Songs of the Sea and Lays of the Land. Charles Godfrey Leland
By the Señor Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.
But having got away alive, though all his cash was gone,
He said, “If there is Vengeance, I will surely try it on!
And I do wish I may be damned if I don’t clear the score
With Señor Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador!”
He shipped a crew of seventy men—well-arméd men were they,
And sixty of them in the hold he darkly stowed away,
And sailing back to Vera Cruz was sighted from the shore,
By the Señor Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.
With twenty-five soldados he came on board so pleased
And said: “Maldito Yankee—again your ship is seized.
How many sailors have you got?” Said Folger, “Ten—no more,”
To the Captain Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.
“But come into my cabin and take a glass of wine,
I do suppose as usual, I’ll have to pay a fine;
I have got some old Madeira and we’ll talk the matter o’er—
My Capitan Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.”
And as over that Madeira the Captain General boozed,
It seemed to him as if his head was getting quite confused,
For it happened that some morphine had travelled from “the store”
To the glass of Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.
“What is it makes the vessel roll? What sounds are these I hear?
It seems as if the rising waves were beating on my ear!”
“Oh it is the breaking of the surf—just that and nothing more,
My Captain Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador!”
The Governor was in a sleep which muddled all his brains,
The seventy men had got his gang and put them all in chains,
And when he woke the following day he could not see the shore,
For he was out on the blue water—the Don San Salvador.
“Now do you see that yard-arm—and understand the thing?”
Said Captain Folger, “For all from that yard-arm you shall swing,
Or forty thousand dollars you must pay me from your store,
My Captain Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.”
The Capitano took a pen—the order he did sign,
“O Señor Yankee!—but you charge amazing high for wine!”
But ’twas not till the draft was paid they let him go ashore,
El Señor Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.
The greatest sharp some day will find another sharper wit,
It always makes the devil laugh to see a biter bit;
It takes two Spaniards any day to come a Yankee o’er:
Even two like Don Alonzo Estabán San Salvador.
And when this tale was told, another man
Cried out, “I’ll swear ’tis true as true can be,
Unto his health we’ll have all round a can!
For Captain Folger is well known to me.
Now I will sing ‘first lines’ of ‘Uncle Sam,’
And he who can shall add at once a second,
I’ll call you one by one—now here I am,
And he who balks shall be the loser reckoned,
And pay for drinks all round”—
“All right,” they roared,
“Now then begin, for we are all on board!”
UNCLE SAM
When there’s rain and shine together,
Chorus. Yo heave ho!
Uncle Sam is in the weather:
Chorus. Yo heave ho!
When the sun shines through a fog,
Yo heave ho!
Uncle Samuel drinks his grog:
Yo heave ho!
When the blue sky shows in pieces,
Yo heave ho!
Those are Uncle Samuel’s breeches:
Yo heave ho!
When a cloud is low and flat,
Yo heave ho!
That is Uncle Samuel’s hat:
Yo heave ho!
When the wind is loud and bad,
Yo heave ho!
Then Old Sam is getting mad:
Yo heave ho!
When the wind begins to bellow,
Yo heave ho!
Uncle Sam is in the cellar:
Yo heave ho!
When the sky is clean and red,
Yo heave ho!
Uncle Sam is gone to bed:
Yo heave ho!
When you hear the wind a-roaring,
Yo heave ho!
That is Uncle Sam a-snoring:
Yo heave ho!
When you see the lightning spooning,
Yo heave ho!
Then old Uncle Sam’s harpooning:
Yo heave ho!
When you hear the wind a-barking,
Yo heave ho!
Uncle Sam has gone a-sharking:
Yo heave ho!
When you see a santo-corpus,
Yo heave ho!
Uncle Sam is arter a porpus:
Yo heave ho!
When the water gabbles too much,
Yo heave ho!
Uncle Sam is talking Dutch:
Yo heave ho!
When the sea hawk’s scream is heard,
Yo heave ho!
He wants to know if there’s Dutch on board:
Yo heave ho!
When the wind’s before the rain,
Yo heave ho!
Soon you can make sail again:
Yo heave ho!
“Belay that song I say—’tis gettin’ weary:”