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.
Tickle Cove Pond
Great Big Sea Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We're up against troubles that few people know
It's only by courage and patience and grit
And eatin' plain food that we keep ourselves fit
The hard and the easy we take as they come
And when ponds freeze over we shorten our runs
To hurry my haulin' with spring coming on
I near lost me a mare out on Tickle Cove Pond
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond
I knew that the ice grew weaker each day
But still took the risk and kept haulin' away
One evening in April, bound home with a load
My mare showed some halting against the ice road
She knew more than I did as matters turned out
Been lucky for me had I joined her in doubt
She turned round her head with tears in her eyes
As if she was sayin', you're risking our lives
All this I ignored with a whip-handle blow
For man is a stupid dumb creature you know
And the very next moment the pond gave a sigh
And up to our necks went poor Kitty and I
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond
And if I had taken wise Kitty's advice
I ne'er would have made that shortcut on the ice
Poor creature she's dead, poor creature she's gone
I'll ne'er get my mare out of Tickle Cove Pond
I raised an alarm you could hear for a mile
And neighbors showed up in a very short while
You can always rely on the Oldfords and Whites
To render assistance in all your bad plights
To help a kind neighbor is part of their lives
The same can be said for their children and wives
And with the rope fastened around the mare's breast
William White for a shanty song made a request
There was no time for thinkin', no time for delay
Straight from his heart came this song right away
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond
The song "Tickle Cove Pond" by Great Big Sea, tells the story of the perils of hauling goods on a frozen pond during the winter in Newfoundland, Canada. The lyrics describe the hard work, courage and resilience required to cut and haul timber in harsh weather conditions, while also highlighting the dangers of taking shortcuts and ignoring warning signs. The singer talks about his regret over not heeding his mare's warning signs and ultimately losing her to the pond, while also expressing gratitude for the support of his neighbors during the difficult time.
The chorus of the song calls for William Oldford and William White to help pull the singer's stranded mare out of the pond, using their strength and determination to save her. The song highlights the importance of community and the bonds of trust and support that exist in rural areas where people rely on each other for survival. It also sheds light on the dangers of risking one's life and property for the sake of convenience, and the consequences of ignoring warning signs and taking shortcuts.
Overall, "Tickle Cove Pond" is a song of storytelling and survival, a tribute to the hard work and resilience of those who make a living in difficult conditions, and a reminder of the importance of listening to our instincts and acknowledging the risks we face in our daily lives.
Line by Line Meaning
In cuttin' and haulin' in frost and in snow
We work hard in difficult conditions.
We're up against troubles that few people know
Our job is challenging and not many understand the hardships we face.
It's only by courage and patience and grit
We must have bravery, perseverance, and determination to succeed.
And eatin' plain food that we keep ourselves fit
We maintain our physical health by eating simple, nutritious meals.
The hard and the easy we take as they come
We accept both the difficult and the easy parts of our job.
And when ponds freeze over we shorten our runs
We adjust to frozen ponds and change our hauling routes.
To hurry my haulin' with spring coming on
We speed up our work as spring approaches.
I near lost me a mare out on Tickle Cove Pond
I almost lost my horse in Tickle Cove Pond.
Lay hold William Oldford, lay hold William White
We need everyone's help to pull Kit out of the pond.
Lay hold of the cordage and pull all your might
Everyone should use all their strength to pull on the rope.
Lay hold of the bowline and pull all you can
Hold onto the rope tied to the horse's breast and pull with all your might.
And give me a lift with poor Kit on the pond
Help me raise Kit out of the pond.
I knew that the ice grew weaker each day
I was aware that the ice was becoming less sturdy over time.
But still took the risk and kept haulin' away
I continued to take a chance and haul my load despite the risk of the ice breaking.
One evening in April, bound home with a load
One April evening, I was headed home with a haul.
My mare showed some halting against the ice road
My horse started to hesitate and slow down on the icy surface.
She knew more than I did as matters turned out
My horse had better judgment than I did in this situation.
Been lucky for me had I joined her in doubt
I would have been better off if I had listened to her hesitation.
She turned round her head with tears in her eyes
My horse looked back at me with sorrowful eyes.
As if she was sayin', you're risking our lives
It was as if she was telling me that I was putting our lives in danger.
All this I ignored with a whip-handle blow
I disregarded her warning and hit her with the whip handle.
For man is a stupid dumb creature you know
I recognize that humans can be foolish and ignore their instincts.
And the very next moment the pond gave a sigh
Soon after, the ice on the pond cracked and groaned.
And up to our necks went poor Kitty and I
Both my horse and I fell into the freezing water up to our necks.
And if I had taken wise Kitty's advice
If I had heeded my horse's wise advice,
I ne'er would have made that shortcut on the ice
I would not have taken that risky shortcut on the ice.
Poor creature she's dead, poor creature she's gone
Unfortunately, my horse has died and is no longer with us.
I'll ne'er get my mare out of Tickle Cove Pond
I will never be able to retrieve my horse from Tickle Cove Pond.
I raised an alarm you could hear for a mile
I called out for help loudly enough that neighbors could hear the alarm from far away.
And neighbors showed up in a very short while
Helpful neighbors arrived quickly to assist me.
You can always rely on the Oldfords and Whites
The Oldford and White families are always dependable and reliable.
To render assistance in all your bad plights
They are always willing to help out in difficult situations.
To help a kind neighbor is part of their lives
Assisting a friendly neighbor is an important aspect of their daily lives.
The same can be said for their children and wives
Their family members also follow this same value of helping their neighbors.
And with the rope fastened around the mare's breast
We secured the rope around the horse's chest.
William White for a shanty song made a request
William White requested to sing a shanty song during the rescue.
There was no time for thinkin', no time for delay
We had to act quickly and couldn't waste time thinking.
Straight from his heart came this song right away
William White sang from the heart with no hesitation.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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