The Pearl Earring Old Jack's Boat

Good day to you.

# This is the place to be For Salty dog and me

# Down by the harbour We'll be there

# Around every corner There's something to share

# Give us a cheer Our friends are here

# Just salty dog and me. #

Come on, Salty!

# This is the place to meet Down at the end of the street

# Seagulls flying up in the blue

# There's always a cup of tea Waiting for you

# Out in the sun Having some fun

# Just Salty dog and me

# Haul away, haul away Sing a song of the sea

# Hoist the sail I'll tell you a tale

# Of Salty dog and me

# This is the place to go And these are the people we know

# The village is busy With things to see

# There's the Rainbow Down by the quay

# There are stories to tell Join us as well

# Just salty dog and me. #

That's it, Emily. Big smile.

Lovely!

-Greetings, ladies.

-Hello, Jack. Hello, Salty.

PHONE RINGS

The phone hasn't stopped. Better get going.

Busy, busy, busy.

-Bye-bye.

-Bye.

-Bye.

-How are you, dear?

-I've never felt better.

Listen, I like the look of these T-shirts. Salty does too.

Miss Bowline-Hitch is taking our photos today

for her village scrapbook.

She wants us to look smart so I came up with these T-shirts.

-Very nice indeed.

-I'm a whiz with my fabric paints.

-So I see, yes.

I've got a bit of painting to do on The Rainbow.

-Got to keep her looking shipshape.

-Absolutely.

-Ta-ra, then.

-Have a good day, the pair of you.

-And you. Bye-bye.

Right, Ernie. Carry on as normal and I'll just snap away.

OK, Miss P-H.

And another pose, please, Ernie.

All right, Ernie? Hello, you're wearing a tie!

-And it's a very wide tie at that.

-Yes, it's, erm...

Put the box down and lean forward.

Oh! Oh! Oh!

Dithering dabs!

Between you and me, it's a bit of a nuisance and it's uncomfortable too.

But Miss P-H wants me to look smart for my photo.

Oh, dear!

Erm... Ernie.

Oh, no!

Oh, really, Ernie. I'll never get a decent photo of you now.

PHONE RINGS

Better go.

But I'll be back later when that tie is dry.

Busy, busy.

Bye.

Back later? She could be gone all day.

I don't think I can wear this tie for that long, Jack.

-But I don't want to take it off and upset.

-Listen.

Maybe you should go and see Emily,

-because she might be able to help you with your tie problem.

-Perfect.

-I'll do that.

-Good man. Come on, Salty. Let's get out of here.

Look at all that tea all over the floor. Honestly! Come on.

There she is. The Rainbow. What have you got for us today, my dear?

Come on, Salty.

On you go. Good girl. There, now.

You curl up in your bed and I'll find the paint

and don't distract me, all right?

There we are. That's the one, yes.

Do you know,

Ernie did look funny with that tie of his dangling in his tea!

I mean, they are not the easiest things to wear.

I had to wear a fancy tie once. A bowtie, it was.

It was very smart indeed. Do you remember?

Yes.

Let me get comfortable and I'll tell you the story.

Once upon a twinkly time, The Rainbow set off from Staithes,

waved goodbye to Whitby and disappeared over the horizon.

Salty and I, we were waiting for Pearl, our favourite mermaid,

to escort us to the Barnacle Ball.

I was wearing a smart bowtie

and Salty was wearing her red scarf and a silky, pink ribbon.

She looked ever so pretty.

As we sailed along, we had a little singsong.

# Just salty dog and me

# Upon the briny sea

# The sun is up And the wind is fair

# We've brushed our fur And we've combed our hair

# We've dressed ourselves smartly To go to a party

# Just salty dog and me. #

"Oh, Salty, my girl," I said, "you are a very fine looking hound."

"I know I am," she whined. "But I've got the scarf.

"Why do I have to wear a ribbon too? I'm not a ribbon sort of dog."

Just then, we heard three perfect notes drifting on the wind.

"That sounds like Pearl," yapped Salty.

And sure enough, Pearl popped up from the waves.

"Sorry I'm late. I couldn't decide what to wear," she chimed.

"In the end, I chose my best necklace."

Pearl looked beautiful in her necklace made from little pearls

and Salty and I had a gift for her,

which was sure to make her the belle of the ball.

She opened it eagerly. "Pearl earrings," she said with delight.

"Oh, thank you. They're lovely." And she put them on straight away.

"Right," I said, "let's be off to the ball."

And before we could say "bobbly barnacles",

we were strolling along the sea bed.

The Barnacle Ball was taking place

on board a splendiferous sunken galleon.

"Follow me," said Pearl. "The sunken ballroom is this way."

Tangly seaweed push-up through the floors

and dangled in the doorways.

We were just trying to wind our way through it

when someone pushed past Pearl quite rudely.

"I must say, I'm extremely disappointed, Harold,"

said a cross sounding fish.

It was Mrs Cod, who was closely followed by her husband, Mr Cod.

Mrs Cod could not find an outfit to wear to the ball,

so she was in a panic.

"I have been looking everywhere, Penelope, dear,"

Mr Cod told his wife.

"But because you are such a perfect Cod,

"it is hard to find an outfit that is good enough for you."

"But the ball is about to begin," said Mrs Cod.

"I must, must, must get a move on." "Yes, dear," said Mr Cod.

And then the Cods pushed past us again,

causing Pearl to whirl around

until her lovely long hair tangled in the seaweed.

She tried to untangle it and one of her earrings came loose.

Downwards it drifted and before we could catch it,

it slipped through a crack in the wooden floor.

"Don't worry, Pearl. We'll get it out in no time," I said.

But the crack was too small and my hand wouldn't fit.

Even Salty's paw was too big.

"What am I going to do," cried Pearl.

A shark swam by and offered to help.

"Tell you what," it said, "I'll bash in the crack with my head.

"That will make it wider."

Well, it biffed and it boffed and it bashed quite a lot,

but it couldn't make the crack any bigger

and it ended up with a lumpy bump on its head.

"Ouch," said the shark.

Next, a sawfish swam by with a snout full of teeth and offered to help.

"I'll use my saw because that's what it's for," it said.

And it gnashed and it gnawed and it chipped and it sawed,

but it couldn't make the crack any bigger.

"I think I've lost a tooth," it moaned.

"Oh dear," said Pearl, "I think my pearl earring has gone for ever.

"Now then, Pearl," I said, "don't upset yourself.

"I've heard that it's quite the thing nowadays to wear one earring.

"Kiki Cutlass the pirate, she does it all the time.

"So let's just go to the ball and forget about it."

I could see that Pearl was a little sad but we headed for the ballroom.

The dancing had just begun and crowds of colourful sea creatures

shimmered to the wonderful sounds of the Galleon band.

It was such a marvellous thing to see.

All those glittering tails and fins.

Salty couldn't wait to join in.

Salty is a rather fabulous dancer in her spare time, aren't you, my girl?

Yes.

But as she was dancing, she kept trying to shake her ribbon off

because it felt very uncomfortable.

She's not really a ribbon sort of dog.

So there we were, waltzing and weaving

and scratching with the dancers at the Barnacle Ball

when suddenly, Mrs Cod swished past with her husband and guess what.

She had found something to wear and it was dangling from her fin.

"Look," cried Pearl. "That's my pearl earring!"

"Your pearl earring?" Mrs Cod replied.

"Indeed, it is not. Tell her Harold."

"Well," said Harold, about to start.

"My husband gave it to me just a moment ago,"

interrupted Mrs Cod, "didn't you?"

"Yes, dear," said Mr Cod.

"I found it on my way here," he added proudly.

"Isn't it lovely?"

We all looked flabbergasted.

"Pity it isn't pink though," Mr Cod continued.

And he looked keenly at Salty's ribbon.

"Pink is Penelope's favourite colour."

And then, Salty's whiskers whiffled.

She was having one of her bright ideas.

She gently pulled off her ribbon and proudly offered it to Mrs Cod.

"I think she wants to swap her ribbon for the earring," I said.

She isn't really a ribbon sort of dog.

Mrs Cod, she was overjoyed at this idea

and the pink ribbon really suited her.

"I'm not really an earring wearing sort of dog either," said Salty.

And she gave the year into Pearl,

which made her the happiest mermaid at the Barnacle Ball.

And probably the pearliest!

So we danced and we danced all night

until the whole Galleon was full of happy, dancy bubbles.

Then, when Salty's paws got hot and needed a rest,

we jumped back on board The Rainbow

and set our course for Staithes and home.

Oh, it was a lovely evening though. She does like dancing.

You liked that story, didn't you, Salty?

Jack! Salty! Over here.

Ernie looks happy, doesn't he? Come on.

Hello, everybody. Right, Ernie, I'm ready to take your photograph.

I hope you've got that tie under control.

I'm sorry, Miss P-H, but I can't wear this tie.

I was getting myself into a right messy muddle with it.

-What?

-Oh, oh!

But what about my scrapbook? You won't look smart for my photo.

Of course I will. I'm still wearing a tie.

Only this tie won't get caught in my fish crates!

-Emily made it for me. She's a star!

-Isn't that clever? And smart.

-I love it.

-It's very funny. It's very you.

And one with you too, Jack.

Smashing!

You know what, I'm going to get Emily to make me a T-shirt

with a bowtie on the front. How about that?

Come on, Salty. Me with a bowtie stuck on a T-shirt!

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd