A wind blew up from Pernambuco，（Yeo heave ho！the Laughing Sally ！Hi yeo，heave away！）A wind blew out of the eastsou’east And boomed at the break of day.
The Laughing Sally sped for her life，And a speedy craft was she.
The black flag flew at her top to tell How she took toll of the sea.
The wind blew up from Pernambuco；And in the breast of the blastCame the King‘s black ship like a hound let slip On the trail of the Sally at last.
For a day and a night，a night and a day；Over the blue，blue round，Went on the chase of the pirate quarry，The hunt of the tireless hound.
“Land on the port bow！”came the cry；And the Sally raced for shore，Till she reached the bar at the rivermouth Where the shallow breakers roar.
She passed the bar by a secret channel With clear tide under her keel，For he knew the shoals like an open book，The captain at the wheel.
She passed the bar，she sped like a ghost，Till her sails were hid from viewBy the tall，liana’d，unsunned boughs O‘erbrooding the dark bayou.
At moonrise up to the rivermouth Came the King’s black ship of war，The red cross flapped in wrath at her peak，But she could not cross the bar.
And while she lay in the run of the seas，By the grimmest whim of chance，Out of the bay to the north came forth Two battleships of France.
On the English ship the twain bore down Like wolves that range by night；And the breakers‘roar was heard no more In the thunder of the fight.
The crash of the broadsides rolled and stormed To the Sally hid from viewUnder the tall liana’d boughs Of the moonless dark bayou.
A boat ran out for news of the fight，And this was the word she brought“The King‘s ship fights the ships of FranceAs the King’s ships all have fought！”
Then muttered the mate，“I‘m a man of Devon！”And the captain thundered then“There’s English rope that bides for our necks，But we all be Englishmen！”
The Sally glided out of the gloom And down the moonwhite river.
She hove to under a high French hull，And the red cross rose to her peak.
The French were looking for fight that night，And they hadn‘t far to seek.
Blood and fire on the streaming decks，And fire and blood below；The heat of hell，and the reek of hell，And the dead men laid arow！
And when the stars paled out of heaven And the red dawnrays uprushed，The oaths of battle，the crash of timbers，The roar of the guns was hushed.
With one foe beaten under his bow，The other far in flight，The English captain turned to look For his fellow in the fight.
The English captain turned and stared；For where the Sally had beenWas a single spar upthrust from the sea With the red cross flag serene！
·······A wind blew up from Pernambuco（Yeo heave ho！the Laughing Sally ！Hi yeo，heave away！）
And boomed for the doom of the Laughing Sally ！Gone down at the break of day.