Cyril Francis Tawney, folk revival singer and songwriter, naval historian a… Read Full Bio ↴Cyril Francis Tawney, folk revival singer and songwriter, naval historian and broadcaster: born Gosport, Hampshire 12 October 1930, married 1966 Rosemary Radmore; died Wonford, Devon 21 April 2005. Tawney was born into a naval family in Gosport, Hampshire, in 1930. He joined the Navy at 16 and spent 12 years in the service working as a naval artificer (electrician), in naval slang a "tiffy", hence Tawney's song drolly winkled out of a Shakespearian quote, "A Lean and Unwashed Tiffy". He made his radio début as a folk singer on the Home Service's Sing Christmas and the Turn of the Year on Christmas Day 1957. As a former submariner, he had a keen appreciation of naval life, but he turned the particular into the universal in many of his songs. They entered song collections such as Songs for the Sixties (1961), The Oxford Book of English Traditional Verse (1983) and The Oxford Book of Sea Songs (1986). Tawney became a leading authority on maritime song, singing on the important anthology Farewell Nancy (1964); acting as consultant to "provide authentic song material" for the television series Moonfleet; and writing Grey Funnel Lines: traditional song & verse of the Royal Navy 1900-1970 (1987). Scots singer Ray Fisher once remarked, "Cyril was something of an enigma." She was right. He never conformed to folk stereotypes of any sort, never touted his politics, just sang and made history come alive.
Sammy's Bar
Cyril Tawney Lyrics
We have lyrics for these tracks by Cyril Tawney:
Chicken on a Raft Skipper's in the wardroom drinking gin, (Hey -oh, chicken on…
The lyrics are frequently found in the comments by searching or by filtering for lyric videos
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@Volantredx
For reasons I never was actually told when I was little, my mom used this song as a lullaby. I still love to hear this song ever since.
@stephaniebarr507
A real Royal Navy song, from the mouth of a real mate lot Cyril Tawny. I spent many years in Malta as a sailor in the late 50’s 60’s . Great song and great voice. Thanks Cyril.
@jamesmorgan7346
Music as it should be. A great story set to a good tune.
@jamesstuartbrice420
I was interested in what Sammy's Bar was, and I found this quote in the Internet:a popular submariners' rendezvous actually called The Old Bar but always known as Sammy's Bar, after the proprietor. Sammy sold a very cheap and nameless rough, white wine, which you could call the Mediterranean's answer to English farmyard scrumpy." It seems it was on the island of Malta. A great song!
@kevinwadland6783
The days we saw him but his voice of the land of Devon and Cornwall we miss his voice but he singing l got the LP is he with now he sing of life
@unknowman1955
Proper English folk song..sung brilliantly by a brilliant English singer
@fredericksammut5300
Very nice
@devonshovel230
Life has been better since this has come back to youtube, thankyou. Now upload 'Monday Morning' please you cheeky little monkey.
@richH1625
Note how he puts two beats on 'last'. Other versions I've heard don't. They just don't catch the same rhythm and sentiment as CT.
To me this feels like slow waves breaking gently on a steep shore
or of the roll of a biggish ship in a swell.
@cheeseheadfiddle
Classic song. Are there earlier recordings of this?