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There is apparently an eighteenth century broadside song sheet called 'Captain Glen's Unhappy Voyage to New Barbary' which is probably an ancestor to this song. It is sometimes called 'Sir William Gower' and was collected under that name by Cecil Sharp in the early 1900s from a singer in Somerset. It also appears in 'The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs' by A.L. Lloyd and Ralph Vaughan Williams under the title 'The New York Trader'. Information about different versions of this song is summarized at The Ballad Index (www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/LK22.html).

I learned this song from Nic Jones, who recorded two versions of it, one on his 1978 album 'From the Devil to a Stranger' (now sadly unavailable), and one on his live compilation recording 'Unearthed' in 2001. Earlier versions have as many as twenty-two verses; Nic's have twelve and seven, respectively. I have reduced them to five, made some attempt to modernize the lyrics, and written an entirely new tune.

lyrics

William Glenn
Traditional, adaptation and tune © 2013 Tim Chesterton

There was a ship and she sailed the sea,
And she was bound for New Barbary.
Her captain’s name was William Glenn,
With/a crew of four and eighty men,
We’d only sailed but a week or two
When all that fine and hearty crew
They all fell sick but twenty-three
As we were sailing to New Barbary.

One night our captain he had a dream;
He heard a voice and it said to him,
“Prepare yourself and your company -
Tomorrow night you must lie with me”.
Our captain woke in an awful fright;
It being the darkest hour of night.
He called the Bosun with no delay,
And when he came, these words did say:

“Bosun, my friend, I’m sick at heart;
I know I’ve played a villain’s part.
I killed a man in Devonshire
Because I loved his lady fair.
It’s of his ghost now that I’m afraid,
Whose voice this night spoke from the dead.
I fear my curse hangs o’er the crew;
Only my death will see them through”.

That very night there blew a gale
And it quickly robbed us of many a sail.
The main mast sprung and down it fell;
We feared our ship was bound for hell.
At last the Bosun he did declare
That Captain Glenn was a murderer,
And so afraid were our whole ship’s crew
That overboard we our captain threw.

Our treacherous captain, him being gone,
Immediately there came a calm;
The winds abated and calmed the sea,
And so we came to New Barbary.
Now seamen all who hear my tale,
I pray my warning it will prevail:
If you love your life, then have a care,
And never sail with a murderer.

Now seamen all who hear my tale,
I pray my warning it will prevail:
If you love your life, then have a care,
And never sail with a murderer.

credits

from Folk Songs and Renovations, released May 13, 2013
Words: Trad/Tim Chesterton
Music: Tim Chesterton
Vocals and Cittern: Tim Chesterton

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Tim Chesterton Edmonton, Alberta

Tim Chesterton is inspired by the rich heritage of traditional folk music of the British Isles and North America, and enjoys interpreting traditional songs as well as writing new songs in the traditional style.

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