Drake's Drum
Skip Henderson Lyrics
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(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?)
Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay,
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.
Yarnder lumes the island, yarnder lie the ships,
Wi' sailor lads a-dancin' heel-an'-toe,
An' the shore-lights flashin', an' the night-tide dashin'
He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago.
As he saw et long ago.
Drake he was a Devon man, an' ruled the Devon seas,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?),
Rovin' tho' his death fell, he went wi' heart at ease,
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe,
"Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore,
Strike et when your powder's runnin' low;
If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port o' Heaven,
An' drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago."
As we drummed them long ago.
Drake he's in his hammock till the great Armadas come,
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?),
Slung atween the round shot, listenin' for the drum,
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.
Call him on the deep sea, call him up the Sound,
Call him when ye sail to meet the foe;
Where the old trade's plyin' an' the old flag flyin',
They shall find him, ware an' wakin', as they found him long ago.
As they found him long ago.
The lyrics of Skip Henderson's "Drake's Drum" speaks of Sir Francis Drake, who is depicted as dreaming in his hammock, a thousand miles away, slung between round shots in the Bay of Nombre Dios. He is dreaming of his hometown Plymouth Hoe, an image in his mind from long ago, where he used to see the island and the ships with sailors dancing heel-and-toe, while the shore-lights flashed, and the tide dashed. The lyrics give the impression of Drake reminiscing about his past, where he can still see his hometown clearly in his mind, while he is so far away.
Drake was a Devon man, ruling the Devon seas, and even though his death was near, he still managed to dream with an ease in his heart of Plymouth Hoe, his hometown. In his dream, he told his comrades to take his drum to England, hang it by the shore, and strike it only when their powder was running low. And if the Spaniards sighted Devon, he said he would leave heaven and drum them up the Channel, just as they had drummed them long ago. This part of the lyrics depicts Drake's patriotism, where he was willing to fight for his country, even in his death with the sound of his drum.
Drake is dreaming in his hammock until the Armadas come, and he is slung between round shots, listening for the drum. The song depicts Drake's readiness to face the Spaniards and his eagerness to fight for his country. The lyrics call Drake a legend, and his spirit is still alive, as he would be ware and wakin' where the old trade plyin' and the old flag flyin'. It's interesting to note that this song depicts Drake as a dedicated patriot, and his memory still lives on.
Line by Line Meaning
DRAKE he's in his hammock an' a thousand mile away,
Drake is relaxing in his hammock, far from home, and disconnected from current events.
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?)
The singer is addressing Drake as if he were alive and asking if he is asleep.
Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay,
Drake's hammock is positioned between rounds of ammunition in the Bay of Nombre Dios.
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.
Drake is constantly dreaming about his home in Plymouth, England.
Yarnder lumes the island, yarnder lie the ships,
In the distance, Drake can see an island and a fleet of ships.
Wi' sailor lads a-dancin' heel-an'-toe,
On the ships, the crew is dancing and having a good time.
An' the shore-lights flashin', an' the night-tide dashin',
The lights ashore are twinkling, and the tides are crashing against the shore.
He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago.
Drake sees everything just as clearly as he did when he was last there.
Drake he was a Devon man, an' ruled the Devon seas,
Drake was from Devon, England, and was a powerful figure in the local shipping industry.
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?),
The artist is still addressing Drake and asking if he is still sleeping.
Rovin' tho' his death fell, he went wi' heart at ease,
Drake kept adventuring until he died, but he was never worried about the future.
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe,
Even in death, Drake still dreams about his home.
"Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore,
Before his death, Drake instructed his crew to bring his drum back to England and display it by the shore.
Strike et when your powder's runnin' low;
When the crew is out of ammunition, they should strike the drum.
If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port o' Heaven,
If the Spanish Armada comes back to Devon, Drake will leave heaven and come back to help fight them.
An' drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago.
Drake plans to lead the fight against the Spanish just as he had in the past.
Drake he's in his hammock till the great Armadas come,
Drake will remain in his hammock until the Spanish Armada returns.
(Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?),
The singer still questions if Drake is asleep or not.
Slung atween the round shot, listenin' for the drum,
Drake is lying between the rounds of ammunition and eagerly listening for the sound of his drum.
An' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe.
Drake is still dreaming about his home in Plymouth, England.
Call him on the deep sea, call him up the Sound,
If there is ever a need for Drake, he will come from the deep sea or up the Sound.
Call him when ye sail to meet the foe;
If the English ever need to fight an enemy, they should call on Drake.
Where the old trade's plyin' an' the old flag flyin',
Drake will be ready to fight when he sees the old English flag flying and trade ships sailing.
They shall find him, ware an' wakin', as they found him long ago.
The English will find Drake alert and ready to fight, just as they did in the past.
As they found him long ago.
Drake has always been ready to serve his country and still is to this day.
Contributed by Josiah F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.