Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
Tim Hart and Maddy Prior Lyrics

Adieu, sweet lovely Nancy,
The singer is saying goodbye to his beloved Nancy with great sorrow.

Ten thousand times adieu,
The singer is trying to convey that his departure is not just an ordinary goodbye, but a solemn one that he wishes to deliver a thousand times.

I am going across the ocean, love,
The singer is leaving for a long distance journey across the ocean.

To seek for something new.
The journey symbolizes a quest to explore and discover something new.

Come change your ring with me, dear girl,
The singer asks Nancy to swap their rings so that he can have something to remind him of her while he is away.

Come change your ring with me,
The singer repeats his request, emphasizing the importance of the gesture to him.

For it might be a token of true love while I am on the sea.
The singer believes that the ring exchange will serve as proof of their love while he is far away.

And when I'm far upon the sea
The singer intends to keep in touch with Nancy despite his physical distance.

You'll know not where I am.
The singer acknowledges that it will be hard for Nancy to know his exact location while he's at sea.

Kind letters I will write to you
The singer promises to write loving, thoughtful notes to Nancy while he's away.

From every foreign land.
The singer will send letters from the different places he visits while on his journey.

The secrets of your heart, dear girl,
The singer values and cherishes the deepest thoughts and feelings in Nancy's heart.

Are the best of my good will,
To the singer, Nancy's secrets offer more than just her trust, they are the most valuable thing she could give him.

So let your body be where it might,
The singer gives Nancy permission to go wherever she wishes, for he trusts her completely.

My heart will be with you still.
The singer reassures Nancy that despite the physical distance, his love for her will never fade.

There's a heavy storm arising,
Bad weather conditions are brewing.

See how it gathers round,
The singer and crew can see the weather getting worse and are concerned.

While we poor souls on the ocean wide are fighting for the crown.
The singer and his fellow crew members are struggling to keep the ship safe and steady amidst the storm.

There's nothing to protect us, love,
The storm is so powerful that even their ship's defenses are not enough to keep them safe.

Or keep us from the cold,
The singer and crew are exposed to the elements and might suffer from hypothermia.

On the ocean wide, where we must fight like jolly seamen bold.
In order to survive, the crew is forced to band together and fight the elements like the sailors of old.

There's tinkers, tailors, shoemakers,
The singer points out that even average people who have no business on the ocean can sleep soundly while the crew struggles.

Lie snoring fast asleep,
The people who are truly safe and comfortable are sleeping soundly while the singer and his crew struggle.

While we poor souls on the ocean wide are ploughing through the deep.
The singer and crew are in danger, fighting the elements as they cross the deep ocean.

Our officers commanded us,
The crew must follow their officers' commands in order to keep the ship running.

And them we must obey,
Despite the challenges, the crew understands that they have to abide by the officers' orders.

Expecting every moment
The crew is extremely cautious, knowing that something could go wrong at any time.

For to get cast away.
The crew fears that they might all perish due to the hazardous conditions they're in.

But when the wars are over,
The horrible conditions will eventually come to an end.

There'll be peace on every shore,
Finally, tranquility will return to the places they call home.

We'll return to our wives and our families,
The singer and his crew will finally be able to see their loved ones again.

And the girls that we adore.
The crew will return to the women they love and adore.

We'll drink out liquor merrily,
The friends they made during their voyage will finally have a chance to celebrate together.

And spend our money free,
The crew will savor every moment and spend their hard-earned cash with abandon.

And when the money is all gone
Once the crew has run out of money to spend

We'll boldly go to sea.
The crew will take heart and look forward to their next voyage.