Viking Adieu Poster

ink drawing coloured on computor inspired by Spanish Ladies Spanish Ladies is a traditional English naval song, describing a voyage from Spain to the Downs from the viewpoint of ratings of the British Royal Navy. Yes, I know that is a viking ship but this is the song that played in my head as I drew. Actually, I think the whole picture popped into my head because of a comment I made to Lord Templar about England being like California. Everyone is from somewhere else. Normans, Saxons, Romans, (tip of the hat to the Jutes) and just about everyone who could get themselves in a boat and row! Farewell and adieu unto you Spanish ladies Farewell and adieu to you ladies of Spain For it’s we’ve received orders for to sail for old England But we hope very soon we shall see you again We’ll rant and we’ll roar like true British sailors We’ll rant and we’ll roar across the salt seas Until we strike soundings in the Channel of Old England From Ushant to Scilly is thirty-five leagues We hove our ship to with the wind at sou’west, boys We hove our ship to, our soundings to see So we rounded and sounded; got forty-five fathoms We squared our main yard and up channel steered we Now the first land we made it is called the Deadman Next Ram Head off Plymouth, off Portland the Wight We sailed by Beachy, by Fairlee and Dungeness Till we came abreast of the South Foreland Light Then the signal was made for the grand fleet to anchor All in the Downs that night for to lie Then it’s stand by your stoppers, see clear your shank-painters, Haul all your clew garnets, let tacks and sheets fly Now let every man toss off a full bumper And let every man drink off a full glass And we’ll drink and be merry and drown melancholy Singing, here’s a good health to each true-hearted lass