Come, listen to this mournful tale,
The tale it is too true,
It's about the loss of a fine steamship,
And a number of the crew.

This fine steamship had moved along,
From Liverpool had come,
And to Calcutta she was bound,
The Delaware by name.

lt was December twenty-one,
The raging seas did roar;
The Delaware was broken down
On a lee rocky shore.

Mancarlow lying on their lee,
And the Site Rock breaking too;
How sad and awful was the sight
To the captain and the crew.

The gale blew from the west-north-west,
They could not steam ahead;
When near Mancarlow's jagged rock,
Then all their courage fled.

It was half-past twelve o'clock that day
When the Delaware went down
With fifty men she had on board,
And forty-eight were drowned,

The captain with the crew went down,
They sank to rise no more;
And out of all that fine ship's crew
But two had reached the shore.

They floated on a broken boat,
And drifted to the shore,
And on White island saved their lives,
All mangled, bruised and sore.

The remainder of the crew went down,
And were buried in the deep,
Leaving their wives and families
And friends to mourn and weep
.
Those Bryher men stood on the hill
That dark and stormy day;
They manned their boat, and with great speed
For Sampson rowed away
.
Over Sampson they carried their boat,
Crossed lakes and bars of sand,
Determined quite to face it all
And bring them safe to land.

They launched their boat down in the sea,
While the foaming billows tossed;
Their friends stood weeping on the hills,
For fear they would be lost.

Quickly they rowed their boat along,
For staunch was every man,
They quickly got the shipwrecked men
And brought them safe to land.

On Bryher they were landed safe,
Both wet and cold, and pale;
The first and second mates were saved
That day to tell the tale.

Now, may God bless those Bryher men
For all that they have done;
Their deeds of daring shall be known
Wherever shines the sun.

Come listen to this mournful tale,
The tale it is too true,
About the loss of a fine Steam-ship,
And almost all the crew.

This great Steam-ship she moved along,
From Liverpool she came,
And to Calcutta she was bound,
The "Delaware" by name.

From the south-west the gale came on,
Nor sails, nor yards would stand;
The gale increased, the tempest raged,
And drove her towards the land.

Mighty seas came following on,
She could not steam ahead,
But neared Mincarlo's jagged rock,
And al their courage fled.

And on the bridge the captain stood,
He was a valiant man;
Although his leg was broke, and foot as well,
He still kept in the van.

But then an awful sea broke on the ship,
And snapt the bridge in two;
The captain then was swept away,
And near fifty sailors too.

Seething waves then followed on,
Until they crushed the deck;
And down, down went the "Delaware",
A total, helpless, wreck.

Full fifty men there were on board,
I'm sorry for to say;
There were but two escaped alive
On that most fatal day.

They floated in a broken boat,
And drifted to the shore
On White Island, they landed there
All mangled, bruised, and sore.

The rest of that ill-fated crew went down,
And were buried in the deep,
And left their wives and families
To shriek, and mourn, and weep.

The broken wreck and cargo too
Lay scattered on the shore;
And in memory of every Scilly man
The like was never seen before.

But Bryher men had watched the boat,
And volunteered so brave,
That to White Island they would go
The shipwreck'd men to save.

They rowed across a neck of sea
To land on Sampson's shore;
The tide ran strong, the wind blew hard,
And raging seas did roar.

O'er Sampson's hill they took their boat,
In spite of furious wind and sand,
Determined they to face it all,
And bring them safe to land.

They launched their boat down in the sea,
And on the foaming billows tost
Their friends and wives stood weeping at the scene
And thought they must be lost.

But quickly they rowed their boat along,
And staunch was every man,
And soon they reached those shipwrecked men,
And brought them safe to land.

Now may God bless those Bryher men
For all that they have done;
Their deed of daring shall be known
Wherever shines the sun,