A Sailor's Life
Fairport Convention Lyrics
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He robs young girls of their hearts' delight,
Leaving them behind to weep and mourn,
They never know when they will return.
Well, there's four and twenty all in a row
My true love he makes the finest show.
He's proper tall, genteel and all,
Oh father, build for me a bonny boat,
That on the wide ocean I may float
And every Queen's ship that we pass by,
There I'll enquire for my sailor boy
They had not sailed long on the deep
When a Queen's ship they chanced to meet.
"You sailors all, pray tell me true,
Does my sweet William sail among your crew?"
"Oh no, fair maiden, he is not here
For he's been drownded we greatly fear
On yon green island as we passed it by,
There we lost sight of your sailor boy."
Well, she wrung her hands and she tore her hair.
She was like a young girl in great despair.
And her little boat against a rock did run.
"How can I live now my sweet William is gone?"
The song "A Sailor's Life" by Fairport Convention depicts the hardships of sailors' lives and the heartbreak they cause to the women they leave behind. The lyrics convey a sense of recklessness and carelessness in the behavior of sailors who have no regard for the feelings of young girls who fall for them. They come and go as they please, leaving the girls with nothing but sorrow and longing. The opening lines "A sailor's life, it is a merry life" are ironic, for it hints at the underlying sadness and tragedy that lies beneath the seemingly happy-go-lucky lifestyle.
The song progresses with the introduction of the singer's true love, a sailor who is tall, genteel, and makes the finest show. She yearns for him obsessively and declares that if she doesn't have him, she'll have no one at all. She pleads with her father to build her a bonny boat so that she can search the wide ocean for her lover. The imagery of the sea surrounding the two lovers adds a layer of hopelessness and danger as the vastness of the ocean is both terrifying and awe-inspiring.
The song ends on a tragic note, with the singer discovering that her lover has drowned, leaving her inconsolable and broken-hearted. She crashes her boat into a rock, symbolizing the shattering of her world without her lover. Overall, the song conveys a sense of longing, heartbreak, and tragic loss.
Line by Line Meaning
A sailor's life, it is a merry life.
The life of a sailor is enjoyable and full of adventure.
He robs young girls of their hearts' delight,
Sailors often woo and quickly leave behind young girls who fall in love with them.
Leaving them behind to weep and mourn,
The girls are left sad and heartbroken when the sailors leave them behind.
They never know when they will return.
The sailors do not know when they will come back to the young girls.
Well, there's four and twenty all in a row
There are twenty-four sailors standing side by side.
My true love he makes the finest show.
Out of all of them, my true love stands out as the most impressive.
He's proper tall, genteel and all,
My true love is tall, charming, and refined.
And if I don't have him, I'll have none at all.
If I cannot have my true love, I do not want anyone else.
Oh father, build for me a bonny boat,
Father, please build me a beautiful boat.
That on the wide ocean I may float
So that I can travel on the vast ocean.
And every Queen's ship that we pass by,
I will ask every ship belonging to a queen that we come across.
There I'll enquire for my sailor boy
Inquiring every queen's ship in hopes of finding my sailor boy.
They had not sailed long on the deep
They had not been sailing long across the sea.
When a Queen's ship they chanced to meet.
When they happened across a ship that belonged to a queen.
"You sailors all, pray tell me true,
She asked the sailors if they could tell her the truth.
Does my sweet William sail among your crew?"
She asked if her beloved William was on board the ship.
"Oh no, fair maiden, he is not here
The sailors replied that William was not with them.
For he's been drownded we greatly fear
Sadly, they feared that William had drowned.
On yon green island as we passed it by,
They lost William near a green island as they sailed by it.
There we lost sight of your sailor boy."
That was where they last saw William, and they have not seen him since.
Well, she wrung her hands and she tore her hair.
She was so heartbroken that she expressed her grief by wringing her hands and tearing at her hair.
She was like a young girl in great despair.
She felt as if her world had ended, like a young girl in total despair.
And her little boat against a rock did run.
In her despair, she accidentally crashed her boat against a rock.
"How can I live now my sweet William is gone?"
She lamented about how she could continue living without her sweet William in her life.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ASHLEY HUTCHINGS, DAVID MATTACKS, EDDIE UPTON, GRAEME TAYLOR, JOHN RODD, JOHN SOTHCOTT, JOHN TAMS, MICHAEL GREGORY, PHIL PICKETT, SHIRLEY COLLINS, SIMON JOHN NICOL
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josh merryweather
this isn't a song, it's a miracle.
John Brown
Basically an extended jam on one chord, so why is it so good? Because Fairport were so good.
Straight take, no overdubs, no gimmicks, just pure talent.
Snowfire Sunwind
Consider: this was made well over 40 years ago - proves beyond doubt that this FC combination were more than equal to any US west coast band at the time - a young band totally immersed into the meaning of the song - instrumentally superb on all fronts - listen particularly to Martin Lamble's expressive drumming, it perfectly builds and falls pushing the band to ever increasing heights - Sandy's singing is just amazing - this totally blows away 99% of today's bands.
Robert M
This may have been recorded 50 years ago, but it is light years ahead of anything produced today. In addition, what a wonderful job to have found so many wonderful images to accompany it. My goodness, what hard lives our forebears endured.
Kathy Ramirez
Absolutely. And most so very young.
Phil Baird
One of the greatest pieces of English music ever recorded. To be filed next to Elgar, Parry, Vaughan Williams etc. It's magnificent music from the entire ensemble with Sandy's haunting vocal, and Thompson's genius giving it that extra twist that turned the whole thing into something very, very special.
John Souter
I completely agree - this is an astounding piece of music, and surely the best that this magnificent band ever recorded.
Donna Rawlins French
Phil, I completely agree. It was recorded in a single take, with the band not quite knowing where Dave Swarbrick (newly recruited) would take them. It's the perfect arrangement of a wonderful song, and every stanza takes us further into the hearts of the narrators, along with the fragile nature of life on the sail in the 19th (or earlier) century. The whole dynamic is just fabulous, and cranked up on a stereo is simply amazing and very powerful. It has to go down as one of the crowning achievements of electric instruments in an ensemble setting - powered along by a great voice, namely that of Sandy Denny.
Matthew Tobin
I've only recently discovered Fairport. Already I cannot imagine life without their music. Beautiful ❤️🎶
Growler the 2nd
The first four albums are essential plus heyday which is BBC sessions 😜👍