Kate Bush - The Handsome Cabin Boy

A traditional folk song that Kate recorded for the b-side of the "Hounds Of Love" single. The song is also featured on the "This Woman's Work" box set.

Lyrics:

'Tis of a pretty female
As you may understand.
Her mind being bent for rambling
Unto some foreign land,
She dressed herself in sailor's clothes,
Or so it does appear,
And she hired with a captain
To serve him for a year.

Her cheeks they were like roses
And her hair rolled in a curl.
The sailors often smiled and said
He looked just like a girl.
But eating of the captain's biscuit
Her colour did destroy,
And the waist did swell of pretty Nell,
The handsome cabin boy.

'Twas in the bay of Biscay
Our gallant ship did plow.
One night among the sailors
Was a fearful flurry and row.
They tumbled from their hammocks
For their sleep it did destroy,
And they sworn about the groaning
Of the handsome cabin boy.

"Oh doctor, dear, oh doctor,"
The cabin boy did cry.
"My time has come, I am undone,
And I will surely die."
The doctor come a-runnin'
And a-smilin' at the fun.
To think a sailor lad should have
A daughter or a son.

The sailors when they saw the joke
They all did stand and stare.
The child belonged to none of them,
They solemnly did swear.
The captain's wife, she says to him,
"My dear, I wish you joy,
For 'tis either you or me's betrayed
The handsome cabin boy!"

Category:

Music

Tags:

• kate
• bush
• the
• handsome
• cabin
• boy

[fergusil]

did kate write this song?

[Symphonyofflowers]

@fergusil No, she didn't. It's an old folk song.

[Caledonian86224]

Haunting and fantastic; I have the vinyl somewhere ! Thanks for posting.

[Symphonyofflowers]

You're welcome.

[AugustusLarch]

Ewan McColl is old time. Kate Rusby is the only English traditional singer that I can handle, and not for very long.

Kate Bush is the closest thing to a divine creature that this world can offer. Consider that.

[bukovoima]

Very, very beautiful. One of her best.

[fergusil]

@Symphonyofflowers thanks for that! ive been dying to hear this song for the past 25yrs and it only dawned on me afew days ago to look it up on utube [...why didnt i think to do that before?-lol]. this is a gem and when i used to buy singles as a kid-teenager in the 80s,one of the first things i would do was play the b-side;and when an artist would put time and effort into recording a good quality b-side,it was a real buzz! i think it was their way of thanking fans for buying their singles.

[Mr19941994fernando]

soy argentino y aca esta lleno de reggaton, gracias por revivir lo lindo de la musica

[sandtreader]

Last verse, which wraps it nicely, with a very funny line at the end...

So each man took his drop of rum and he drunk success to trade,

And likewise to the cabin boy who was neither man nor maid.

It's hoping the wars don't rise again, us sailors to destroy,

And here's hoping for a jolly lot more like the handsome cabin boy.

[sandtreader]

Missing second verse which explains the captain's wife's comment at the end!

The captain's wife she being on board, she seemed in great joy

To think her husband had engaged such a handsome cabin boy.

And now and then she slipped him a kiss, and she would have liked to toy,

But it was the captain found out the secret of the handsome cabin boy.

[sandtreader]

I'm learning this song as part of a shanty repertoire (although it's not a shanty, strictly), and it's lovely to hear Kate singing it! My favourite traditional version is actually A.L.Lloyd on Blow Boys Blow...

As someone else said, it's a shame she missed out the second and last verses - I'll post them in a minute for completness (won't fit in one comment!)

[poisonchihuahuas]

hey this reminds me sort of the book "the true confessions of charlotte doyle" by avi

[Sharmilka]

Kate is simply amazing.I like her version best ;)

What a funny song :D

[gmimer]

spellbinding - is this on any of her albums?