"The Mermaid Song"
Sea Shanty, C, D, .
| FF Type | Tune Type | Var ABC file | FF ABC file | FF .ly file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NewMusic | singalong |
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MIDI
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| Orig | History | VarABCs | FF_ABC | FF_Lilypond | FF_Snippet |
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Playing or Personal Notes:
No personal notes.
History
Found a variant (slightly different lyrics, same tune) at http://www.contemplator.com/sea/mermaid.html. There it claims that "This ballad dates back at least to the mid 1700s. It is also known as Waves on the Sea and The Wrecked Ship." and that "As the ballad indicates, the sight of a mermaid was a portent of a shipwreck."
It notes that this is in the collection of Francis J. Child Ballads. Francis J. Child's five volume work, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898), is considered by many as the "canon" of (English and Scottish) folk music.