While it has been confirmed that the band has officially retired, former members Alan Doyle and SΓ©an McCann have continued performing in their own solo careers typically including music from Great Big Sea in their setlists.
The band played its first official concert on March 11, 1993, opening for The Irish Descendants at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland. The founding band members included Alan Doyle (vocals, guitar, bouzouki, mandolin), SΓ©an McCann (vocals, bodhrΓ‘n, guitar, tin whistle), Darrell Power (vocals, bass, guitar, bones), and Bob Hallett (vocals, fiddle, accordion, mandolin, concertina, bouzouki, whistles, bagpipes).
Power, McCann and Hallett had already been playing together in another band. In the winter of 1989, the band, a six-piece with guitar, bass, fiddle, accordion and mandolin played its first show at the Memorial University's winter carnival talent show under the name "Newfoundland Republican Army" or NRA, and won first prize. The band's only other appearance as NRA was later that winter at the university "Grad House". The band then dropped the fiddler, accordion player and the name.
The band found its new name as original bassist Jeff Scott rented an apartment on Rankin Street, St. John's, where the members first met and discussed the formation of the band. As a four-piece, the band first appeared as "Rankin Street" at a little pub in downtown St. John's called "The Rose and Thistle", playing for $100 and beer. They played through Sean McCann's stereo system, as renting a PA would have cost more than the night's earnings. Susan Hickey (guitar and vocals) left the band months later to attend school in Halifax and was replaced by Darrell Power. The band gained much popularity playing such local pubs as Bridget's and Greensleeves. In 1991 Jeff Scott was replaced by Jackie St. Croix on bass. The band released one recording on cassette titled "Rankin Street".
In 1997, the band reached the top ten of the Canadian RPM pop chart with "When I'm Up (I Can't Get Down)", a cover of a song by the British folk group Oysterband. They performed at the 1999 Stardust Picnic festival at Historic Fort York, Toronto.
The band won the Entertainer of the Year award at the East Coast Music Awards for every year between 1996 and 2000. In 2001, they decided not to submit their name for nomination in order to allow other bands to compete. They have also been nominated for several Juno Awards, including Group of the Year in 1998, 2005, 2009, and 2011.
Darrell Power retired from Great Big Sea in 2003 to spend more time with his family and friends. Supporting members of the band include Canadian freelance drummer Kris MacFarlane (2002) (drums, accordion, guitar, backing vocals) and Murray Foster (2003, formerly of the band Moxy FrΓΌvous) (bass, backing vocals).
In late 2005, the band released its long-awaited "traditional" album, The Hard and the Easy, on which they recorded their favourite Newfoundland party songs. The title of the album comes from a line of the song "Tickle Cove Pond", one of two songs on the album about a horse falling through ice.
On June 13, 2007, the band announced they would return to the studio with producer Hawksley Workman. On March 14, 2008, the band announced that the title of the new album would be Fortune's Favour, borrowing a phrase from one of the songs on the album, "England". The album was officially released on June 24, 2008 across all of North America.
On February 23, 2010, band member SΓ©an McCann released his debut solo album Lullabies for Bloodshot Eyes to pleasing critical success.
On July 13, 2010, Great Big Sea released their new album Safe Upon the Shore in North America. Alan's "From the Road" blog on the band's website, originally confirmed its production in an April posting, speaking also of the album's subsequent release in July. "Nothing But A Song" was the first single off the bands' ninth studio recording, with a subsequent tour kicking off at the end of the summer 2010.
Great Big Sea announced a 'greatest hits' album titled "XX" in October 2012, accompanied by a 20th anniversary tour with 32 dates in 28 cities across the US and Canada which kicked off on March 5, 2013 in Los Angeles and finished in St. John's on April 23, 2013.
In 2013, McCann announced that he would be leaving the band at the end of the XX tour, much to the dismay of his bandmates. Struggling to maintain his new sobriety, he told his bandmates in January of 2013 that XX would be his last tour with the band, but the rest of the band and its management refused to announce this publicly. Finally, in November 2013 with XX almost over, McCann announced his departure himself in a tweet, feeling that the fans needed to know. While largely vilified by Great Big Sea fans with little said by the band or management to counter this view, McCann claims he was devastated by how Great Big Sea ended and wishes it could have gone differently.
Following McCann's departure, the remaining band members spent a year or so trying to find an amicable way that they could continue without him. Eventually coming to the realization that they didnβt want to go on like that, and happily retiring the band.
Come and I Will Sing You
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What will you sing me
I will sing you one-o
What will the one be
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
Come and I will sing you
I will sing you two-o
What will the two be
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
Come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you three-o
What will the three be
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
Come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you four-o
What will the four be
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
Come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you five-o
What will the five be
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
Come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you six-o
What will the six be
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
And come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you seven-o
What will the seven be
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
And come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you eight-o
What will the eight be
Eight Gabriel angels
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
And come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you nine-o
What will the nine be
Nine the bright-eyed sinners
Eight Gabriel singers
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
And come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you ten-o
What will the ten be
Ten, the ten commandments
Nine the bright-eyed sinners
Eight Gabriel angels
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
And come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you eleven-o
What will the eleven be
Eleven is the eleven
That went straight to heaven
Ten, the ten commandments
Nine the bright-eyed sinners
Eight Gabriel angels
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
And come and I will sing you
What will you sing me
I will sing you twelve-o
What will the twelve be
Twelve, twelve apostles
Eleven is the eleven
That went straight to heaven
Ten, the ten commandments
Nine the bright-eyed sinners
Eight Gabriel angels
Seven, seven stars under the sky
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush
Four gospel preachers
Three of them were drivers
Two of them were lily white babes
Clothed all in green-o
One the one that's all alone
And ever more shall be so
The song "Come and I Will Sing You" by Great Big Sea follows a traditional folk song format where each verse builds upon the previous verse, introducing a new number and group of people. The song begins with a call-and-response between the singer and the listener. The singer invites the listener to hear a song and asks what they would like to hear. The listener responds with a number, and the singer proceeds to sing about a group of people associated with that number. Each verse adds another group of people to the list until the twelfth and final verse, which ends with a repetition of the phrase "And ever more shall be so."
The lyrics, while simple, hold symbolic significance. Each group of people mentioned represents a different facet of society, whether it be religious figures, mythical creatures, or everyday people. By including a wide range of people, the song promotes unity and inclusivity.
Additionally, the phrase "And ever more shall be so" is a recurring theme throughout the song and serves as a reminder that these people and groups will always exist and their history and impact will always be remembered.
Line by Line Meaning
Come and I will sing you
Join me and I'll sing you a tune
What will you sing me
Pray, tell me what lyrics you'll sing
I will sing you one-o
I'll start by singing a song about number one
What will the one be
What's the theme of the song related to number one?
One the one that's all alone
It's about a solitary figure, always and forever
And ever more shall be so
It'll stay this way for eternity
I will sing you two-o
Moving on, I'll sing about two
What will the two be
What's the subject of the song involving the number two?
Two of them were lily white babes
It revolves around two innocent babies dressed in green
Clothed all in green-o
The green attire is significant in some way
Come and I will sing you
Join me now, and let me sing some more
I will sing you three-o
Let's continue with the number three
What will the three be
What's the topic of the song related to the number three?
Three of them were drivers
It surrounds three individuals who were drivers
I will sing you four-o
Next up is the number four
What will the four be
What's the focal point for the song showcasing the number four?
Four gospel preachers
It's about four preachers of the gospel
I will sing you five-o
Moving on to number five now
What will the five be
What's the central theme of the song connected to the number five?
Five ferrymen under the bush
The song revolves around five ferrymen, located under a bush
I will sing you six-o
Let's continue with number six
What will the six be
What's the main subject of the song showcasing the number six?
Six, the six pallbearers
It's about the six pallbearers
And come and I will sing you
Let's not stop, come and sing along
I will sing you seven-o
Next up is the number seven
What will the seven be
What's the core idea of the song highlighting the number seven?
Seven, seven stars under the sky
It's about seven stars, shining above in the sky
I will sing you eight-o
Next, let's hear a song about the number eight
What will the eight be
What's the central theme of the song connected to the number eight?
Eight Gabriel angels
It's about the eight angels of Gabriel
I will sing you nine-o
We're almost there, time for the number nine
What will the nine be
What's the main subject of the song concerning the number nine?
Nine the bright-eyed sinners
It's about nine sinners with bright eyes
Eight Gabriel singers
It also includes eight singers of Gabriel
I will sing you ten-o
Another round of sing-along with the number ten
What will the ten be
What's the key idea in the song covering the number ten?
Ten, the ten commandments
It's about the ten commandments
I will sing you eleven-o
Next up, the second last number, eleven
What will the eleven be
What's the focus of the song with regards to number eleven?
Eleven is the eleven
It's all about the number itself
That went straight to heaven
Which made its way directly to heaven
I will sing you twelve-o
Last but not least, a song about the number twelve
What will the twelve be
What's the main topic of the song with respect to the number twelve?
Twelve, twelve apostles
It's about the twelve apostles
Eleven is the eleven
The second last number was all about eleven
Lyrics Β© LEAN GROUND MUSIC LTD., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRAD, Alan Thomas Doyle, Robert Bruce Hallett, Shawn McCann
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
descendants genevieve hartery
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you one-o.
What will the one be?
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you two-o.
What will the two be?
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you three-o.
What will the three be?
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you four-o.
What will the four be?
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you five-o.
What will the five be?
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you six-o.
What will the six be?
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you seven-o.
What will the seven be?
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you eight-o.
What will the eight be?
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you nine-o.
What will the nine be?
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you ten-o.
What will the ten be?
Ten the Ten Commandments,
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you eleven-o.
What will the eleven be?
Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
Ten the Ten Commandments,
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you twelve-o.
What will the twelve be?
Twelve, twelve Apostles,
Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
Ten the Ten Commandments,
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers,
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so!
Hazel Ault
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you one-o.
What will the one be?
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you two-o.
What will the two be?
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you three-o.
What will the three be?
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you four-o.
What will the four be?
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you five-o.
What will the five be?
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
Come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you six-o.
What will the six be?
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you seven-o.
What will the seven be?
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you eight-o.
What will the eight be?
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you nine-o.
What will the nine be?
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you ten-o.
What will the ten be?
Ten the Ten Commandments,
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you eleven-o.
What will the eleven be?
Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
Ten the Ten Commandments,
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so.
And come and I will sing you,
What will you sing me?
I will sing you twelve-o.
What will the twelve be?
Twelve, twelve Apostles,
Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven,
Ten the Ten Commandments,
Nine the bright eyed shiners,
Eight Gabriel angels,
Seven, seven stars under the sky,
Six, the six pallbearers,
Five ferrymen under the bush,
Four Gospel preachers,
Three of them were drivers,
Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o,
One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so!
memphisbandman
Β
Twelve, twelve Apostles, Eleven is the eleven that went straight to heaven, Ten the Ten Commandments, Nine the bright eyed shiners, Eight Gabriel angels, Seven, seven stars under the sky, Six, the six pallbearers, Five ferrymen under the bush, Four Gospel preachers, Three of them were drivers, Two of them were lily white babes, clothed all in green-o, One the one that's all alone and ever more shall be so!
Somewhere Upthere
I swear that's not what he sings at 7.
robinwild1
Love this pure music, sung from the heart. I have followed GBS from the first time I saw those very young men singing at a small Cultures Canada performance outside the National Gallery in Ottawa. How far they have come! Bravo to making your music career in Canada and keeping to your roots.
Eric Stix
Itβs December of 2020, and I hadnβt heard any Christmas music yet this season. Naturally, this was the video I sought out first.
Aiden DeBruler
Lol
Jeremy Beamer
2:46 the power of their voices knocks snow off a roof!
Greg Kral
Ohhhh, that was so good... thank you all for filling the days of my life with joy... and beauty, and history, and giving my own poor voice a reason to sing to my newborns... they love your voices too...... thank you, and merry Christmas 2019. Much love out there for ya.
I think this is better than the album version, but still, love the instruments as well on the pro version, but this was all you.... love it so.
Bless you, from Alberta.
Stephanie Hayden
I just love this song!!! Great job guys!!
Carolyn Brown
my absolute favorite @Christmas ! and I can sing every word along too !!
SATZRunning on a Dream
Love it!!