Marie La Cordelière

On the tenth' of August 1512
We passed the headland west of Saint-Mathieu
English galleons
50 strong English galleons
And so it was that I did see
The finest ship I’d ever seen
Marie la Cordelière
Belle Marie la Cordelière
She was so fine, such a sight to see
Sailing high on the summer sea
And I am proud to say that I have seen
Belle Marie la Cordelière
And when the Breton captain he did see
The English flags out on the reach, he cried
«Weigh the anchors high and we will fight
Weigh the anchors high!»
And the Belle Marie came sailing proud
200 canons shining on her sides
15 hundred men prepared to die
15 hundred men
Well the battle raged for many’an hour
Till her decks ran red with blood and we breached her side
Then the captain cried «Though we may die
We’ll not surrender her»
Across the heaving deck he ran
In each hand a blazing brand he bore
Into the powder store and he blew her high
He fired the powder store