“The Wreck of the Bold Lady Jean” lyrics Rie Sheridan Rose, music Marc Gunn

Performed by Marc Gunn
From CD: Pirates vs. Dragons

I’ll tell you a story of pirates so bold
Who sailed through the air to put gold in our hold
We sacked lots of merchants and navy men too
But when we took on a dragon, our payment was due.

* Singing fly high di-dye-do
Singing fly low di-day

We first found her lair in the mountains so tall
In a cave up so high hard to see it at all
We anchored a-lea and we slid down the ropes,
Giggling like schoolboys and strolling like dopes.

We had never been bested as yet as a crew,
We were bold, young, and strong, and we knew what to do
Till Davy and Jonas were snatched in those jaws
and young Timmy Carter was split by her claws.

‘Twas only a moment before we got wise
One dragon is worth more than 20 our size
We fell back a-pantin’ to the ship and her guns
and wished that the cannon balls weighed 50 tons.

Well, the first shot went wide, and she roared in her ire–
and a blast from her maw set the poop deck on fire
The cap’t he cursed at the cost to his ship
As her tail split the mast when around it did whip

“Let’s haul ass me hearties,” the captain he cried
“Or she’ll splatter our guts on that cold mountainside!”
He drew out his cutlass and parted the rope
and we crawled away slowly, not daring to hope.

We were sure we were goners, or charcoal at best–
but the dragon turned round and went back to her nest.
A single conclusion made every man frown–
We weren’t worth the trouble o’ hunting us down.

Now we limped our way down to the nearest sea port
And the shipwrights all at our poor ship they did snort
Their laughter it rang from the shore to the skies–
“You ain’t the first idjits a seekin’ that prize.”

So when you hunt dragons, remember their might
And don’t go a thinkin’ it’s an average fight
Best sneak up behind them with cunning and stealth–
or instead of a’stealin’ you’ll add to their wealth.

Chords: Key Dm

[Dm]I’ll tell you a story of pirates so [C]bold
Who [Am]sailed through the air to put [Dm]gold in our hold
We sacked lots of merchants and navy men [C]too
But [Am]when we took on a dragon, our [Dm]payment was due.

Singing [C]fly high di-dye-do
Singing [Dm]fly low diddly-dye-day

Background

The Irish Stout was wrecked by a fierce storm not long after a particular rough fight with a dragon. We learned some valuable lessons that I put down in this air / sea shanty.

The Wreck of the Bold Lady Jean Videos

from Purgatorre CD Release Concert

Credits

• Marc Gunn: autoharp, vocals, background vocals
• Nathan Deese: guitar, background vocals, whistle
• LT Panzarella: dumbek

from Pirates vs. Dragons, released July 27, 2016