Loud roar'd the dreadful thunder, The rain in deluge showers; The clouds were rent asunder By lightning's vivid powers; The night both drear and dark; Our poor devoted bark, Till next day, There she lay, In the Bay of Biscay, O! Now dash'd upon the billow, Our op'ning timbers creak; Each fears a wat'ry pillow, None stop the dreadful leak; To cling to slipp'ry shrouds Each breathless seaman crowds, As she lay, Till the day, In the Bay of Biscay, O! At length the wish'd-for morrow Broke through the hazy sky; Absorb'd in silent sorrow Each heaved a bitter sigh; The dismal wreck to view, Struck horror to the crew, As she lay, On that day, In the Bay of Biscay, O! Her yielding timbers sever, Her pitchy seams are rent; When Heav'n, all bounteous ever, Its boundless mercy sent. A sail in sight appears, We hail her with three cheers! Now we sail, With the gale, From the Bay of Biscay, O!

Dibdin’s 1865 Sea Songs and Ballads attributes the lyrics of this song to Andrew Cherry, with music by John Davy. Cherry (1762-1812) was the son of a Dublin printer and bookseller, and a playwright and actor on the London stage.

An unrelated song shares the same title, The Bay of Biscay.

Sheet Music (2 melodies)

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