Day 6: On Board a Ninety-Eight

Song Information

Bellamy used these lyrics collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams and set them to his own tune because he decided that the tune that Vaughan Williams collected was a bit rubbish. The manuscript is available at the Vaughan Williams Library and to my ears sounds like a version of "The Banks of Newfoundland". As per usual Bellamy was right and knocked it out of the park with the new tune.

I don't know where I first heard it, but I've a half memory of Piers Cawley singing it at the first Soundpost weekend in the pub during the second day.

I've been singing this song for over 15 years at this point, and it was one of the songs that I arranged for my first ever folk band Whiskey For Six, using a technique I like to call "Taking a song to pieces and putting it back together weird" - most people sing this incredibly freely and I quite liked forcing it into a somewhat strict rhythm. That approach sadly doesn't work for unaccompanied singing - it needs an instrument for that "force" to work

I love this song primarily because of the ridiculous leap that the tune makes - when Jon Boden did it for A Folk Song A Day he remarked A great song for extending your vocal range – before I learnt it I couldn’t get much above an E, but a managed to push it up to a G through this song. Jon is welcome to sing it in G, I'll stay in F and be quite content thank you very much.

Listen to the Song

Lyrics

When I was young and scarce eighteen, I drove a roaring trade,

And many a sly trick have I played on many a pretty maid.

Well my parents saw that would not do, I’d soon would spend their store;

So they resolved that I should go on board a man-of-war.

Well, a bold press-gang surrounded me, their warrant they did show,

They felt that I was go to sea and face the daring foe.

Then off they lugged me to the boat, and then I cursed my fate!

For then I found that I should float on board a “98”.

And when first I put my foot on board, how I did stand and stare!

For our Admiral, he gave the word, “There is no time to spare.”

So we weighed our anchor, shook out sail, and off they bore me straight

To face the French in storm and gale on board a “98”.

But as times fled, I bolder grew, I hardened was to war.

I could run aloft with my ship’s crew and value not a scar.

And so well I did my duty do till I got bo’s’n’s mate,

And bless me, soon got bo’s’n too on board a “98”.

So the years rolled by and at Trafalgar, brave Nelson, he fought and fell.

And when they capsized that hardy tar, I took a rap as well.

So to Greenwich College I came back because I’d saved my pate.

They’d only knocked a wing off Jack, on board a “98”.

So now I can my cocoa take, my pouch with ’baccy stored.

In my blue coat and my three-cocked hat I’m as happy as a Lord,

Cause I’ve done my duty, served my King, and now I bless my fate.

But bless me, I’m too old to sing, I’m nearly 98.