A Sailor's Life

"A Sailor’s Life" is an English language folk song which describes the attempt of a young woman to find her lover, a sailor. Eventually she hears that he has drowned and mourns him.

History

The song was printed in eighteenth-century broadsides and collected by W. P. Merrick in 1899 from Henry Hills of Lodswroth, Sussex.^[1] It was published in the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs and recorded in 1960 by A. L. Lloyd for the album A Selection from the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.^[1] It was subsequently recorded by Judy Collins on her album A Maid of Constant Sorrow in 1961 and Martin Carthy for his Second Album in 1966 with his then playing partner violinist Dave Swarbrick.^[1]

It is probably from one of these sources it was learnt by Sandy Denny who sang it in her solo career and then brought it to Fairport Convention, who with Dave Swarbrick on violin, released it on the Unhalfbricking album in 1969. The eleven minute version was recorded in one take.^[2] It was a recording which marked the beginning of English electric folk, leading to the seminal album Liege & Lief later that year.^[3]

Variants

The following can be seen as variants of the song:^[4]

• "Sailor Boy" (America)
• "Black, Black, Was The Color Of My True Love's Hair" (America)
• "The Lost Sailor" (Australian)
• "The Pinery Boy"
• "Willie the Bold Sailor Boy"
• "Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea" (America)
• "Sweet William"
• "Willie Boy" (America)

Discography

• A. L. Lloyd, A Selection from the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs (Collector, 1960)
• Judy Collins, A Maid of Constant Sorrow (Electra, 1961).
• Martin Carthy, Second Album (Fontana, 1966)
• Fairport Convention, Unhalfbricking (Island, 1969)
• Ashley Hutchings, The Guv'nor vol 1, (HTD, 1994)

Notes

References

Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd, The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs (Penguin Books, 1959).

External links

(Mostly) English Folk Music, http://www.informatik.uni-hamburg.de/~zierke/lloyd/songs/asailorslife.html