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Earl Smith, Lower Clarks Harbour, Nova Scotia. July 19, 1949

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The Mermaid - Earl Smith [2:35]
AC: 2146 - MF NO: 289.241

Recorded: Lower Clark’s Harbour, July 19, 1949. [Mr. Smith told Helen that the song was “based on the old superstition that it was unlucky to see a mermaid combing her hair ...”.] See: TSNS p. 106

‘Twas Friday morn when we set sail,
And we sailed not far from the land,
When our captain espied a lovely mermaid,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.

Oh the ocean waves may roll,
And the stormy winds may blow,
While we jolly sailors go skipping to the tops,
And the land-lubbers lie down below, below, below,
And the land-lubbers lie down below.

Then out spake the captain of our gallant ship,
Who at once did the peril see,
“I have married a wife in fair London town,
And this night she a widow will be.”

Then out spake the cook of our gallant ship,
And a fine old cook was he,
“I care much more for my pots and my pans,
Than I do for the bottom of the sea.”

Then out spake the cabin boy of our gallant ship,
And a fair-haired lad was he,
“I’ve a father and mother in fair London town,
And this night they’ll be weeping for me.”

Then three times ‘round went our gallant ship,
And three times ‘round went she,
Oh, three times ‘round went our gallant ship,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea.

credits

from The Helen Creighton Folklore Society Presents: Songs of the Sea, released May 24, 2023

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Helen Creighton Folklore Society Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

Honoring folklorist Helen Creighton (1899-1989), who collected and published traditional music and lore of Maritime Canada. The mandate of the Helen Creighton Folklore Society is to encourage and promote work that reflects the diverse folk culture of the Maritimes as exemplified by the work begun by Dr. Creighton. For more information visit our website at: www.helencreighton.org. ... more

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