The Coast of Barbary- Broadside (MA) 1700s
[I don't know when "The Coast of Barbary" ("High Barbaree") came to the United States but it was surely here in the 1700s. The Collections of the Massachusetts Historical Society: 1639-1800 show this lsiting and broadside number:
3026. [Cut.] [The Coast of Barbary, | And Black ey'd Susan. ] ships from England did sail, PC [Blow] high, blow low
This was printed before 1800. It's impossible to tell the date but I'd place it in the last half of the 1700s. Fortunately Barry obtained a copy of this and supplied the text in 1929 in BBM:
D. "The Coast of Barbary." woodcut of a ship. From a photostat of a very old broadside, in the collection of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Printed by courtesy of Mr. J. H. Tuttle, Librarian.
1 Two gallant ships from England did sail,
Blow high, blow-low, and so sailed we,
The one the prince of Luther, the other prince of Wales,
Cruizing down on the coast of Barbary.
2 Up aloft, up aloft, our merry boatswain cries,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we,
Look ahead, look astern, look a weather and a lee,
Look around on the coast of Barbary.
3. I 'spied on ahead, I 'spied on astern,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we,
I 'spied a rock at windward, or lofty ship at sea,
Cruizing down on the coast of Barbary.
4 Sail on, sail on, our merry boatswain cries,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we,
With a heavy press of sail and along side came we,
Cruizing down on the coast of Barbary.
5 Broadside and broadside, so boldly we did play,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we,
'Till the Prince of Luther fir'd all those pirates masts away,
Cruizing down on the coast of Barbary.
6 For quarters, for quarters, our merry pirates cry'd,
Blow high, blow low, and so sailed we,
But the quarters that we gave them, we sunk them in the sea,
Cruizing down on the coast of Barbary.
The foregoing copy of the ballad is the oldest that we have seen, and is doubtless close to the original text. On the same sheet with it, is printed Black-Ey'd Susan, the well-known song by John Gay. The broadside is listed, Ford 3026. It has no imprint or date.