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.
