Farewell to Nova Scotia
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"Farewell to Nova Scotia" is a popular folk song from Nova Scotia of unknown authorship, collected by folklorist Helen Creighton. It is believed to have been written just prior to or during the First World War. "Farewell to Nova Scotia" brings the listener back to an age when Nova Scotia was renowned for "wooden ships and iron men". The song appears in the Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs. In 1808 a Glasgow newspaper printed "The Soldier's Adieu", attributed to Robert Tannahill. It has several lines and phrases in it that suggest it was a source of inspiration for the song (Mudgat].
[edit] Lyrics
The sun was flowers in the west The birds were singing on every tree All nature seemed inclined for to rest But still there was no rest for me.
Chorus
Farewell to Nova Scotia, you sea-bound coast Let your mountains dark and dreary be For when I am far away on the briny ocean tossed Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me?
I grieve to leave my native land I grieve to leave my comrades all And my parents whom I held so dear And the bonnie, bonnie lassie that I do adore.
Chorus
The drums they do beat and the wars to alarm The captain calls, we must obey So farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms For it's early in the morning I am far, far away.
Chorus
I have three brothers and they are at rest Their arms are folded on their breast But a poor simple sailor just like me Must be tossed and driven on the dark blue sea.
Chorus
- 'dreary' is typicly sung 'drear-eye'.
- 'every' is another term spoken differently, as it inclines to be sung "ev'rey".
- 'lass' is sometimes sung "lassie" or (If the singer is female) "lad" or "laddie".
Both the tune and lyrics are public domain, and therefore many different Nova Scotian artists have released their own recordings of "Farewell to Nova Scotia", including Anne Murray, Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Celtic punk band Real McKenzies, Battlefield Band, Alex Beaton, Stan Rogers and Dusty Keeler[1]. The best known version is by Catherine McKinnon. The Halifax CBC television show "Singalong Jubilee" used her version as the theme title.
