Lord Franklin
Connie Dover Lyrics
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Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
I dreamt a dream and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew
As I was wandering on some foreign shore
I heard a lady and she did deplore
She wept aloud and to me did say
With a hundred seamen he sailed away
To the frozen ocean in the month of May
To seek a passage around the pole
Where these poor sailors do sometimes go
They sailed West and they sailed East
Their ship on oceans of ice did freeze
Only the Eskimo in his skin canoe
Was the only one that ever came through
In Baffin Bay where the whale fishes blow
The fate of Franklin no man may know
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
Franklin alone with his sailors do dwell
And now my burden it gives me pain
For my long lost Franklin I would cross the main
Ten thousand pounds would I freely give
To say on earth that my Franklin does live
To say on earth that my Franklin does live
Connie Dover's song, Lord Franklin, is a ballad that tells the story of an arctic exploration led by Sir John Franklin in 1845. In the first verse, the singer, possibly a crew member or a loved one of a crew member, falls asleep in his hammock and has a dream about Franklin and his crew. The second verse introduces a woman who is lamenting the long absence of her husband, one of the sailors on Franklin's expedition. The third and fourth verses describe the journey of Franklin's crew as they sail through ice and attempt to find a passage around the pole. The fifth verse suggests that Franklin and his crew met an untimely fate, and no one knows for sure what happened to them. The final verse reveals the singer's desire for closure and his willingness to pay a high price to know that Franklin is still alive.
The song's lyrics evoke a sense of nostalgia and melancholy, as the listeners are transported back in time to a perilous journey that ended tragically for the explorers. The ballad form of the song, with its repetition and rhyme scheme, adds to the sense of a story being passed down through generations. The use of traditional instruments, such as the fiddle and the penny whistle, enhances the song's folk roots and connects it to a long history of sea shanties and ballads.
Line by Line Meaning
It was homeward bound one night on the deep
The story starts with a journey where the singer, who was on a ship, was returning home.
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
The singer slept in a hammock while on the ship.
I dreamt a dream and I thought it true
The singer dreamt of something that felt so real.
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew
The dream was about Franklin and his brave crew.
As I was wandering on some foreign shore
The artist then, in the dream, found themselves walking on an unknown beach.
I heard a lady and she did deplore
The singer then heard a lady crying.
She wept aloud and to me did say
The lady spoke out loud to the singer, mourning over her husband who was away.
Oh, my loving husband, he's so long away
The lady expressed her deep love and sadness for her husband being gone for so long.
With a hundred seamen he sailed away
The lady's husband was a part of a crew of one hundred seamen.
To the frozen ocean in the month of May
They sailed away to the frozen ocean in May.
To seek a passage around the pole
Their mission was to find a way through the pole.
Where these poor sailors do sometimes go
The journey was a dangerous one, and sailors often faced hardship.
They sailed West and they sailed East
The crew sailed in every direction possible.
Their ship on oceans of ice did freeze
Their ship froze on an icy ocean.
Only the Eskimo in his skin canoe
The only person able to survive in such conditions was an Eskimo, who travelled in a canoe made of skins.
Was the only one that ever came through
The Eskimo was the only one who made it out alive.
In Baffin Bay where the whale fishes blow
The story moves forward to Baffin Bay where whales swim.
The fate of Franklin no man may know
Franklin's fate remained a mystery to everyone.
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
Nobody was able to describe or explain what happened to Franklin.
Franklin alone with his sailors do dwell
Franklin and his crew suffered alone somewhere unknown.
And now my burden it gives me pain
The artist is deeply saddened by their dream and the story it unfolded.
For my long lost Franklin I would cross the main
The artist is willing to go over any sea to find out about Franklin.
Ten thousand pounds would I freely give
The singer is even willing to pay a great sum of money to uncover the unknown fate of Franklin.
To say on earth that my Franklin does live
All the artist wishes for is to have proof that Franklin is alive and among us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ADRIAN MAXWELL SHERWOOD, ALAN EDWARD BRANCH, PETE LOCKETT, CORA VENUS(CV LUNNY) LUNNY, DONAL LUNNY, SINEAD O'CONNOR, TRADITIONAL, STEPHEN WICKHAM
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