Rankin Street
Ferryland Sealer (found on Turn)
Old Woman from Wexford
Cod Liver Oil (found on The Hard And The Easy)
General Taylor (found on Play)
Misty Moisty Morning
Riley's Daughter
Johnny McEldoo
Our Station
I'se The B'y (found on Great Big Sea)
Rakes Of Mallow
Billy Peddle (found on Play)
Killcrankie
Republican Song
As I Roved Out
Excursion Around The Bay (found on Great Big
Sea)
I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day
Greenland Whale Fishery
Drunken Sailor (found on Great Big Sea)
Handjive
Finnegan's Wake
Great Big Sea
Great Big Sea/Gone By The Board
Someday Soon
Excursion Around The Bay 
What Are You At?
Fisherman's Lament
I'se The B'y
Drunken Sailor
Irish Paddy/Festival Reel/Roger's Reel
Time Brings
Jigs: Eavesdropper's/Both Meat & Drink/Off We Go
Berry Picking Time
Up
Run Runaway (Video)
Goin Up
(Video)
Fast As I Can
Mari-Mac
(Video)
Dancing With Mrs. White
Something To It
Buying Time
Lukey (Video)
The Old Black Rum
The Chemical Worker's Song (Process Man)
Wave Over Wave
Billy Peddle
Nothing Out of Nothing
The Jolly Butcher
Rant & Roar
Play
Ordinary Day
(Video)
When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)
(Video)
The Night Pat Murphy Died
How Did We Get From Saying "I Love You"...
Donkey Riding
Haven't Seen You in a Long Time
End of the World
(Video)
General Taylor
Seagulls
Recruiting Sergeant
Greenspond
My Apology
Jakey's Gin
Something I Should Know
Jolly Roving Tar
Little Beggerman (Rigadoon)
Turn
Consequence Free
(Video)
Feel It Turn
(Video)
Jack Hinks
Demesduit Dream
Boston And St. John's
Margarita
Trois Navires De Blé
Ferryland Sealer
Can't Stop Falling (Video)
Old Brown's Daughter
I'm A Rover
Captain Wedderburn
Bad As I Am
Road Rage (not on other CDs)
Everything Shines
(Video)
Hangin Johnny
Sea Of No Cares
Sea Of No Cares
(Video)
Penelope
Clearest Indication (Video)
The Scolding Wife
Stumbling In
(Video)
A Boat Like Gideon Brown
Widow In The Window
French Perfume
Yarmouth Town
Barque In The Harbour
Own True Way
Fortune
Something Beautiful
Shines Right Through Me
(Video)
When I Am King
(Video)
Beat The Drum
Something Beautiful
Helmethead
Summer
Sally Ann
Somedays
Let It Go
John Barbour
Lucky Me
Love
Chafe's Celidh
The Hard And The Easy
Come And I Will Sing You
(The Twelve Apostles)
Old Polina
The River Driver
The Mermaid
Captain Kidd
(Video)
Graceful & Charming (Sweet Forget-Me-Not)
Concerning Charlie Horse
Harbour LeCou
Tishialuk Girls Set
French Shore
Cod Liver Oil
Tickle Cove Pond
Fortune's Favour
Love Me Tonight
Walk On The Moon
England
Here And Now
Long Lost Love
Oh Yeah
Banks Of Newfoundland
Dream To Live
Company Of Fools
Hard Case
The Rocks Of Merasheen
Dance Dance
Heart Of Stone
Straight To Hell
Belong
Gallow's Pole
Songs by GBS on other CDs
The Seven Joys of Mary
Here Comes My Baby
Songs by other artists on CD with GBS
Misty Moisty Morning
(w/ Barra MacNeils)
Jerusalem
(w/ Bruce Guthro)
In From The Outside (w/ Chris Trapper)
Downtown Girl (w/ Irish Descendants)
Other GBS songs
Auntie Mary (Cock O' The North)
The Mummer's Song
The Big Six
The Ladder
The Way You Wanted Me
Play The Game (CBC Hockey Day in Canada 2006)
Young Triffie's Been Made Away With
Songs not on any CDs but sung live
Blister In The Sun (Impromptu
- lead in to Run Runaway)
I Wanna Be Sedated (Impromptu - lead in to
Run Runaway)
The Lakes Of Pontchartrain (Alan Solo)
Sonny's Dream (Darrel Solo)
Somewhere Over The Rainbow (Impromptu)
Summer of '69 (Impromptu - lead in to Run Runaway)
Video Killed The Radio Star (Impromptu
- lead in to Run Runaway)
The following songs are from Rankin Street's self-titled album. (Songs that appear on other CDs by GBS wil be found with those lyrics)
Old Woman From Wexford
There was an old woman from Wexford,
And in Wexford town did dwell;
She loved her old man dearly,
But another man twice as well.
CHORUS:
With me right foll diddly foll dearo
And me right foll tour a lee
The woman went to the doctor,
Some medicine for to find;
Saying "Doctor, give me something,
That will make the old man blind."
CHORUS
"Oh, feed him eggs and marrow bone,
And make him suck them all;
It won't be very long after,
That he won't see you at all."
CHORUS
She fed him eggs and marrow bone,
And made him suck them all;
It wasn't so very long after,
That he couldn't see the wall.
CHORUS
Says he, "I'll go and drown meself,
But that might be a sin."
Says she, "I'll go along with you
And I'll help to push you in."
CHORUS
The woman she went back a bit,
To get her run and go;
The old man blindly stepped aside,
And she went down in below.
CHORUS
How loudly did she roar,
And how loudly did she howl;
"Well, hold yer gob old woman" says he,
"I can't see you at all."
CHORUS
Now eatin' eggs and marrow bone,
Won't make your old man blind;
But if you want to kill him,
You must creep up close behind.
CHORUS
There was an old woman from Wexford,
And in Wexford town did dwell;
She loved her old man dearly,
But another man twice as well.
CHORUS
Riley's Daughter
Giddy i ay, giddy i ay
Giddy i ay for the one-eyed Reilly
Giddy i ay, * * *
Play it on your old bass drum
Well Riley played on a big bass drum
And Riley had a mind for murder and slaughter
Riley had a big great glitterin' eye
Kept his eye on his lovely daughter
Well, her hair was black and her eyes were blue
And the colonel and the major and the captain sought her
The sergeant and the private and the drummer boy too
Never had a chance with Riley's daughter
So I got me a ring and a parcel too
And I settled me down to marriage quarters
Settled me down to a peaceful life
Happy as a king with Riley's daughter
Well suddenly a footstep on the stair
And who could it be but Riley up a-slaughter
With two pistols in his hand
Looking for the man who married his daughter
I grabbed old Riley by the hair
And I rammed his head in a pail of water
Fired his pistols in the air
Damn sight quicker than I married his daugher
Johnny McEldoo
There was Johnny McEldoo and McGhee and me
And a couple or two or three went on a spree one day
We had a drop or two, which we knew how to blew
And the beer and whiskey flew, and we all felt gay
We visited McCann's, McElman's, Humpty Dan's
We then went into Swann's our stomachs for to pack
We ordered out the feed which indeed we did need
And we finished it with speed but we still felt the lack
Johnny McEldoo turned red, white and blue
And a plate of Irish stew he soon put out of sight
He shouted out "encore" with a roar for some more
He never felt before such a keen appetite
He ordered eggs and ham, bread and jam, what a cram
But him we couldn't ram, though we tried our level best
For everything we brought, cold or hot, mattered not
It went down him like a shot but he still stood the test
He ordered tripe and lard by the yard, we got scar'd
We thought it would go hard when the waiter brought the bill
We told him to give o'er but he swore he could lower
Twice as much again and more before he had his fill
Nearly supped a trough full of broth, says McGrath
He'll devour the tablecloth if you don't hold him in
When the waiter brought the charge McEldoo felt so large
He began to scheme and barge, and his blood went a-fire
He began to curse and swear, tear his hair in despair
And to finish the affair, called the shopman a liar
The shopman he threw out McEldoo he did clout
McEldoo he kicked about like an old football
Tattered all his clothes, broke his nose, I suppose
Nearly killed him with a few blows in no time at all
McEldoo began to howl and to growl, by my soul
He threw an empty bowl at the shopkeeper's head
Struck for Mickey Finn, peeled the skin off his chin
And the ructions did begin, and we all fought and bled
The peelers did arrive, man alive, four, five
And at us they made a drive for us all to march away
We paid for all the meat that we ate, set it straight
And went home to ruminate on the spree that day
Our Station
Meet me tonight and I'll buy the first round
I know a little place that you might not have found
It looks down on the city from the underground
This is our station in the heart of town
Leave the weather at the door, leave the rush out on the
street
Let down your jewels, take the weight off your tired feet
Draw up a chair, strike up a little craic
If you've had a lousy day, take the monkey off your back
Everyone's dressed for volume, everything's turned up
loud
Its a designer's nightmare standing out in this crowd
With leathers mixed with tweed, pinstripe with polka dot
It makes no difference in this melting pot
Talking business in the corner, politics at the door
While the boy brings the house down with his acoustic guitar
Going crazy on the dance floor, she don't need no help
She's just getting on with being herself
Say hello, old timer, you're looking old against the new
Your sign is still glowing and the pain is showing through
You're trapped there in the corner, all alone you've watched them grow
But as long as you're still standing, I know where I can go
I can go, I can go, I can go...
Rakes Of Mallow
Killcrankie
Republican Song
(written by Bob Hallett / Séan MacCann)
I was born on a St John's street,
Where all my hopes could meet defeat;
And the goals of all my friends was work in Canada.
But soon there'll come a day,
When the young will want to stay;
And learn again to rule their native land.
So hear me Newfoundland,
It's time to make the last demand;
Gather strength against the force that will surround you.
For the wolf is at your door,
And you've kissed the mainland whore;
The time has come at last to make a stand .
We've sold our souls away,
And the price we've had to pay;
It's not too late to change the sheets we've slept in.
Though our sins have left their stain,
Now there's nothing left to gain;
My father's pride I cannot yet betray.
We've sold our souls away,
And the tolls are still not paid;
Our children face a life of grim corruption.
So hang our heads in shame,
'Cause we have ourselves to blame;
And hearken to this call for revolution.
As I Roved Out
Oh who are you me fair pretty maid
And who are you me darling
Oh who are you me fair pretty maid
And who are you me darling
She answered me quite modestly
"I am me mother's daughter"
With a touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
"Will you come to me house in the middle of the night
When the moon is shining brightly
Will you come to me house in the middle of the night
When the moon is shining brightly
And I'll open the door and I'll let you in
The devil's the one that'll hear us"
With a touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
She took me horse by the bridle and bit
And she led him to the stable
She took me horse by the bridle and bit
And she led him to the stable
Saying "plenty of hay for a soldier horse
To eat if he is able"
With me touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
She took me by her lily-white hand
And she led me to her table
She took me by her lily-white hand
And she led me to her table
Saying "plenty of rum for a soldier boy
To drink if he is able"
With me touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
Then I went up and I laid her down
And I laid her nice and easy
Then I went up and I laid her down
And I laid her nice and easy
Then I went up and laid her down
"Lassie, are you able?"
With me touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
And there we lay 'til the break of day
And the devil's the one that heard us
And there we lay 'til the break of day
And the devil's the one that heard us
Then I arose, puttin' on me clothes
"Lassie, I must leave you"
With me touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
"Oh, when will you return again
When will we be married?
Oh, when will you return again
And when will we be married?"
"When cockle shells make rocket shells,
It's then we will be married."
With me touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
Oh who are you me fair pretty maid
And who are you me darling
Oh who are you me fair pretty maid
And who are you me darling
She answered me quite modestly
"I am me mother's daughter"
With a touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
With a touray ah, faddle liddle ah
Toura loura laddie oh
I'm A Man You Don't Meet Every Day
Oh, my name is John Steward,
I'm a canny gaun more,
And a roving young fellow I've been.
So be easy and free,
When you're drinking with me,
I'm a man you don't meet every day.
I have acres of land,
I have men at command,
I have always a shilling to spare.
Well, I took out my dog,
And with him I did shoot,
All down in the County Kildare.
So come fill up your glasses,
With brandy and wine,
Whatever the cost, I will pay.
Oh, my name is John Steward,
I'm a canny gaun more,
And a roving young fellow I've bee.
Greenland Whale Fishery
In eighteen hundred and forty six, on March the eighteenth
day
We hoisted our colours to the top of the mast
And for Greenland sailed away, brave boys
And for Greenland sailed away
And when we reached that fine foreign shore, our goodly
ship to moor
We wished ourselves back home again
With the girls upon the shore, brave boys
With the girls upon the shore
The lookout in the cross friel stood, a spy glass in his
eye (in his eye)
Overhaul, overhaul, let your big boats fall
And you'll put your boats to sea, brave boys
And you'll put your boats to sea
The captain stood on the quarterdeck, the ice was in his
eyes (in his eyes)
There's a whale, (there's a whale), and a whalefish he cried
And she blows at every span, brave boys
And she blows at every span harpoon struck and the line flayed out in a
single flurry of his tail (of his tail)
He capsized our boat and we lost five men
And we did not litch that whale, brave boys
And we did not catch that whale
The losing of those five jolly men, it grieved our captain
sore (he was poisoned)
But the losing of that fine sperm whale
Now it grieved him ten times more, brave boys
Now it grieved him ten times more
Oh Greenland is a barren land, a land that bears no greed
Well there's ice and there's snow, and the whale fishes blow
And an ale I've seldom seen, brave boys
And an ale I've seldom seen
In eighteen hundred and forty seven, on March the seventeenth
day (Paddy's Day)
We hoisted our colours to the top of the mast
And for Greenland we set sail, brave boys
And for Greenland we set sail
Darrell's version:
Wey hey and up she rises She's got knees of different sizes One got a bruise
and the other wins prizes Earlie in the morning
Handjive
Well I know a cat named Way-Out Willy
Got a groovy little chick named Rockin' Lily
Well, a-rockin' and a-rollin' with Suzy Q
Doing that crazy old handjive too
Mama, mama look at Uncle Joe
He be doing the handjive with sister Flo
And Grandma gave my lil' sister a dime
Just to do that handjive one more time
Handjive handjive, handjive
Do that crazy handjive
Well, a doctor and a lawyer and an Indian chief
Well they all dig that crazy beat
And Way-Out Willy gave them all a treat
When he do that handjive with his feet
Handjive handjive, handjive
Do that crazy handjive
Well, Willy and Lily got married last fall
Had little Willy Junior, but that ain't all
The kid got famous in the crib you see
When he did that handjive on MTV
Handjive handjive, handjive
Do that crazy handjive
Finnegan's Wake
Tim Finnegan lived on Rankin Street
A gentle Irishman, by God
He had a brogue both rich and sweet
To rise in the world he carried a hod
Now Tim had a sort of a tippler's way
With a love for the liquour poor Tim was born
And to help him on his way each day
He'd a drop of the "creature" every morn.
Whack fol la dar-o dance to your partner
Round the floor your trotters shake
This 'un is the truth, I told ya
Lots of fun at Finnegan's Wake
One morning, Tim felt rather full
His head felt heavy, which made him shake
Fell from a ladder and he cracked his skull
They carried him home, his corpse to wake
Laid him out on a nice clean sheet
And laid him out all on the bed
Gallon of whiskey at his feet
And a barrel of porter at his head
His friends assembled at the wake
And Mrs Finnegan called for lunch
First she gave them tea and cake
And pipes, baccy and whisky punch
Biddy Malone began to cry
"Such a nice clean corpse did you ever see
Oh Tim malvourn' why did you die?"
"Well, hold yer gob" said Paddy McGhee
Well, Billy Malone took up the job
Says he "now Biddy, you're wrong, I'm sure"
Biddy gave him a belt in the gob
And sent him sprawling on the floor
Civil war did soon engage
'T was woman to woman and man to man
Shillelagh law was all the rage
And a row and a ruction soon began
Then Paddy Malone ducked down his head
As a bottle of whisky flew at him
It missed and landed on the bed
The whisky scattered over Tim
Now Tim revived, see how he rises
Timothy rising from the dead
He said "whirl yer whisky around like blazes,
Hollerin' Jeez, d'ya think I'm dead?"
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's self-titled album.
Great Big Sea/Gone By The Board
(Traditional - Arr. GBS / Hallett)
A traditional song about a tidal wave, followed by a reel Bob wrote.
A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
And Granny Snooks she lost her speech,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
A great big sea hove in the Harbour,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
A great big sea hove in the Harbour,
And hove right up to Keough's Parlour,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
Mother dear I wants a sack,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
Mother dear I wants a sack
With beads and buttons all down me back,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
Me boot is broke, me frock is tore,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
Me boot is broke, me frock is tore,
But Granny Snooks I do adore,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
Fish is gone and the flour is high,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
Fish is gone and the flour is high,
Granny Snooks she can't have I,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
She will have me in the fall,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
If she don't I'll hoist my sail
Hove right up to old Cannaille,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
Whack fol-or-al ta-dee di-dle, I do.
A great big sea hove in Long Beach,
And Granny Snooks she lost her speech,
To me right fol didy fol dee.
Someday Soon
(written by Alan Doyle)
Alan's song looks at some of societys' many ironies
They keep talking of the things they'd do if we'd only
vote them in
Said, "One more dollar and all the bickering and suffering would end."
If you'd sign your 'X' in favour it's three jobs for every man
You can burn your boats, thats what they said
It seemed they had it planned.
And I hope they haven't forgotten the promises they made.
CHORUS:
'Cause they said they'd stop the fighting
And they said they would bring peace
And they said they'd find a serum that can cure all our disease
And they said they'd house the homeless
And put black and white in tune
And they said they'd feed a hungry child
And I hope it's someday soon.
I saw a man asleep in an alley lane with a paper for a
bed
And the headline shone beneath the man and this is what they read,
"If elected there would be no persons living in the street"
But the paper couldn't even provide shelter for his freezing feet.
And I hope they haven't forgotten the promises they made.
CHORUS
Well they said it would be so different, if we'd would
only play their games
And I've been playing for so long and I swear its still the same!
CHORUS (x2)
Excursion Around The Bay
(written by Johnny Burke)
Tradition attributes this song to Johnny Burke, a turn-of-the-century St.
John's song-writer. Darrell learned it from his cousin Gabe Houlihan of
Flat Rock. (It is interesting to note that although the song was recorded
with Séan singing on the album, it is Darrell who sings the song live at
concerts.)
Well, it was on this Monday morning and the day had been
calm and fine.
To the Harbour Grace Excursion with the boys to have a time
Then just before the sailor took the gangway from the pier
I saw some fella haul me wife aboard as a volunteer
CHORUS:
Oh me, oh my, I heard me old wife cry
Oh me, oh my, I think I'm gonna die!
Oh me, oh my, I heard me old wife say,
"I wish I'd never taken this excursion around the bay"
We had full three hundred souls aboard, oh what a splendid
sight!
Massed strong in regimentals for to make our spirits bright.
And meself being in the double, when a funny things they'd say
They'd choke themselves from laughing when they'd see us in the bay
CHORUS
My wife she got no better, she turned a sickly green
I fed her cake and candy, fat pork and kerosene
Castor-oil and sugar of candy, I rubbed pure oil on her face
And I said she'd be a dandy when we reaches Harbour Grace!
CHORUS
My wife she got no better, my wife me darling dear
The screeches from her throat sure you could hear in Carbonear
I tried every place in Harbour Grace, tried every store and shop,
To get her something for a cure or take her to the hop
CHORUS
She died below the brandies
as we were coming back
We buried her in the ocean, wrapped up in the Union Jack
So now I am a single man, in search of a pretty face
And the woman that says she'll have me, sure I'm off for Harbour Grace!
CHORUS
What Are You At?
(written by Alan Doyle)
When you are away from home, it only takes a few words to send you back.
Well I was walking in the mainland city
And I was feeling so alone
I was looking for someone or thing to remind me of my home
What I wouldn't give to have somebody nod or wink at me
'Cause thats the way we say hello in my home down by the sea
We never say, "Hello" or, "How's it going?", "Good day"
or any of that
We just look at them and nod our heads and wink say, "What are you at?"
CHORUS:
What are you at? How's she going buddy, what are you at today?
What are you at? How's she going buddy, what are you at today?
But then I walked into a shopping mall and much to my
surprise
An old friend from my hometown was a sight for my sore eyes
And of all the people I met down in the city or in the mall
I think I like my hometown friend the best one of them all.
Because he didn't say, "Hello" or, "Hows it going", "Good day?" or any of
that
My old friend he just looked at me and smiled and said "What are you at?"
CHORUS (x2)
Everybody must say "What are you at?"
All together now.
CHORUS
Let this be a lesson to all our people who go away
Remember if you meet someone the special words we say
We don't ever say "Hello" or "How's it going?","Good day"
Or any of that.
You just look at them and nod your head now wink say "What are you at?"
CHORUS
Fisherman's Lament
(Lyrics: Ed McCann / Music: Séan McCann)
Séan's father Edward wrote a poem about the fate of Newfoundland's fishermen.
Later, Séan added the stirring melody.
I stand in my doorway as the moon rises high
Over glorious ocean, reflects the bright sky
My heart it is aching, so much I could die
I've known only the ocean, since I was a boy
CHORUS:
And I spent my whole life, out there on the sea
Some government bastard now takes it from me
It's not just the fish, they've taken my pride
I feel so ashamed that I just want to hide
I fished with my father, so long long ago
We were proud of our trade, and in us it did show
We held our heads high, there was lots of fish then
That was the time, when we were proud men
We challenged great storms and sometimes we won
Faced death and disaster, we rose with the sun.
We worked and we toiled, we strained arm and brain
We were a proud people, will we e'er be again?
CHORUS
My father is gone now, and the fish are gone too.
Abused and mis-managed, oh what can we do?
I'm too old to change, but what of my sons,
How will they know that we weren't the ones?
DFO regulations permitted the rape
Of our beautiful ocean, from head land to cape
They brought in big trawlers, they tore up our twine
Politians don't care for what's yours or whats mine!
CHORUS
You brave Newfoundlanders, now listen to me
Shove the package to hell, go back to the sea
If we don't stand our ground, we will fade away
And the bones of our fathers will turn into clay
And I spent my whole life, out there on the sea
Some government bastard now takes it from me
It's not just the fish, they've taken my pride
I feel so ashamed that I just want to die.
Back to the sea.
I'se The B'y
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
A new version of an old favourite, punctuated by a Cape Breton fiddle jig.
I'se the b'y that builds the boat,
And I'se the b'y that sails her!
And I'se the b'y that catches the fish
And brings 'em home to Lizer
CHORUS:
Hip yer partner Sally Tibbo'!
Hip-yer-partner Sally Brown!
Fogo,
Twillingate,
Moreton's
Harbour,
All around the circle!
Sods and rinds to cover yer flake,
Cake and tea for supper,
Codfish in the spring o' the year
Fried in maggoty butter.
CHORUS
I don't want your maggoty fish,
They're no good for winter;
Well, I can buy as good as that,
Way down in Bonavista.
CHORUS
I took Lizer to a dance,
As fast as she can travel,
And every step that she did take
Was up to her knees in gravel.
CHORUS
Susan White she's outta sight,
Her petticoat wants a border,
Well old Sam Oliver in the dark,
He kissed her in the corner!
CHORUS
I'se the b'y that builds the boat and
I'se the b'y that sails her and
I'se the b'y that catches the fish and
Brings 'em home to Lizer
CHORUS
Drunken Sailor
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Originally a slow sea shanty, the band has added a few twists to this song.
CHORUS-1:
What do you do with a drunken sailor?
What do you do with a drunken sailor?
What do you do with a drunken sailor?
Earl-eye in the morning!
CHORUS-2:
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Way hay and up she rises
Earl-eye in the morning
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Shave his belly with a rusty razor,
Earl-eye in the morning!
CHORUS-2
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Put him in the hold with the Captain's daughter,
Earl-eye in the morning!
CHORUS-2
CHORUS-1
CHORUS-2
Put him the back of the paddy wagon,
Put him the back of the paddy wagon,
Put him the back of the paddy wagon,
Earl-eye in the morning!
CHORUS-2
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober,
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober,
Throw him in the lock-up 'til he's sober,
Earl-eye in the morning!
CHORUS-2, CHORUS-1 (x3)
Irish Paddy/Festival Reel/Roger's Reel
(Traditional - Arr. GBS / Benoit / Guinchard)
A song from Branch, St. Mary's Bay, followed by reels from Newfoundland's
late master fiddlers, Emile Benoit & Rufus Guinchard.
It's of an Irishman I'm going to tell you
Free from Ireland sailed away
Where he was to he was not contended
Made up his mind for to go away
Early next morning the ship was sailing
Queenstown harbour, golden core
Eight long days he was sailing over
'Til he landed in New York
Up the street young Paddy wandered
Each big building caught his eye
Looking up at a big shop window,
A bottle of whisky he did spy
Into the bar young Paddy entered
Called for a drink, without delay
Give me a drop of that Irish whisky,
Four big coppers I will pay
The landlord he jumped over the counter
"Pay me down that bill", he said
Paddy up with a big shillelagh
Laid him on the floor right dead
So the Yankees they came running
When they heard about the row
Trying to kill poor Irish Paddy,
Shouting out, "Where is he now?!"
Irishmen they followed after
Following without delay
Each of them with a big shillelagh,
Made the Yankees run away
May God's success to his Irish people
Many's the country they have roamed
But their courage is far bolder
When they're far away from home
Time Brings
(written by Séan McCann)
Alan sings this ballad Séan wrote, about love's passing.
Hearken to me both high and low
I'll sing for you a song
Of Kings and Queens, and rose-lipped maidens
And courting light foot lads
Now love is grand, when love is new
The heart blood, it runs strong
There's nothing a doting lad won't do
To keep his princess warm
He'll tease her with poems and promises
He'll ask her out to dance
He'll cajole
and he'll beg
And he'll always win
In bitter-sweet romance
CHORUS:
For time it comes, and time it goes
It makes the strongest tree to bend
Kings and Queens have no defense
Time brings all things to an end.
But he goes out, with his drinking pals
His eyes begin to roam
He forgets all about the brown-eyed beauty
Who now sits home alone
There's no more walks down lover's lane
There's no more wine in the sun
All that's left is a hollow pain
Time, alas, you've won
CHORUS
Now all who wish for love to stay
And last your whole life through
Keep ahead of time me boys
And never be untrue
CHORUS
Jigs: Eavesdropper's / Both Meat & Drink / Off
We Go
(Traditional - Arr. GBS / Reavy / Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The first tune is from the playing of Tickle Harbour, the second from the
Irish American Ed Reavy, and the third a popular Newfoundland tune, learned
from Ed Lear.
Berry Picking Time
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Alan's family in Petty Harbour preserved this song, which was a great favourite
of his grandfather's.
Well, I spied a berry bush as I was strolling home one
day
And somehow it brought back the bygone days
Of when you and I were berry picking many years ago
In a little county not so far away
How well I do remember the day when we first met
It leaves a picture in my mind I never can forget
CHORUS:
We were picking berries at Old Aunt Mary's
When I picked a blushing bride
As we strolled home together, I just wondered whether
I could win you forever if I tried
Then at love's suggestion, I popped the question
And asked you to be mine
By your kisses I knew, you'd picked me and I'd picked you
At berry picking time
CHORUS
Well, how sweet you were that day, in your simple gingham
gown
To me you were as lovely as a Queen
When from underneath your bonnet popped a pair of golden curls
And the bluest eyes that I have ever seen
Your lips were red as cherries, the taste was twice as sweet
It only took one kiss to make my happiness complete
CHORUS
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's Up album.
Run Runaway (Video)
(written by N. Holder / J. Lea)
This song was originanlly performed by Slade.
1-2-3-4
I like black and white
Dream in black in white
You like black and white
Run runaway
CHORUS:
See chameleon lying there in the sun
All things to everyone
Run runaway
If your in the swing
Money ain't everything
If your in the swing
Run runaway
CHORUS, let's go
If you got it sussed
Don't beat around the bush
If you got it sussed
Run runaway
CHORUS (x2)
-- Whistle Solo
2-3-4
Oh now can't you wait?
No, no come on and wait
Oh now can't you wait?
Run runaway
CHORUS
I like black and white
Dream in black in white
You like black and white
Run runaway
CHORUS (x2)
Goin Up
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle)
Well, come gather all around me
There is something you should know;
There is no place quite like this place
If we get it on the go.
So, pile your boots up in the corner
Hang your jacket from the door;
There's thirty people in the kitchen
And there's always room for more.
CHORUS:
Oh-oh-oh, come on now
Let's lock the world outside;
Oh-oh-oh, come on I tell you now
She's goin' up tonight.
Well, there'll be music all around you
You should see the way it feels;
So come on off we go now
Heel and toe now, to the jigs and reels.
'Cause somebody's got a fiddle
And someone else brought a guitar;
And we got Bobby on the squeezebox
Grab a chair and raise a jar.
CHORUS
Guitar/Accordion
CHORUS
Well, there'll be smilin', there'll be laughin'
Well, that's good enough for me;
There'll be dancing all around you
This is where you want to be.
So, pile your boots up in the corner
Hang your jacket from the door;
There's thirty people in the kitchen
And there's always room, yes there's always room ...
CHORUS (x2)
Fast As I Can
(written by Alan Doyle)
From the first hello you gave to me
I've done nothing else but smile
And I know you're in a hurry
Ah, but its gonna take a while.
So forgive me if we go slow,
But there's something I think you should know...
CHORUS:
I'm goin' fast as I can, please don't make me rush
This feeling's coming on way too fast
I'll tell you all of the things that you'll never forget
But I'm not ready say "I love you" yet
I'm not ready to say "I love you" yet.
-- Whistle Solo
Don't push me in too deep,
I've always been the fool who rushes in.
You've got to take the pieces one-by-one before you've got everything.
So forgive me if we go slow,
But there's something I think you should know ...
CHORUS
Oh, there'll be times when I'm mistaken
And there'll be times when we're gonna fight
But you needn't doubt, we can work it out
And in time we'll get it right.
So forgive me if we go slow,
But there's something I think you should know...
CHORUS (x2)
-- Whistle Solo
Mari-Mac
(Video)
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Though it came to St. John's from Ireland, the song has a Scot's origin.
Accelerating the song is a local trick; Bawling their heads off is a Great
Big Sea trick.
There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari-Mac
Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track
Lots of other fellas try to get her on her back
But I'm thinking that they'll have to get up early
CHORUS:
Mari-Mac's mother's making Mari-Mac marry me
My mother's making me marry Mari-Mac
Well, I'm going to marry Mari; for when Mari's taking care of me
Well, I'll be feeling merry when I marry Mari-Mac
Now, Mari and her mother are an awful lot together
In fact you hardly see the one without the other
And people often wonder if it's Mari or her mother
Or both of them together I am courting
CHORUS
Well, up among the heather in the hills of Benafee
Well, I had a bonnie lass sitting on me knee
A bumble bxee stung me right above me knee
Up among the heather in the hills of Benafee
CHORUS
Well, I said, "Wee bonnie lassie, where you going to spend
the day?"
She said, "Among the heather in the hills of Benafee"
Where all the boys and girls are makin' out so free
Up among the heather in the hills of Benafee
CHORUS
The wedding's on a Wednesday, everything's arranged
Soon her name will be changed to mine unless her mind be changed
With making the arrangements, I'm feeling much deranged
Marriage is an awful undertakin'
CHORUS
Sure to be a grand affair, grander than a fair
Going to be a fork and plate for every man that's there
And I'll be a bugger if I don't get my share
If I don't, I'll be very much mistaken
CHORUS
There's a neat little lass and her name is Mari-Mac
Make no mistake, she's the girl I'm gonna track
Lot of other fellas try to get up on her back
I'm thinking that they'll have to get up early
CHORUS
Dancing With Mrs. White
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The two tunes from Mrs. Minnie White's recent collection of dance music
are actually three tunes: "Green Grow the Rushes 'O" and two dance tunes
associated with Newfoundland Mi'Kmawq, which were glued together for the
occasion.
Something To It
(written by Séan McCann)
I'm sorry if I ruined your day
I really hope that you understand
I'm a million miles away
Looking for a place to land
My father phoned me yesterday
Your time has come, well done my son
Tried to think of what to say
When words came, he'd already gone
CHORUS:
I don't know how I got here
There must be something to it
I think I need some time alone
To work my way through it
The moon is in the sky tonight
Not very warm but it sheds some light
Ask me now and I just might
Let the morning come and tell me if its right
CHORUS
Soon initial bliss will pass
This precious time might be your last
Like dew upon the morning grass,
Good intentions can vanish with the sun
I'm sorry if i ruined your day
I really hope that you understand
I'm a million miles away
looking for a place to land
I'm a million miles away
Looking for a place to land
Buying Time
(written by Hallett / McCann)
Stayed awake for hours again last night.
Just searching for the reason to keep up the fight.
I've made choices I don't regret.
I've got problems I don't get.
I didn't want to carry the heavier load
You can't always take the middle road
There comes a time when you make up your mind
And the point get left behind
CHORUS:
Oh, lets wait one more day for the conversation
One more day to make it right
Lets get away from the confrontation
One more day just buying time
For years and years you can drift alone
And write another verse to an endless song
Wait one more day till the time is right
Hoping that you both see the light
You won't see the light!
CHORUS
I'm not afraid to sleep alone
I'm not afraid to be alone.
Stayed awake for hours again last night
Searching for the reason to keep up the fight.
I've made choices I don't regret
I've got problems and problems and problems.
CHORUS
Lukey (Video)
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Lukey is more commonly known in Newfoundland as Lukey's Boat. GBS also perform
this song with The Cheiftans on the CD, Fire
In The Kitchen.
Well, ol' Lukey's boat is painted green,
Ha, me boys!
Lukey's boat is painted green,
It's the prettiest boat that you've ever seen,
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x2)
Well, ol' Lukey's boat's got a fine fore cutty,
Ha, me boys!
Lukey's boat's got a fine fore cutty,
And every seam is chinked
with putty,
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x2)
Well I says, "Lukey the blinds are down"
Ha, me boys!
I says, "Lukey the blinds are down"
"Me wife is dead and she's underground"
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x2)
Well I says, "Lukey I don't care"
Ha, me boys!
I says, "Lukey I don't care"
"I'll get me another in the spring of the year"
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x2)
Well, ol' Lukey's rolling out his grub,
Ha, me boys!
Lukey's rolling out his grub,
One split pea, and a ten pound tub,
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x2)
Well, Lukey's boat's got high-topped sails,
Ha, me boys!
Lukey's boat's got high-topped sails,
The sheet was planched with copper nails,
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x2)
Lukey's boat is painted green,
Ha, me boys!
Lukey's boat is painted green,
It's the prettiest boat that you've ever seen,
A-ha, me boys a-riddle-i-day! (x3)
The Old Black Rum
(written by Bob Hallett / Based on traditional Irish)
I drank sixteen doubles for the price of one
Tryin' to find the courage to talk to one
I asked her for a dance, not a second glance
My night had just begun
Well, I drink to the Father and the Holy Ghost
I'm kneeling at the alter of my nightly post
So I'll raise a glass, not the first or last
Come join me in this toast
CHORUS:
Because the old black rum's got a hold on me
Like a dog wrapped 'round my leg
And the old black rum's got a hold on me
Will I live for another day?
Hey! Will I live for another day?
The queen of George Street just went walkin' by
Walkin' on by with some guy who don't care
That she stood in line since half past nine
And spent three hours on her hair
Well, her friend is lookin' at me with an evil grin
I think a bloody racket might soon begin
I must have said something to the George Street queen
Now the boys are joining in.
CHORUS
So, I drank all of my money and I slept out in the rain
Every day is different, but the nights they're all the same
You never see the sun on the old black rum
But I know I'm gonna do it again!
CHORUS (x2)
I drank sixteen doubles for the price of one
The Chemical Worker's Song (Process Man)
(written by Ron Angel)
CHORUS:
And its go boys go
They'll time your every breath
And every day you're in this place your two days nearer death
But you go ...
Well, a process man am I and I am tellin' you no lie
I work and breathe among the fumes that tread across the sky
There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air
There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair
CHORUS
Well, I've worked among the spitters and I breathe the
oily smoke
I've shovelled up the gypsum and it nigh on makes you choke
I've stood knee deep cyanide, got sick with a caustic
burn
Been working rough, I've seen enough to make your stomach turn
CHORUS
There's overtime and bonus opportunities galore
The young men like their money and they all come back for more
But soon your knocking on and you look older than you should
For every bob
made on the job, you pay with flesh and blood
CHORUS
Well, a process man am I and I am telling you no lie
I work and breathe among the fumes that tread across the sky
There's thunder all around me and there's poison in the air
There's a lousy smell that smacks of hell and dust all in me hair
CHORUS (x2)
Wave Over Wave
(written by Jim Payne / Janis Spence)
Oh me name's Able Rodgers, a shareman am I
On a three-masted schooner from Twillingate Isle
I've been the world over north, south, east, and west
But the middle of nowhere's where I likes it best
CHORUS:
Where its wave over wave, sea over bow
I'm as happy a man as the sea will allow
There's no other life for a sailor like me
And to sail the salt sea, boys, sail the sea
There's no other life but to sail the salt sea
Well, I'd leave my wife lonely ten months of the year
For she built me a home and raised my children dear
She never come out to bid farewell to me
Or ken why a sailor must sail the salt sea
CHORUS
Ah, the work it is hard and the hours are long
But my spirit is willing, my back it is strong
And when the works over the whiskey will pour
We'll dance with the girls upon some foreign shore
I've sailed the world over for decades or more
And oft' times I wonder what I do it for
I don't know the answer it's pleasure and pain
But with life to live over I'd do it again
CHORUS (x2)
Billy Peddle
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Billy Peddle's burst of mouth music is prefaced by a Newfoundland take on
an Irish jig which GBS has been dubbed "The Sook" -- a Newfoundland term
for a complainer or a whiner.
Billy Peddle, Billy Peddle did you see Tom White?
Billy Peddle, Billy Peddle did you see Tom White?
Billy Peddle, Billy Peddle did you see Tom White?
Gone around the harbour gonna stay all night
Gone around the harbour gonna get a dozen beer
Gone around the harbour gonna get away from here
Gone around the harbour gonna have a cup of tea
If you see a Billy Peddle tell him I wants he!
Nothing Out of Nothing
(written by Séan McCann)
I left my home and my family by the ocean
Out on my own, to seek my fortune
But there's no work to occupy these young hands
So look out boy! Your heading for the mainland!
CHORUS:
And what do you do? You can't make nothing out of nothing
Everybody needs a start
And what do you do? You can't make nothing out of nothing
Give my country back its heart
Now I was born on a St. John's street
Where all my hopes could meet with defeat
I hired my days to a higher education
Now I'm so smart I could rule this condemnation
CHORUS
Now I'm alone but I'm working everyday
I'm getting stoned and I'm blowing all my pay
Just to survive I'll do whatever I can
Now I'm alive, but I cannot be a real man
CHORUS
The Jolly Butcher
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
CHORUS:
Oh, won't you come along with me love
Come along with me!
Come for one night and be my wife
And come along with me
Well, it is of the jolly butcher as you might plainly
see
As he roved out one morning in search of company
He went into a tavern and a fair girl he did see
Ah, come for one night, be my wife, oh come along with me
He called for liquor of the best
And he makes such fortune play
Come have a drink, it will make us think
That it is our wedding day
CHORUS
Well, he called for a candle to light their way to bed
And when he had her in the room these words to her he said,
"A sovereign I will give to you, for to embrace your charms"
And all that night, that fair young maid, lied in the butcher's arms
CHORUS
Oh, early the next morning be sure it went his way
He looked unto that fair young maid and unto her did say,
"That sovereign that I gave to you, do not think me strange,
Well, that sovereign that I gave to you will you give me back me change?"
CHORUS
Well, about a twelve months later he roved out once more
And he went into the tavern where he'd often been before
He wasn't in there very long when his fair maid he did see
And she brought forth a baby three months old and placed it on his knee
When he saw the baby, he began to curse and swear
And he said unto that fair young maid, "Why did you bring him here?!"
"Well, he is your own, kind sir", she said, "Do not think me strange,
Well, that sovereign that you gave to me, I gives you back your change!!"
CHORUS (x2)
Rant & Roar
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The communities listed in the last verse are now ghost towns, having been
resettled in the 1960s. Here's an interesting blurb from the book Canadian
Folk Songs on this song (AKA The Ryans And The Pittmans): This
rollicking tale of a young fisherman's love affairs is a Newfoundland offshoot
of the widely known English capstan shanty Spanish Ladies, which
described the headlands sighted in a homeward voyage through the English
Channel. The remaining verses about Bob Pittman and his courtship were composed
around 1875 by Henry W. LeMessurier who was editor of the Evening Herald
and later deputy minister of customs in St John's. Pacific whalermen later
re-made it to tell of the Talcahuano Girls, with a chorus: 'We'll rant and
we'll roar like true Huasco Whalermen,'and Australian drovers sang their
farewell to the Brisbane Ladies.
CHORUS:
We'll rant and we'll roar like true Newfoundlanders
We'll rant and we'll roar on deck and below
Until we strikes bottom inside the two sunkers
When straight through the channel
to Toslow we'll go
I'm a son of a sea-cook, I'm a cook in a trader;
I can dance, I can sing, I can reef the main boom,
I can handle a jigger, I cuts a fine figure
Whenever I gets in a boat's standing room
CHORUS
Farewell and adieu to ye young maids of Allan,
Odieran and Presque, Fox Hole and Bruley
I'm bound for the westward to the wall with the hole in
I can't marry all, or in chokey
I'll be
CHORUS (x2)
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's Play album.
Ordinary Day
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle, Séan McCann)
I've got a smile on my face, and I've got four walls around
me
I've got the sun in the sky, ah, the water surrounds me, oh you know
Yeah, I'll win now but sometimes I'll lose
I've been battered, but I'll never bruise ... it's not so bad.
CHORUS:
And I say way-hey-hey, it's just an ordinary day
And it's all your state of mind
At the end of the day,
You've just got to say ... it's all right.
Janie sings on the corner, what keeps her from dying?
Let 'em say what they want, but she won't stop tryin', oh you know
She might stumble, if they push her around
She might fall, but she'll never lie down ... it's not so bad.
CHORUS
'Cause it's alright, it's alright.
It's alright!
(accordion Solo)
In this beautiful life, there's always some sorrow (ooh
ooh)
And it's a double edged knife, but there's always tomorrow, oh you know
It's up to you now if you sink or swim,
Just keep the faith and you're ship will come in ... it's not so bad.
CHORUS (x2)
'Cause I've got a smile on my face, and I've got four
walls around me.
When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)
(Video)
(written by Telfer / Prosser / Jones)
This song was originanlly performed by Oysterband. The video for this song
is an ode to the Tim Robbins movie, "The Hudsucker Proxy".
I am the fountain of affection
I'm the instrument of joy
And to keep the good times rolling
I'm the boy, I'm the boy,
You know the world could be our oyster,
If you just put your trust in me,
'Cause we'll keep the good times rollin'
Wait and see, wait and see ... oh wait and see!
There's exaltations, a sweet disintegrations
There's a few discolourations, then it comes along
You know up is what he chooses, the kisses and the bruises
There ain't nothing he refuses, then it comes along
It comes along, and I am lifted, I am lifted, I am lifted!
CHORUS:
When I'm up I can't get down
Can't get down, can't get level
When I'm up I can't get down
Get my feet back on the ground
When I'm up I can't get down
Can't get down, can't get level
When I'm up I can't get down
Get my feet back on the ground
He just needs, something to blind him
Something to wind him up
It won't take long to find him
When it comes on strong.
Black skies are grinning, street lights are spinning
The night is just beginning, and then it comes on strong
It comes on strong, and I am lifted, I am lifted, I am lifted!
CHORUS
Oh it comes on strong, and I am lifted.
It comes on strong, and I am lifted.
I am lifted, I am lifted!
CHORUS
Oh, I can't get down
Oh no, no, no, no, no, I can't get down
Oh-oh-oh I can't get down
The Night Pat Murphy Died
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Oh the night that Paddy Murphy died, is a night I'll never
forget
Some of the boys got loaded drunk, and they ain't got sober yet;
As long as a bottle was passed around every man was feelin' gay
O'Leary came with the bagpipes, some music for to play
CHORUS:
That's how they showed their respect for Paddy Murphy
That's how they showed their honour and their pride;
They said it was a sin and shame and they winked at one another
And every drink in the place was full the night Pat Murphy died
As Mrs. Murphy sat in the corner pouring out her grief
Kelly and his gang came tearing down the street
They went into an empty room and a bottle of whiskey stole
They put the bottle with the corpse to keep that whiskey cold
CHORUS
About two o'clock in the morning after emptying the jug
Doyle rolls up the ice box lid to see poor Paddy's mug
We stopped the clock so Mrs. Murphy couldn't tell the time
And at a quarter after two we argued it was nine
CHORUS
They stopped the hearse on George Street outside Sundance
Saloon
They all went in at half past eight and staggered out at noon
They went up to the graveyard, so holy and sublime
Found out when they got there, they'd left the corpse behind!
CHORUS
Oh, the night that Paddy Murphy died, is a night I'll
never forget
Some of the b'ys got loaded drunk and they ain't been sober yet;
As long as a bottle was passed around every man was feelin' gay
O'Leary came with the bagpipes, some music for to play
CHORUS
How Did We Get From Saying "I Love You"...
(written by Alan Doyle)
"It's a cold day for September", was all I thought to
say
When I saw you on the street the other day.
I knew, something had changed between us. All the talk we made was small.
But what do you say to someone when they've heard you say it all?
It's an awkward conversation, in a most peculiar way...
CHORUS:
How did we get from saying, "I love you," to, "I'll see you around someday"?
It seems like only days ago, we had so much to say
Did we take it all for granted? Did it all get thrown away?
"It calls for rain this afternoon," she finally replied.
And there was such a stuttering silence that I felt my mouth go dry
We'll just talk about the weather, 'cause there's not much more to say ...
CHORUS (x2)
Has all the ice been broken,
All our surfaces been scratched
Have all the words been spoken,
Have we finally met our match?
'Cause it's an awkward conversation, in a most peculiar way...
CHORUS (x3)
Donkey Riding
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
CHORUS:
Way hey and away we go
Donkey riding, donkey riding
Way hey and away we go
Ridin' on a donkey.
Was you ever in Quebec?
Launchin' timber on the deck
Where ya break yer bleedin' neck
Ridin' on a donkey!
CHORUS
Was you ever 'round Cape Horn?
Where the weather's never warm
Wishin' to God that you'd never been born
Ridin' on a donkey.
CHORUS
Was you ever in Miramichi?
Where ye tie up to a tree,
And the girls sit on yer knee
Ridin' on a donkey
CHORUS
Was you ever in Fortune Bay?
See the girls all shout, "Hooray!"
Here comes dad with ten weeks pay
Riding on a donkey.
CHORUS
Was you ever in London-town?
See the King he does come down
See the King in his golden crown
Riding on a donkey
CHORUS
Haven't Seen You In A Long Time
(written by Colin Hay)
This song was originanlly performed by Colin Hay.
I haven't seen you in a long time
Since I've been gone
It always seemed to be the wrong time
It's the same old song
Looks like we'll never be together
Our whole life through
There might be changes in the weather
But not for me and you.
Can you hear me, when I'm calling out to you?
Can you see me, sometimes in the night?
When you put out the light
I haven't seen you in a long time
Since you put me away
I only see you in my dream time,
at the break of day
I know I never ever listen,
my whole life through.
If I had heard your words of wisdom,
I could be with you.
Can you feel me,
When he's making love to you?
Can you hear me,
When your alone, when you hang up the phone,
When its real late at night, and you put out the light!
I still see you
and I still feel you
And when I'm alone
My mind starts to roam
You come in the night
When I turn out the light
I haven't seen you in a long time
Since I've been gone
It always seemed to be the wrong time
It's the same old song
Looks like we'll never be together
Our whole life through
There might be changes in the weather
But not for me and you.
End of the World
(Video)
(written by Berry / Buck / Mills / Stipe)
This song was originanlly performed by R.E.M.
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine
That's great, it starts with an earthquake,
Birds, snakes, and aeroplanes
Yeah, Lenny Bruce is not afraid.
Eye of a hurricane, listen to yourself churn
World serves its own needs, dummy serve your own needs.
Speed it up a notch speak, grunt, no strength
The ladder starts to clatter with dinner fight down height.
Wire in a fire, representing southern gangs,
A government for hire and a combat site.
Lefty wasn't coming in a hurry
With the furies breathing down your neck.
Team by team reporters baffled, trumped, tethered cropped.
Look at that low plane! Fine, then. Uh oh,
Overflow, population, common food, but it'll do.
Save yourself, serve yourself. World serves its own needs,
Listen to your heart beat
Tell me that the reds are in the reverend in the right?
You patriotic, patriotic, slam, fight, bright light
Feeling pretty psyched.
CHORUS:
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it.
It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine.
Oh, Six o'clock - TV hour. Don't get caught in foreign
towers.
Slash and burn, return, listen to yourself churn.
Locking in, uniforming, book-burning, blood-letting.
Every motive escalate. Automotive incinerate.
Light a votive, light a candle. Step down, step down.
Watch your heel crush, crush, uh-oh
This means no fear cavalier. Renegade steer clear!
A tournament, a tournament, a tournament of lies.
Offer me solutions, offer me alternatives and I decline.
CHORUS (x2)
The other night I drifted nice, continental trip to find.
Mountains sit in a line, Leonard Bernstein. Leonid Brezhnev,
Lenny Bruce and Lester Bangs.
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly beans, boom!
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam foot neck, said right.
CHORUS (x2)
General Taylor
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Well, General Taylor gained the day
Walk him along, John, carry him along
Well, General Taylor he gained the day
Carry him to his buryin' ground
CHORUS:
Tell me where you store me
Walk him along, John, carry him along
Tell me where you store me
Carry him to his buryin' ground
We'll dig his grave with a silver spade
Walk him along, John, carry him along
His shroud of the finest silk will be made
Carry him to his buryin' ground
CHORUS
We'll lower him down on a golden chain
Walk him along, John, carry him along
On every inch we'll carve his name
Carry him to his buryin' ground
CHORUS
General Taylor he's all the go
Walk him along, John, carry him along
He's gone where the stormy winds won't blow
Carry him to his buryin' ground
CHORUS
General Taylor he's dead and he's gone
Walk him along, John, carry him along
Well, General Taylor he's long dead and gone
Carry him to his buryin' ground
CHORUS (x2)
Seagulls
(written by Bob Hallett)
She left St. John's one day in May
Dressed in her Sunday best
A kind man sat beside her
As she cried her way out West
She moved in with her cousin
Found a job down in the mall
Her friends at home were jealous
Said they'd see her in the fall
CHORUS:
You know that she wants to try,
Never lets you see her cry
You know that she wants to try,
She's got seagulls in her eyes
The people here seem really nice
But the winter's way too long
New friends, they don't understand
Her mother wrote "be strong"
She made some decent money
Yeah, but nothing comes for free
The windy street, just can't compete
With the sky, the rocks and sea
CHORUS
Her parents came at Easter-time
They wanted her to stay
But she went and got a panel van
And moved home on her birthday
The girls in town all said,
She couldn't make it on her own
Now the sky's a little smaller
And it doesn't seem like home
CHORUS (x2)
She's got seagulls in her eyes
Recruiting Sergeant
(written by Bob Hallett / Based on traditional)
There's a lot of history behind this song that deserves mention. Go here
to read it.
Two recruiting sergeants came to the CLB,
For the sons of the merchants, to join the Blue Puttees
So all the hands enlisted, five hundred young men...
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
They crossed the broad Atlantic in the brave Florizel,
And on the sands of Suvla, they entered into hell
And on those bloody beaches, the first of them fell...
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
CHORUS:
So it's over the mountains, and over the sea
Come brave Newfoundlanders and join the Blue Puttees
You'll fight the Hun in Flanders, and at Galipoli
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
The call came from London, for the last July drive
"To the trenches with the regiment, prepare yourselves to die"
The roll call next morning, just a handful survived.
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
CHORUS
The stone men on Water Street still cry for the day
When the pride of the city went marching away
A thousand men slaughtered, to hear the King say
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
CHORUS (x2)
Enlist ye Newfoundlanders and come follow me
Greenspond
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Greenspond is a pretty place,
And so is Pinchard's Island
Mom will buy me a new fur coat
When Da' gets home from swilin'
Here he comes as white as ghosts
Children and their little boats
Women in their petty coats
Down from Petty Harbour
My Apology
(written by Séan McCann)
It's not the way that I intended this
I didn't realize, how much I would miss...
But with every parting of our company
I hate to think, what it has done to me
CHORUS:
You didn't see, that I was sorry
This has to be, my apology
When cruelty comes with blind indifference
My humanity becomes my best defense
But if you consider the alternative
I really didn't have that much to give
A tragic victim of my circumstance
Never give the devil a second chance
If you do you know that you never will
Probably best to forget and begin again
Jakey's Gin
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
When I was a young man I was let astray
I met with a buddy down in Logy Bay
We went out in all weather
We wore out our shoes,
And up Kingsway road for a drink or two
CHORUS:
Drink 'er up boys its well after ten
Drink 'er up boys its well after ten
Some people say that the pinkie is fine
Others will swear by a drop of moonshine
But as for myself I've a bottle of each,
Mixed in with a gallon of Dipper or Screech
CHORUS
Its the old shavin' lotion that's made me this way
Sweeter than Pepsi and stronger than tea
And when in the evening when we're feeling fine
We'll stop into Jakey's for icon and 'shine
CHORUS
Its the old shavin' lotion thats made me this way
Sweeter than Pepsi and stronger than tea
And when in the morning when I'm feeling rough
I curse, ol' Jakey who sold me this stuff
CHORUS (x2)
Oh, whiskey you're the devil
You're leading me astray
Over hills and mountains
And to America
You're sweeter, stronger, decenter, you're spunkier than tea
Oh, whiskey you're my darling drunk or sober
Something I Should Know
(written by Séan McCann)
Am I leaving you tomorrow, I can't see
Is this how it's going to be?
In the morning must I go,
So let's take a little time, say what's on your mind
Is there something I should know?
I thought we went through all this yesterday
You said you were okay, you just had to take it slow.
I'm tired of these little games you play, are you here to stay
Is there something I should know?
CHORUS:
Is there something I should know? (x3)
I think everything we've seen, it was just a dream
How did we get so low?
To leave it all behind would be obscene
Where's your self-esteem? Is there something I should know?
CHORUS
We can keep on talking, you know I've got all night
But don't keep telling me, that everything's all right...
It's not all right.
I'm leaving you tomorrow, can't you see
This is how it's got to be,
In the morning I must go...
So let's take a little time, say what's on your mind
Is there something I should know?
CHORUS
Jolly Roving Tar
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Ships may come and ships may go
As long as the sea does roll.
Each sailor lad just like his dad,
He loves the flowing bowl.
A trip on shore he does adore
With a girl who's nice and round.
When the money's gone
It's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!"
CHORUS:
Come along, come along, You jolly brave boys,
There's lots of grog in the jar.
We'll plough the briny
ocean
With the jolly roving tar.
When Jack comes in, it's then he'll steer
To some old boarding house.
They'll welcome him with rum and gin,
And feed him on pork scouse.
He'll lend and spend and he'll not offend
'till he's lyin' drunk on the ground
When the money's gone
It's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!"
CHORUS
Jack, he then, oh then he'll sail
Bound down for Newfoundland
All the ladies fair in Placentia there
They love that sailor man.
He'll go to shore out on a tear
And he'll buy some girl a gown.
When the money's gone
It's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!"
CHORUS
When Jack gets old and weatherbeat,
Too old to roam about,
They'll let him stop in some rum shop
'Till eight bells calls him out.
Then he'll raise his eyes up to the skies,
Sayin', "Boys, we're homeward bound."
When the money's gone
It's the same old song,
"Get up Jack! John, sit down!"
CHORUS
Little Beggerman (Rigadoon)
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Well, I am a little beggarman, a begging I have been
For three score or more in the little isle of green
All over the Liffey and down to Segue
I'm known by the name of auld Johnny Dhu
Of all the trades a going, begging is the best
When a man gets tired he can sit down and rest
Singin' for his supper when there's nothing else to do
When I come around the corner with me old rigadoo
I went to a barn, went down to Currabawn
Got down on the floor and I slept till the dawn
Holes in the roof and the rain seeping thru
Me toes froze together in me little beggar shoes
Buy a pair of leggings and a collar and a tie
A nice old lady you will find by and by
Buy a pair of leggings and I'll color them blue
For a foxy old lady I'll make her too
I met a little flaxen haired girl one day
Good morning little flaxen haired girl, I did say
Good morning little beggarman how do you do
With your bags and your rags and your auld rigadoo
Who should I waken but the woman of the house
With her white spotted apron and her calico
blouse
She began to frighten so I said, "Boo!"
Sure, don't be afraid, it's only Johnny Dhu
Over the road with me pack on me back
Over all the fields with me big heavy sack
Over the hills with the moon peeking through
Singing, skin a ma rink a doodle on me auld rigadoo
I must be going to bed, it's getting late at night
The fire is all out, so out goes the light
Now you've heard the story of the auld rigadoo
So good night and God be with you, this is auld Johnny Dhu
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's Turn album.
Consequence Free
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann)
Na na na, na na neh ah na na
Oh, Na na na, na na neh ah na na
Wouldn't it be great, if no one ever got offended
Wouldn't it be great to say what's really on your mind
And I have always said, "All the rules are made for bending"
And if I let my hair down, would that be such a crime?
CHORUS:
I wanna be consequence free
I wanna be where nothing needs to matter
I wanna be consequence free
Just sing - Na na na, na na neh ah na na
Oh, Na na na, na na neh ah na na
I could really use to lose my Catholic conscience
'Cause I'm getting sick of feeling guilty all the time
I won't abuse it, yeah I've got the best intentions
For a little bit of anarchy but not the hurting kind
CHORUS
I couldn't sleep at all last night 'cause I had so much
on my mind
I'd like to leave it all behind, but you know it's not that easy
Oh, for just one night
Wouldn't it be great, if the band just never ended
We could stay out late and we would never hear last call.
We wouldn't need to worry about approval or permission,
We could slip off the edge and never worry about the fall
CHORUS
Feel It Turn
(Video)
(written by Séan McCann)
I had a dream I was moving forward, floating gently to
the sun
I've come to see my world rewarded, a new day has begun
A lost bird caught in mid-migration, far away to a foreign land
Offspring of a secret nation, a new day has begun.
CHORUS:
I can see the earth below me
And I can
Feel it turn (x4)
Fog lifts to reveal potential,
Ffor generations prophesised
Our growth to be exponential,
Our promise is finally realized
CHORUS
Feel it turn
Across the sky
The world it learns
So must I
Cut steel wired into water
Fixed link, circumnavigate
Old men see your sons and daughters
No longer, no longer hesitate
CHORUS
repeat
Jack Hinks
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Ah, when Jack comes ashore he's got money galore
And he's seldom cut short of a job
He can dress now as well, as any can tell
With a good silver watch in his fob
Poor Jack in his life was ne'er paired with a wife
Though sometimes with lasses he links
CHORUS
He's a seafarin', sail makin', gamblin', caperin'
Grog-drinking hero,
Jack Hinks, oh, Jack Hinks
When inclined for to spend he walks in with a friend
And with pleasure he sits himself down
He tips up his glass and he winks at the lass
And he smiles if she happens to frown
And like a ramblin' true blue when the rent becomes due
On the table the money he clinks
CHORUS
-- Instrumental bit
Bound home the other fall we fell into a squall
Round the northern most head of Cape Friels
We were washed away without further delay
At the thought, how my spirit it chills
We were bashed on the rocks like a hard-hunted fox
Of death and destruction he thinks
CHORUS
Jack, without fail, was out in that same gale
Having drove across Bonavist' Bay
Oh, Neptune did rail as he hauled in all sail
And had his two spars cut away
Oh, but Providence kind it so eases the wind
And on sailors so constantly thinks
He saved
That seafarin', sail makin', gamblin', caperin'
(x2)
CHORUS
Demesduit Dream
(written by Bob Hallett)
Mary March was a Beothuk who was taken captive by the English in 1819 when
they raided her village. There had been an on-going feud between the English
fisherman and the Beothuk. On May 5th, an English party, lead by John Peyton,
raided the village for fishing supplies they believed to be stolen. Mary
(Demasduit) was taken captive and her husband and child wer murdered. She
was taken to St. John's where she eventually met David Buchan, a sympathetic
British explorer who attempted many times to return Demasduit to Red Indian
Lake. Unfortunately, she died on one of these journeys and was never reunited
with her people.
I dreamt I saw a woman standing by the strand,
Waiting for her people to come in from the land.
She waited there for seven days, she built a fire in the sand
Waiting for her people to come in from the land.
She had the look of a refugee hiding in her eyes
And when I tried to talk to her she answered with a cry
And pointed to the water out beyond the harbour line
Where a thousand ships lay waiting, they lay waiting for my sign.
CHORUS:
I remember days of sunlight
With my father by my side
And the children, ran before us
Like the foam upon the tide
We ran like frightened partridge, when the strangers came
to talk
Bringing sickness 'round them and the thunder in their walk
We ran into the valleys and we ran into the hills
The young ran before us driven by the strangers' will
CHORUS
I'm waiting by the landwash with the giant standing near
I see them coming always, the children in their fear
I'm waiting on my blanket and the giant waits with me
And I will wait here always as they fill the endless sea
CHORUS (x2)
Boston and St. John's
(written by Alan Doyle)
Girl, don't tell me that it's morning
Can we keep the curtains drawn
I haven't given you fair warning
But our ship, she sails at dawn
CHORUS:
It's true I must be going but I swear I won't be long
There isn't that much ocean between Boston and St. John's
I'm a rover and I'm bound to sail away
I'm a rover. Can you love me anyway?
And if some suitor comes approaching
Will you let him through your door
And what if I return half broken
Will you still want me anymore?
CHORUS
Close your eyes and dream
Tell me what you see
Tell me what you want
Just tell me that you'll wait for me
Girl, don't tell me that it's morning
Can we keep the curtains drawn
I haven't given you fair warning
But our ship, she sails at dawn
CHORUS
Margarita
(written by Séan McCann)
I see you in the front row, dancing up and down
You're ripped and ready for a night downtown
And all the pretty boys are chasing you around
'Cause they all want to win your affection
Spent three hours getting ready for the show
Nothing on underneath and everybody knows
Mama said wear a coat or catch your death of cold
What's wrong with a little flirtation?
And then you smile at me
Is that a wink I see?
Did I catch your eye?
Should I even try?
CHORUS:
Oh, my Margarita (Margarita)
Like to meet ya (Margarita)
My Margarita (Margarita)
Think I need ya (Margarita)
Take your time, dance real slow
Remember that song from the radio
Got your old man's car, got a place to go
'Cause we all need a little temptation
Those two big fellas are looking for a fight
It's what they like to do on a Saturday night
Maybe it's the alcohol, maybe it's the lights
But they just want to get your attention
And then you smile at me
Is that a wink I see?
Did I catch your eye?
Should I even try?
CHORUS
Talk to me, baby, it's all right
I might look strange, but I don't bite
And if you'll let me hold your hand
I can find a way to make you understand
Called last call, now it's time to go
But I'm not the guy who gets to walk you home
We could have made history, I guess we'll never know
I'll see you in my dreams
CHORUS (x2)
Trois Navires de Blé
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
On the left is what is actually sung on Turn. On the right is my attempt at a translation for those who would like to understand what they're singing.
| Un gros coup de vent de nordet Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Un gros coup de vent de nord-est Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Trois navires de blé s'en fit rentrer Nous irons jouer |
A strong
wind from the Northeast We will play at the water's edge A strong wind from the Northeast We will play at the water's edge Three corn ships came We will play |
CHORUS Sur le bord de l'eau Nous irons jouer dans l'île |
At the water's edge We will play on the island |
Trois filles d'un roi veulent marchander Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Trois filles d'un roi veulent marchander Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Et les jolies filles ont voler le coeur Nous irons jouer |
Three daughters
of the king wish to shop We will play at the water's edge Three daughters of the king wish to shop We will play at the water's edge And the pretty girls stole their heart We will play |
CHORUS |
|
La plus jeune avait les pieds léger Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau La plus jeune avait les pieds léger Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau À bord d'la barque elle a sauté Nous irons jouer |
The youngest
was light on her feet We will play at the water's edge The youngest was light on her feet We will play at the water's edge To the side of the boat she skipped We will play |
CHORUS (x2) |
|
Combien le vendez-vous votre blé? Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Combien le vendez-vous votre blé? Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Seulement pour vous, six sous le boisseau Nous irons jouer |
How much
do you sell your corn for? We will play at the water's edge How much do you sell your corn for? We will play at the water's edge For only you, six cents a bushel We will play |
CHORUS (x2) Dans l'île ... |
On the island ... |
J'entends ma mère m'appeller pour souper Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau J'entends ma mère m'appeller pour souper Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Et les petits enfants pleurer Nous irons jouer |
I hear my
mother calling me for supper We will play at the water's edge I hear my mother calling me for supper We will play at the water's edge And the grandchildren cry We will play |
CHORUS (x2) *Instrumental bit* |
|
Oh vous la belle, vous nous mentez Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Vous vous la belle, vous vous mentez Nous irons jouer sur le bord de l'eau Jamais d'enfants vous n'avez eu Nous irons jouer |
Oh you beautiful,
you lie to us We will play at the water's edge Oh you beautiful, you lie to us We will play at the water's edge You have never had children We will play |
CHORUS (x3) Dans l'île ... |
On the island ... |
Ferryland Sealer
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
CHORUS:
Our schooner and our sloop in Ferryland they do lie
She is already rigged to be bound for the ice
All you lads of the Southern, we will have you to beware.
She's going to the ice in the spring of the year
Laddie whack fol the laddie, laddie whack fol the day.
Our course be east-north-east for two days and two nights.
Our captain he cried out, "B'ys, look ahead for the ice!"
He hove her around, standing in for the land,
'Twas in a few hours he was firm in the jam.
Laddie whack fol the laddie, laddie whack fol the day.
Our captain he cried out, "Come on b'ys, lend a hand"
Our cook he makes the breakfast and each man takes a dram.
With our gaffs in our hands it was earlie for to go,
Every man showed his action 'thout the missing of a blow.
Laddie whack fol the laddie, laddie whack fol the day.
Some were killing, some were scalping, some were haulin'
them on board.
Some more they were firing and a-missing of their loads.
In the dusk of the evening all hands in from the cold,
And we counted nine hundred fine scalps in the hold.
We are now off Cape Spear and in sight of Cape Broyle,
We'll dance, sing, carouse,
me b'ys in just a little while.
We will soon enjoy the charms of our sweethearts and our friends,
It will not be long before we're down to the bend.
Laddie whack fol the laddie, laddie whack fol the day.
CHORUS
Fol the laddie, laddie whack fol the day (x2)
Can't Stop Falling (Video)
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann)
I wasn't looking for a lover, I wasn't looking for a
friend
I wasn't working undercover, I wasn't trying to pretend
But when you walked across the dance floor, just like the moon across the
sky
I knew that I would have to see more, I knew that I would have to try
One look into your eyes and I realised
CHORUS:
Oh no, I can't stop falling
My heart betrays me
And I know, I'll start to feel it all again
Won't someone save me?
She jumped aboard the brown line, I accidentally caught
her eye
She told me she was born a Libra, and I told her I was Gemini
She made suggestive conversation, then she lightly brushed my hand
Overcome by her temptations, we jumped off down by the strand
And in the English night, I realise it again
CHORUS
She asks me to come inside, we can just talk for a while
I wonder if I should, but her touch, her touch, it feels so good.
But I look into your eyes, and I realise it again.
CHORUS
Old Brown's Daughter
(written by Johnny Burke)
The line "I'll run for Trinity" refers to the narrator's plan to run for
political office in Newfoundland, in the district of Trinity. Presumably
this would impress the infamous Old Brown - and his daughter.
Well there is an ancient party at the other end of town
And he keeps a little grocery store, ah, the ancient's name is Brown
And he has a lovely daughter, such a treat I never saw
Oh, I only hope someday to be the old man's son-in-law.
Well, Old Brown sells from off his shelf most anything
you please
He's got juice harps for the little boys, and lollipops and cheese
His daughter minds the store, and it's a treat just to see her serve
I'd like to run away with her but I don't have the nerve.
CHORUS:
And it's Old Brown's daughter is a proper sort of girl,
Old Brown's daughter is as fair as any pearl.
I wish I were a Lord, Mayor, a Marquis or an Earl
And blow me if I wouldn't marry Old Brown's girl.
Blow me if I wouldn't marry Old Brown's girl.
Well, poor Old Brown now, has trouble with the gout,
He grumbles in his little parlour when he can't get out
Oh, and when I make a purchase, Lord, and she hands me the change
That girl she makes me pulverised, I feel so very strange
CHORUS
But Miss Brown she smiles so sweetly when I say a tender
word
Ah, but Old Brown says that she must wed a Marquis or a Lord,
And I don't suppose it's ever one of those things I will be
But by jingo next election I will run for Trinity.
CHORUS
I'm A Rover
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Though the night be dark as dungeon, not a star to be
seen above
I will be guided without a stumble into the arms of me own true love.
I went up to her bedroom window, kneelin' gently upon a stone
I rapped upon her bedroom window - "My darlin' dear, do you lie alone?"
CHORUS:
I'm a rover, seldom sober
I'm a rover of high degree
And when I'm drinking, I'm always thinking
How to gain my love's company.
She raised her head from her feather pillow, raised her
arms up about her breast,
Saying, "Who's at me bedroom window, disturbin' me at me long night's rest?"
"It's only me, your own true lover, open the door and please let me in.
For I have come on a long night's journey, and I'm near drenched to the
skin."
CHORUS
She opened the door with the greatest pleasure, opened
the door and she let me in,
We both shook hands and embraced each other, 'til the mornin' we lay as
one.
Well now, me love, I must go and leave you; though the mountains be high
above
I will climb them with greater pleasure now that I've been with me only
love.
CHORUS
Captain Wedderburn
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
A nobleman's fair daughter came down a narrow lane
And met with Captain Wedderburn, the keeper of the game
"Now my pretty fair miss, if it wasn't for the law,
You and I in a bed might lie"
Roll me over next to the wall (x2)
"Now, my dear good man," she said, "Do not be perplexed;
Before that you might bed with me, you must answer questions six.
Six questions you must answer me, and I will ask them all,
And you and I in a bed might lie"
Roll me over next to the wall (x2)
"What is rounder than a ring, and higher than the trees?
And what is worse than a woman's curse, and what is deeper than the sea?
Which bird sings first, which one best? Where does the dew first fall?
And you and I in a bed might lie"
Roll me over next to the wall (x2)
The Earth is rounder than a ring, and Heaven is higher
than the trees,
The devil is worse than a woman's curse, and Hell is deeper than the sea
The lark sings first, the thrush sings best, and the Earth is where the
dew falls
And you and I in a bed must lie"
Roll me over next to the wall (x2)
He takes her by her lily-white hand and leads her down
the hall.
He takes her by her slender waist for fear that she might fall.
And lays her on a bed of down without a doubt at all
And he and she lie in one bed
Roll me over next to the wall
And he and she lie in one bed
Roll me over next to the wall (x3)
Bad As I Am
(written by Bob Hallett / Séan McCann)
Here I go again, my heart's on the line.
I'm willing to pretend, one more time
I got some life to spend, on even rhymes
But when I reach the end, will you (will you) will you be mine?
CHORUS:
This time I know you're not the answer to my prayer
And I have grown with each disappointment through the years
And as bad as I am, and as bad as I am
I'm still here
On the road again
I've paid a fine
Where now is the friend
I leave (I leave) I leave behind?
I'm goin' round the bend
One more climb
But when I reach the end
Will you (will you) will you be mine?
This time I know you're not the answer to my prayer
And I have grown with each disappointment through the years
And as bad as I am, and as bad as I am, and as bad as I am
I'm still here (repeat)
I'm still here (x3)
I'm still
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's Road Rage album that don't appear on other releases. (Songs that appear on other CDs by GBS wil be found with those lyrics.)
Everything Shines
(Video)
(written by Chris Trapper)
This song was originanlly performed by The Pushstars.
Hey, come this May,
We'll be running in the sun again, your time will come.
You're just a young broken heart.
Been out sleepin' in the yard, how could you be so dumb?
CHORUS:
All we losers stand in line just waiting for our time.
Broken angel take that plane and finger paint the sky,
'Til everything shines,
Everything shines,
Everything shines,
Everything shines.
Hey broken clock,
Haven't heard your old tick tocking man for much too long,
And lonely jukebox,
Iin the corner of the nightclub, man, I need your song
(I need your song)
CHORUS
Hanging Johnny
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Well, they call me Hangin' Johnny
Away boys, away
Well, I never hanged nobody
And it's hang boys, hang
Well, first I hanged me mother
Away boys, away
Me sister and me brother
And it's hang boys, hang
Well, next I hanged me granny
Away boys, away
Well, I'd hang the Holy Family
And it's hang boys, hang
Well, I never hangs for money
Away boys, away
It's just that hanging's so bloody funny
And it's hang boys, hang
Oh, they calls me Hangin' Johnny
Away boys, away
Well, I never hanged nobody
And it's hang boys, hang
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's Sea Of No Cares album.
Sea Of No Cares
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann / Chris Trapper)
When you're in love, there's no time and no space
There's a permanent smile on your face
Your friends all complain that you're going insane
But the truth is they're just afraid
CHORUS:
Hey, hey, hey somewhere
You threw your fear in the sea of no cares
Hey, hey, hey somewhere
You threw your fear in the sea of no cares
When you decide that what counts is inside
Your friends all say it's a lie
But there's no brighter light than the look in her eyes
When you're walking her home through the night
CHORUS
Let yourself go with the tide
There's an angel by your side tonight
Throw your fear in the sea
Back at the bar getting cynically stoned
Your friends are drinking alone
But it's funny, 'cause they don't even cross your mind
When she asks you into her home
CHORUS (x2)
You threw your fear in the sea (x2)
Penelope
(written by C. Hynes)
Every day-ay-ay-ay-ay yeah
Penelope works in the market
Down in the coconut trees
She's saving up all her money
To go to America across the sea
She once had an uncle
He lived in Detroit town
And they got all his post cards
But his body has never been found
To this day-ay-ay-ay-ay yeah
To this day-ay-ay-ay yeah
To this day-ay-ay-ay-ay yeah
To this day-ay-ay-ay yeah
She got a job as a domestic
Workin' for the minimum wage
To all her friends back home in Jamaica
They say, "You really got it made in the shade!"
But they don't see her sweat and grind
And her bended on her knees
She wishes she was back in Jamaica
Beneath the coconut trees
CHORUS:
Every day-ay-ay-ay-ay yeah
Every day-ay-ay-ay yeah
Every day-ay-ay-ay-ay yeah
Every day-ay-ay-ay yeah
CHORUS
Penelope's back in the market
She found what it was all about.
No, no, she doesn't regret it
She's just glad that she got out.
But others aren't so lucky
They're there 'til the day they die
Trapped in the steel and concrete
No beach, no moon, no sky
CHORUS
Every day, yeah (x2)
CHORUS
Clearest Indication
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann / Chris Trapper)
The video for this song features fellow Newfoundland actor Allan
Hawco. Also note the addition of Kris MacFarlane in the video (who has
been with the band since the Sea Of No Cares tour). It's been said
that the line "fifty-one to forty-nine" has 3 different meanings: the 1949
vote for Canadian confederation in Newfoundland, the vote for Québec's sovereignity
from Canada, and the most recent US presidential election.
You left in the morning
You left without a word
Did you get what you came for
Is this what I deserve
All I know is the silence
Was the loudest thing I'd ever heard
CHORUS:
Where do we stand, what am I supposed to do?
Give me the clearest indication
That I'm not alone with you
Reach out your hand, in a world I thought I knew
I need the clearest indication
The clearest indication from you
Did we have all we wanted
And let it slip away in time
Like a country divided
Fifty-one to forty-nine
Years ago, I suppose
We just can't seem to make up our minds
CHORUS
In times like these it's hard to see
With any kind of clarity
What's the point of wondering anymore
So much I just can't figure out
I'd love to know without a doubt
For sure, for sure
CHORUS
I need the clearest indication from you (x3)
The Scolding Wife
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The b'ys heard this song from Darrell's cousin. It's the first song that
Bob sings a solo part in on an official GBS release. (The only other songs
that Bob can be heard on is Helmethead,
the fourth verse of The Seven Joys Of Mary,
and the opening verse of Greenspond). Also,
the tune in the middle is a piece of the jig, Cook In The Galley.
| Well, I came into a scolding
wife a few short years ago And ever since I lead a life of misery and woe My wife she is a tyrant around the room and in Ah, she'd sell me to the devil for a galss or two of Gin. |
(Alan's part) | |
|
|
(Bob's part) | |
CHORUS: And if the devil'd take her I'd thank him for his pain I swear to God I'll hang me self If I get married again And if the devil'd take her I'd thank him for his pain Oh, I swear to God I'll hang me self if I get married again. |
||
When I get up at breakfast time she'll tap me on the head When I come home at dinner time I'll find her drunk in bed When I come home at supper time my patience I must stop 'Cause she drinks what's in the teapot and I must drink the slops. |
(Darrell's part) | |
CHORUS |
||
Well, once I asked me scolding wife if I could go to bed She scarce gave me an hour on the pillow to lay me head When like a roarin' lion she came bustin' down the door She caught me by the middle and threw me naked on the floor. |
(Séan's part) | |
CHORUS |
||
Now, me and my companions go to a public place She'll search around the neighbourhood until she finds my face She'll hoist me up and ridicule me for the company Saying, "Petticoat is you master, and forevermore shall be." |
(All) | |
|
|
Back to top | |
Stumbling In
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle)
I don't mind confiding
That I make stupid mistakes
Been misled and misguided
And I'm easily led astray
You can dance with disaster
Never missing a step
Spinning faster and faster
Long after I've already slipped
CHORUS:
But in the middle of it all
You always break my fall
In the middle of it all
Over and over, again and again
You come through the door and I'm stumbling in
I'm twisted and tangled and soaked to the skin
You come through the door and I'm stumbling in
Pulled in every direction
I've a million regrets
And you're the perfect protection
When I'm down and in over my head
CHORUS
And there's bones in my closet
I've collected quite a few
God knows what causes
An angel to love a fool
An angel to love a fool
CHORUS
I'm stumbling in (x4)
A Boat Like Gideon Brown
(written Frank Dwyer - Arr. GBS)
Séan's dad did the detective work to find this song. A tale of hope and
triumph in small-town Newfoundland.
Oh, Gideon lived accross the bay
He's gettin' older now
His boat is big and strong and bold
She has a stalwart bow
But my father's boat was second hand
One someone'd used before
And after every fishing trip
My father always swore.
That someday he would save enough
To go to St. John's Town
And buy himself a big new boat
A boat like Gideon Brown
A boat like Gideon Brown
Confederation
came around
And the days of old-age pension
He said, "Son, I'm saving every cent
And this you must not mention."
You save the baby bonus too
And things just might turn around
And we'll have enough to buy a boat
A boat like Gideon Brown
CHORUS:
She can punch ahead in any gale
And ride the fishing ground
I often thought how proud I'd be
In a boat like Gideon Brown
In a boat like Gideon Brown
Many years did pass away
And Dad began to fade
He didn't talk of boats too much
He said, "Son, I'm afraid"
If things don't soon improve
Then I'll be under ground
Before we ever get to see ourselves
In a boat like Gideon Brown
CHORUS
I sat and held his hand one day
He said, "Son, that policy
The insurance is all in your name
You're the beneficiary."
And when I'm gone, they'll pay you off
Then go to St. John's Town
And buy yourself a big new boat
A boat like Gideon Brown.
CHORUS (x2)
Widow In The Window
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann / Chris Trapper)
Waiting for the nightingale to sing
Waiting for the harbour lights to dim
I've been on the outside lookin' in
While the widow in the window waits for him.
CHORUS 1:
But he won't be back
Can't you realize that?
And he's laughing at your sorrow
Waiting for a ship that won't come in
Waiting for a tear to reach her chin
I'm knockin', but she will not let me in.
CHORUS 2:
And he won't be back
Can't you realize that?
And he's laughing at your sorrow
How can I explain, your love is all in vain
While he wastes your precious hours
I could fill your days with flowers.
How can I replace the smile upon a face
Of a lover that I can never be
How can I begin to make you love again
And try to make you see
And he won't be back
Can't you realize that?
And he's laughing at
Your sorrow
CHORUS 1 + 2
Flowers (x10)
French Perfume
(written by Bob Hallett)
It's of a bold young smuggler
From Fortune he did sail
He rode the waves from St. Pierre
And he never saw the jail
He filled her up with contraband
Perfume, smokes, and rum
He hoped the bog was thick enough
To make another run
CHORUS:
You can still see the sight on a winter's night
Of his wake in the light of the moon
If the wind turns right and you don't take fright
You can small that French perfume
But the Mountie boat was waiting
As he crawled up Fortune Bay
And when they hit the spotlight
It was like the light of day
He didn't bring her head 'round
When they told him to heave to
He opened up the engines
And he ran for Spanish Room
CHORUS
They said they heard him laughing
With the Mounties closing in
His engines screaming murder
And his face set in a grin
The seagulls started lifting
Like an angry banshee
choir
He hit the rocks at 50 clicks
And the sky lit up with fire
It's of a bold young smuggler
From Fortune he did sail
He rode the waves from St. Pierre
And he never saw the jail
And when it's cold and foggy
On the rocks near Spanish Room
They say you hear him laughing
And you smell that French perfume
CHORUS (x2)
You can smell that French perfume
Yarmouth Town
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
In Yarmouth Town there lived a man,
He had a little tavern by the strand.
And the landlord had a daughter fair
A pretty little thing with the golden hair.
CHORUS:
Oh won't you come down, won't you come down
Oh won't you come down to Yarmouth Town.
One night there came a sailor man,
He asked the daughter for her hand.
"Well, I won't marry you," she said,
"I have all I want without being wed."
But if with me you'd like to linger,
I'll tie some string all around my finger.
As you walk by, pull on my string
And I'll come down and let you right in.
CHORUS (x2)
Well, the very next day at closing time
The sailor man goes off to the strand
And as he walks by, pulls on that string
And she's came down and let him right in.
Well he's never seen such a sight before,
A string around her finger was all she wore!
CHORUS (x2)
So, all young men who to Yarmouth go
If you see those girls with their hair hung low,
All you got to do is pull their strings
And they'll come down and let you right in.
CHORUS (x4)
Barque
In The Harbour
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
This tale of a sailor who never forgot his youthful romance is a common
one in Newfoundland folk circles. This wonderful version comes from North
Harbour, Placentia Bay. Also, Liz Pickard sings the role of the Spanish
maiden in the last few verses of the song.
From a barque
in the harbour I went roaming on shore
And stepped into a pub where I was oft' times before
And as I was sitting and enjoying my glass
Who chanced to walk in but a young Spanish lass.
She sat down beside me and kept squeezing my hand
And saying, "Sir, you're a stranger, not long to this land
Will you roam jolly sailor, would you roam along with me?
To some lonesome spot where nobody can see."
CHORUS:
"Don't you leave me jolly sailor," were the words she did cry.
Waiting and weeping and wiping her eyes.
"When you reach home in your own Newfoundland
Think of the young Spaniard who kept squeezing your hand."
I quickly consented with her for to roam
She lived by herself in a neat little home
She was brisk, plump, and jolly and her age scarce nineteen
And the name of that maiden I think was Irene.
One fine summer's morning, our ship, she set sail
And down by the seashore, lovely Irene, she came
Waving her pocket handkercheif and wiping her eyes
"Don't leave me jolly sailor," were the word she did cry.
CHORUS
"I'll bid you farewell, Love, on a fine summer's breeze
But, Love, don't forget me when you're crossing the sea
And when you are married and enjoying your bride
Think of the young maiden who layed by your side.
CHORUS
Think of the young Spaniard who kept squeezing your hand.
Own True Way
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann / Chris Trapper)
It takes a lot to get to the top
And a little just to fall off quick
And I think I've seen you here before.
Sometimes you fly so high
So fast it makes you sick
You won the battle and lost the war
But I don't mind if you say,
Every time you talk to me
Every time we talk
CHORUS:
We came, we saw
We conquered and crumbled
In our own true way
We loved, we fought
We rocked and we tumbled
In our own true way
Well, I believe in Brotherhood
And the good of all mankind
But I admit it's hard to find
But, if you wanna talk
Just come and knock
It don't matter what the time
Solitude is no friend of mine
And I don't mind if you say,
Every time you talk to me
Every time we talk
CHORUS
It's hard to be from a rock in the sea
Livin' in a big, steel town
Finding unfamiliar faces all around.
You heard 'em tellin' stupid jokes
You heard 'em laugh every time you spoke
But you don't let nobody put you down.
But I don't mind if you say,
Every time you talk to me
Every time you talk to me
Every time we talk
CHORUS
Fortune
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Two of the three songs in Fortune come from the Newfoundland tradition.
The first is known as Feller From Fortune. (Though the b'ys added
a bit more to it.) The second tune is a Scandinavian tune. And the last
tune, a particularly jaunty number (even by Newfoundland standards) is from
the repertoire of the late Rufus Guinchard.
There's lots of fish in Bonavist Harbour,
Lots of fish right in around here;
Boys and girls are fishin' together,
Fourty-five from Carbonear.
Catch a-hold this one, catch a-hold that one,
Swing around this one, dance around she;
Dance around this one, dance around that one,
Did-dle dum this one, did-dle dum-dee.
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's Something Beautiful* album.
Shines Right Through Me
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann / K. Mahoney)
These days I feel a change, all the patterns rearranged
Though I can't explain, I know I'm not afraid
Now I realize all good things can be supplied
And they come from you, they come from you
CHORUS:
It's all brand new, and it shines right through
Shines right through me
I look at you, and it shines right through
Shines right through me
This feeling that I've found, is like sleeping on a cloud
Smiling at the sky, not even knowing why
It's strange how things work out, but I know without a doubt
That it comes from you, it comes from you
CHORUS
Break me out of emptiness, lead me to your light
Anything worth having is worth some sacrifice
I laid too long in lonliness, this world was made to change
Half an hour of sunshine is worth a week of rain
The air is flowing free, it's a little easier to breathe
This soul unbound, was lost and found
No reason left to hide, 'cause I feel a light inside
And it comes from you, it comes from you
CHORUS
When I Am King
(Video)
(written by Alan Doyle)
Alan debuted this song at Atlantic Scene's Songwriters' Circle in Ottawa on
April 27, 2003.
Wake up, without a care
Your head's not heavy,
Your conscience clear
Sins are all forgiven here
Yours and mine
Fear has gone without a trace
It's the perfect time and the perfect place
Nothing hurting, nothing sore
Noone suffers anymore
The doctor's found a simple cure just in time
CHORUS:
All these things if I were king
Would all appear around me
The world will sing when I am king (x2)
Ah, she walks right in, she don't even knock
It's the girl you lost to the high school jock
She shuts the door, turns the lock
And she takes your hand
She says she always felt a fool
For picking the captain over you
She wonders if you missed her
Says she always told her sister
Ah, that you're the best damn kisser
That she ever had
CHORUS
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh
Whoa-whoa-oh-oh
Daylight waits to shine until
The moment you awaken
So you never miss the dawn
No question now
You know which road you're takin'
The lights are green
The radio plays just the perfect song
The war's been won
The fights are fought
And you find yourself in just the spot
In a place where everybody's got a song to sing
And like the final movie scene
The prince find his perfect queen
The hero always saves the world
The villains gets what they deserve
The boy always gets the girl
When I am king
CHORUS (x2)
The world will sing when I am king
Beat The Drum
(written by C & R MacDonald)
This is actually a cover of Runrig's song Pride Of The Summer.
I still hear the snares in the square
Colours ablaze in the evening
The air was still down the stormy hills
It's good to be young and daring
She was the pride of the summer that year
She was my sweetheart, my lady
We walked to Black Rock and stopped by the Loch
It's good to be young and daring
It's good to be young
CHORUS:
Beat the drum, beat the drum
Like a heartbeat, lonely and strong
Beat the drum, beat the drum
Like a heartbeat, lonely and strong
Beat the Drum
Across the bay I still hear the strains
The two step loud and blaring
We walked hand in hand to the beat of the band
It's good to be young and daring
It's good to be young
CHORUS
I still hear the snares in the square
Colours ablaze in the evening
She was the pride of the summer that year
It's good to be young and daring
It's good to be young and daring
It's good to be young
CHORUS (x3)
Something Beautiful
(Alan Doyle)
Alan debuted this song at Atlantic Scene's Songwriters' Circle in Ottawa on
April 27, 2003.
Hey you, you lost your only friend.
You can't believe your broken heart will ever mend.
Every mountain has its faces that makes you want to stop
On this so unwelcome journey from the bottom to the top.
CHORUS:
You've got to
Move along
I believe there's something beautiful to see.
Move along
I believe there's something beautiful
Move along
I believe there's something beautiful just waiting for you and me.
And I know you'll never count the tears you've cried,
And though you ask a million questions
No one can tell you why
A single soul is chosen to be the one put to the test.
But there will be some consolation
For a heart that never rests.
CHORUS
You've got to move along; I believe
There's something beautiful to see.
Move along; I believe
There's something beautiful just waiting for you and me.
The years will make us older.
The winters make us colder;
And there's one more thing
I've come to know for sure
There's no bitterness that smolders,
No chip on any shoulder,
That a random act of kindness couldn't cure.
Hey you, you lost your only friend
You can't believe you're broken heart will ever mend
But every mountain has its faces that'd make you want to stop
On the never ending journey from the bottom to the top.
CHORUS
Helmethead
(written by Bob Hallett)
The instrumental solo is a chunk of a longer series of tunes played for
square dances. This particular section is known as the 'Double Lead-Through'.
I was just seventeen, when I made the AHL
I couldn't skate in junior, but my fists rang like a bell.
I'll never win a title, and I'll never win the cup,
But when it comes to ladies, I've had the best of luck.
My first girl was a sly one, hanging round the rink,
But they sent me off to Cornwall, as fast as you could blink,
In Moose Jaw I was right in love, the daughter of the coach –
He traded me for nothing, didn't take to my approach.
CHORUS:
So good-bye, fare thee well
There's no time for delay,
You'll see me at the face-off, or catch the play-by-play
So good-bye, fare thee well
I'm glad you shared my bed,
But never trust a fellow with a helmet on his head.
Chantal was from Moncton, elle a jouer avec moi.
A tongue as sharp as razors, but she had a fancy car.
Her husband was a bruiser, played senior in Quebec,
If he'd had the rights of it, it would have been my neck.
CHORUS
And Nancy couldn't watch me fight, she'd always be in
tears,
Waving from the bleachers, and screaming in my ears,
And she I could have married, yeah we had a dandy fling,
But I had a one way contract, blew the money for the ring.
CHORUS
I should have sent a letter, and it would have been polite,
But I'm clearing out my locker, and time is getting tight.
I'm calling from the station, perhaps another day,
'Cause they're calling up a rookie, and they're trading me away.
CHORUS
No, never trust a fellow with a helmet on his head
Don't ever trust a fellow with a helmet on his head, fare thee well
Summer
(written by Alan Doyle / Séan McCann)
She doesn't see the coming fall
She doesn't show no fear at all
Bring on autumn moon or the driving rain
I only hope I see her face again
Everything is gonna be alright when summer comes
The darkest stars will burn so bright when summer comes
We will open up our bodies to the warming of the sun
When summer comes
I will wait in silence until she returns
To melt the frozen prison 'round this fool who never learns
Every living thing that's born must have its end
What winter takes away, spring brings back again
Everything is gonna be alright when summer comes
The days will wash away the nights when summer comes
We will open up our bodies to the warming of the sun
When summer comes
Summer doesn't feel the coming frost
And she doesn't yield to pain or loss
Death where is thy victory where is thy sting
When every year we hear the birds of summer sing
Everything is gonna be alright when summer comes
We will walk into the light when summer comes
We will open up our bodies to the warming of the sun
Well everything is gonna be alright when summer comes
We will open up our bodies to the warming of the sun
When summer comes
Sally Ann
(written by Alan Doyle)
All eyes on her from dawn till dusk
Hanging on her every word
Kings and queens never saw such a fuss
Servants are waiting to serve
CHORUS:
Sally Ann, Sally Ann
Oh, when you dance
Every move that you make is amazing.
Take my heart, take my hand
Hey, Sally Ann
Life will be all that you make it.
I must have got caught in your hair, so bright
Got lost in your eyes so blue
I followed around in circles all night
For a chance to dance with you
CHORUS
It breaks my heart to see her cry
I'm a fool for her that's for sure
You see me swallowing my pride
She's got me crawling on the floor
CHORUS (x2)
Somedays
(written by Séan McCann)
This song is also covered by Aselin Debison.
Somedays I feel sad and lonely
Somedays I feel fine
Somedays the clock just ticks too slowly
And I wish away my time
CHORUS:
But then you come to me
I realize how wonderful this life can be
With you, you and me
Somedays I get so psychotic
And somedays I feel blue
Somedays I sip my gin and tonic
And I wonder what this world will do
CHORUS
Somedays I feel I just fell from the sky
Somedays I see a child and start to cry
But everyday I try
Somedays I am virtuous
More days I'm just bad
Somedays I just can't get enough
Of the sweetest thing I've ever had
The sweetest thing I've ever had
CHORUS
You and me (x2)
Let It Go
(written by Alan Doyle / Gordie Sampson / B. Daly)
Hey man, you don't know what you're missing
You count your curses and forget about the blessings
Don't you think you should learn a little lesson?
What are you waiting for?
Hey man, what makes you so special now?
Can't seem to find the angels for the devils
Don't you think that if you learned to love a little?
You'd live a whole lot more
CHORUS:
Let it go, let it go
This is smaller than you know
It's no bigger than a pebble lying on a gravel road
Let it go, let it go
Got to leave it all behind you
Give the sun a chance to find you
Let it go
Hey man, there's no time for crying now
You made your bed but you don't think its fit to lie in
You're wasted on the ground when you know you should be flying
What are you waiting for?
CHORUS
How can a man not see
It seems so clear to me
But you've just got to live and learn
Smile at the simple stuff
'Cause this road ain't long enough
To miss a single turn
CHORUS
John Barbour
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
This is a Newfoundland version of the Childe ballad 'Willie O'Winsbury',
one of the oldest ballads in the English language. It was compiled from
a version found in the 'Come And I Will Sing You' collection, as well as
several other sources. This Newfoundland variant changes the usual lords
and ladies for a sea captain and his sailor. In most versions, the hero
turns out to be a lord in his own right, who has disguised himself as a
servant. We prefer the spirit of John Barbour, who rejects the Captain's
offer of land in favour of the freedom of the open water. The instrumental
is the air 'The Rambling Irishman'.
What ails you, my daughter dear?
Your eyes, they are so dim,
Have you had any sore sickness,
Or yet been sleeping with a man?
I have not had any sore sickness,
But I know what's ailing me,
I am thinking of my own true love
Who ploughs the raging sea. (x2)
Is he a lord or a duke or a knight?
Or a man of wealth and fame
Or is he one of our sailor lads?
Come tell me now his name.
He is no lord nor duke nor knight
Nor a man of wealth or fame.
He is one of your sailor lads
And John Barbour is his name.
Now if John Barbour is his name,
A lowly sailor man is he,
If John Barbour is his name,
Then hanged he shall be. (x2)
The king, he called his sailors all
By one, by two, by three
John Barbour was the first he called
But the last came down was he.
When he came a tripping down,
He was clothed all in white
His cheeks were like the roses red
And his teeth were ivory bright.
He paid their wages with a smile
And to John Barbour he did say
If I was a woman as I am a man
My bed fellow you would be.
Will you marry my daughter Jane
And take her by the hand?
Will you come and dine with me
And take charge of all my lands?
Yes, I will marry your daughter Jane
And take her by the hand
And I will come and dine with you,
But to hell with all your land.
For if you can give her one gold piece,
Then I can give her three.
For I am bold John Barbour
And I plough the raging sea. (x3)
Lucky Me
(written by Alan Doyle / Gordie Sampson)
He was born a sailor's son
Nothing came easy or free
He suffered the squalls, all the rises and falls
And everything else in between
But he says storms always fade after they've had their way
They're never as bad as they seem
CHORUS:
As long as the river still run to the sea
Hey lucky you, lucky me (x2)
Who would have thought for a moment
She'd have to grow up so fast?
The school beauty queen with a child at sixteen
Swore that her fortunes had passed
But blessings can hide in the strangest disguise
And I know that she would agree
CHORUS
Hey, look at me in the spotlight
My ripped jeans and rock-and-roll hair
Feeling so cool but I'd be such a fool
Singing to no one out there
So, hey take a bow every band needs a crowd
And I've got a song we can sing
CHORUS
Hey lucky you, lucky me
Love
(Séan McCann)
Séan has said that he wrote this song shortly after the tragedies
of September 11th - also known as the 9/11 song and It's Alright.
Love LaLaLaLaLa Love
You gotta believe, gotta believe in
When we're together why does something always start
Are we both better off when we are apart?
Some days you hate me, I can see it in your eyes
It seems like lately you can't wait to criticize me
But it's alright, we don't have to fight this night
It's alright, we don't have to fight tonight
And everyday I can see the rockets fly
Over the graves of too many who have died
Fighting for land, or some ancient holy shrine
I bet your blood runs red, just the same as mine
Now it's alright, we don't have to fight
Yes, it's alright, we don't have to fight tonight
CHORUS:
And I said
Love LaLaLaLaLa Love
LaLaLaLaLa Love, LaLaLaLaLa Love
Gotta believe in
Love LaLaLaLaLa Love
LaLaLaLaLa Love, LaLaLaLaLa Love
Gotta believe in
How many more of our children have to fall
And just how high do we have to build these walls?
In fighting there's no dignity
It's such a waste of time
Take my hand,
I don't think God will mind.
CHORUS (x2)
Chafe's Celidh
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Two common Newfoundland singles, dance tunes that have developed from English
Moris dances and Irish polkas. They were both popularized locally through
the playing of accordionist Geoff Butler. The first tune is the 'Heel and
Toe Polka', originally learned from the late Mrs. Minnie White, who performed
and lived on the Island's west coast. The second tune is called 'Around
The House', and comes from Gerald Campbell, a mouth organ player from Branch,
St. Mary's Bay. Note that neither of these is played particularly fast by
Newfoundland standards.
Also note that this sing is dedicated to the St. John's men's clothes institution Chafe and Sons which was located downstairs from the Great Big Studio. The band gave the store a free plug to make up for a night of recording drum tracks that caused a light fixture in the clothing store below to crash to the floor. Alan says, "we dedicated it to Chafe's because ... well, I don't think we were poor neighbours, but definitely not what they're used to. But everybody who came in to work on the album ended up leaving with a hat or a pair of boots, so it worked out well for everybody."
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's The Hard And The Easy album.
Come And I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The counting song is one of the oldest in the Newfoundland tradition. Going
back at the least to the medieval times, ancient versions even exist in
Hebrew and Arabic. The odd verses are open to numerous interpretations,
based upon images from Christian, Hebrew, and Pagan worlds. The song received
new life in the Newfoundland tradition when a shorter version of it was
recorded in the 1970s by the St. John's based, Figgy Duff. These days Come
And I Will Sing You has acquired an association with Christmas, probably
because of its passing resemblance to songs like the 12 Days Of Christmas.
Historically, however, this song was sung in all seasons.
Come and I will sing you
What will you sing me?
I will sing you one-o
What will the one be?
One the one that's all alone and ever more will be so
Come and I will sing you...
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o
Three of them were drivers
Four gospel preachers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Six, the six pallbearers
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Eight gabriel angels
Nine the bright eyed shiners
Ten the ten commandments
Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven
Twelve, twelve apostles
Forever more shall be so.
Old Polina
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The Polynia was launched in 1861, a 472-tonner owned by Dundee Seal and
Whale Fishing Company. She was commanded by Capt. William Guy from 1883
until lost in the Davis Strait July 10, 1891, being crushed between two
ice floes in a gale. Often confused with a Scottish song called The
Balaena, this song came into Newfoundland Tradition during the late 1800s
when steamships began to dominate the local sealing and whaling industries.
There's a noble fleet of whalers, a sailing from Dundee
Manned by British sailors, to take them o'er the sea,
On a western ocean passage, we started on the trip
We flew along, just like a song, in our gallant whaling ship.
'Twas the second Sunday morning, just after leaving port
We met a heavy Sou'West gale that washed away our boat
It washed away our quarter deck, our stanchions just as well
And so we set the whole "she-bang" a-floating in the gale
CHORUS:
For the wind was on her quarter, and the engines working free
There's not another whaler, that sails the Arctic Sea
Can't beat the old Polina, you need not try me sons
For we challenged all, both great and small, from Dundee to St. John's.
Art Jackman set his canvas, Fairweather got up steam
And Captain Guy, the daring b'y, came plunging through the stream
And Mullins in the Husky tried to beat the bloody lot
But to beat the old Polina, b'ys, was something he could not
CHORUS
There's the noble Terra Nova, a model without doubt
The Arctic and Aurora they talk so much about
Art Jackman's model mail boat -- the terror of the sea
Tried to beat the old Polina on a passage from Dundee
CHORUS
And now we're back in old St. John's, where rum is very cheap
We'll drink a health to Captain Guy who brought us o'er the deep
A health to all our sweethearts and to our wives so fair
Not another ship could make the trip like the Polina I declare.
CHORUS (x2)
The River Driver
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Up until quite recently in Newfoundland, Fishermen idled by winter weather
found work in the lumbering woods.
I was just the age of sixteen when I first went on the drive
After six months hard labour at home I did arrive
And courted with a pretty girl, 'twas her caused me to roam
Now I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
CHORUS:
I'll eat when I am hungry and I'll drink when I am dry
Get drunk whenever I'm ready, get sober by and by
And if this river don't drown me it's down I'll need to roam
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
I'll build a lonesome castle upon some mountain high
Where she can sit and view me as I go passin' by
Where she can sit and view me as I go marchin' on
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
CHORUS
When I am old and feeble and in my sickness lie
Just wrap me up in a blanket and lay me down to die
Just get a little bluebird to sing for me alone
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
CHORUS (x2)
For I'm a river driver and I'm far away from home
The Mermaid
(written by Shel Silverstein)
GBS learned this song from Phil Hillier from Long Harbour, Placentia
Bay. This is another song which demonstrates the earthier side of Newfoundland
humour.
When I was a lad in a fishing town, me old man said to me,
"You can spend your life, your jolly life, just sailing on the sea.
You can search the world for pretty girls 'til your eyes are weak and dim,
But don't go searching for a mermaid, son, if you don't know how to swim."
CHORUS:
'Cause her hair was green as seaweed
Her skin was blue and pale
Her face it was a work of art
I loved that girl with all my heart
But I only liked the upper part
I did not like the tail
So I signed aboard of a whaling ship, and my first very day at sea,
There I spied in the waves, reaching out for me.
"Come live with me in the sea," said she, "Down on the ocean floor,
And I'll show you many's a wonderous thing that you've never seen before."
So over I jumped and she pulled me down, down to her seaweed bed.
A pillow made of tortoise-shell she placed beneath my head.
She fed me shrimp and caviar upon a silver dish,
From her head to her waist was just to my taste, but the rest of her was
a fish.
CHORUS
Then one day, she swam away, so I sang to the clams and the whales,
Oh, how I miss her seagreen hair and the silvery shine of her scales.
Then her sister, she swam by and set my heart awhirl,
From her head to her waste was an ugly fish, but the rest of her was a girl
'Cause her hair was green as seaweed
Her skin was blue and pale
Her face it was a work of art
I loved that girl with all my heart
But I don't give a damn about the upper part
'Cause that's how I get my tail
Captain Kidd
(Video)
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
William Kidd had been a privateer for Great Britain and was commissioned
by New York and Massachusetts to hunt pirates. But instead he himself turned
to piracy. He killed his gunner, William Moore, during a threatened mutiny.
He ended up being hanged as a pirate in 1701. The verses are supposedly
composed from a repentant speech he gave just before the hangman pulled
the noose over his head. Note that GBS sing these words, but there are many
more verses to this song that can be included.
CHORUS:
My name is Captain Kidd,
As I sailed, as I sailed,
Oh, my name is Captain Kidd,
As I sailed,
My name is Captain Kidd;
And God's laws I did forbid,
And most wickedly I did,
As I sailed.
My father taught me well,
To shun the gates of hell,
But against him I rebelled,
As I sailed,
He shook the Bible in my hand,
But I left it in the sand,
And I pulled away from land,
As I sailed,
CHORUS
I murdered William Moore,
And I left him in his gore,
Many leagues away from shore,
As I sailed,
And being crueler still,
The gunner I did kill
Oh, his precious blood did spill
As I sailed.
CHORUS
I was sick and nigh to death
And I vowed at every breath,
Oh, to walk in wisdom's path,
As I sailed,
But my repentance lasted not,
My vows I soon forgot,
Oh, damnation is my lot,
As I sailed.
CHORUS
To the execution dock,
Lay my head upon the block
Alas, no more I'll mock
As I sailed,
So take warning here and heed,
To shun bad company,
Or you'll wind up just like me
As I sailed.
CHORUS
Most wickedly I did,
As I sailed.
Graceful & Charming (Sweet Forget-Me-Not)
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Forget-Me-Nots are small flowers which grow wild almost everywhere on the
island of Newfoundland. While the history of the song is unknown, it has
a lyrical feel not unlike the classic poetry of the mid-1800s, and probably
dates from that period. Go here
for more info on the flower.
Fancy brings a thought to me, of flowers bright and fair,
Grace and beauty there combine, to make that thought more rare
Like a maiden that I know, who shared my happy lot
Where we parted when she whispered, "You'll forget me not"
CHORUS:
She's graceful and she's charming like the lilies in the pond
Time is flowing swiftly by, of her I am so fond
The roses and the daisies, they bloom around the spot
Where we parted when she whispered, "You'll forget me not"
We met I really don't know where, I guess it's all the same,
Love walks in the village green, as well as in a lane.
I gently took her by the hand, and a glance at me a shot.
She dropped a flower, I picked it up, it was a sweet forget-me-not
CHORUS
And then there came a happy time, when something that I said
Caused her lips to murmur, yes, and shortly we were wed.
Now there's a cottage by a lake, and a tiny garden spot,
There grows a little flower, I know it well, it's the sweet forget-me-not
CHORUS
You'll forget me not.
Concerning Charlie Horse
(written by Omar Blondahl)
Omar Blondahl was an Icelandic Canadian who became the first successful professional
folk-singer in Newfoundland. Charlie Horse was written in the late 1950s and
was one of the first 'modern' folk songs to gain wide-spread appeal in Newfoundland.
The song is about seven men who go to pull Charlie horse's drowned body from
Angle Pond in Mahers near St. John's where he had fallen through the ice in
the spring of 1956. Like many songs of that period, it has a pronounced country
feel. The solo is The Captain & His Whiskers from the repertoire
of Wilf Doyle, an accordionist whose career flourished in the same era as
Blondahl's.
Come all ye friends, I'll sit you down and sing a doleful ditty
'Twas on a day in April month we started from the city
We'd planned a day or two at most, we stalwart men were chosen
To remove ol' Charlie from Angle Pond, who fell in when the pond was frozen
We seven men came roarin' down, on the road to Roach's
Line
We might've stopped in Avondale,
or Brigus
mighta been fine
We was hungry as sin, but we never stopped in, nor took any time to park us
We all of us knew we must get through to remove ol' Charlie's carcass
CHORUS:
Here's to Charlie Horse, here's to Shave, the master
No better horse here ran the course, or pulled the logs more faster
Here's to Charlie Horse, and the ones ye all do know
Charlie's gone to the big coral, where all good horses go
In the car was old Pa Metcomb, and beside him Moe was coastin'
And Barret Boudabile, and Jimmy Clark in the backseat he was roastin'
There was Smiley Stubborn of the mounted police, it wasn't hard to find him,
And Johnny Pollock and Sage Bresain was sittin' right in behind him
Kevin and Buck was also there, for they brought some brawn and brains
They was aiming to help as best they could, to remove old Chuck's remains
Charlie was like a brother to Shave, and he loved him well of course,
Charlie was a very good man you see, although he'd been a horse
CHORUS
Now I'll spare you all the gruesome details, and just relate the end
With two stout dories and a few strong ropes, we removed old Shavie's
friend
We gave him a decent send-off, with all our hats removed
So that now that we've helped old Shave and his friend, our loyalty was proved
Somewhere up in the great beyond, his eyes are shinin' bright
Charlie nods an approving nod, 'cause he knows we did him right
Shave will join him there one day, and he'll bring the harness leather
And so and for all eternity they'll pull the logs together.
CHORUS (x2)
Harbour LeCou
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Harbour LeCou is in south-western Newfoundland, on the island's coast, near
Port Aux Basques. The song text relates how a married man away from home,
flirts with a girl from Harbour LeCou only to have a friend expose the deception.
Note the adulterous narrator's regret is not founded on his cheating ways,
so much as it is on his dismay at having been caught in the act.
As I rowed ashore from my schooner close by,
A girl on the beach I chanced to espy,
Her hair it was red and her bonnet was blue,
And her place of abode it was Harbour LeCou.
Well, boldly I asked her to walk on the strand,
She smiled like an angel and held out her hand,
So I buttoned me guernsey and hove 'way me chew,
In the dark rolling waters of Harbour LeCou.
As we walked on the shore at the close of the day,
I thought of my wife who was home in Torbay,
I knew that she'd kill me if she only knew,
I was courting a lassie in Harbour LeCou.
My ship she lay anchored far out on the tide,
As I walked along with the girl at my side,
I told her I loved her, I said I'd be true,
And I winked at the moon over Harbour LeCou.
As we passed a log cabin that stood on the shore,
I met an old shipmate I'd sailed with before,
He treated me kindly, saying "Jack, how are you?
It's seldom I see you in Harbour LeCou."
And as I was parting this maiden in tow,
He broke up my party with one single blow,
Saying, "Regards to your Mrs. and wee kiddies too,
I remember her well, she's from Harbour LeCou."
Well I looked at this damsel a-standing longside,
Her jaw it had dropped and her mouth opened wide,
And then like a she-cat upon me she flew,
And I fled from the furies of Harbor LeCou.
So come all ye young sailors who walk on the shore,
Beware of old shipmates ye've sailed with before,
Beware of the maiden in bonnet of blue,
And the pretty young damsels of Harbor LeCou.
Tishialuk Girls Set
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The late Rufus Guinchard, of Daniel's Harbour on the island's west coast,
was one of Newfoundland's most important fiddlers. He left a huge body of
tunes and songs, many unique to him and his area. Rufus played the first tune
in this set as the sprightly Father's Jig. Kelly Russell, the great
fiddler of a later generation, slowed it down and in the process created something
else altogether. The Buffet Double comes from the repertoire of singer
and accordionist Baxter Wareham, who comes from Harbour Buffet, Placentia
Bay. Tishialuk Girls, from Labrador, is a portion of a longer song
written by the late Charlie Lloyd, around 1930. It concerns Lloyd's love for
Sam Cove's daughter. Apparently Cove had no time for the love-lorn Lloyd.,
and was hoping for someone better for his daughter. Tishialuk was near Rigolet
on Hamilton Inlet in central Labrador.
CHORUS:
Tishialuk girls are neat and tidy
Tishialuk girls they won't last long
Tishialuk girls they will be useful
When Sam Cove is dead and gone
Aunt Rae wants me to wed her daughter
Takes me from my heart's delight
Give me a girl from down in Tishialuk
Shines in me eyes like diamond's bright
CHORUS
French Shore
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
The French Shore is an area of Newfoundland that encompassed much of the
island's great northern peninsula and west coast. Until 1904, fishermen
from France held special fishing rights in this region. This song was written
by Lem Snow who lived in Deer Lake, on the island's west coast. Snow accompanied
himself with great enthusiasm on tenor banjo, singing and playing with exuberance
rare in the older singers. Although Newfoundlanders are fairly conservative
by nature, they have long displayed a relaxed view towards sexuality. Snow's
tale of his youthful discovery is one of the best songs of this genre.
When I was a young man, just barely fourteen
Craving adventure and lore
I boarded a clipper, me dad was the skipper
And sailed it along the French Shore, yeah
We sailed all along the French Shore
What beautiful vessels were sailing back then
Oh, bound for the north Labrador
And so for that reason, they came here that season
To sail all along the French Shore, yeah
To sail all along the French Shore
On each ship a maiden was hired to cook
A beautiful girl to adore
So young and cavorting, all ready for courting
While sailing along the French Shore, yeah
While sailing along the French Shore
Being too young for courting, I soon did decide
To spy on the lovers on shore
I spied on a couple, so loving and supple
While sailing along the French Shore, yeah
While sailing along the French Shore
Their actions peculiar, appeared to me then
But now their not funny no more
They were huggin' and kissin', oh what I'd been missin'
While sailing along the French Shore, yeah
While sailing along, sailing along
While sailing along the French Shore
That couple has children, now married, I know
You see they're not young anymore
Still yet they don't know, how I witnessed the show
That they played along the French Shore, yeah
They played along the French Shore
That ends the story of my bonnie days
Oh that I could live them once more
And this much I know, I produce my own show
And I'd stage it along the French Shore, yeah
While sailing along, sailing along
While sailing along, sailing along
While sailing along the French Shore
Cod Liver Oil
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
This song began as an Irish broadside in the 1800s. Johnny Burke, a St.
John's song-maker of the early 1900s, rewrote it to suit local tastes, and
it has been embraced by Newfoundlanders ever since. While many singers focus
on the song's comedic possibilities, GBS decided to examine the song's bleaker
side - a tale of jealousy and madness, suspicion and deceit, all hidden
behind the metaphor of the noxious dietary supplement.
I'm a young married man and I'm tired of life
Ten years I've been wed to a pale sickly wife
She's nothing to do, only sit there and cry
Praying and praying to God she would die
A friend of my own came to see me one day
He told me my wife, she was pining away
He afterwards told me that she would get strong
If I'd get a bottle from dear Doctor John
CHORUS:
Oh doctor, oh doctor, oh dear Doctor John
Your cod liver oil is so pure and so strong
I'm afraid of my life, I'll go down in the soil
If me wife don't stop drinkin' your cod liver oil
I bought her a bottle well just for to try
And the way that she drank it, you'd think she might die
I bought her another, it vanished the same
And then she got cod liver oil on the brain
I bought her another, she drank it no doubt
And then she began to get terrible stout
And when she got stout, well of course she got strong
And I became jealous of dear Doctor John
CHORUS
Me house it resembles a great doctor's shop
It's covered in bottles from bottom to top
Well early the morning the kettle does boil
You would swear it was singing of cod liver oil
CHORUS (x2)
Tickle Cove Pond
(written by Mark Walker)
Mark Walker was a fisherman and song-writer who lived in Tickle Cove, Bonavista
Bay during the late 1800s. This song is prized locally for the beauty and
wit of the lyrics, which turn a mundane event into an act of heroism.
In cuttin' and haulin', in frost and in snow
We're up against troubles that few people know
It's only by courage and patience and grit
And eatin' plain food that we keep ourselves fit
The hard and the easy we take as they come
And when ponds freeze over we shorten our runs
To hurry my haulin' with spring coming on
I near lost me a mare out on Tickle Cove Pond
CHORUS:
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond
I knew that the ice grew weaker each day
But I still took the risk and kept haulin' away
One evening in April bound home with a load
My mare showed some halting against the ice road
She knew more than I did as matters turned out
And lucky for me had I joined her in doubt
She turned round her head, with tears in her eyes
As if she were sayin', "You're risking our lives"
All this I ignored with a whip handle blow
For man is a stupid dumb creatures you know
And the very next moment the pond gave a sigh
And up to our necks went poor Kitty and I
CHORUS
And if I had taken wise Kitty's advice
I ne'er would've made that short cut on the ice
Poor creature she's dead, poor creature she's gone
I'll ne'er get my mare out of Tickle Cove Pond
But I raised an alarm you could hear for a mile
And neighbours showed up in a very short while
You can always rely on the Oldfords and Whites
To render assistance in all your bad plights
To help a kind neighbour is part of their lives
The same can be said for their children and wives
And with the rope fastened around the mare's breast
William White for a shanty song made a request
There was no time for thinkin', no time for delay
Straight from his heart came this song right away
CHORUS
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And with that we took Kit out of Tickle Cove Pond
The following songs are from Great Big Sea's The Fortune's Favour.
Love Me Tonight
(written by Séan McCann / Alan Doyle / Workman / Jeen O’Brien)
This song is about the dimming of lights before the show begins and the insecurity
felt from the stage.
We’ve waited all this time
This long and lonely time
Now the light that trickles down
It soaks into your eyes
All I can send her
The awkward pretender in this life
CHORUS:
I wonder if you’ll love me tonight (x2)
So delicate and lovely
I wonder if you love me
Are you on my side
My dark and lonely side
I’ll make it worth your while
I’ll give you every reason why
And all we’ll remember
A simple surrender just in time
CHORUS
You and I could wait and see
A single note don’t make a melody (x2)
You and I could wait and see
A single note don’t make a melody (x2)
All I’ve been saying
The one thing that's been weighing on my mind
CHORUS
Tonight (x4)
Walk On The Moon
(written by Alan Doyle / Gordie Sampson)
Alan wrote this song in Nashville with Grammy winner Gordie Sampson and originally
demoed it for the "Something Beautiful" record, but it somehow never made
the cut. This tune is about recognizing opportunity when it comes knocking
and not being to nervous to open the door.
Is it just me or a message from above
Bells are ringing, push has finally come to shove
The door before me now is opened just enough
I’m sick and tired of waiting
For dreams that never come
Like a game I never played in
But still wish that I had won
CHORUS:
I'm Alive
I've got one shot and I’m taking it to you
I’m Alive
I’ve come to realize not a moment too soon
This is my one small step
This is my walk on the moon
Don't you think their hands were shaking
As that rocket ship touched down
I’m sure they shivered
When they finally touched the ground
The giant leap so fragile
That it hardly made a sound
But it must have been amazing
What a world they got to see
So I don’t care, my foolish fear
Won’t get the best of me
CHORUS
This is my walk on the moon
Oh it must have been amazing
What a world they got to see
So I don’t care, my foolish fear
Won’t get the best of me
CHORUS (x2)
This is my walk on the moon (x2)
England
(written by Séan McCann)
While out on tour, Séan missed his family at home and thought how tragic it
would be if something bad were to happen and he never got to see them again.
Realizing how the first immigrants to Newfoundland must have felt centuries
ago, never knowing if they would ever get to say goodbye, he wrote this song
with "England" in mind as being his family.
CHORUS:
We were far from the shores of England
Far from our children and wives
To play our hand in the Newfoundland
Where the wind cuts like a knife
We were far from the shores of England
We shipped on board the Maryanne
To find a better life
And we walked across the water
When she broke up on the ice
We came ashore in Carbonear
With nothing but our rights
And I wondered if I e'er again
Would see my London lights
CHORUS
We spend our days amid the waves
Working water, hook and twine
We would go for weeks with blistered cheeks
Waiting for the sun to shine
But as long as the sky hold over us
We will not taste the brine
And we’ll curse the cod
With the fear of God
As we haul in every line
CHORUS
Far from our native soil
To chase a wish and hunt the fish
And on the rocks to toil
We were far from the shores of England
Should we find Fortune's Favour
And be spared from the gale
We will live off honest labour
With our hearts as big as sails
But if I should die don't bury me
Or leave me to the sea
Send my bones back to my home
Where my spirit can be free
CHORUS
Far from our native soil
To chase a wish and hunt the fish
And on the rocks to toil
We were far from the shores of England
Here And Now
(written by Séan McCann / Alan Doyle / Workman / Jeen O’Brien)
From GBS website: "We are old enough now to start losing people and we
don’t very much like that. The difference between the past and the next......is
Now."
The sun must set to rise
The light will leave your eyes again
Then breaking like morning's dawn
Does summer feel the winter come
And the hardest part of life
Is to live while you’re alive, my friend
So sing an unwritten song
Or repent for the deeds you left undone
CHORUS:
This is Here
And this is Now
It’s the moment that we live for
And we just can’t live without
It’s all clear to me now
We’ve already started dying
And our time is running out
Oh, oh, right now
Time is ours to steal
She’s a secret to reveal, my friend
And when your children have all grown
You’ll wait by the window
And wish them all back home
CHORUS
Walk a little further off the beaten path
And we’ll drive on even if we get there last
Our back's against the wall
And we will lunge and bite
And we’ll rage, rage, rage
Against the dying of the light
CHORUS (x2)
Long Lost Love
(written by Séan McCann / Chris Trapper)
This song is essentially about a one-sided relationship doomed to fail. A
cautionary tale about the dangers of placing your faith in the superficial.
But some people just won’t listen.
I’d walk a thousand miles for you, honey
I’d walk a thousand miles in the sun
I’d give up both my eyes if I could
Make you realize
So why can’t you see that I’m the one
Wish I could buy a limosine
I’d fill it up and I'd pick you up and
I'd drive you to your dreams
But when you get out on the highway
Life is seldom as it seems
When the car brakes down
You start blaming me
CHORUS:
Moonshine bleeds into the dawn
Who am I to say for you what’s right
And what is wrong
When your gone gone gone
The world will carry on
You’re like a song song song
Who’s melody is wrong
But its so so hard to say so long to you
My long lost love
Many a man has sold his soul for silver
Silver ain’t worth nothing next to gold
Some believe that diamonds shine forever
But they offer little comfort when you’re old
And you can't take it with you when you’re gone
It's the same end for the weak as for the strong
And if beauty is skin deep
Then why don't it come more cheap
And why can’t you and I just get along
CHORUS (x2)
Gone gone the world will carry on (x4)
Lost love
Oh Yeah
(written by Séan McCann / Alan Doyle / Workman / Jeen O’Brien)
CHORUS:
I'm gone
You can't get ahold of me
So long
It’s coming over me
I fly by
And shatter the speed of sound
Sky High
And I never wanna come down
Oh yeah
Oh yeah (x2)
I'm a six gun
I’m fully loaded
There’s a love bomb
I’m about to explode it
I’m a bonfire
And I’m burning through the night
Bye Bye
I’m an arrow in flight
Oh yeah (x2)
Oh yeah (x2)
I'm not gonna be a crucifix pin cushion
I’m not gonna be a voodoo doll
I fly with military precision
And this is my holy ground
Oh Yeah
Oh Yeah (x2)
CHORUS
Oh yeah (x4)
Oh yeah
Banks Of Newfoundland
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
Dream To Live
(written by Séan McCann / Chris Trapper)
An immigration stories about Séan's great uncle John.
Set off for America far across the ragin’ sea
From the frozen coves of my island home
To the land of liberty
I have to leave my girl behind
Until I make my way
Oh Molly dear please wait for me
I’ll come back for you some day
We landed hard in Boston
And I’ve never seen the like
A small boat boy from around the bay
In this sea of shining lights
Two days in I got a job
Building towers of high steel
I had to learn to not look down
And I quickly learned to kneel
And I wonder if this will ever end
And I wonder if I'll ever see her face again
CHORUS:
All I need is one good night sleep
In your loving arms to mend
We sleep to dream
And we dream to live
Will I live to love you again?
I saved every cent I could
But the months turned into years
Then a letter came from Molly
And confirmed my deepest fears
She would no longer wait for me,
She’d found a better man
I might have been in America,
But my heart was broken
In Newfoundland
CHORUS
All I need (x4)
My working days are over now
And my children have all grown
I did the best with what I had
But some days I feel alone
I often wonder where you are
Do you still know my name
And deep inside this old man’s heart
There’s a love that still remains
CHORUS (x2)
All I need (x4)
Company Of Fools
(written by Alan Doyle / Russell Crowe)
One of Alan’s collaborations with songwriter and Oscar winner Russell Crowe.
Born out of a discussion about the late American comic, Bill Hicks, and how
many in his trade are the first to have the balls to tell it like it is. Also
a condemnation of the pompous and celebration of the honest, this song is
a tip of the hat to anyone with little to lose and nothing to hide.
CHORUS:
Bring on the clowns
The jokers and buffoons
I’ve had the time of my life
And the life of my times
In the company of fools
Many a truest word
Has been spoken by the jester
Standing against the tide
Is the noblest of gestures
It’s the little pearls of wisdom
That tumble from the light
That makes us laugh until we cry
Because we know that they are right
Within the strangest people
Truth can find the strangest home
So meet me in the village
Where all we idiots go
CHORUS
I’m wading through the quicksand
In the gardens of the gentry
Blooming vacuity
Leaves mind and pockets empty
Now in the social order
I accept the bottom rung
Until the wine is pouring
And the Lord commands a song
Meet me at the staff door
When the posers all go home
We’ll gather with the other fools
And put on a proper show
CHORUS (x2)
So here’s to the poorest poet
Who always pens the truth
And the players, writers and gypsies
And the minstrels and their tunes
I’d rather live an honest lifetime
With those with nothing to lose
Than waste a night
Knee deep in shite
That’s polished slick
To look just right
I’d rather live a lifetime in the
Company of fools
Within the strangest people
Truth can find the strangest home
So meet me in the village
Where all we idiots go
CHORUS (x2)
Hard Case
(written by Séan McCann / Jeen O’Brien / Kalem Mahoney)
This song is about knowing something is really bad for you and then doing
it anyway.
She goes down fast and comes up slow
She gets in high and goes out low
Turns up late or doesn't show
She spends all her cash on letting go
I'm never early
I'm never late
I'm in at 5 and I'm out at 8
Running just to keep the pace
When I'm tired I put on my bravest face
CHORUS:
The sign said "Go Slow"
And Lord knows how I tried to follow
Such a hard case with a soft face
You gave me one taste,
Now look at the shape I'm in
I love her but I like you too
My worst nightmare just came true
We might be done but we're not through
So wear me down just like you used to do
CHORUS
With the morning comes the the sun
The light of day just had to come
Now I know I'm not the one
I should feel bad but baby we had fun
CHORUS
Hold me down under the sea
Drag me back to where we used to be
The sign said "Go Slow"
And Lord knows how I tried to follow
Such a hard case with a soft face
And I found in hard to swallow
CHORUS
Rocks Of Merasheen
(written by Al Pittman/Pat Byrne - Arr. GBS)
A rugged rock in Placentia Bay, Merasheen fell victim to an aggressive resettlement
program in the 60’s. Written in the 70’s, this song recalls what that lost
way of life might have been like. It has been incorporated into the unofficial
canon of Newfoundland songs to learn and sing.
Dance Dance
(written by Séan McCann / Alan Doyle / Workman / Jeen O’Brien)
Friday night, seventeen
Got my hands on the wheel
But my mind is on Jeen
Her silhouette
I can’t forget
But I’m gonna ask her yet
My brothers truck, my Sunday slacks
I’ve been working all week
And I’ve got five bucks for gas
And just for luck
My grandfather's flask
It’s gonna take some nerve to ask
CHORUS:
Dance, dance with me one more time,
one more time
Dance, dance with me one more time
Before the band is done
Before your Daddy comes
Dance, dance with me one more time
She’s the apple of his eye
And there’s no way in hell
He’ll let her out of his sight
There’ll be trouble
Maybe a fight
If he knew what I had in mind
CHORUS
I see it now, as plain as day
A church and a chaplain
On our wedding day
Dressed in white
She looks so fine
You never know, she just might
I’m gonna have to ask her tonight
CHORUS (x2)
Heart Of Stone
(written by Séan McCann / Jeen O’Brien / Kalem Mahoney)
If the last thing I see is your face
If the last thing I feel is your embrace
Then I would not be afraid
I would go to a happy grave
If the last thing I see is you
Should I suddenly disappear
Or linger on for a hundred years
I would know no fear
I would taste no bitter tears
If the last thing I see is you
CHORUS:
Old heart of stone, help me forget it
Old heart of stone,
Do you think she meant it
Old heart of stone,
Somehow I’ve always known
That I’d regret it
If I could have one wish
It would be that you remember this
Know that I did not stray
For you were there to guide my way
You and your beautiful face
CHORUS
If I should fall would you give chase
Would you follow me
Or find someone to fill my space
And keep you company
If the sun refused to shine
If it called for rain 'till the end of time
Still I would not lose faith
I'd sail my soul to a warmer place
For you and your beautiful face
CHORUS
Old heart of stone (x8)
Straight To Hell
(written by Alan Doyle)
CHORUS:
Love me now while we’re alive
It’s the best thing we can do
We’ll have no time upon cloud nine
So Heaven on Earth will have to do
I can sing like a bird
And dance like a demon
And I do it all so well
‘Cause I made a deal with the Devil
And when I die
I’m going straight to Hell
Standing at the crossroads
He offered wine women and song
Riches, fame and fortune
In my hands from that day on
I was granted there and then
A life of rock and roll
And it seemed like such a bargain
For just one eternal soul
I know I’ll curse this damned decision
And I’ll regret it 'till the moment I fall
But I’ll be making the most
Of a bad situation
Until my number's called
CHORUS
Oh yeah
I’m going straight to Hell
There's imes I swear I’ve come out on top
In this ill-conceived contract
And there’s nights I say,
"It’s a small price to pay
For the life and times I’ve had"
I think, "Here’s to the gents and ladies
And the foolish times we spent
They cost me afterlife in paradise
And they were worth every single cent”
So have a dance
with the walking damned
Before my time is done
'Cause a deal is a deal and I don't expect
Fire and brimstone will be much fun
CHORUS
Oh yeah
I’m going straight to Hell
I said straight to Hell
Go to Hell!
I have every expectation
That my final prayer will go unheard
And my veiled death bed confession
Will not move the mighty Lord
And I’m sure that I’ll be sorry
When he slams St. Peter's Gate
But I’ll dive right into damnation
With a smile across my face
CHORUS
I made a deal with the Devil
And when I die
I'm going straight to Hell
Oh yeah
I’m going straight to Hell
Oh yeah
I’m going straight to Hell
Belong
Avalable when pre-purchsed at GBS.com
Jennie said good-bye this afternon
As far as I can tell
She can't bear the good-bye evenings
Or the morning afters of farewell
She says, "Here you are another one
To who's back I'm saying cheers"
It's like a death in the family
And it's been going on for years
CHORUS:
So I'll cast my leaving shadow
And I'll be Canadian
But distance won't decide what matters
To the hard rock's loving son
And when I'm thinking of St. John's
I'll bring her closer with this song
I don't know where I'm going
But I know where I belong
Don't get the old man started
We'll have to hide him from the run
If we can keep his find from '49
He'll keep havin' fun
Oh it's not the kids he's cursing
Though I'm his third to leave
He's mad at Mr. Smallwood
And it's a parent's right to grieve
CHORUS
So let's take a moment's silence
For our dear departed souls
Let's fly our flags at half their mast
As another young man goes
The laughter of the children
Supplanted by the rolling ghosts
Another tide surrenders to a far and foreign coast
I told Mom I'd stay close to the cousins
Who beat the path from our front door
One right after the other
And they won't be back no more
But the thing I think I fear the most
She whispered in my ear
Is being the last flower in the garden
With noone left to care
CHORUS
Where I belong (x3)
I don't know where I'm going
But I know where I belong
Gallow's Pole
Avalable when pre-purchsed at GBS.com
Straight to hell
The following songs don't appear on any of Great Big Sea's albums but have been released on other CDs.
Here Comes My Baby
This song was recorded on a whim one night in the band's studio in St.
John's. It is a cover of an old Cat Stevens song. It is available on the
1999 Stardust
Picninc sampler.
In the midnight moon light hour
I keep walking along that lonely mile
And everytime I do
I keep seeing this picture of you
CHORUS:
Here comes my baby
Here she comes now
And it comes as no surprise to me
With another guy
Here comes my baby
Here she comes now
Walking with a love with a love that's oh so fine
Never to be mine no matter how I try
Oh you never walk alone
And you're forever talking on the phone
I try to call your name
But everytime it comes out the same
CHORUS (x2)
Here comes my baby
Here she comes now (x4)
The Seven Joys of Mary
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
This song is available on a compilation Christmas CD called An
East Coast Christmas released in 1997. This song was also performed
on Wayne Rostad's Christmas in the Valley in 1996. This was the first song
that Great Big Sea recorded in which Bob has a solo part to sing!
| The first good joy that Mary had It was the joy of one To see her own son Jesus Christ When He was first her son When He was first her son, good man And blessed may he be |
(Alan's part) |
CHORUS: Oh, oh, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost For all eternity Oh, oh, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost For all eternity |
|
The next good joy that Mary had It was the joy of two To see her own son Jesus Christ When he was to sent school When he was to sent school, good man And blessed may he be |
(Darrell's part) |
CHORUS |
|
The next good joy that Mary had It was the joy of three To see her own son Jesus Christ To make the blind to see To make the blind to see, good man And blessed may he be |
(Séan's part) |
CHORUS |
|
The next good joy that Mary had It was the joy of four To see her own son Jesus Christ To read the bible o'er To read the bible o'er, good man And blessed may he be |
(Bob's part) |
CHORUS (instrumental bit) |
|
The next good joy that Mary had It was the joy of five To see her own son Jesus Christ To bring the dead alive To bring the dead alive, good man And blessed may he be |
(All) |
CHORUS |
|
The next good joy that Mary had It was the joy of six To see her own son Jesus Christ Upon the crucifix Upon the crucifix, good man And blessed may he be |
(Séan's part) |
CHORUS |
|
The last good joy that Mary had It was the joy of seven To see her own son Jesus Christ To wear the crown of Heaven To wear the crown of Heaven, good man And blessed may he be |
(All) |
|
|
Back to top |
Songs by other artists on CD with GBS
Misty Moisty Morning
(Traditional)
This song is on The Barra MacNeils' CD: Racket
In The Attic.
One misty, moisty morning when cloudy was the weather
I met with an old man a-clothed all in leather
He was clothed all in leather with a cap beneath his chin
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
This rustic was a treasure as on his way he'd hide
And with a leather bottle fast buckled by his side
He wore no shirt upon his back with wool unto his skin
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
It went a little further and there he met a maid
A-going a-milking, a-milking Sir she said
Then he began to compliment and she began to sing
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
This maid her name was Dolly clothed in a gown of grey
I being somewhat jolly persuaded her to stay
And straight away a-courting her in hopes her love to win
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
He having time and leisure, I spent a vacant hour
A-telling of his treasure while sitting in the bower
With many kind embraces he stroke her dainty chin
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
He said that they would married be and she would be his bride
And long they should not tarry and twenty things beside
I'll plough and sow and reap and mow and you shall sit and spin
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
Her parents then consented, all parties were agreed
Her portion thirty shillings, they married them with speed
Then Will the piper he did play whilst others dance and sang
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
Then lusty Ralph and Robin with many damsels gay
Did ride on Roan and Dobbin to celebrate the day
And when they met together their caps they off did fling
Singing, "How do you do? And how do you do? And how do you do again?"
(x3)
Downtown Girl
(Jim Fidler)
This song is on The Irish Descendants' CD: Southern
Shore.
Well one fine day in the month of June,
She's a downtown girl, she's a get around girl,
I figured that I'd write me a silly little tune,
She's a downtown girl for sure.
CHORUS:
She likes waking up with her hair messed up,
She's a downtown girl, she's a get around girl,
She likes waking up with her hair messed up,
She's a downtown girl for sure
| Well, I took her to the tavern for
to have a pint of beer, She's a downtown girl, she's a get around girl, She was dancing and a flirting with everybody there, She's a downtown girl for sure. |
(Alan's part) |
| CHORUS | |
| Well, we went to the regatta for
to see the goings on, She's a downtown girl, she's a get around girl, I took a look away, when I looked back she was gone, She's a downtown girl for sure. |
(Séan's part) |
| CHORUS | |
| Then I went to her house to meet
her mother and her father, She's a downtown girl, she's a get around girl, When I got to the door, they confused me with another, She's a downtown girl for sure. |
(Bob's part) |
| CHORUS |
So, if you ever go out for to have a pint of beer,
She's a downtown girl, she's a get around girl,
And you see her coming for you, then you'd better steer clear,
She's a downtown girl for sure.
The following songs don't appear on any of Great Big Sea's albums but have been written by GBS or sung live on television specials.
Auntie Mary (Cock O' The North)
Auntie Mary had a canary up the leg of her drawers
Auntie Mary had a canary up the leg of her drawers
When she was sleeping I went creeping up the leg of her drawers
When she was sleeping I went creeping up the leg of her drawers
The Mummer's Song
(Traditional - Arr. GBS)
This song was performed on Wayne Rostad's Christmas in the Valley in 1996.
Hark! what's the noise out by the porch door?
Dear Granny, there's mummers. There's twenty or more.
Her old weathered face lightens up with a grin.
Any mummers. nice mummers 'lowed in.
Ah, come in lovely mummers, don't bother the snow.
We'll wipe up the water, sure after you go.
And sit, if you can, upon some mummer's knee.
We'll see if we knows who ye be.
Ah, there's big ones and small ones, tall ones and thin.
There's boys dressed as women and girls dressed as men.
With humps on their backs and mitts on their feet,
My blessed we'll die with the heat.
Well, there's only one there that I think that I know.
That tall fella standing alongside the stove.
He's shaking his fist for to make me not tell.
Must be Willy from out on the hill.
Oh, but that one's a stranger, if ever was one
With his underwear stuffed and his trap-door undone.
Is he wearing his mother's big forty two bra?
I knows, but I'm not going to say.
Well, I s'pose you fine mummers would turn down a drop
Of home brew or alkey, whatever you got.
Sure the one with his rubber boots on the wrong feet
Ate enough for to do him all week.
Well, I s'pose you can dance? Yeah, they all nod their
heads.
They've been tapping their feet ever since they came in.
And now that the drinks have been all passed around.
The mummers are plankin 'er down.
(Instrumental bit) - Usually to the tune of Deck The Halls
Ah, be careful the lamp. Now hold on to the stove.
Don't you swing Granny hard, 'cause you know that she's old.
And never you mind how you buckles the floor
'Cause the mummers have danced here before.
Oh, my God, how hot is it? We'll never know.
I allow that we'll all get the devil's own cold.
Good night and good Christmas, mummers me dear
Please God, we will see you next year.
Good night and good Christmas, mummers me dear
Please God, we will see you next year.
Please God, we will see you next year.
The Big Six
This song was performed on Wayne Rostad's Christmas in the Valley in
1996, Great Big Sea started the song off and then the rest of the guests
joined in.
Oh, it ain't a big production to conjure up a miracle
Just Heaven and the Earth and the magic in between
But once the fire is lit the consequence becomes historical.
It ain't a big production, though, and this is all you need:
CHORUS:
ONE star shinin' in the Heaven's,
TWO shepherds watching from the fields,
THREE wise men come to worship in the manger,
Taking in the glory as the magic is revealed.
FOUR days fleeing into Egypt,
FIVE days walkin' back again,
SIX angels guiding from the Heaven's.
Hallelujah children 'cause He's comin' back again.
This ol' world was over weary with the worry and neglect.
We were all loosing the point between the cause and the effect
So Jehovah sent a baby on a long and lonesome trek
To try to teach us all to treat each other with respect
CHORUS
He put the sun up in the sky to drive away the night,
He put the boots to Pharoh for the Israelite,
He can make a flower bloom in a heart that's choked with weeds.
It only takes a miracle and this is all you need:
CHORUS
The Ladder
(written by Alan Doyle - from Songwriter's Circle)
CHORUS:
She's got her hands on you
Oh, but her eyes are on another
She smiles on cue
Who's the next wrung on the ladder?
Who's the next wrung on the ladder?
Well, I know I shouldn't judge
And I don't mean to hold a grudge
But it's hard to watch her dance with someone else
Her kisses long, her hem-line shortened
Oh, for anyone important
I know it well, because I fell for it myself
CHORUS
Well yeah, she'll treat you like a soul mate
But her friends have best-before dates
You're only good to her until your time expires
Yeah, and she's lookin' good that's true
But it's all just tape and glue
Little pieces come unstuck when she gets tired
CHORUS
Well, if it's one thing I've learned
I know once a bridge is burned
There's one more river that can match you
Watch your step, 'cause after all
You know that every ladder falls
And you'll have noone left to catch you
Well, now her brain is sore from plottin'
And her neck is sore from noddin'
True colours will reveal themselves in time
But here's a chance that she can't miss
'Cause here come one more ass to kiss
Well, that ladder shakes with every empty smile
Chorus (x2)
The Way You Wanted Me
(written by Alan Doyle as a duet - from Songwriter's Circle)
This song also appears on Michelle Doyle's (Alan's younger sister) debut album
as a duet with Cory Tetford (from Crush)
Well, I know what it's like to be lonely
Yeah, it comes way to easy to me
Oh, I tried and I tried to be all that you wanted
It was something I just couldn't be
And all the days I spent lyin'
And the days I spent tryin'
To be people I just couldn't be
CHORUS:
And I know that I couldn't be
The way that you wanted
No, I couldn't be
The way that you wanted me
The way that you wanted me
Well, I've been lonley too
I've done my share of cryin'
I've seen all of the changes in you
Oh, and every time you'd become someone new
You know that I'd miss the real one that I thought was you
And all the days I spent lyin'
Were the days I spent cryin'
Thinking something is missing in me
CHORUS
There comes a time when people see
The roads they travel will never meet
Noone knows who to blame
Noone thinks it's their fault
They're just looking for someone to break their fall
Oh, but the fighting's over now
There's nothing left but the crying
Let's pick up all the pieces and go
Ah but, one more thing for the final scene
Can we share this one dance
And think what might have been
And all the days I spent lyin'
And the days I spent tryin'
We agreed that we just disagreed
CHORUS
The way that you wanted me
Young Triffie's Been Made
Away With
(written by Alan Doyle)
This song was written for the Mary Walsh movie. Alan debuted this song at
"The Bulletin of Doyles" in St. John's on August 15, 2006.
Worries about the wicked and wild
She went down to the strand
With a flower in her hand
Only looking for someone to play with,
Now she's gone, boy, she's gone
She's a good girl gone wrong
Young Triffie's been made away with.
Oh, a stranger, they say
Must have led her astray
'Cause this is evil no neighbour can bear.
This murderous deed
And sins such as these
Just don't happen 'round here.
With this sordid offence
Our town's innocence
Is lost now and no one can save it.
Cause she's gone, boy, she's gone,
She's a good girl done wrong
Young Triffie's been made away with.
Now old Mrs. Moores
Is locking her doors
For the first time in eighty-three years,
And at the post office steps
People strongly suspect
Things won't e'er be the same around here.
She went down to the sand
With a flower in her hand
Only looking for someone to play with
Now she's gone, boy, she's gone
She's a good girl done wrong
She's gone, boys, she's gone
She's a good girl done wrong,
She's gone, boys, she's gone
She's a good girl gone wrong
Young Triffie's been made away with.
Play The Game
(written by Great Big Sea)
This song was sung during CBC's Hockey Day In Canada which aired January
7, 2006 from Stephenville, NL amidst flashes of pond hockey games, kids
playing on a rink, and some clips from NHL games. Intro by Alan: "We are
Great Big Sea. We are here in St.John's Newfoundland and wherever you are
in Canada today we hope you are having a great Hockey Day in Canada. This
is a special song we wrote for this very special occassion . It is called
Play the Game". Alan, of course, ends the song by making sure that everyone
knows his beloved Montréal Canadiens are number one.
Somehere on a frozen lake
Tying up his brother's skates
Light-years from the Garden's gate
Loves the feel of steel on ice
Knows he'll have to pay the price
Ready for the sacrifice
CHORUS:
Play the game, play the game
Dreams are all the same
Not for fortune, not for fame
Play the game, play the game
Tape on wood and leather and laces
Penalty shots and gloves in faces
Broken tooth, five minute major
Breakaway and the goalie saviour
And the goalie saviour (Séan)
CHORUS (x2)
Oh, play the game
Play the game
The following songs don't appear on any of Great Big Sea's albums but the b'ys have a tendency to sing them at concerts.
Blister In The Sun
(written by the Violent Femmes)
The b'ys had a tendency to start singing this song live at concerts in 2003/2004
as a lead-in to Run Runaway.
When I'm a walking, I strut my stuff, then I'm so strung
out
I'm high as a kite, I just might, stop to check you out
Let me go on, like a blister in the sun
Let me go on, big hands I know you're the one
Body and beats, I stain my sheets, I don't even know
why
My girl friend, she's at the end, she is starting to cry
Let me go on, like a blister in the sun
Let me go on, big hands I know you're the one
When I'm a walking, I strut my stuff, then I'm so strung
out
I'm high as a kite, I just might, stop to check you out
When I'm a walking, I strut my stuff, then I'm so strung out
I'm high as a kite, I just might, stop to check you out
Body and beats, I stain my sheets, I don't even know
why
My girl friend, she's at the end, she is starting to cry
When I'm a walking, I strut my stuff, then I'm so strung out
I'm high as a kite, I just might, stop to check you out
Let me go on, like a blister in the sun
Let me go on, big hands I know you're the one
I Wanna Be Sedated
(written by the Ramones)
The b'ys had a tendency to start singing this song live at concerts in 2003/2004
as a lead-in to Run Runaway.
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do nowhere to go
I wanna be sedated
Just get me to the airport
And put me on a plane
Hurry hurry hurry before I go insane
I can't control my fingers
I can't control my brain
Oh no oh ho
Twenty-twenty-twenty four hours to go
I wanna be sedated
Nothing to do nowhere to go
I wanna be sedated
Just put me in a wheelchair
And get me to the show
Hurry hurry hurry before I go loco
I can't control my fingers
I can't control my toes
Oh no oh ho
I wanna be sedated
The Lakes Of Pontchartrain
During the No Cares Tour in 2002, each member of GBS got a turn at doing
solo. Alan sang this song acapella a few times.
'Twas on one bright March morning
I bid New Orleans adieu.
And I took the road to Jackson town,
my fortune to renew,
I cursed all foreign money,
no credit could I gain,
Which filled my heart with longing for
the lakes of Pontchartrain.
I stepped on board a railroad car,
beneath the morning sun,
I road the roads till evening,
and I laid me down again,
All strangers there no friends to me,
till a dark girl towards me came,
And I fell in love with a Creole girl,
by the lakes of Pontchartrain.
I said, "My pretty Creole girl,
my money here's no good,
But if it weren't for the alligators,
I'd sleep out in the wood".
"You're welcome here kind stranger,
our house is very plain.
But we never turn a stranger out,
From the lakes of Pontchartrain."
She took me into her mammy's house,
and treated me quite well,
The hair upon her shoulder
in jet black ringlets fell.
To try and paint her beauty,
I'm sure 'twould be in vain,
So handsome was my Creole girl,
By the lakes of Pontchartrain.
I asked her if she'd marry me,
she said it could never be,
For she had got another,
and he was far at sea.
She said that she would wait for him
and true she would remain.
Till he returned for his Creole girl,
By the lakes of Pontchartrain.
So fare thee well my Creole girl,
I never will see you no more,
But I'll ne'er forget your kindness
in the cottage by the shore.
And at each social gathering
a flowing glass I'll raise,
And I'll drink a health to my Creole girl,
And the lakes of Pontchartrain.
Sonny's Dream
(written by Ron Hynes)
During the No Cares Tour in 2002, each member of GBS got a turn at doing
solo. Darrell sang this one to a huge crowd of displaced Newfoundlander
in Fort McMurray.
CHORUS:
Sonny don't go away, I am here all alone
And your Daddy's a sailor who never comes home
And the nights are so long and the silence goes on
And I'm feelin' so tired, I'm not all that strong
Sonny lives on a farm, in a wide open space
Kick off your sneakers
and let go the race
And you can lay down your head
by a sweet river bed
But Sonny always remembers
what it was his Mama said
CHORUS
Sonny carries a load, though he's barely a man
There ain't much to do, yet he does what he can
He watches the sea from a room by the stairs
The waves keep on rollin'
They've done that for years
CHORUS
It's a hundred miles to town,
Sonny's never been there
Yet he goes to the highway
and stands there and stares
And the mail comes at four,
and the mailman is old
But he still keeps his dreams
full of silver and gold
CHORUS
Sonny's dreams can't be real,
they're just stories he's read
They're just stars in his eyes,
they're just dreams in his head
Still he longs in his mind for the wild world outside
And I know I can't hold him though I've tried, and
I've tried, and I've tried
CHORUS
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
(From The Wizard of Oz (1939) - music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y.
Harburg)
Alan had a tendency to start singing this song live at concerts in 2001.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.
Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me,
Where troubles melt like lemon drops.
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me.
Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly,
Birds fly over the rainbow,
Why then, oh why can't I?
If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow,
Why oh why can't I?
Summer Of '69
(written by Bryan Adams)
The b'ys had a tendency to start singing this song live at concerts in 2003/2004
as a lead-in to Run Runaway.
I got my first real six-string
Bought it at the five-and-dime
Played it till my fingers bled
It was the summer of '69
Me and some guys from school
Had a band and we tried real hard
Jimmy quit and Jody got married
I shoulda known we'd never get far
Oh, when I look back now
That summer seemed to last forever
And if I had the choice
Ya, I'd always wanna be there
Those were the best days of my life
Ain't no use in complainin'
When you got a job to do
Spent my evenings down at the drive-in
And that's when I met you
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me that you'd wait forever
Oh, and when you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Back in the summer of '69
Man we were killin' time
We were young and restless
We needed to unwind
I guess nothin' can last forever - forever, no
And now the times are changin'
Look at everything that's come and gone
Sometimes when I play that old six-string
I think about ya, wonder what went wrong
Standin' on your mama's porch
You told me it would last forever
Oh, the way you held my hand
I knew that it was now or never
Those were the best days of my life
Back in the summer of '69
Video Killed The Radio Star
(written by The Buggles)
The b'ys had a tendency to start singing this song live at concerts in 2003/2004
as a lead-in to Run Runaway.
I heard you on the wireless back in Fifty Two
Lying awake intent at tuning in on you.
If I was young it didn't stop you coming through.
Oh-a oh
They took the credit for your second symphony.
Rewritten by machine and new technology,
And now I understand the problems you can see.
Oh-a oh
I met your children
Oh-a oh
What did you tell them?
Video killed the radio star (x2)
Pictures came and broke your heart.
Oh-a-a-a oh
And now we meet in an abandoned studio.
We hear the playback and it seems so long ago.
And you remember the jingles used to go.
Oh-a oh
You were the first one.
Oh-a oh
You were the last one.
Video killed the radio star (x2)
In my mind and in my car,
We can't rewind we've gone to far
Oh-a-aho oh (x2)
Video killed the radio star (x2)
In my mind and in my car,
We can't rewind we've gone to far.
Pictures came and broke your heart,
Put the blame on VTR.
You are a radio star (x2)
Video killed the radio star (x4)
Video killed the radio star. (You are a radio star.)
