THE CHERBOURG RUN ( stress in bold )

 

This is –

The story of the Cherbourg and her duty free

And the man who built in Perranporth cottages three

T’was him that tipped the wink and let the revenue know

With his pay he built the cottages of Cherbourg Row

Chorus:

Perranporth boys on the Cherbourg run

Haul your foresheets haul your mainsheets

Haul ‘em tight, through the night

Hear the boom of the revenue gun

Run little Cherbourg, run .

 

Time after time this speedy little ship

Crossed the channel with her smuggle - gave the coastguards the slip.

She was fast, she was clever and despite their best endeavours

She could out run the revenue every trip

Chorus:

She’d sail into the bay of Ligger, anchor off the cliffs at Cligga

And land her contraband into the caves they’d row

In the interests of tax avoidance, on the cliffs a hoist contrivance

Hauling up the barrels from the depths below

Chorus:

The Smuggling syndicate included the minister

But recently joined and far more sinister

Was Hampton the traitor who did betray

The free traders of Ligger Bay

Chorus:

The gold was paid a trap was laid, two revenue cutters lay in wait.

For ten days till she sailed in to meet her fate

Cherbourg slipped in like a ghost- landed one boat load at most

Then fled - but had the warning come too late?

Chorus:

Unable to out pace‘er they kept firing their bow chasers

In the hope of hitting something just to slow her down

But she escaped unscathed, as they raced across the waves

Found safe haven still two miles ahead in Cherbourg town.

 

THE BACKGROUND TO THE SONG
picture and song © Nigel Hallworth
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