Captain Cook Shanty

Endeavour arrival 1997 Whitby Homecoming

I was given the words of this song, collectively written by crew members of the Australian replica of HMB Endeavour,
at a hastily arranged leaving party in honour of the captain and crew. We had been invited to sing at the party in the Captain Cook Memorial Museum the night before they left Whitby, having been unexpectedly called back to Australia by their Government. I was informed the tune was the nursery rhyme ‘Old King Cole’.
The Endeavour departed Whitby on 27th May 2003.

For all Cook’s three voyages of discovery between 1768 and 1780, Cook and the Navy Board chose to purchase working Whitby built ships. They were all renamed, re registered and sailed to Deptford Dockyard for a refit.

For his first voyage the 368 ton Earl of Pembroke built by Thomas Fishburn was renamed Endeavour.
For the second voyage the 462 ton Marquis of Granby was renamed Resolution, and the 340 ton Marquis of Rockingham was renamed Adventure, both were built by Thomas Fishburn at Whitby.
For his third and final voyage, the Resolution was used again and the 298 Ton Diligence, built by G & N Langton of Whitby, was bought and renamed Discovery.

I have written more about Captain James Cook in my article Captain Cook and his Voyages of Discovery on this website.

Captain Cook Shanty

1. Captain Cook was a lively lad,
And a lively lad was he.
He came from the land
To the North Sea strand,
Longing to go to sea, my lads
Longing to go to sea.

Chorus
So give three cheers
For the lads of Steers
Who took him off to sea
And three cheers more
For the Whitby lore
That bound him to the sea, my lads
That bound him to the sea.

2. Captain Cook was a daring man
And a daring man was he
He sailed as far
Neath the southern star
As ever a man might be, my lads
As ever a man might be.

3. But best of all
Give a brave sea call
For the broad beamed Whitby ships
That carried his sails
In the southern gales
Where none had gone but he, my boys
Where none had gone but he.

4. For Whitby ships first ploughed those seas
Down to the icy bound shores
And far and wide
On the South Sea tide
They carried his company, my lads
They carried his company.

5. For many a day he sailed away
Beyond the rim of the seas
And the flag unfurled
In that southern world
With all his company, my lads
With all his company

About Mick

Mick Haywood is a traditional folk singer & folk song collector who has run and organised folk clubs and festivals for many years. He now lives in Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Mick Haywood's Song Wordbook

Whitby Years