Mermaids/The Silver Penny [DE LA MARE poems set to music]
Channel: tobydarling
Date: 22/04/2019

MERMAIDS (Walter de la Mare)


Am C/A 
Leagues, leagues over the sea I sail
C4/A C/A
Couched on a wallowing dolphin's tail.

E Am
The sky is on fire, the waves a-sheen, 
E Am
I dabble my foot in the billows green. 

Dm Am
In a sea-weed hat on the rocks I sit,
Dm Em/D
where tern and sea-mew glide and beat,
Dm E7 Am
and where dark shadows the cormorants meet.

In caverns cool when the tide's a wash,
I sound my conch to the watery splash. 

From out their grottos at evenings beam,
the mermaids swim with locks agleam.

Dm Am
To where I watch on the yellow sands
Dm Em/D
And they pluck sweet music with sea-cold hands

Fmaj7 C
They bring me coral and amber clear
G Am
But when the stars in heaven appear
Bb Am
Their music ceases they glide away
Am C4/A
Anfd swim to their grottoes across the bay

G E7
Then listen only to my shrill tune
Am Bm/A
The surfy tide, and the wandering moon

Am: x0755x
C/A: x0555x
C4/A: x0355x
C/A: x0255x
Em/D: xx0453
Bm/A: x0443x

The Silver Penny    By Walter De La Mare 

C G     
'Sailorman, I'll give to you
C F9
My bright silver penny,
Dm E7
If out to sea you'll sail me
Am
And my dear sister Jenny.'

'Get in, young sir, I'll sail ye
And your dear sister Jenny,
But pay she shall her golden locks
Instead of your penny.'

Dm C G
They sail away, they sail away,
Dm C
O fierce the winds blew!
F C E
The foam flew in clouds,
F Am
And dark the night grew!

And all the wild sea-water
Climbed steep into the boat;
Back to the shore again
Sail they will not.

Drowned is the sailorman,
Drowned is sweet Jenny,
And drowned in the deep sea
A bright silver penny.



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