The Legend of Mother Bailey
words and music by Kay
Pere
A long time ago on the banks of the Thames*
Lived a salty, patriotic dame.
Anna Warner was her given name,
But they called her Mother Bailey,
Yes, they called her Mother Bailey.
When revolution came to Groton Heights,
She was just a girl and though the others took flight,
She bravely tended those wounded in the fight.
So they called her Mother Bailey,
Yes, they called her Mother Bailey.
And she'll tell you the tale given half a chance
With a song and a shout and a spritely dance.
Thirty years went by and war came again.
She had not forgot those fallen men
Or the burning of New London.
To the fight went Mother Bailey,
To the fight went Mother Bailey.
All the frightened residents fled the town.
Not a scrap of cannon wadding could be found,
But Fort Griswald knew who would stand her ground.
They could count on Mother Bailey.
They could count on Mother Bailey.
And she'll tell you the tale given half a chance
With a song and a shout and a spritely dance.
She was standing in the middle of the street
When she dropped her petticoat at her feet,
Shouting, "Shoot this through King George's fleet,
With cannon balls from Mother Bailey,
With cannon balls from Mother Bailey."
So they tied that petticoat to a pike
And they flew it like a flag over Groton Heights.
They say that's why the British would not fight,
It was thanks to Mother Bailey,
Thanks to Mother Bailey.
And she'll tell you the tale given half a chance
With a song and a shout and a spritely dance.
This legend was told in the Evening Gazette.
She was visited by Lafayette.
Even Andrew Jackson, the President,
Came to call on Mother Bailey,
Came to call on Mother Bailey.
And she'll tell you the tale given half a chance
With a song and a shout and a spritely dance.
ŠKay Pere - Effusive Music Publishing
* The pronunciation of
"Thames" in the first verse of this song differs from the river,
Thames, in England. During the Revolution, Americans changed
the way they pronounced many place names as an act of defiance
against the British. The events in this song take place in
Groton, Connecticut, USA.
