Marie la Cordelière - Alan Simon, James Wood, Fairport Convention

On the tenth' of August 1512

We passed the headland west of Saint-Mathieu

English galleons

50 strong English galleons

And so it was that I did see

The finest ship I’d ever seen

Marie la Cordelière

Belle Marie la Cordelière

She was so fine, such a sight to see

Sailing high on the summer sea

And I am proud to say that I have seen

Belle Marie la Cordelière

And when the Breton captain he did see

The English flags out on the reach, he cried

«Weigh the anchors high and we will fight

Weigh the anchors high!»

And the Belle Marie came sailing proud

200 canons shining on her sides

15 hundred men prepared to die

15 hundred men

Well the battle raged for many’an hour

Till her decks ran red with blood and we breached her side

Then the captain cried «Though we may die

We’ll not surrender her»

Across the heaving deck he ran

In each hand a blazing brand he bore

Into the powder store and he blew her high

He fired the powder store