me captain I have done the deed you asked of me
He informed the captain that he had completed the task assigned to him.
I have sunk the Spanish ship into the briny sea
The cabin boy proudly declared that he had sunk the Spanish ship.
so won't you throw a ladder down or drowned I shall be
With that, he requested the captain to throw him a ladder, or he would drown.
cause I'm sinking in the lowlands, lowlands low
He was sinking in the shallow water.
But, to the drowning cabin boy, the captain paid no heed
However, the captain ignored the cabin boy's plea for help.
cause he had made a promise that he never meant to keep
The captain made a promise he never intended to keep.
his daughter he would marry to a man with wealth to reap
He planned to marry his daughter to a wealthy man.
so he left him in the lowlands, lowlands low
Thus, he abandoned the young cabin boy in the shallow water to die.
he left him in the lowlands low.
The song ends, reminiscing the cabin boy left to die in the lowlands.
Contributed by Jeremiah P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Patrick Klenk
I realize this comment is on a seven yo video, but as a kid, my god mother taught me this song around a campfire. 40 years later I taught your version of this song to my kids that are 10 and 7. Yours is simply the most pleasant version I've heard and I thank you for it. ;)
Ally Gray
Love this so much Sam, keep doing what you love because you're absolutely amazing at it. :)
OE vR
There's a Dutch variation on this song which has roughly the same story and is clearly inspired by this song. Me and a friend of mine were discussing how plausible the action of drilling holes in an enemy ship would be. I pointed out that it is impossible to even keep pace with a sailing ship while swimming, let alone drilling a hole while doing so. I did some research and in some variations of the song a rope being tied to the person in quesion is mentioned. Still it would need to be a very long rope in order to cross the distance between two rival ships. Especially if you want the operation to go unnoticed by the enemy.
When I was discussing this question with my friend I did not know of the version with the rope. I suggested that with the help of an axe you could position yourself on the outside of a ship by inbedding the tool into the hull, after which you would then have to tie yourself to the axe in order to free up both hands to operate a drill or auger. Which all in all would be quite the challenge itself. As would be swimming with both tools and a length of rope. Tying both tools to yourself on forehand would make the whole operation plausible. Your chances of survival afterwards would be considerably less than in the song. Apart from the fact that the hero of the song died anyway. I think that getting back to your own ship would be one of the most unlikely aspects of the song.
Let me know what you think. Does anyone know of any historical sources that actually mention this practise or any remotely similar situation? I am assuming that even though the song is very old, it is still fiction.
Nice version by the way!
!?
This is obviously an impossible ask for anyone, let alone a boy of just 15 to chase down a ship with just his body. That he was set up to face the impossible odd is the point. Plenty of stories face this plot line, the crew may be telling the boy's story in a different job to avoid facing his fate.
Erlend Gjerde
Brilliant version of this song guys! A song like this should not be arranged fancy and or jazzy, just clean and powerful playing and singing, with a few small details to create some dynamics. Sam, your guitar has a very nice sound. I see it's from Martin's series of guitars made of sustainable wood, but on Martin's website I can't find a SW guitar that looks like yours, i.e. the leafs around the soundhole and the cutaway. Is it custom built?
Bram 76
Tremendous!
You were the supporting act for John McCusker last year and it was absolutely great! Keep doing what you’re doing 👍🏻
Lesli Jones
My uncle Jack used to play this and sing.. I was about 5, and It would always bring tears to my eyes, because he left the cabin boy to die..💔
Chiba Dowa, Bloomington, IN, Since 1989
A favorite song and such a GREAT version, new fan of Sam 🌊🌊🌊🌈🚣♂️
Leza Mesiah
I love ❤️ your version of this, The Golden Vanity 🎶🎶🎶
Abigail Barletta
Am in love. As a fellow singer of traditional song I love this version. Well done :D