“Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies...”
The first mention of Quint’s ditty in history dates back to 1624, although it’s more accepted that it only became popular in the Napoleonic Wars when English soldiers sailed to Spain providing weapons and goods for the Spanish fight against the would be Emperor.
Our antihero, Quint, takes some liberties by moving the action to Boston (presumably referencing the American War of Independence), but the lyrics are true to the original.
- Farewell and adieu to you fair Spanish ladies
Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain
Cause we’ve received orders for to sail for old England,
But we hope in a short time to see you again.
Chorus:
We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors,
We’ll rant and we’ll rave across the salt seas, Until we strike soundings in the Channel of England,
From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-four leagues.
- We hove our ship to, with the wind at southwest, boys,
We hove our ship to, for to take soundings clear.
In fifty-five fathoms with a fine sandy bottom
We filled our main tops’l, up Channel did steer.
Chorus:
- The first land we made was a point called the Deadman,
Neaxt Ramshead off Plymouth, Start, Portland and Wight;
We sailed then by Beachy, by Fairlee and Dover,
Then bore straight away for the South Foreland Light.
Chorus:
- Then the signal was made for the Grand Fleet to anchor,
We clewed up our tops’ls, stuck out tacks and sheets
We stood by our stoppers, we brailed in our spankers,
Then anchord ahead of the noblest of fleets
Chorus:
- Let every man here drink up his full bumper,
Let every man here drink up his full bowl,
And let us be jolly and drown melancholy,
Singing, here’s a good health to all true-hearted lass.
Chorus:
Anyway, here’s some ACTUAL modeling...
