While it has been confirmed that the band has officially retired, former members Alan Doyle and Séan 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), Séan McCann (vocals, bodhrán, 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 Früvous) (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 Séan 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 didn’t want to go on like that, and happily retiring the band.
John Barbour
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Your eyes, they look so dim,
Have you had any sore sickness,
Or yet been sleeping with a man?
No I haven't had any sore sickness,
But I know what's ailing me,
I am thinking of my own true love
Is he a Lord or a Duke or a knight
Or a man of wealth and fame?
Or is he one of our sailor lads
Come tell me now his name.
He is no Lord nor Duke nor knight
Nor a man of wealth or fame.
He is one of your sailor lads
John Barbour is his name.
Now if John Barbour is his name,
A lowly sailor man is he,
If John Barbour is his name,
Then hanged he shall be.
Then he called his sailors all
By one, by two, by three
John Barbour was the first he called
But the last came down was he.
When he came a dancing down,
He was clothed all in white
His cheeks were like the roses red
And his teeth were ivory bright.
He paid their wages with a smile
And to John Barbour he did say
If I was a woman as I am a man
My bed fellow you would be.
And will you marry my daughter Jane?
And take her by the hand
And will you come and dine with me
Take charge of all my lands.
Yes I will marry your daughter Jane
And take her by the hand
And I will come and dine with you,
But to hell with all your land.
For if you can give her one gold piece,
Then I can give her three.
For they call me young John Barbour
And I plough the raging sea.
The lyrics to Great Big Sea's song "14 John Barbour" tell a story of a father speaking to his daughter who appears to be unwell. The father asks if she has been sick or if she has slept with a man. The daughter denies both, but reveals that she is thinking about her true love, John Barbour, who is a sailor that ploughs the raging sea. The father is hesitant about his daughter marrying a lowly sailor and calls for his sailors to hang him. However, when John Barbour arrives, he is confident and charming. He pays their wages with a smile and offers to be the father's bedfellow if he were a woman. The father offers his daughter's hand in marriage and his land, but John Barbour is not interested in the land, saying that he can provide for his future wife with the money he makes as a sailor.
Line by Line Meaning
What ails you, my daughter dear?
Asking his dear daughter what is troubling her.
Your eyes, they look so dim,
Noticing that her eyes look dim or sad.
Have you had any sore sickness,
Asking her if she has been ill.
Or yet been sleeping with a man?
Asking her if she has been intimate with anyone.
No I haven't had any sore sickness,
Answering her father's question about being sick.
But I know what's ailing me,
Saying that she knows what is troubling her.
I am thinking of my own true love
Confessing that she is thinking of her true love.
Who ploughs the raging sea.
Describing her love as a sailor who works on the turbulent sea.
Is he a Lord or a Duke or a knight
Asking if her love is of noble status.
Or a man of wealth and fame?
Asking if her love is a rich and famous man.
Or is he one of our sailor lads
Asking if her love is an ordinary sailor.
Come tell me now his name.
Asking for the name of her love.
He is no Lord nor Duke nor knight
Answering her father that her love is not a nobleman.
Nor a man of wealth or fame.
Saying that her love is not rich or famous.
He is one of your sailor lads
Informing her father that her love is an ordinary sailor.
John Barbour is his name.
Revealing her love's name to be John Barbour.
Now if John Barbour is his name,
Addressing the possibility that the sailor is truly named John Barbour.
A lowly sailor man is he,
Describing John Barbour as a humble sailor.
If John Barbour is his name,
Reiterating that her love is named John Barbour.
Then hanged he shall be.
Suggesting that John Barbour should be hanged for being a lowly sailor.
Then he called his sailors all
Referring to John Barbour's superior calling all of his sailors.
By one, by two, by three
Asking his sailors to come to him one by one.
John Barbour was the first he called
Recounting that John Barbour was the first sailor to be called forward.
But the last came down was he.
Noting that John Barbour was the last sailor to come down.
When he came a dancing down,
Describing John Barbour's joyful descent to meet his superior.
He was clothed all in white
Saying that John Barbour was dressed in white.
His cheeks were like the roses red
Comparing John Barbour's cheeks to red roses.
And his teeth were ivory bright.
Describing John Barbour's teeth as bright as ivory.
He paid their wages with a smile
Saying that John Barbour was able to put a smile on his superior's face when paying the sailors.
And to John Barbour he did say
Addressing John Barbour directly.
If I was a woman as I am a man
Exploring the idea of the superior becoming a woman.
My bed fellow you would be.
Suggesting that if he were a woman, John Barbour would be his bedfellow.
And will you marry my daughter Jane?
Asking John Barbour if he wishes to marry his daughter.
And take her by the hand
Requesting that John Barbour take his daughter as his wife.
And will you come and dine with me,
Inviting John Barbour to dine with him.
Take charge of all my lands.
Offering John Barbour the responsibility of his land.
Yes I will marry your daughter Jane
Accepting the offer of marriage to his daughter.
And take her by the hand
Affirming his commitment to marrying his daughter and taking her hand.
And I will come and dine with you,
Accepting the invitation to dine.
But to hell with all your land.
Rejecting the offer of the superior's land as unimportant.
For if you can give her one gold piece,
Remarks regarding his wealth compared to the superior.
Then I can give her three.
Explaining that he has three gold pieces to offer her, more than the superior.
For they call me young John Barbour
Disclosing that they call him young John Barbour.
And I plough the raging sea.
Reiterating that he is a sailor and works on the turbulent sea.
Lyrics © LEAN GROUND MUSIC LTD., Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ALAN DOYLE, BOB HALLETT, SEAN MCCANN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind