The Rocks of Scilly

Come all you seamen stout and bold,
Who plough the raging main,
Come listen to my tragedy,
Whilst I relate the same,
I parted from my Polly dear,
The girl whom I adore,
And to the seas commanded was,
Where lofty billows roar.

First to the West Indies we were bound,
Our gallant ship to steer,
And all the time that I sail?d on,
I thought on my Polly dear.
Sometimes aloft, sometimes on deck,
Sometimes I was below,
The thoughts of Polly ran in my mind,
Love did torment me so.

Up aloft, up aloft, our captain cried.
And the very first that does spy land,
And well rewarded he shall be,
With fifty pounds in hand;
Up aloft, up aloft, the captain cried,
To the mainmast up so high,
We look?d all around on every side.
Neither light nor land could spy.

Being on the foremast of the ship,
A light by chance to spy,
Cheer on, cheer on, before the wind,
Some harbour we are nigh,
Cheer on, cheer on, before the wind,
Hoping all danger?s past;
But we, poor souls, that very night
On Scilly?s Rocks were cast.

The very first crack our ship did give,
Aloud our captain cried,
The Lord have mercy on our souls,
We in the deep must lie:
And out of six hundred bold seamen,
But four of us came on shore,
Our gallant ship to pieces split.
And never was seen more.

When the sad news to Plymouth came,
Our gallant ship was lost,
Caus?d many gallant seamen bold,
To lament for our case;
Poor Poll was left for to lament,
The loss of her sweetheart,
?Twas the raging seas and stormy winds,
That caused us to part.

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