In the rock (and roll) community, Bill Monroe may be best known via one of Elvis Presley's earliest recordings at Sun Records, that of Monroe's 'Blue Moon of Kentucky'. Patsy Cline also made a highly regarded version of this song.
Midnight on the Stormy Deep
Bill Monroe Lyrics
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My solitary watch I'd keep
And think of her I'd left behind
And ask if she'd be true and kind
I never shall forget the day
That I was forced to go away
In silence there my head she'd rest
Oh Willy don't go back to sea
There's other girls as good as me
But none can love you true as I
Pray don't go where the bullets fly
The deep deep sea may us divide
And I may be some other's bride
But still my thoughts will sometime times stray
To thee when thou art far away
I never have proved false to thee
The heart I gave was true as time
But you have proven untrue to me
I can no longer call thee mine
Then fare-thee-well I'd rather make
My home upon some icy lake
Where the southern sun refused to shine
Then to trust a love so false as thine
The lyrics of Bill Monroe's song Midnight on the Stormy Deep tell a story of a sailor who is on watch in the middle of a stormy night. During this time, he thinks about the woman he left behind and wonders if she will be faithful to him. The sailor remembers the day that he left and how his lover begged him not to go back to sea, as it is dangerous and she fears for his life. The woman swears her eternal love and loyalty to him, but the sailor is unsure if she will be true to him, so he questions her sincerity.
As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the sailor's doubts were justified. The woman admits that she has been unfaithful to him and apologizes, but it is too late. The sailor decides to end their relationship and move on, expressing his grief and heartbreak as he sings about how he would rather live in a desolate and cold place than to trust someone so false and faithless.
The lyrics of this song capture the feelings of love, doubt, and betrayal that many people experience in their relationships, especially when long distances or dangerous professions are involved.
Line by Line Meaning
It was midnight on the stormy deep
It was dark and stormy, the weather was unfavorable
My solitary watch I'd keep
He was keeping watch alone
And think of her I'd left behind
He was thinking about the girl he left behind
And ask if she'd be true and kind
He wondered and asked himself if she was going to be loyal to him and treat him well
I never shall forget the day
He'll never forget the day when he was forced to leave
That I was forced to go away
He was compelled to leave
In silence there my head she'd rest
She was resting against him silently
And pressed me to her loving breast
She hugged him tightly
Oh Willy don't go back to sea
She's asking him not to go back to sea
There's other girls as good as me
She's telling him that there are other girls as good as her
But none can love you true as I
She believes that no one can love him as much as she does
Pray don't go where the bullets fly
She's telling him not to go to a dangerous place where the bullets are flying
The deep deep sea may us divide
The deep sea can separate them
And I may be some other's bride
She may marry someone else
But still my thoughts will sometime times stray
Sometimes she thinks of him
To thee when thou art far away
She thinks about him when he's far away
I never have proved false to thee
She's never been disloyal to him
The heart I gave was true as time
Her love for him was sincere
But you have proven untrue to me
He's been unfaithful to her
I can no longer call thee mine
She doesn't want him anymore
Then fare-thee-well I'd rather make
She's saying goodbye
My home upon some icy lake
She'd rather live in a place far away
Where the southern sun refused to shine
She wants to live somewhere cold and dark
Then to trust a love so false as thine
She can't trust him anymore because he's unfaithful
Lyrics © Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: DOC WATSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind