In 1968, the predecessor of the Juno’s named The Irish Rovers Canada’s, “Folk Group of the Year”, and the following year, they received a Grammy nomination for “Folk Performance of the Year”.
As hosts of three national television series in Canada and Ireland, through the 1970's and 80s, The Irish Rovers increased the popularity of Irish music by way of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation).
Canada's Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, personally asked the band if they could “please become Canadian” so that they could officially represent Canada throughout the world. Since then, they have represented Canada at no less than five world Expos, and in recognition for a quarter century of contributions to the International music world, The Irish Rovers won the Performing Rights Organization's (PROCAN) 'Harold Moon Award'.
Although all members of the band hail from Ireland, a number of their biggest hits were often "non-Irish". Their own rousing, traditional Irish compositions, however, do comprise the bulk of their music.
By the 90’s, their songwriting was even more prolific than their early years, and production of albums wasn’t about to slow down. Since they desired the freedom that as a younger band, they could not afford, in ’93 The Irish Rovers established their own record company, Rover Records. Their songs tell the story of the Irish, whether it’s a lost love, a sailor on leave, or the simple good taste of a Guinness. Rover Records has put out their last eleven albums, including Celtic Collection, Come Fill Up Your Glasses, Down by the Lagan Side, Another Round, Still Rovin', a Christmas album, and their greatest hits, 40 Years A-Rovin'.
Founding member George Millar is from Ballymena, original member Wilcil McDowell is from Larne, John Reynolds from Belfast, Sean O'Driscoll from Cork, Ian Millar from Ballymena, and percussionist Fred Graham is also from Belfast.
Former members include founding member Jimmy Ferguson who passed away in 1997 and Joe Millar.
The Good Ship Rover
The Irish Rovers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I spend all me time on the sea
On a tall clipper ship named the Rover
She's home to me shipmates and me
We've sailed her through all kinds of weather
Through waves that were high as the mast
And she brings us back safely to Ireland
To her home in the port of Belfast
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
Likewise to the captain and crew
May kind Providence shine upon them
Whenever they're out on the blue
The good ship lies ready at anchor
We sail with the tide in the morn
Across the Atlantic to Boston
And to Frisco around by Cape Horn
Farewell and adieu to you Nancy
I'm off to the sea for awhile
And you are the one I will think on
Till I'm back in Paddy's green Isle
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
Likewise to the captain and crew
May kind Providence shine upon them
Whenever they're out on the blue
We're now in full sail on the ocean
With the westerly wind blowing free
She cuts like a knife through the water
She rules every wave of the sea
She's the fastest tall clipper a'sailing
The pride of the carpentry line
Doing 17 knots in the voyage
She'll have you back home in fine time
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
Likewise to the captain and crew
May kind Providence shine upon them
Whenever they're out on the blue
And now we are nearing old Ireland
For the harbor has come into sight
The lassies are all on the dockside
There'll be singing and dancing to night
We'll be drinking strong whiskey and porter
Till they carry us out through the door
And when we have spend all our money
We'll go back on the Rover once more
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
Likewise to the captain and crew
May kind Providence shine upon them
Whenever they're out on the blue
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
Likewise to the captain and crew
May kind Providence shine upon them
Whenever they're out on the blue
The Irish Rovers' song, The Good Ship Rover, is a sea shanty that details the adventures of a sailor on the tall clipper ship named the Rover. The song is filled with imagery of sailing through rough waves, cutting through the ocean with the westerly wind on their backs, and the excitement of returning to the port of Belfast after a long voyage.
The song's narrator is the son of the son of a sailor, suggesting that seafaring runs deep in his family. He speaks fondly of his shipmates, who have become like family to him since they spend all their time together on the sea. The ship proves to be sturdy and safe, guiding them through all kinds of weather and delivering them safely back to Ireland.
The chorus, "And we'll drink to the health of the Rover/Likewise to the captain and crew/May kind Providence shine upon them/Whenever they're out on the blue," is a toast to the crew's health and success on their voyage. The sailors' love for the sea and the good ship Rover is palpable in the song.
Overall, The Good Ship Rover is a loving tribute to seafaring and the ships and crews that make it all possible.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm the son of the son of a sailor
My family has a long history of seafaring.
And I spend all me time on the sea
I am a sailor and my life revolves around the sea.
On a tall clipper ship named the Rover
I sail on a clipper ship named the Rover.
She's home to me shipmates and me
The Rover is not just a ship, it's a home to me and my shipmates.
We've sailed her through all kinds of weather
We have faced all kinds of weather while sailing on the Rover.
Through waves that were high as the mast
We have sailed through waves that were as high as the mast of the ship.
And she brings us back safely to Ireland
The Rover has always brought us back safely to Ireland.
To her home in the port of Belfast
The Rover's home port is in Belfast.
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
We will raise a toast to the good health of our ship Rover.
Likewise to the captain and crew
We will also raise a toast to the captain and crew of our ship.
May kind Providence shine upon them
We hope that they always have good luck and fortune on their side.
Whenever they're out on the blue
Whenever they are out sailing on the open ocean.
The good ship lies ready at anchor
Our ship is currently anchored and ready to set sail.
We sail with the tide in the morn
We set sail in the morning when the tide is right.
Across the Atlantic to Boston
We are sailing across the Atlantic to Boston.
And to Frisco around by Cape Horn
We will sail to San Francisco, going around Cape Horn.
Farewell and adieu to you Nancy
I am saying goodbye to my loved one Nancy.
I'm off to the sea for awhile
I am going to be at sea for some time.
And you are the one I will think on
You will be on my mind while I am away.
Till I'm back in Paddy's green Isle
Until I return to Ireland, also known as Paddy's green Isle.
We're now in full sail on the ocean
We are now sailing with all sails set on the open ocean.
With the westerly wind blowing free
We have a favorable westerly wind helping us sail.
She cuts like a knife through the water
Our ship moves quickly and easily through the water.
She rules every wave of the sea
Our ship is strong and able to handle any wave on the sea.
She's the fastest tall clipper a'sailing
Our ship is the fastest tall clipper sailing at the moment.
The pride of the carpentry line
Our ship is a source of pride for the team of carpenters who built her.
Doing 17 knots in the voyage
We are sailing at a speed of 17 knots during this voyage.
She'll have you back home in fine time
The Rover is reliable and will bring you back home in good time.
We're now in full sail on the ocean
We are still sailing with all sails set on the open ocean.
And now we are nearing old Ireland
We are approaching Ireland.
For the harbor has come into sight
We can see the harbor in the distance.
The lassies are all on the dockside
The women are waiting for us on the dock.
There'll be singing and dancing tonight
There will be a celebration tonight with singing and dancing.
We'll be drinking strong whiskey and porter
We will be drinking strong alcoholic beverages tonight.
Till they carry us out through the door
Until we are too drunk to leave on our own and need to be carried out.
And when we have spent all our money
After we have used up all our money on drinks and celebration.
We'll go back on the Rover once more
We will return to sailing on the Rover once again.
And we'll drink to the health of the Rover
We will again raise a toast to the health of our ship Rover.
Contributed by Ian B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Ian Burt
on Bluenose
You have missed out a verse.