Maddy Prior - The Sovereign Prince lyrics

The mariner is sailing Sailing across the sea Seeking out the enemy Bringing spices back home to me Spanish gold for the taking At the harbour of Cadiz Their fleet they left a-blazing On the Ocean bed, stone cold, her cannons lie Eldorado lies a shimmering Shimmering like a mirage Luring the merchant venturers On a brutal grim and overlong voyage Treasure laden galleons Lemons, melons and quince Strange exotic cargo Gift and garlands fit for the Prince And Gloriana rules with a woman's wiles Plays the coquette with politics and smiles A computer for a brain in the body of a child All temper and guile And the girls on the beach They are lying out of reach They rub oil on their skins And roll in the sand of hated Spain And the girls in sidewalk bars Drink their coffee, smoke their cigars And laugh at the waiting maid Who covers afraid of the Prince And Gloriana in stiff starched lace With pearls in her hair and thunder on her face Screams with rage: Has God left this place? There's no God in this place And the girls on the phone Ring collect when they call home And talk inconsequent Will pass in a moment a thousand miles And the girls in the airport lounge Are awaiting the tannoy sound For the flight to Brazil With a couple of weeks to kill in the sun And Gloriana so harsh and chaste The soldier in her breast is raging at the waste Of Victories lost and battles left unfaced For want of such haste And the girls in high-strapped shoes With a tan they never lose Wear the cross of gold In memory of stories told in Sunday School And the girls without the Church Leave their lovers in the church But seldom sleep alone And think no more of Rome than a tourist town And Gloriana sits slumped on the throne Her head in her hands is weeping alone Dreaming of the past and times that are gone Dreams of time to come And the mariner is sailing Sailing across the sea Seeking out the enemy Bringing spices back home to me Bring me my scallops shell of quiet My staff of faith to walk upon My scrip of joy, immortal diet My bottle of salvation My Gown of glory, hopes true gauge And thus I'll take my pilgrimage