Digital Tradition Mirror

The Faithful Sailor Boy

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

The Faithful Sailor Boy

'Twas on a dark and stormy night
The snow lay on the ground,
A sailor boy stood on the deck
The ship was outward bound.
His sweetheart standing by his side,
Shed many a bitter tear.
At last he pressed her to his heart
And whispered in her ear:

cho: Farewell, farewell, my own true love;
     This parting gives me pain.
     You'll be my own, my0 guiding star
     Until I return again.
     My thought shall be of you, my love,
     While storms are raging high.
     So fare you well! Remember me,
     Your faithful sailor boy.

'Twas in a gale that ship set-sail,
The girl still standing by.
She watched the ship clear out of sight
While tears bedimmed her eyes;
She prayed to God in heaven above
To guide him on his way.
The parting words her lover spoke
Re-echoed down the bay:

'Twas sad to see that ship return
Without that sailor boy.
He had died while out at sea;
The flags were half-mast high.
The comrades, when they came on shore,
They told her he was dead;
The letter that they gave to her
The last line sadly read:

final cho:     Farewell, farewell, my own true love,
               We'll meet on earth no more,
               But we will meet in heaven above
               On that celestial shore,
               Up in that land, that glorious land,
               That land of peace and joy.
               Where you'll no more be parted from
               Our faithful sailor boy.

From North Carolina Folklore, Henry
Collected from P.D. Midgett, VA 1920
DT #559
Laws K13
RG
oct96

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!