The Pirate King

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Henry ‘Long Ben’ Avery (or Every) was an infamous English pirate born in Newton Ferrers, near Plymouth, in the 17th century (1659). He sailed throughout the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the 1690s, consistently evading either arrest or death, becoming known as “The Arch Pirate” or “The King of the Pirates”. He gained particular infamy after carrying out possibly the most lucrative act of pirary in history, then subsequently avoiding capture and disappearing. The date and time of his death remain unknown.

Jake Rowlinson (Vocals, Synthesiser) // Jeremy Bunting (Guitar, Percussion) // Fran Rowney (Low (D) Whistle)

LYRICS

Gather round you lost and found and listen to my tale,
Lend me your ears, you buccaneers, and those out hunting whale,
And I will sing of the pirate king, a lord amongst the free,
A pirate bold, with a lust for gold, and a vice for villainy,
Stole the biggest prize there’ll ever be, Sail with long Ben Avery.

In Newton Ferrers he was raised, by water we begin,
In Plymouth town, he could be found, scuppered there on gin,
In the wake of Francis Drake he found himself at sea,
The shilling’s gleam of Anne our queen was worth his liberty,
So in foreign wars and in all the seven seas, Sail with long Ben Avery.

Charles II’s fancy was a naval ship of war,
But ropes and spars and jacky tars had left him wanting more,
He sowed the seeds of mutiny, just off the coast of Spain,
The captain who he overthrew, a pirate he proclaimed,
And soon he proved the very devil of the Caribbea’,
Sail with long Ben Avery.

The Grand Mughal of Islam was from holy Mecca bound,
And all on board, a treasure hoard, worth two hundred million pounds,
So Avery and comrades the Portsmouth and the Pearl,
With stripped down masts, their ships were fast,
And they chased them ‘round the world,
A bounder, rake, a cad, a knave was he,
Sail with long Ben Avery

Forty nautical miles on,
Forty fathoms deep,
Forty broadsides firing on,
The flash of steel will ring,
The shanty man shall sing,
All for the pirate king.

A manhunt for the pirates was declared throughout the globe,
And high and low, the ships did go, to reprimand the rogues,
But all his men had gold and gems, a fortune each did gain,
They set sail for the Indies and were never seen again,
Still to this day, the largest ever robbery,
Sail with long Ben Avery.

Some say he’s back in Devon now, some say he’s in his grave,
Some say he is a king somewhere; some say he’s selling slaves,
But listen all, both great and small, to what I say to you,
And ask yourselves the question, how I know just what I do?
I even know where his buried treasure be,
Sail with long Ben Avery.

Forty nautical miles on,
Forty fathoms deep,
Forty broadsides firing on,
The flash of steel will ring,
The shanty man shall sing,
All for the pirate king.

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