John Dory

As it fell on a holy day,
And upon a holy tide, a,
John Dory bought him an ambling nag
To Paris for to ride, a.
To Paris for to ride, a.

And when John Dory to Paris was come
A little before the gate, a,
John Dory was fitted, the porter was witted
To let him in thereat, a.


The first man that John Dory did meet
Was good King John of France, a.
John Dory could well of his courtesy,
But fell down in a trance, a.

"A pardon, a pardon, my liege and my king,
For my merry men and for me, a,
And all the churls in merry England
I'll hring them all bound to thee, a."

And Nicholl was then a Cornish [man],
A little beside Bohyde, a,
And he manned forth a good black bark
With fifty good oars on a side, a.

"Run up, my boy, unto the maintop,
And look what thou canst spy, a."
'Who ho, who ho, a goodly ship I do see;
I trow it be John Dory, a."

They hoist their sails both top and top,
The mizen and all was tried, a;
And every man stood to his lot,
Whatever should betide, a.

The roaring cannons then were plied,
And dub a dub went the drum, a;
The braying trumpets loud they cried
To courage both all and some, a.

The grappling hooks were brought at length,
The brown bill and the sword, a;
John Dory at length, for all his strength,
Was clapped fast under board, a.



CHild #284
From the Oxford Book of Sea Songs, Palmer
" In this story of the defeat of a French privateer by a Cornish
captain there may be confused echoes of the Hundred Years' War
--- King John the Good of France died in English captivity in
1364." RP
Note: this tune, or one of the same name was used for "Back and
Side" in a play called Gammer Gurton's Needle (1562)
according to Chappelle. RG
RG