The poem
Drake he's in his hammock an' a thousand miles away, (Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?) Slung atween the round shot in Nombre Dios Bay, An' dreamin' arl the time O' Plymouth Hoe. Yarnder lumes the Island, yarnder lie the ships, Wi' sailor lads a-dancing' heel-an'-toe, An' the shore-lights flashin', an' the night-tide dashin', He sees et arl so plainly as he saw et long ago.
Drake he was a Devon man, an' ruled the Devon seas, (Capten, art tha' sleepin' there below?) Roving' tho' his death fell, he went wi' heart at ease, A' dreamin' arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe. "Take my drum to England, hang et by the shore, Strike et when your powder's runnin' low; If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port o' Heaven, An' drum them up the Channel as we drumm'd them long ago."
Drake he's in his hammock till the great Armadas come, (Capten, art tha sleepin' there below?) Slung atween the round shot, listenin' for the drum, An' dreamin arl the time o' Plymouth Hoe. Call him on the deep sea, call him up the Sound, Call him when ye sail to meet the foe; Where the old trade's plyin' an' the old flag flyin' They shall find him ware an' wakin', as they found him long ago!
Fellow fans of the great P.G.Wodehouse will recall Lord Ickenham's mention of this lyric in a chat with his friend, butler Bert Peasemarch, in the book _Cocktail Time_. Having a spot of port with the butler in his pantry, -- "This," said Lord Ickenham some moments later, "is the real stuff. The poet probably had it in mind when he spoke of the port of heaven. 'If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port of heaven…
Read the whole commentFellow fans of the great P.G.Wodehouse will recall Lord Ickenham's mention of this lyric in a chat with his friend, butler Bert Peasemarch, in the book _Cocktail Time_. Having a spot of port with the butler in his pantry,
-- "This," said Lord Ickenham some moments later, "is the real stuff. The poet probably had it in mind when he spoke of the port of heaven. 'If the Dons sight Devon, I'll quit the port of heaven an' drum them up the Channel as we drummed them long ago.' Sir Henry Newbolt. Drake's Drum. Are you familiar with Drake's Drum? But of course you are. What am I thinking of? I've heard you sing it a dozen times round the old camp fire in our Home Guard days."
--"I was always rather partial to Drake's Drum, m'lord."
--"And how you belted the stuffing out of it! It was like hearing a Siberian wolf-hound in full cry after a Siberian wolf..."
(from pages 83 & 84 of the Overlook Press edition, published in 2004; original version published 1958)
--and later in the story, Bert renders the song at the Bettle and Wedge pub, after his fourth glass of the local home-brew; while still later, Lord Ickenham cautions Bert's bride-to-be,
--"...if, as you stand at the altar, Bert starts singing Drake's Drum, give him a nudge."
--"We are going to be married at a registrar's."
--"Oh, then that's all right. These registrars are good sports. Yours will probably join in the chorus."
(ibid, page 208.)
I wonder if one could still learn the tune somehow? Stirring, no doubt.
(Just a correction to my earlier note; the name of the pub was, of course, the _Beetle_ and Wedge, not _Bettle_ and Wedge. Sorry about the typo.--N.F.)
Drake was consigned to the deep sewn up in his hammock, which as was customary among seamen was used as his shroud. We learned the poem in school in England in the early 1950's, and yes, the tune is stirring. Play up, play up and play the game was also a school favorite. And Kipling...! Good times!
The song, "Drake's Drum"(words by Sir Henry Newbolt) was sung by Bryn ? recently on either Classic F.M. or BBC Radio 2.(I can't remember which!)
Shortly after hearing it (probably for only the second time in my life - I'm a 61 yr. old Cornish born and bred: returned "home" 4years ago following an "exile" of 40years )- I accompanied a group of French students to Plymouth and gave them a brief rendition of the legend of Drake's drum, under his statue on Plymouth Hoe.( The Spanish students weren't with us on that excursion!)
I don't know whether this is the same setting of the poem you're talking about, but I know there is a recording by Bryn Terfel and the Bournmouth Symphony Orchestra released by Chandos (with Delius' 'Sea Drift' on there a well).
CV Stanford set a load of Newbolt's poetry in his song cycles 'Songs of the Sea' and 'Songs of the Fleet' which are well worth a listen to.
Tere's the IMSLP for the musical score of 'Drake's Drum'... it's only the chorus part but it has most of it if you fancy a bit of a sing!
I'm doing my dissertation on settings of maritime poetry in English song between 1900 and 1920 so I've had 'Drake's Drum' blasting out pretty much constantly. It's a cracker!