Blow the Wind Southerly

Blow the Wind Southerly is a traditional English folk song from Northumberland.[1] It tells of a woman desperately hoping for a southerly wind to blow her lover back home over the sea to her. It is Roud number 2619.[2]

Kathleen Ferrier recorded what is perhaps the best-known version of the song in London in 1949.[3][4][5]

Lyrics

As with all folk music, there are now multiple versions of the lyrics after years of these lyrics being passed down the generations primarily by word of mouth. A common version is:

CHORUS:
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow the wind south o'er the bonny blue sea;
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonnie breeze, my lover to me.

They told me last night there were ships in the offing,
And I hurried down to the deep rolling sea;
But my eye could not see it wherever might be it,
The barque that is bearing my lover to me.

CHORUS

I stood by the lighthouse the last time we parted,
Till darkness came down o'er the deep rolling sea,
And no longer I saw the bright bark[a] of my lover.
Blow, bonny breeze and bring him to me.

CHORUS

Oh, is it not sweet to hear the breeze singing,
As lightly it comes o'er the deep rolling sea?
But sweeter and dearer by far when 'tis bringing,
The barque of my true love in safety to me.

CHORUS

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The Ferrier recording does not have the "Oh," at the start of the last verse and changes ""when 'tis" to "'tis when".[3] Also, the Ferrier recording varies the words of the chorus, whereas traditional versions do not; and the Ferrier recording misses out the third verse. [6]

Notes

    References

    1. ↑ Walker, Geoff. "Blow the Wind Southerly". Ptera Tunes. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
    2. ↑ "Blow the Wind Southerly - English Folk Dance and Song Society". English Folk Dance and Song Society. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
    3. 1 2 Kathleen Ferrier - Blow The Wind Southerly on YouTube
    4. ↑ Campion, Paul (2005) Ferrier – a Career Recorded. London: Thames Publishing ISBN 0 903413 71 X, pp. 43–45
    5. ↑ "Kathleen Ferrier Edition Vol 8". ArkivMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
    6. ↑ Greenhaus, Dick (10 June 2009). "See Mudcat.org, thread about Blow the Wind Southerly, with numerous citations.". Mudcat.org. Mudcat.org. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
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