'Sung' by Myriad's Virtual Singer, it's my only computer file not originally done on a computer. Although I don't think any VS files would be mistaken for real voices, I think these are perhaps the closest that most users have gotten.
edward gold music
edward gold midi
edward gold mp3s
Story behind the song
All the descriptions of how this poem came to be written seem to vary; the "bar" of the title is undoubtedly a sandbar but it's original location seems to change from version to version (It's usually thought to be off the Isle of Wight.). Tennyson, though, uses it as a metaphor for dying and he insisted it be published at the end of all collections of his poetry. The "Pilot" at the end of the poem is thought by some to refer to his friend Arthur Henry Hallam (1811-33) whose early death inspired the famous poem "In Memoriam".
Lyrics
Crossing the Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92)
Sunset and evening star,
and one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.
Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.