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Sir Patrick Spens (live)
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A classic ballad - around 700 years old - about the sailor Sir Patrick Spens who was obliged by the King of Scotland to sail to Norway in mid-winter.... tragedy ensues
pop love acoustic folk country classic california heart melody traditional australia sydney comedy finger picking london atheist philosophical satire tyler natural cornelius charles religion agnostic mendocino relaxed satirical
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Hi folks. I have added a lot of videos recently. Please take a look!
Hi folks, This site acts as a personal archive of my work. So you'll find my best recordings here as well as some pretty crappy ones. The earliest recordings here were made on simple cassette decks, others were made on mobile phones, some are live recordings made at various gigs over the years, a handful were made in small recording studios, but most of the more recent ones were made at home on a Zoom portable studio, which itself is now rather ancient! If you like a song and want to download it, click on 'Full song info' for that song and you will see the download link. You can also read the lyrics and any background information on the songs that I may have added. All my music is available for free - enjoy :) cheers, Charles
Song Info
Genre
Acoustic • Acoustic Folk
Charts
Peak #203
Peak in subgenre #43
Author
Charles Cornelius Tyler
Rights
Charles Cornelius Tyler
Uploaded
August 20, 2008
Track Files
MP3
MP3 6.6 MB • 128 kbps • 7:13
Story behind the song
I found this version of the famous Scottish ballad in the Oxford book of English verse. It was written around 1300 - making it one of the oldest songs in any folk-singer's repertoire. The story almost certainly relates to actual events. Many different versions of it exist. This is my own melody and arrangement which I created around 1970. The recording was made, in the company of friends, at a house in Rose Bay, Sydney, on May 2nd 2004.
Lyrics
1. The sailing The king sits in Dunfermline town Drinking the blood-red wine 'O where will I find a skeely skipper To sail this new ship o' mine?' Well up and spak an eldern knight Sat at the king's right knee 'Sir Patrick Spens is the best sailor That ever sailed the sea' Now the king has written a braid letter Sealed it with his hand And sent it to Sir Patrick Spens Was walking down the strand 'To Noroway, to Noroway To Noroway o'er the faem The king's daughter o' Noroway Tis thou must bring her hame' Now the first word that Sir Patrick read So loud, loud laughed he The next word that Sir Patrick read The tear blinded his e'e 'O who is this has done this deed And told the king o' me To send us out at this time o' year To sail upon the sea?' 'Be it wind, be it weet, be it hail, be it sleet Our ship must sail the faem The king's daughter o' Noroway Tis we must bring her hame' Well they hoist their sails on a Monenday morn With all the speed they may And they hae landed in Noroway Upon a Wodensday 2. The Return 'Make ready, make ready, my merry men all Our good ship sails the morn' 'Now ever alack my master dear I fear a deadly storm' 'For I saw the new moon late yestreen With the old moon in her arm And if we gang to sea, master I fear we'll come to harm' Well they had not sailed a league, a league A league but barely three When the lift grew dark and the wind blew loud And gurly grew the sea And the ankers brak and the topmast lap It was sic a deadly storm And the waves came o'er that broken ship Till all her sides were torn 'O go fetch a web o' the silken claith and another o' the twine And wap them into the ship's side Let not the sea come in' Well they fetched a web o' the silken claith And another o' the twine And they wapp'd them round the good ship's side But still the sea came in O laith, laith were our good Scots lords To wet their cork-heeled shoon! But long or a' that play was played They wet their hats aboon And mony was the feather bed Lay flattered on the fame And mony was the good lord's son That never mair came hame O long long may the maidens sit With their gold cames in their hair A'waiting for their ain dear loves For them they'll see nae mair And long, long may the maidens sit With their fans into their hand A'waiting for Sir Patrick Spens Come walking down the strand Half owre, half owre to Aberdour 'Tis fifty fathoms deep And there lies good Sir Patrick Spens With the Scots lords at his feet!
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feantauriel
Jul 24, 2008
Well, the folk community would be hard-pressed to try to match a song like this one! I've loved this ballad but never heard a decent version of it... Needless to say I never expected such a powerful rendition! It would be great to hear more traditional songs from you. The world needs more ballad-singers with such voices :)