Angelo Dornan - The Sea Captain

Lyrics as transcribed from this recording:

There was a sea captain who followed the sea,
 Let the wind blow high or blow low, I shall die, I shall die the sea captain did cry If i dont get that maid on the shore, oh,
I should die if I don t get that maid on the shore.

the captain had jewels the captain had gold,
the captain had costly a-ware, oh
all this he would give to this pretty fair maid if she d please take a sail from the shore, oh,
shore-oh if she d please take a sail from the shore.

with great persuasion they got her on board,
the weather being fine and so clear, oh,
he asked her to sing him a verse of a song to drive away sorrow and care, oh,
care, oh, for to drive away sorrow and care.

the night was so still and the water so calm,
she sat in the stern of the ship, oh,
her voice was so sweet so mild and complete,
she sang captain and sailors to sleep, oh,
sleep she sang captain and sailors to sleep.

when she got them all asleep,
all alone in despair-oh,
she pried open the lock of the captain s strong box and she tumbled it out on the floor oh,
floor, oh, she emptied it out on the floor.

she took all his jewels she took all his gold,
she took all his costly a-ware oh,
and she fashioned an oar from the captain s broad sword,
and she paddled her boat to the shore oh,
shore, oh, she paddled her boat to the shore.

when the captain he awoke,
all alone in despair, oh,
he sighed and he sobbed and he cried I've been robbed by that sweet singing maid on the shore, oh,
I've been robbed by that mild mannered maid on the shore .

 Were my men crazy or were my men mad,
or were my men deep in despair oh,
for to let her away with her beauty so gay for to roam all alone on the shore, oh,
shore, oh, for to roam all alone on the shore .

 Your men were not crazy your men were not mad, your men were not deep in despair, oh,
I deluded your sailors as well as yourself and again I m a maid on the shore, oh,
shore oh, again I'm a maid on the shore .

## Sources

1959

Some have traced this song back at least as as far as 1828. It is known by a variety of names and has many variations: The Mermaid, The Sea Captain, The Maid on the Shore - but all tell a similar story. To read about the very old versions and origins of this song, please see here and here.

This song is sung a cappella. A version of this song appears in Helen Creighton ed. Maritime Folk Songs The Ryerson Press, Toronto. pg. 41. 013-03

Creighton's published version deviates from the above transcription in several ways. Most notably is that Creighton s version omits the second, fifth, seventh, and eighth stanzas. Because of this there is no mention of a strong box (the maid took off his jewels, she took off his ring, she took of his gosbear to wear o , the maid steals off the captain s person directly).

The rhyming end lines "sorrow and care" still appear in the shorter version Creighton published though they appear in her second stanza as follows: "one night at the ocean he took her on board, the captain he gave her a share o, he gave her a big gun from the cabin below and farewell all sorrow and care, care, and farewell all sorrow and care". Some rhymes then were kept in the above version, but their place in the song is different.