A graduate of the University of Virginia, where he earned a master's degree in Folklore, Clayton specialized in traditional music, primarily New England sea shanties and ballads as well as Appalachian songs. He became interested in the first of these as a youngster and began playing guitar as a teen. While attending college, he expanded his interests to include the music of Virginia and the surrounding states. Within a short time after leaving college, he began recording. His first releases were for a small specialty record company, but in 1956 he joined Folkways Records, the day's leading folk music label. He recorded six solo albums for Folkways from 1956 to 1958, issued albums for a few specialty labels, moved to another prominent folk label, Elektra Records, for two albums in 1958–59, and collaborated with artists such as Jean Ritchie and Dave Van Ronk on other releases. He made his last recording in 1965.
As much a scholar as a musician, Clayton began collecting songs at a young age in his hometown of New Bedford, Massachusetts. At the university, he studied under a professor who was a leading folklorist. Soon he was combing the hills and valleys of Virginia and surrounding states for songs that formed the region's musical heritage. In making field recordings, he "discovered" Etta Baker and Hobart Smith, homespun musicians who have come to be regarded as all-time greats.
Clayton became a prominent figure in the Greenwich Village folk scene in New York City during the early 1960s. He was close with artists such as Dave Van Ronk and Liam Clancy and was also a mentor and friend of Bob Dylan during the first years of Dylan's career. A song Clayton wrote was allegedly "borrowed" by Dylan in 1962 as the basis for one of his most famous tunes, "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right". The resulting lawsuits by their record companies were settled out of court, and the two remained friends for several years afterwards.
Clayton was beset with personal problems in his mid-30s, including frustrations with his career, doubts arising from his homosexuality, manic depression, drug abuse, and a related arrest. He committed suicide in 1967.
The Mermaid
Paul Clayton Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tishkach yemini
Tid'bak leshoni lechiki
Im-lo ezkereichi:
Im-lo a'aleh et Yerushalayim
al rosh simchati
Ha'omrim:
"Aru, aru— ad hayessod bah!"
The lyrics to Paul Clayton's song The Mermaid speak of a longing for Jerusalem, the ancient city that holds great spiritual and cultural significance to the Jewish people. The opening line, "Im eshkachech Yerushalayim" translates to "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem," referencing a famous biblical verse from Psalms 137:5. The following line, "Tishkach yemini," means "Let my right hand forget (its skill)," a lamentation of losing one's talent and creativity.
The next line, "Tid'bak leshoni lechiki," translates to "Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth," expressing the despair and silence that comes with forgetting Jerusalem. The singer then pleads, "Im-lo ezkereichi," meaning "If I do not remember thee," the consequences of which are expressed in the final stanza. The song concludes with the line, "Ha'omrim: 'Aru, aru— ad hayessod bah!'" which means "They say, 'Raze it, raze it, to its very foundation!'" referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.
Line by Line Meaning
Im eshkachech Yerushalayim
If I forget you, O Jerusalem
Tishkach yemini
Let my right hand forget her skill
Tid'bak leshoni lechiki
Let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth
Im-lo ezkereichi
If I do not remember you
Im-lo a'aleh et Yerushalayim
If I do not exalt Jerusalem
al rosh simchati
Above my chief joy
Ha'omrim:
Who say:
"Aru, aru— ad hayessod bah!"
"Raze it, raze it, even to its foundation!"
Writer(s): Paul Weller
Contributed by Kaitlyn R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@masteriveyletsplay2339
upvote for lyrics
It was Friday morn when we set sail,
And we were not so far from the land,
When our captain, he spied a mermaid so fair,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.
Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We old sailors are skipping at the top,
While the landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.
And up spoke the captain of our gallant ship,
And a fine old man was he.
"This fishy mermaid has warned me of our doom,
We shall sink to the bottom of the sea."
And the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
And we old salts are sittin' at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.
And up speaks the mate of our gallant ship,
And a well-spoken man was he,
"Oh, I have a wife in Salem by the sea,
And tonight a widow she will be."
Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We brave tars are skipping at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.
And up spoke the cabin-boy of our gallant ship,
And a brave young lad was he.
"Oh, I have a sweetheart in Plymouth by the sea,
And tonight she'll be weeping for me."
Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
And we old sailors are sitting at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.
And up spoke the cook of our gallant ship,
And a crazy old butcher was he.
"Oh I care much more for my pots and my pans,
Than I do for the bottom of the sea."
Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We old sailors are skipping at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.
Then three times around spun our gallant ship,
And three times around spun she.
And three times around spun our gallant ship,
And she went to the bottom of the sea.
Oh, the ocean waves do roll,
And the stormy winds do blow.
We brave tars are skipping at the top,
The landlubbers lie down below, below, below,
Oh, the landlubbers lie down below.
@MichaelToddings
My father used to sing this to me in the early 1950's. I am happy to have found this video and the lyrics online!
@littleperson8315
im only here bc a comic i follow had a merman sing this lol
@riley7652
Yeah, me too!
Was it "Out of the Blue"?
@Eating_Sunflowers
Same here!!
@littleperson8315
@@riley7652 oh god sorry
but yeah lol
i hate that i have to turn on comments on youtube geez
@ihigvererdsds593
I heard this song in the Canterbury Tales movie. The miller and his wife sing this before getting cucked by two students who are spending their night at the miller's house.
@calonstanni
I heard this song on a mix-tape of sea shanties from a friend's dad about...35 years ago. I've always wondered who sang this and how I could find out. I never thought I'd hear it again OR find out who the artist was. this is FANTASTIC...now I can research the rest of Paul Clayton's stuff to take me back. Thank you!
@sarah-nt7iw
i came here from a comic on tapas
@straightgaming7704
Same!!!!!!
@littleperson8315
omfg SAME
please tell me we're all from Out of the Blue