Now one was a doctor in Edinburgh town,
The second a lawyer was he,
And the youngest of all, he was Henry Martin,
Martin,
Martin,
And he was a pirate on the salt sea.
He had not been sailing a long winter's night,
And part of a short winter's day,
Before he espied a rich merchant ship,
Merchant ship,
Merchant ship,
Bearing down upon him on a straitaway.
"Oh, lower your topsail and furl your mizzen,
And put yourself under my lee,
Or else I shall give you the fast flowing ball,
Flowing ball,
Flowing ball,
And send your bodies down into the sea."
So broadside and broadside with cannon and shot,
They fought for two hours or three,
Til Henry Martin gave to her the death shot,
Death shot,
Death shot,
And sent her bodies into the sea.
Sad news, sad news is to old England has come,
Sad news is to fair London's,
There's been a rich merchant ship all cast away,
Cast away,
Cast away,
And all her merry men drowned.