Cardiff Rose

a.k.a. Jolly Roger

Written by Roger MacGuin

The sun came up over the Spanish Sea
Our homeland far behind us
Being hunted by the king´s navy
I´m sure he´ll never find us

Pull away, me lads of the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger

We pulled her into the leeward wind,
And we made for the Caribbean
For thoughts of what it might have been
Destroys a human being.
But thoughts about the Spaniard´s gold
And learning to desire it,
Could make a man so rash and bold,
He´ll soon become a pirate.

Pull away, me lads of the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger

A gleam it came in our Captains eye,
As he spied an english clipper
She looked the perfect shape and size
"Let´s go aboard and strip her".
So he fired a shot across her bow
And we eased ourselves beside her,
With our keels as close as she´d allow
We swung from the deck to ride her.

Pull away, me lads of the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger

So up she tumbles and starts to twitch
And she signals for assictance.
We tightened our hold another hitch,
We ended her resistance
It´s many a day on the Spanish Main
I´ve served aboard that raider,
But never did nothing more beautifully,
Than the way that we belayed her

Pull away, me lads of the Cardiff Rose and hoist the Jolly Roger

Her hold was hot as St.Elmos fire,
And her chests were filled with treasure
We took as much as we´d require
and then took more for our lesiure
Now there´s many a day on the Spanish Main
But none I hold so dear,
As that happy day I first became
A scurvy buccaneer