At the heart of David's work is traditional and contemporary folk music. He draws on vocal and instrumental music from North America as well as England, Scotland, Ireland and Brittany. David also has an extensive collection of songs from the Maritime tradition. Sea-chanteys, ballads and the songs of the sailors comprise his main repertoire, though he still will rise to an occasion to perform his favorite Baroque recorder sonatas.
David has performed with the Cambridge-based Revels since 1980 as a singer, instrumentalist and, since 1991, as Master of Ceremonies. As of 2009, with the Christmas and Spring performances combined, he has appeared in over 50 different Revels productions, celebrating the solstices through the traditions of many cultures.
In 2000, David quit his "day job" to become a full-time performer, bringing original Enrichment Programs to schools throughout New England. In 2007, he was named Director of Education for Boston Early Music Festival. His one-of-a-kind presentation highlighting period instruments, Music from the King's Court: Exploring the Early Winds, highlights the history of the recorder and related period wind instruments. David's dynamically interactive performance has inspired novice musicians and "wowed" more advanced students, in hundreds of schools. Life at Sea: A Voyage in Song is the no less lively program based on an imaginary whaling voyage that gets audiences singing authentic, historical sea songs as they learn about mariners' lives long ago and far from home.
David also provides rollicking group tours of Boston Harbor for private parties, meetings and celebrations. You pick the day, time and season, and make the sailing arrangements; we promise an unforgettable educational experience in song and story. Suitable for all ages.
During the summer months David leads 200 inner-city children a day on boat trips through Boston Harbor to George's and Spectacle Islands for a day of history, music, fun. It's a mind-broadening experience of Boston's own harbor and maritime history. Many of the participating children have never been on a boat, let alone walk on sand or swim in salt-water. For more information about the All Access Boston Harbor programs, please visit http://www.savetheharbor.org/index.php/all-access-boston-harbor
To date, David has recorded four solo CDs and has participated on numerous other recording projects both vocally and as an instrumentalist. His latest CD is scheduled for release Fall 2009.
The Bonnie Ship The Diamond
David Coffin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the Davis Strait she′s bound
And the quay it is all garnished
With bonnie lasses 'round
The captain gives the orders
To sail the ocean wide
Where the sun it never sets me lads
Nor darkness dim the skies
For it′s cheer up me lads
Let your hearts never fail
For the bonnie ship the Diamond
Goes a-fishing for the whale
Along the quay at Peterhead
The lasses stand all round
With their shawls all pulled about them
And the salt tears running down
We'll make the cradle for to rock
The blanket for to tear
And every lass in Peterhead sing hush a bye my dear
And it's cheer up my lads
Let your hearts never fail
For the bonnie ship the Diamond
Goes a-fishing for the whale
Now don′t you weep, my bonny lass, now you′ll be left behind,
And a rose will bloom on Greenland's ice before we change our minds
It′ll be bright both night and day
When the whaling lads come home
Our ship full up with oil, me lads
And money to our name
And it's cheer up my lads
Let your hearts never fail
For the bonnie ship the Diamond
Goes a-fishing for the whale
The captain stands upon the deck, a spyglass in his hand
A viewing of those gallant whales that blew at every span
Pour your tubs into your boats me boys, and by your braces stand
And we′ll have one of those fine whales boys, hand over hand
And it's cheer up my lads
Let your hearts never fail
For the bonnie ship the Diamond
Goes a-fishing for the whale
And it′s cheer up my lads
Let your hearts never fail
For the bonnie ship the Diamond
Goes a-fishing for the whale
The Bonnie Ship The Diamond is a traditional Scottish folk song that recounts the story of a ship named The Diamond that sets sail for the Davis Strait to hunt for whales. The song highlights the camaraderie between sailors on the ship and the heartbreak of the women left behind. The first verse describes the beauty of the ship and the excitement of the crew as they commence their voyage. The lyrics suggest the captain is a seasoned seafarer who has made the journey before, and the journey takes them to a place where the sun never sets.
The second verse portrays the sad scene of women in Peterhead, the Scottish port the ship departs from. They are bidding farewell to their loved ones and singing lullabies to their children. The grief-stricken women are shedding tears as they watch the ship set sail. The third verse is a message of encouragement and hope. The lyrics reassure the women left behind that the sailors will return victorious and richer, and a rose will bloom on Greenland's ice before they change their minds. The last verse shows the captain urging his men to prepare for the hunt as they spot their first whales. The verse ends with the men determined to capture one of the fine young whales.
Line by Line Meaning
The Diamond is a ship, me lads
The singer describes a ship named the Diamond
To the Davis Strait she′s bound
The Diamond is heading to the Davis Strait
And the quay it is all garnished
The area surrounding the pier is decorated
With bonnie lasses 'round
There are beautiful women around the pier
The captain gives the orders
The captain is in command
To sail the ocean wide
The ship is traveling across the ocean
Where the sun it never sets me lads
The ship is heading to an area where there is no sunset
Nor darkness dim the skies
There will be no dark skies on this journey
For it′s cheer up me lads
The artist encourages the crew to be cheerful
Let your hearts never fail
The artist encourages the crew to remain positive
For the bonnie ship the Diamond
The singer refers to the ship in a positive manner
Goes a-fishing for the whale
The Diamond is on a whale fishing expedition
Along the quay at Peterhead
The singer describes an area in Peterhead
The lasses stand all round
There are women surrounding the area
With their shawls all pulled about them
The women have their shawls wrapped around them
And the salt tears running down
The women are crying
We'll make the cradle for to rock
The artist refers to a rocking cradle
The blanket for to tear
The singer refers to a torn blanket
And every lass in Peterhead sing hush a bye my dear
The women are singing a lullaby
Now don′t you weep, my bonny lass, now you′ll be left behind,
The artist is comforting someone who will be left behind
And a rose will bloom on Greenland's ice before we change our minds
The artist is saying that it is unlikely they will change their plans
It′ll be bright both night and day
There will be a lot of light during the journey
When the whaling lads come home
The singer is eagerly anticipating the crew's return
Our ship full up with oil, me lads
The Diamond will be full of whale oil
And money to our name
The crew will make a lot of money from this expedition
The captain stands upon the deck, a spyglass in his hand
The captain is observing through a spyglass, a telescope used for sighting objects over long distances.
A viewing of those gallant whales that blew at every span
The captain is watching whales being caught
Pour your tubs into your boats me boys, and by your braces stand
The crew is being instructed to transfer the whale catch into smaller boats
And we′ll have one of those fine whales boys, hand over hand
The artist is confident the crew will catch whales
Writer(s): Traditional
Contributed by Aaron E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.