45 - High Barbary

Words by Traditional
Tune by Traditional

High Barbary refers to the Rif coast of North Africa, home to Ottoman and Maghrebi 'barbary pirates' who operated out of the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli, seizing merchant ships in the Mediterranean and Eastern North Atlantic, and taking slaves in coastal raids. This song celebrates a victory of two English ships over one of the Barbary pirates.

There were two lofty ships from old England came
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
One was the Prince of Luther, the other Prince of Wales
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary

Aloft there, aloft there our jolly bosun cried
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
Look ahead, look astern, look to weather an’ a-lee
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary

There’s naught upon the stern, sir, there’s naught upon our lee
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
But there’s a lofty ship to wind’ard, an’ she’s sailin’ fast and
free
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary

Oh hail her, oh hail her, our gallant captain cried
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
Are you a man-o-war, or a privateer? cried he
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary

Oh, I’m not a man-o-war, nor privateer, said he
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
But I am salt sea pirate all a-looking for me fee
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary

For Broadside, for broadside a long time we lay
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
'Til at last the Prince of Luther shot the pirate’s mast away
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary

Oh quarter, oh quarter those pirates they did cry
Blow high, blow low and so sail we
But the quarter that we gave them was we sank 'em in the sea
All a-cruisin’ down the coast of High Barbary