The king sits in dunfermline town
Drinking of the blood red wine,
''where can I get a good sea captain
To sail this mighty ship of mine? ''

Then up there spoke a bonny boy
Sitting at the king's right knee,
''sir patrick spens is the very best seaman
That ever sailed upon the sea.''
The king has written a broad letter
And sealed it up with his own right hand,
Sending word unto sir patrick
To come to him at his command.

''an enemy then this must be
Who told a lie concerning me,
For I was never a very good seaman
Nor ever do intend to be.''

''last night I saw the new moon
With the old moon in her arm,
A sign, the sign since we were born
That means there'll be a deadly storm.''
They had not sailed upon the sea
A day, a day, but barely three,
When loud and boisterous grew the winds
And loud and stormy grew the sea.

Then up there came a mermaiden
A comb and glass all in her hand,
''here's a health to you my merry young men,
For you'll not see dry land again!''

''oh, long may my lady look
With a lantern in her hand
Before she sees my bonny ship
Come sailing homewards to dry land.''
Forty miles off aberdeen
The water's fifty fathoms deep
There lies good sir patrick spens
With the scots lords at his feet.

• A Sailor's Life
• After Halloween
• Autopsy
• Ballad of Easy Rider
• Banks of The Nile
• Bird on a Wire
• Blow Away
• Blue Tattoo
• Blues Run The Game
• Bold Jack Donahue
• Book Song
• Box Full of Treasure
• Bring 'em Down
• Bruton Town
• By The Time It Gets Dark
• Cajun Woman
• Cold Feet
• Come All Ye
• Crazy Man Michael
• Dawn
• Dear Landlord
• Down Where The Drunkards Roll
• East Virginia
• Eastern Rain
• Eppy Moray
• Farewell, Farewell
• Forever Young
• Fotheringay
• Genesis Hall
• Geordie
• Georgia on My Mind
• Green Grow The Laurels
• Gypsy Davey
• Hearts
• Here in Silence
• I'll Keep It With Mine
• I'm Leaving
• If You Saw Thro' My Eyes
• In Memory
• Iron Lion
• It Ain't Me Babe
• Knockin' on Heavens Door
• Let It Go
• Let No Man Steal Your Thyme
• Lowlands of Holland
• Magic Lady
• Makes Me Think of You
• Man of Iron
• Matty Groves
• Million Dollar Bash
• Motherless Children
• Mr Lacey
• My Ramblin' Boy
• Never Ending
• Night-time Girl
• No Man's Land
• Nothing More
• Nottamun Town
• Now & Then
• On The Banks of The Condamine
• One More Chance
• Painted Ladies
• Peace in The End
• Percy's Song
• Pleasure Pain
• Polly on The Shore
• Possibly Parsons Green
• Reno, Nevada
• Restless
• Reynard The Fox
• Reynardine
• Rigs of The Time
• Ringing Down The Years
• Rising for The Moon
• Sir Patrick Spens
• Sloth
• Some Sweet Day
• Stranger to Himself
• Suzanne
• Take Away The Load
• Tale in Hard Time
• Tam Lin
• The Angels Took My Racehorse Away
• The Ballad of Ned Kelly
• The Battle of Evermore
• The Boatman
• The Deserter
• The Hexhamshire Lass
• The King & Queen of England
• The Leaves of Life
• The Plainsman
• The Pond & The Stream
• The Sea
• The Way I Feel
• Throwaway Street Puzzle
• Too Much of Nothing
• Twisted
• Two Weeks Last Summer
• What is True?
• White Dress
• Who Knows Where The Time Goes?
• Wild Mountain Thyme
• Winter Winds