Sailor's Hornpipe Lyrics

Lyric discussion by StrandedMail 

Cover art for Sailor's Hornpipe lyrics by Mike Oldfield

The lyrics mention Sir Francis Dashwood - an 18th C rake and founder of the Hellfire Club.

Dashwood was also the founder of the Society of Dilettante, a dining society devoted for men who wanted to discuss & relive their European experiences.

The song is essentially a spoof of a drunk, wealthy aristocrat mumbling about art. Perhaps it’s meant to be the sort of conversation that happened at Dilettante Club meetings. (These were held in West Wycombe Park not Shipton manor.)