Lord Franklin
John Renbourn Lyrics


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It was homeward bound one night on the deep
Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
I dreamed a dream and I thought it true
Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew

With one hundred seamen he sailed away
To the frozen ocean in the month of May
To seek a passage around the pole
Where we poor seamen do sometimes go

Through cruel hardships they mainly strove
Their ship on mountains of ice was drove
Only the Eskimo with his skin canoe
Was the only one that ever came through

In Baffin's Bay where the whale fish blow
The fate of Franklin no man may know
The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
Lord Franklin along with his sailors do dwell

And now my burden it gives me pain
For my long lost Franklin I'd cross the main




Ten thousand pounds I would freely give
To say on earth that my Franklin do live

Overall Meaning

"Lord Franklin" is a folk song that tells the story of Sir John Franklin, a British explorer who embarked on an expedition to the Arctic in 1845 to search for a Northwest Passage. The first verse describes the singer's dream about Franklin and his crew on their ship, which was lost during the expedition. The second verse provides some context, explaining that Franklin had set out with a crew of one hundred seamen in May, and their goal was to find a passage around the pole. The third verse describes the difficult conditions that the crew faced, with their ship getting stranded on mountains of ice. Despite their struggles, the only person who made it through was an Eskimo in a skin canoe. In the fourth verse, the focus shifts to Baffin's Bay, where the whale fish blow, and nobody knows the fate of Franklin and his crew. The final verse reveals the singer's emotional burden, expressing that they would freely give ten thousand pounds to know if Franklin was still alive.


John Renbourn's rendition of the song is haunting and hauntingly beautiful, as he uses fingerpicking and a soft voice to emphasize the sadness of the tale. The song itself has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including Pentangle and Fairport Convention. Many people were intrigued by the mysterious disappearance of Franklin and his crew, and the song became a popular ballad in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is believed that the song was originally based on a true event, which added to its appeal to those looking for a glimpse into the unknown.


Line by Line Meaning

It was homeward bound one night on the deep
The singer was sailing home one night on the sea


Swinging in my hammock I fell asleep
While on the ship, the singer fell asleep in their hammock


I dreamed a dream and I thought it true
The singer dreamt something and believed it to be real


Concerning Franklin and his gallant crew
The dream was about Franklin and his brave crew


With one hundred seamen he sailed away
Franklin set sail with a crew of one hundred men


To the frozen ocean in the month of May
They sailed to the frigid Arctic waters in May


To seek a passage around the pole
Their goal was to find a way around the North Pole


Where we poor seamen do sometimes go
The journey was one that sailors like the artist also sometimes take


Through cruel hardships they mainly strove
The crew faced many difficult challenges throughout their journey


Their ship on mountains of ice was drove
Their ship was pushed onto large formations of ice


Only the Eskimo with his skin canoe
The only one who was able to survive and navigate the Arctic terrain was a local, an Eskimo, who used a traditional canoe made of animal skins


Was the only one that ever came through
None of the crew managed to make it through the harsh journey


In Baffin's Bay where the whale fish blow
Franklin and his crew disappeared somewhere in Baffin's Bay where whales are common


The fate of Franklin no man may know
No one knows what happened to Franklin and his crew


The fate of Franklin no tongue can tell
The truth about Franklin's fate cannot be spoken, as no one truly knows it


Lord Franklin along with his sailors do dwell
Franklin and his crew are presumed to have perished in the Arctic


And now my burden it gives me pain
The artist is burdened by thoughts of Franklin and his lost crew


For my long lost Franklin I'd cross the main
The singer would travel across the ocean to try and find Franklin, even though he is presumed deceased


Ten thousand pounds I would freely give
The singer would pay a large sum of money to find out if Franklin was still alive


To say on earth that my Franklin do live
The artist would do anything to know if Franklin was still alive on this earth




Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TRADITIONAL, ADRIAN MAXWELL SHERWOOD, ALAN EDWARD BRANCH, CORA VENUS(CV LUNNY) LUNNY, DONAL LUNNY, PETE LOCKETT, SINEAD O'CONNOR, STEPHEN WICKHAM

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Comments from YouTube:

@trevorparry4498

JR such a great story teller for the gallant crew. Beautifully sung

@justme-wh5li

Thanks for posting. I like this JR version the best. It's the best performance of his I've heard.

@harrylazard805

Dylan didn't let this beautiful melody go to waste....

@MaryCTB

Hi, in which Dylan-song can I find the melody? 🤔😃

@mikemetague7973

@@MaryCTB Mostly 1963's "Bob Dylan's Dream," but there are others (sort of close) in Dylan's early songs.

@MaryCTB

@@mikemetague7973 thank you 😃

@MIKE-TYTHON

Great humour from such a guitar virtuoso love to see it.

@johnharrington1330

Great version . Really well done. Thank you.

@oliveroneill1388

Including his head , well presented

@laurastokes9467

If you research the entire story, there was 3 years of food loaded for the exploration. He left out the details
And who Lady Franklin was and did to find her husband's ship for decades

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