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.
I'se the B'y
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I's the b'ye that sails her
I's the b'ye that catches the fish
And brings 'em home to Lizer
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
Sods and rinds to cover your flake
Cake and tea for supper
Codfish in the spring o' the year
Fried in maggoty butter.
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
All around the circle!
I don't want your maggoty fish
They're no good for winter
Well I could buy as good as that
Down in Bonavista.
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
All around the circle!
{smoothly}
I took Liza to a dance
As fast as she could travel
And every step that she did take
Was up to her knees in gravel.
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
All around the circle!
Susan White, she's out of sight
Her petticoat wants a border
Well Old Sam Oliver in the dark
He kissed her in the corner.
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
All around the circle!
I's the b'ye that builds the boat
And I's the b'ye that sails her
I's the b'ye that catches the fish
And brings 'em home to Lizer
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
All around the circle!
The song βI'se the b'yβ by Great Big Sea is a traditional Newfoundland folk song that has been passed down over generations. The song is an ode to the lifestyle and culture of Newfoundland. The lyrics are full of references to the different towns and harbors in Newfoundland and the different activities that take place there. The song speaks about the importance of hard work and community, as well as the joys of dance and socializing.
The first verse talks about the different roles that the singer plays in their community. They are the one who builds boats, sails them, and catches fish. They then bring the fish home to Lizer, which could be a reference to a significant other or simply a person in their community. The chorus that follows is a call to dance with partners named Sally Tibbo and Sally Brown. The mention of different towns and harbors in Newfoundland, such as Fogo, Twillingate, and Moreton's Harbour, is an invitation to join in a circle dance.
The second verse mentions the different foods that are eaten in Newfoundland. βSods and rinds to cover your flakeβ refers to a method of drying fish by laying it flat on the ground covered in sod and then splitting and salting it. βCake and tea for supperβ is a common meal in Newfoundland. And βCodfish in the spring o' the year, fried in maggoty butterβ is a reminder of the scarcity of food during winter months, and that even maggoty butter is better than nothing. This verse is again followed by the chorus.
The third verse tells a story of taking Liza to a dance, and how the terrain in Newfoundland is so rough that every step is up to her knees in gravel. This shows the difficulties of living in a rugged environment. The following line mentions Susan White, whose petticoat needs a border, and Old Sam Oliver, who kissed her in the dark. This line refers to the small-town gossip and social dynamics that were prevalent in Newfoundland at the time.
Overall, βI'se the b'yβ is a celebration of Newfoundland culture and lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of community, hard work, and fun.
Line by Line Meaning
I's the b'ye that builds the boat
I am the boy who constructs the vessel
And I's the b'ye that sails her
And I am the boy who navigates it
I's the b'ye that catches the fish
I am the boy who captures the fish
And brings 'em home to Lizer
And takes them back to Lizer's home
Hip yer partner, Sally Tibbo
Dance with your partner, Sally Tibbo
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Dance with your partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
Names of various locations in Newfoundland
All around the circle!
Dance in a circle with everyone
Sods and rinds to cover your flake
Use turf and fish skin to protect your drying fish
Cake and tea for supper
Eat cake and drink tea for your evening meal
Codfish in the spring o' the year
Catch codfish in the springtime
Fried in maggoty butter.
Cooked in butter that has maggots in it
I don't want your maggoty fish
I refuse to eat your fish that has maggots in it
They're no good for winter
They won't be sufficient for the winter months
Well I could buy as good as that
I could purchase equally good fish
Down in Bonavista.
In Bonavista, a town in Newfoundland
I took Liza to a dance
I escorted Liza to a dance
As fast as she could travel
As quickly as she was able to move
And every step that she did take
And with each step she took
Was up to her knees in gravel.
Her feet sank into the gravel up to her knees
Susan White, she's out of sight
Susan White is not present
Her petticoat wants a border
Her skirt needs a hem
Well Old Sam Oliver in the dark
Old Sam Oliver in the dark
He kissed her in the corner.
Kissed her in the corner
Contributed by Samuel D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@GK5_
TWELVE YEARS SEARCHING FOR THIS SONG. Back in middle school Robert Munsch the author sang this song in my school gym here on ontario. Im having the hairs on the back of my neck stand up
@wanderover6417
YOU MET ROBERT MUNSCH?
@blameitonjack
Brad H Yup.
@mikeq5073
Amen i remember those good old days in the 90s
@SpaceNigs
This a southern Ontario type tale
@sean..L
damn thats a cool memory
@shelbylou02
My Dad used to sing this to me when I was little. He was born in Bishop Falls, Nfld. β€β€
God loves all Newfies. β€
@KamikazziHamster
Newfoundland is so much like Ireland it's uncanny... From the actual landscape right down to most of the culture. This music just proves it :3
@blacbraun
NF folks are mainly Irish descendants.
@observant98
Newfies are great people. A terrific sense of humour. A lot of the young people that would have been fishermen have moved to Ontario and Alberta.