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Folk Song Subject & Master Index

Thesaurus

 
The term '' has been added to the search.

Results

Subject term Shipwrecks

Click on the Roud Number to
search for variants of the song
  • Roud No
    12530 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    St John's (Newfoundland) / St Pierre and Miquelon / Oceans & seas / Sailors / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Cowardice / Leaving / Praise of local men / Rescuing / Enticements / Blessings
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Betsey Mealy is persuaded to go aboard a boat bound for Branch, Newfoundland, but is left stranded at sea. At first, she is reluctant to leave her friends and parents in St. Johns, but her prospective employer claims that he has a fine boat, and that there will be other women aboard to keep her company. She is impressed with the boat and crew, and is soon off to Branch. A storm arises, which sets the boat adrift. When another ship comes to the rescue, the crew rushes aboard the rescue ship and leaves Betsey behind. Betsey accuses the Branch men of cowardice. She drifts for three days before being rescued by a French vessel, whereupon she is taken to St. Pierre (French territory). She calls on God and the angels to protect the “gallant-hearted” Frenchmen. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1912). Old songs of Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 5-6.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male / Female
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Quill, John
    Date composed
    1849
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    V44807 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Titanic (ship) / Ships' passengers / Priests / Shipwrecks / <Emigration> / Prayer / Bravery
    Subject date
    1912-04-15 / 15 April 1912 (Anon., 2018)
    Synopsis
    The passengers aboard the Titanic entertain themselves midst the luxury of the liner, little thinking that their end is near. After the crash, there is confusion on deck, but in the hold among the emigrants, two priests offer prayers of consolation. The narrator praises the priests who die like heroes. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. pp. 13-14.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Anon., 2018. RMS Titanic. Wikipedia [online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS Titanic [Accessed 28 December 2018]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    29051 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    St John's (Newfoundland) / Gibraltar / Sailors / Sea captains / <Sweethearts> / <Wives> / Ships / Sea storms / <Shipwrecks> / Sea-going operations / Pumping ship / Reefing sails / Ships' wheels / Compasses / Hunger / Complaining / Food / Bread / Pity / Prayer / Grief / Names
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Captain Larkins orders his ship out of St John’s, Newfoundland. While at sea, a storm hits the ship, taking away its roundhouse and wheel. The crew reef the sails, pump water, and secure the helm. After repairs are finished, another storm hits the ship. The ship is swamped, the wheel is broken once again, and the compass is smashed, among other damage. But the crew makes repairs, and the ship safely passes Gibraltar. Throughout the voyage, the crew is given very little to eat, but they do not complain until starvation forces them to claim their rightful rations. The captain gives the crew one pound of bread a day, each, which is far from a legal ration. The chief officer pities the crew for the way Captain Larkins treats them. The crew resolves not to complain any further. For want of education, the sailors are forced to go to sea, leaving wives and sweethearts to mourn. The narrator prays that God grant them safe return. The narrator, who is the composer of the song, gives cryptic alphabetical clues to his name. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 10 Track 3
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / <Male (Adult) x many>
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Loss of Andrew Sheehan (Roud 4420)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/10-03_51.htm
  • Roud No
    6349 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Labrador / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Rescuing / Heroes / <Beaches>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    While on a beach on the coast of Labrador, during a raging storm, Captain William Jackman hears the shouts of sailors and sees a ship wrecked on a reef off-shore. He swims to the wreck and takes one sailor back to shore. Then he ties a rope to himself and swims back to the ship and secures the rope, so that he can rescue another sixteen men, one at a time. Standing exhausted on the beach, he is told that there is a woman still on board, but the townspeople, now gathered on the beach, warn him not to chance another swim to the ship. He ignores their advice, swims to the ship, and saves the woman. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1904). Old colony song book, Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 44-49.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/34/hero.htm
  • Roud No
    553 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N17
    Subject terms
    Seaside setting / Noblemen's daughters / Sailors / Fathers / Wealth / True love / Disguise / Ships / Class difference (romantic couples) / Dowries / <Shipwrecks> / Returning / Sea-going operations / Cross-dressing
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Although the sailor tries to discourage the rich girl who has fallen in love with him, she follows him to sea and becomes a sailor herself. At last she returns home and gets her father's consent to their marriage [Laws 1957, p.211]
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 157-159.
    Characters
    Female (Adolescent) x 1 / Male (Adolescent) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    WJW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    18254 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Liverpool / Halifax (Nova Scotia) / Wives / Sailors / Children / Loss at sea (person) / Ships / <Shipwrecks> / Anguish
    Subject date
    1870 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    In Liverpool, the narrator sees a woman crying in anguish. She says that her husband is a sailor on the ship, City of Boston, which left Halifax, Nova Scotia, bound for its home port of Liverpool. It is now four months overdue with no word of its fate. She says that he is a kind and loving husband and father, and he never thought that he would never see his family again. Their six children cry that their father is either washed up on some shore, or drowned in the ocean. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 15A Track 3
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Unspecified (Child) x 6
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    Notes

    The City of Boston left Halifax on 28 January 1870, and was never seen again. (GEST, no date).

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'City Of Boston'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online] Available at: http://gestsongs.com/13/boston.htm [Accessed 2019-05-14].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/15A-03.htm
  • Roud No
    266 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N40
    Subject terms
    Claudy / Gardens / May (month) / Sea travel / <Spain> / Shipwrecks / Sailors / Sweethearts / Young women / Young men / <Woods> / <Valleys> / Separation / Anguish / Disguise / Searching / Death at sea / Absent lovers / Despair / Tearing of hair / Wringing of hands / Crying / Failure to recognise / Revealing identity / Reunited lovers / Promising
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator finds a downhearted girl seeking her lover on the banks of Claudy. At first he tells her that Johnny is false. She denies this, saying he is away at war. He then says that Johnny's ship has been wrecked on the coast of Spain. After the girl has wrung her hands and torn her hair, he reveals that he is Johnny [Laws 1957, p.223].
    Source
    The Banks of Claudy (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(1847)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    A classic example of an ‘unrecognised returning lover’ song. The River Claudy is in County Londonderry, but despite the song having spread widely throughout the English-speaking world, it comes as no surprise to hear singers from that area singing the song, such as Robert Cinnamond and Len Graham. [Roud and Bishop (2012, p. 433) however say that "there is no real evidence for" its connection with Northern Ireland.] In the postwar revival the Copper family from Sussex have perhaps had the best known version. The song was popular with most of the 19th century broadside printers, mostly English, with a few Scottish ones, but no Irish ones. The earliest known version is a broadside by Swindells of Manchester, who was in business from 1796. However, he went out of business as late as 1838, so it could have been one of the others. In keeping with many other folk songs, it was undoubtedly created during the Napoleonic Wars, and enjoyed great popularity in broadsides right up to the end of the 19th century, no doubt giving rise to the rich harvest of oral versions collected in the 20th century. Although most of these were found in England, there were significant numbers from Scotland, Ireland, and North America. See Wood (2021). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society. / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics / Wood, P. (2021). 'The unrecognised returning lover and broken-token songs: a survey' Folk music journal 12 (1) pp. 76-94.
    Indexer
    DRC
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/7426
  • Roud No
    6345 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Oceans & seas / Sea captains / Sailors / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Seal hunting / Sea-going operations / <Toasting (with drink)>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The sealing ship, Daniel O'Connell, leaves Tilton Harbour, Newfoundland, and is almost lost in a storm. The storm breaks their tow line, and Captain William Burke orders the crew to let go of the topsail halyards, which frees the ship from the ice. The next morning, the crew discovers that their topmast is overboard, causing the ship to drift for two days in rough seas. Fearing that they will not survive, the crew rigs some jury masts and clears the wreckage on the ship. After a few more days, they spot land. They thank Providence and, now on dry land, drink to one another. [MET]
    Source
    Doyle, G. S., ed. (1927). The old time songs and poetry of Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: Gerald S. Doyle. p. 15.
    Characters
    Males (Adults) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    1833
    Printer / Publisher
    Gerald S. Doyle
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/77964
  • Roud No
    6344 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Oceans & seas / Fishermen / Sea captains / Industrial disputes / Shipwrecks / Ice floes / <Liver (meat)> / Cod liver oil
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Seven sharemen (fishermen taking a share of the catch) ship out on the fishing schooner, Morris, bound for the Straits of Belle Isle, Newfoundland. They are stuck in the ice for eight days, and the captain decides not to share the cod livers from their expected catch with the sharemen. The captain mishandles the ship and its main mast breaks, forcing the ship to head for shore for repairs. When they reach the fishing grounds, the dispute over the cod livers (valuable for their oil) continues, and the sharemen tell the captain that they will not unload the livers when they reach their home port. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 240-243.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 8
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Mitchell, John Campbell (GEST, no date).
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'A crowd of bold sharemen'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/15/crowd.htm [Accessed 12 November 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/15/crowd.htm
  • Roud No
    785 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Dublin Bay / <Sailors> / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / <Thunder> / <Prayers> / Crying / <Dancing> / Joy / Newlyweds / Death at sea
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A newlywed couple sail from Dublin Bay. After three days a sea storm arises. Some of the passengers began to cry, others began to pray. The ship sinks taking the young bride with it. [GHHB]
    Source
    Dublin Bay [and] As I wander'd by the brookside (ca. 1845-1859). [broadside]. London: Ryle & Co. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(1015)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/13865
  • Roud No
    1035 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Venice / Lovers / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Death by drowning / Accidental death / Love / Loss (emotion) / Lamentation / <Cross-dressing> / <Domestic servants & staff> / <Gold coins>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A man tell his lover that he must leave her and go abroad. She rejects his offer of money and servants because it is he that she wants. When he insists that he has to go she says she will come with him as his servant. He tries to disuade her but she cuts her hair and dresses as a boy. Their ship sets sail for Venice but is soon shipwrecked; he manages to swim to shore but she is drowned. He laments her death and soon dies himself. [MN]
    Source
    The two faithful lovers (ca. 1711-32). [broadside]. London: T. Norris. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Douce Ballads 2(223b)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    The song appears, under the title 'The two faithful lovers', on late seventeenth and early eighteenth century broadsides. It was collected from the oral tradition only once (by Vaughan Williams from Harriet Verrall), but has become quite popular in the postwar revival, with influential recordings by singers such as Shirley Collins and Nic Jones, thanks to its inclusion in Vaughan Williams and Lloyd (1959). Mrs Verrall's version has lost eight of the original fourteen verses but still tells the essential story. [MN]
    Notes

    Tune: Franklin is fled away

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Vaughan Williams, R. and Lloyd, A. L., eds. (1959). The Penguin book of English folk songs. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books
    Indexer
    MN
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/30256
  • Roud No
    1266 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Bolt Tail / Rocky shores / Sailors / Navy captains / <Widows> / <Orphans> / Ramillies (ship) / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Grief
    Subject date
    1760-02-15 / 15 Feb 1760
    Synopsis
    H.M.S. Ramillies is caught in a terrible storm off the Devon coast. It is unable to regain sea room and is blown against the rocks and sinks. Most of the crew die. The song asks listeners to offer relief to the widows and orphans. [MN]
    Source
    Fatal Ramilies, The (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: Catnach. Held at: Glasgow: Mitchell Library. Frank Kidson Broadside Collection Vol. 7 p. 5. (VWML: FK/11/9/1)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 720
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    One of at least three songs songs about the sinking of HMS Ramillies during a storm off the Devon coast in 1760. This is one of the two most common, the other being The loss of Ramillies (Roud 523). Although most important broadside printers carried a copy, and the first oral version was in 1816, this song was not often found by first revival collectors. Despite this, it has been moderately popular in the post-war revival. [PRW]
    Notes

    During a fierce storm, HMS Ramillies was caught in Bigbury Bay, Devon, by an on-shore wind and was driven onto the rocks at Bolt Tail on 15 February 1760. Only 27 out of a crew of 850 survived. (Wikipedia, 2021)

    Comparative songs
    Loss of the Ramillies, The (Roud 523) / On the loss of the Ramilies (Roud V27884)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Wikipedia (2021). HMS Royal Katherine (1664). Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS Royal Katherine (1664) [Accessed 2021-07-28]
    Indexer
    MN
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.vwml.org/record/FK/15/9/1
  • Roud No
    V44781 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Ferryland (Newfoundland) / Sea storms / Lighthouse keepers / Young men / Sailors / Danes (people) / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Cliffs / Rescuing / Burials / Bravery / Praise of local men
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A Danish ship founders on the rocks outside of Ferryland, Newfoundland, harbour. A lighthouse keeper alerts the town, and four young men risk their lives lowering themselves on ropes down the sea cliffs to retrieve the bodies of the Danish sailors. The sailors are buried in Ferryland, and the narrator praises the bravery of the four young men. [MET]
    Source
    Old home week songster (1904). [St. John's], Newfoundland: Herald Job Print. pp. 9-11.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Herald Job Print
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    18208 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Glen Cove (Newfoundland) / Renews-Cappahayden (Newfoundland) / Fishermen / Sea captains (fishing) / Ships' pilots / Ships / Sea storms / Anchors (boats & ships) / Reefing sails / Coastlines / Shipwrecks / Foundering / Safety
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A fisherman from Renews, Newfoundland, recounts a fishing trip. The crew drop anchor and begin to fish, when a storm arises. The captain orders the crew to reef sails. But despite their efforts, the ship begins to founder. The captain recalls that he sighted Glen Cove yesterday, and they head there. The foreshipman steers the ship through the breakers, which wrecks the ship, but all are saved, thanks to the proximity of Glen Cove. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 11A Track 2
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/11A-02.htm
  • Roud No
    912 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws Q29
    Subject terms
    Low Countries / Boys / Fishermen / Ladies / Fathers / <Mothers> / Orphans / Wandering / Lamentation / Night / <Thunder> / <Lightning> / Shipwrecks / Bereavement / Rescuing / Work
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The boy's mother had died at home and his father in a storm at sea. He wanders alone until a kind lady takes him in and persuades her father to find work for him. He serves his master faithfully until he becomes a man [Laws 1957, p.287].
    Source
    The poor fisherman's boy (no date). [broadside] No imprint. Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 16(208a)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Male (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/23674
  • Roud No
    V44785 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Tilt Cove (Newfoundland) / Swansea / Philadelphia / Ships / Sailors / Sea storms / Foundering / Shipwrecks / Rescuing / Telling tales
    Subject date
    1875-09-25 / 25 September 1875 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The Jura, on route from Tilt Cove, Newfoundland, to Swansea with a crew of ten Newfoundlanders and loaded with lead and copper ore, founders in a storm at sea. By manning pumps, throwing copper ore overboard, and cutting away the rigging after the topsail comes crashing down, the ship stays afloat long enough for the crew to be rescued by the ship, Albatross. They are taken to Philadelphia. When the narrator gets back to Newfoundland, he will tell tales of rough seas, but will go to sea no more. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1905). Murphy's sealer's song book. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. p. 12.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 10
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'Foundered at sea'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/34/foundered.htm [Accessed 25 December 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    16964 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / Sea captains (fishing) / Wives / Children / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Leaving home / Prayers
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A sea captain kisses his wife goodbye and sails to the George's Bank fishing grounds. His wife awaits his return, tending to the children. She waits in vain, as the captain and his ship lie at the bottom of the ocean. The narrator notes that many brave fishermen are lost at sea, and prays for God's protection over the wives and children of fishermen. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 262-263.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/19-2_51.htm
  • Roud No
    31094 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Nonsense songs / Sea captains / Rowing boats / <Shipwrecks> / Cows / Wine / Turpentine
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A nonsense song in which the narrator goes to Greedy Harbour. He does not get along with the sea captain, Old Man Ryme. He buys a punt (rowing boat) from Ryme, but it sinks. He has a cow, which he dresses in silk, and milks her nine times a day. He finds a jar that he thinks is full of wine, but what he drinks is turpentine. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 256-257.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    The stanza about the cow is taken from Little Brown Jug (725).

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Maher, Jack (words and music) / Mullins, Stephen (words and music)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/11/greedy.htm
  • Roud No
    6347 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Ireland / Sailors / Sea captains / Parents / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Bravery / Accidental death / Leaving home / Grief / Praise of local people / St Peter's (Newfoundland)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    An Irish boy leaves home and grieving parents to go to sea. He sails on a ship that strikes a rock during a storm. Twenty-four sailors get into a lifeboat and row until they reach the Newfoundland coast, but there is no safe harbour, only steep cliffs, and only twelve of the crew reach the shore. The Irish sailor is one of them, and the ship's captain is another, whom the sailor praises for his bravery. They walk down a path until they reach St. Peter's, Newfoundland, where the townsfolk feed them and put them on a ship bound for Ireland. The sailor praises the Newfoundlanders. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the Songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 15 Track 2
    Characters
    Male (Adolescent) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    An earlier, shorter version is in Greenleaf and Mansfield (1933, pp. 258-259).

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates.
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/15-02.htm
  • Roud No
    1575 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Seashores / Boats / Shamrock Green (ship) / Convicts / <Letters> / <Queens> / Pity / Crying / Freedom / Transportation (punishment) / <Night> / <Brandy> / <Toasting (with drink)> / <Wounds> / Mauritius / Coastguards / Chains
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A convict is returning home from exile when he is shipwrecked on the Isle of France. The convict is wounded, and the coastguard takes pity on him. A letter is sent to the Queen, and the convict is given his freedom. [LMS]
    Source
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics. pp. 30-31
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    19th century broadside versions were many, coming from most parts of England. Oral versions found by Edwardian collectors were similarly numerous, and mostly from England, for example VWML H829; See also Roud and Bishop (2012, p.385). [PRW]
    Notes

    Isle of France was an early name for Mauritius.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The new Penguin book of English folk songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    NSB
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    4431 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / Sailors / Ships / Shipwrecks / Sails (boats & ships) / Clothes / Death / Money / Sea-going operations / Flirting / Drinking / Revelry
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Seaman and sailmaker, Jack Hinks, leads a carefree life on shore, but is confronted by shipwreck at sea. On shore, Hinks always has plenty of money to spend and dresses well. He drinks with friends, pays for their rounds, and flirts with women. Hinks recalls a sea storm off of Cape Freels, when his ship founders on the rocks. He handles the sails and has the damaged spars cut away, saving the lives of the crew. The narrator notes that death will come to Hinks as it comes to all. [MET]
    Source
    Doyle, G. S., ed. (1927). The old time songs and poetry of Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: Gerald S. Doyle. p. 13.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Quigley, Johnnie
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Gerald S. Doyle
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/77964
  • Roud No
    25803 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia) / Halifax (Nova Scotia) / St Paul (Minnesota) / <New York City> / Parents / <Brothers> / Leaving home / Joining & leaving work / Seal hunting / Ships / Sea captains / Sailors / Chefs / Shipwrecks / Rescuing / Drunkenness / Letters / Loggers / Accidents & disasters / Injuries / Hospitals / Amputation
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Jack Timmins from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, leaves home to find work. He goes to the ice to hunt seals, and then joins a coastal vessel. A drunken crew and captain run the ship ashore, and the cook saves the captain, while Timmins climbs the rigging and eventually saves himself. He then goes to Halifax and finds work on a steamship heading for New York. Afterwards, he receives a letter from his brother to go west and work in the lumber woods. There he is badly injured in an accident, and lands in a hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, for six months. He likes the west, but misses home, now that he is injured. He hopes that other adventurers in the west will not share his fate, for he has lost a leg in the accident. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 18A Track 6
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/18A-6_51.htm
  • Roud No
    18218 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Assumption Day / Salmonier (Newfoundland) / St Mary's Bay (Newfoundland) / <St John's (Newfoundland)> / Sea captains / Sailors / Mothers / Ships / Men-of-war (ships) / <Sleeping> / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Praise of local people / Corpses / Grief / Wakes (for the dead) / Burials / Prayer / Forgiveness of sins
    Subject date
    c. 1850
    Synopsis
    The Newfoundland ship, Kate of Branch (or Kate O’Branch) is run down by a British Man-o’-war, The Royal, on its way to St John’s, Newfoundland. Captain Butler of The Royal is not to blame, as it was at night, and all the crew of the Kate of Branch were asleep. The body of one crew member is found a fortnight later by someone from St. Mary’s, Newfoundland, and the people of St. Mary’s are praised for returning the body to Salmonier, Newfoundland, where the dead sailor’s aged mother grieves. The sailor is waked at the house of his father, and buried on Assumption Day. The narrator asks all to pray for the absolution of the sailor’s sins. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 10A Track 8
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / Female (Elderly) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Daley, Maurice / Ryan, Father
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/10A-08.htm
  • Roud No
    26199 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Girls / Daughters / Fathers / Sailors / Beacons / Premonitions / Shipwrecks / Death at sea
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A child pleads with her father not to remove a tiny red light that she has placed in the window. She has a premonition of a shipwreck. Her father removes the light, and later a sailor tells them that his ship is lost at sea, because the light that they were following disappeared, and many sailors are drowned. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 9 Track 8
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / Female (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/9-08_51.htm
  • Roud No
    V15647 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Sailors / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / London (ship) / <Australia> / <Plymouth> / Steamships / Ships' passengers / Bay of Biscay / Brooke, Gustavus Vaughan, 1818-1866 / Sea captains / Melbourne (Australia)
    Subject date
    1866-01-11 / 11January 1866
    Synopsis
    The emigrant ship London leaves Plymouth bound for Australia but founders in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. The Captain and Gustavus Brookes try to save ship. The ladies say prayers in preparation for death. The ship sinks. [CPB]
    Source
    London Emigrant Steam Ship (ca. 1866). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Cambridge: University Library. Madden Collection (London Printers 50) [VWML mfilm No.78] Item no. 717.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 + / Female (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    17760 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Sailors / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / London (ship) / Steamships / Ships' passengers / Bay of Biscay / Channel Downs / Plymouth Sound / Sea captains / Martin, J.B., -1866
    Subject date
    1866-01-11 / 11January 1866
    Synopsis
    The London leaves Plymouth and founders in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. The Captain and passengers try to save the ship without success. [CPB]
    Source
    Singing histories, London (2009). London: Sing London. pp 10-11.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.singlondon.org/loudandproud/wp-content/uploads/2011/0...
  • Roud No
    V44661 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Halifax (Nova Scotia) / Reefs (sea) / Sailors / <Molasses> / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Families / Grief
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    On its way back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, from Demerara with a cargo of molasses, the schooner Orion runs into a storm off Dutchman's Reef. The ship sinks with the loss of all six crew members. The crew leaves behind grieving family members. [MET]
    Source
    Old home week songster (1904). [St. John's], Newfoundland: Herald Job Print. pp. 12-13.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 6
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Herald Job Print
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    V44847 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Fishermen / Widows / Ships / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Loss at sea (person) / Rescuing / Grief / Prayer / Channel-Port aux Basques (Newfoundland) / Sydney (Nova Scotia)
    Subject date
    1911-11-19-20 / 19-20 November 1911 (Dicks, 1999)
    Synopsis
    The Newfoundland fishing schooner, Heroine, returning from Sydney, Nova Scotia, founders on the coast near Channel, Newfoundland, during a storm. Only wreckage is found, and there is no trace of the crew members. The narrator hopes that the crew boarded lifeboats and was rescued by a passing ship, but there has been no news, so far. The narrator prays that God lighten the sorrows of grieving widows. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. pp. 19-20.
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Dicks, D., 1999. The History of Burgeo. [online] http://www.angelfire.com/ny/diondicks/History.html [Accesed 30 December 2018]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    4405 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Cut Throat Island (Newfoundland) / Bonaventure (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Sea captains / Fishermen / Fishing vessels / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Grief / Loss at sea (person)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The fishing vessel, Susan, is wrecked in a storm off the coast of Cutthroat, Labrador, with the loss of all four crew members. Amid fond farewells, the Susan, under the command of Captain Miller, sails from its home base in Bonaventure, Newfoundland, to fish off of Labrador. On the return trip, the Susan is hit by a violent storm and is wrecked. The news soon reaches Bonaventure via telegraph. The narrator notes that every year such disasters happen, leaving friends and family to grieve. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J. 1912? Burke's Ballads. [St. John's, Newfoundland]: s.l. P. 23.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny?
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/62620
  • Roud No
    V44660 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Prayer / Fog
    Subject date
    1863-04-27 / 27 April 1863
    Synopsis
    The ship, Anglo Saxon, is wrecked on rocks during a heavy fog. Out of the 445 passengers and crew on board, 155 are lost. The others reach shore and give prayers of thanks. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1904). Old colony song book, Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 62-63.
    Characters
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    New Song on the Melancholy Loss of the Emigrant Ship Anglo-Saxon on Her Passage to America, A (Roud V15720)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/3...
  • Roud No
    V44837 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    St John's (Newfoundland) / Ships / Shipwrecks / Lifeboats (shipboard) / <Sea captains> / Trepassey Bay (Newfoundland) / <Barbados> / <Molasses>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The St. John's, Newfoundland, cargo ship, Helen Isabel, outbound from Barbados with a load of molasses, founders on Mistaken Point in Trepassey Bay. Captain Laurie and his crew abandon the ship and row ashore in lifeboats. The ship has plied its trade for thirty-five years before wrecking off the coast. [MET]
    Source
    Old home week songster (1904). [St. John's], Newfoundland: Herald Job Print. pp. 55-56.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Herald Job Print
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    26743 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Fishermen / Widows / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Loss at sea (person) / Grief / Prayer / Orphans
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The Newfoundland fishing vessel, Golden Arrow, sets out to sea and is not heard from again. Every day, Newfoundland fishermen risk their lives on the stormy seas, while their loved ones anxiously wait for their return. The loss of the Golden Arrow leaves widows and orphans to grieve and to look to God for relief. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. pp. 22-23.
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    V44848 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    <Sweden> / Russians / Sailors / Ships / Rowing boats / Sea storms / Reefs (sea) / Shipwrecks / Cliffs / Rescuing / Bravery / Ferryland (Newfoundland) / <Miramichi (New Brunswick)>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The Russian ship, Alku, sails from Sweden for Miramichi, New Brunswick, but is wrecked in a series of storms, and eventually founders on a reef near Ferryland, Newfoundland. All fourteen crew members manage to reach the cliffs, and are rescued by brave locals in rowboats from Ferryland. [MET]
    Source
    Old home week songster (1904). [St. John's], Newfoundland: Herald Job Print. pp. 60-61.
    Characters
    Male (Adults) x 14
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Herald Job Print
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    6471 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Ships / Tug boats / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Rescuing / Loss at sea (person) / Grief / Prayer
    Subject date
    1910-09-23 / 23 October 1910 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The Newfoundland ship, Regulus, leaves Bell Island and is caught in a storm, which disables her. A tug boat is dispatched from Cape Race, and manages to attach a line to the ship, but in the storm, the line breaks and the Regulus founders on breakers near the shore in Petty Harbour Bay. The tug boat cannot re-establish contact, and the Regulus is never seen again. The tug boat reports the news in St. John's, and the narrator prays that God lighten the sorrows of grieving family members. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. pp. 15-16.
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'The loss of the Regalis '. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/16/regalis.htm [Accessed 29 December 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    V44585 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Hudson Bay / Baffin Bay / Americans / Newfoundlanders / Ships / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Ice floes / Exploration & discovery / Shipwrecks / Rescuing
    Subject date
    1912-07-16 / 16 July 1912 (Anon., n.d.)
    Synopsis
    Americans hire the ship, Algerine, with a crew of Newfoundlanders to explore Hudson Bay, but the ship becomes locked and then crushed in the ice in Baffin Bay. The crew and passengers manage to reach land in lifeboats, where they stay for several weeks. As provisions become scarce, they spot a ship, and are rescued by the captain and crew of the Neptune. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. p. 24.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Anon., n.d., Wreck Site. [online] https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?216118 [Accessed 31 December 2018]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    9816 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Sailors / Mothers / Sea captains / Farewells / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Corpses / Condemnation / Burials
    Subject date
    1846-09-19 / 19 Sep 1846 (GEST, no date)
    Synopsis
    Tom Fewer, a Newfoundland sailor, bids adieu to his mother before boarding the ship with his friend, James Rourke. The mother pleads with the captain not to leave port, because a storm in coming. Against the consent of the crew, the captain orders the ship to sail. The ship sinks with the loss of all on board. The narrator condemns John Nolan for not retrieving the bodies when he had a chance, but does not curse him, for the mothers would receive no comfort from burial on land. Tom Fewer served three years with Captain James Murray aboard the ship, Shamrock, before it went down. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 19A Track 1
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'Shamrock'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/21/shamrock.htm [Accessed 2021-06-19]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/19A-1_51.htm
  • Roud No
    V44659 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Brazil / Newfoundland and Labrador / Shipwrecks / Reefs (sea) / Sea captains / Sailors / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Safety / Bravery / <Barbados>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The Newfoundland ship, Gladiola, outbound from Barbados, founders on a reef off the coast of Brazil. At the captain's orders, all abandon ship onto a lifeboat and row for shore. In Brazil, they are cared for by the British Consul, and their passage back to Newfoundland are paid for. The narrator praises the bravery of the captain and crew. [MET]
    Source
    Old home week songster (1904). [St. John's], Newfoundland: Herald Job Print. pp. 24-25.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Herald Job Print
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    30138 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Trepassey Bay (Newfoundland) / Fermeuse (Newfoundland) / Chance Cove (Newfoundland) / Calvert (Newfoundland) / Sea captains / Sailors / <Brothers> / <Sisters> / <Mothers> / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Grief / Last judgment
    Subject date
    1934-12-04 / 4 Dec 1934
    Synopsis
    The ship, Guernsey, sails from Trepassey, Newfoundland, carrying fish and oil, and commanded by Captain Thomas Devereaux. A light wind slows the ship’s progress; in a stronger wind the ship would have made safe harbour in Fermeuse, Newfoundland, but it is caught in a storm near Chance Cove, Newfoundland. The ship might have headed for Ferryland, Newfoundland, but foundered on the shore. Wreckage from the ship is found near Calvert, Newfoundland. The narrator names the three crew members, all from Trepassey, who are lost at sea. Together, they leave brothers, sisters, and an elderly mother to grieve. The narrator asks for prayers for the men, who will be met again on Judgment Day. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 15 Track 1
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3 / <Female (Elderly) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/15-01_51.htm
  • Roud No
    9937 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Shipwrecks / Sailors / Sea captains / Ships' passengers / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Ice floes / Accidental death / Loss at sea (person) / Rescuing / Channel-Port aux Basques (Newfoundland) / Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia)
    Subject date
    1911-03-24 / 24 March 1911 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The steamship, Bruce, leaving Port au Basque, Newfoundland, bound for Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, founders in heavy ice. The captain orders all to the lifeboats, and in the process, one sailor loses his life. The other five seamen risk their lives to get all passengers safely to shore. The Bruce is a total wreck. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. p. 16.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 7
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'The loss of the Bruce'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/16/bruce.htm [Accessed 29 December 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    V44845 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sydney (Nova Scotia) / St Paul Island (Nova Scotia) / Liverpool / Sea captains / Sailors / <Families> / Sea storms / Fog / Shipwrecks / Islands / Accidental death / Grief / <Coal (fuel)> / <Cement> / Fog
    Subject date
    1904-05-20 / 20 May 1904 (Beitler, n.d.)
    Synopsis
    The ship, Turret Bay, loads cement in Liverpool, and coal in Sydney, Nova Scotia, before hitting rough weather and fog, and striking St. Paul's Island. Captain Hayden and thirteen sailors are lost, leaving families to mourn. [MET]
    Source
    Old home week songster (1904). [St. John's], Newfoundland: Herald Job Print. pp. 73-74.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 14
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Herald Job Print
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GenDisasters (no date). Cape North, NS Steamer Turret Bay Sinking, May 1904. [online] Available at: http://www.gendisasters.com/nova-scotia/15131/cape-north-ns-steamer-turret-bay-sinking-may-1904 [Accessed 2018-12-21].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    523 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws K1
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Plymouth / Bolt Tail / Rocky shores / Sailors / Bo'suns / <Sweethearts> / Ramillies (ship) / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Crying / Grief
    Subject date
    1760-02-15 / 15 Feb 1760
    Synopsis
    When the storm becomes so fierce that H.M.S. Ramillies is doomed, the boatswain orders the crew to the lifeboats. Five hundred are lost; only four men escape. The news of the disaster causes great distress in Plymouth [Laws 1957, p.141].
    Source
    Gardiner, G. B. (1909). '[Songs Collected by George B. Gardiner]' Journal of the Folk-Song Society 3 (13) pp. 249-317, pp. 286-287
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x hundreds
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    One of at least three songs about the sinking of HMS Ramillies during a storm off the Devon coast in 1760. This is one of the two most common, the other being The Fatal Ramillies (Roud 1266). Unlike that song, this one has no known broadside versions. The Edwardian collectors came across the song frequently. Later it was found in Canada and during the post-war revival several source singers from East Anglia had versions. [PRW]
    Notes

    During a fierce storm, HMS Ramillies was caught in Bigbury Bay, Devon, by an on-shore wind and was driven onto the rocks at Bolt Tail on 15 February 1760. Only 27 out of a crew of 850 survived. (Wikipedia, 2021)

    Comparative songs
    Fatal Ramillies, The (Roud 1266) / On the loss of the Ramilies (Roud V27884)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society. / Wikipedia (2021). HMS Royal Katherine (1664). Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS Royal Katherine (1664) [Accessed 2021-07-28]
    Indexer
    MN
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.vwml.org/record/RoudFS/S153256
  • Roud No
    4424 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    St John's (Newfoundland) / St Mary's Bay (Newfoundland) / Riverhead (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Sea captains / Sailors / Singers / <Sweethearts> / <Sisters> / <Sons> / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Birds as omens / <Telegraph services> / Loss at sea (person) / Grief / Accidental death
    Subject date
    1925-12-18 / 18 Dec 1925
    Synopsis
    This disaster ballad recounts the loss of the ship, Eliza, which set sail from St. John's, Newfoundland, with a cheerful crew. Seabirds overhead portend disaster, and a storm hits the ship in St. Mary's Bay. The able crew, led by Captain James Ahearn, have weathered many storms, and fight to keep the Eliza on course. A woman in Riverhead in St. Mary's Bay, the sweetheart of one crew member and the sister of two others, fears for the ship, and awaits reports from the telegraph office. The news is that the ship has been dismasted and is adrift. Captain Welsh of The Thrasher is the last to see the lights of the Eliza. The people of Riverhead mourn the loss of the crew, which includes Peter, a local singer, and Captain Ahearn's son, Jack, on his first cruise, who had been entreated not to go to sea. The narrator prays that God help the mourners of Riverhead.
    Source
    Peacock, K. (1965). Songs of the Newfoundland outports. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada. pp. 944-947.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 6 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Waterloo Music Co.
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/09/eliza.htm
  • Roud No
    7316 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Pouch Cove (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Fishermen / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Praise of local men / Rescuing / Medals
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The schooner, Water Witch, founders in a storm off of Pouch Cove, Newfoundland, with three lost, and the others saved by men from that village. The crew clung to a rock at the bottom of a sea cliff, while the fishermen of Pouch Cove gathered to rescue them. The men lowered Alfred Moores, who was able to throw a safety line to the crew on the rock. He then was lowered again to save one woman stranded on a rock. For their heroic deed, the men of Pouch Cove received a medal from the Humane Society of Liverpool. The narrator praises and blesses the men. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1905). Murphy's sealer's song book. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 24-26.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 6 / <Female (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    1985-11-29 / 29 Nov 1875 (GEST, no date).
    Printer / Publisher
    James Murphy
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'The Water Witch'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/33/hawco.htm [Accessed 1 July 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    4413 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Brooklyn (Newfoundland) / St John's (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Sea captains / Ships / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Seal hunting / Grief / Loss at sea (person)
    Subject date
    1896-11-07 / 7 Nov 1896
    Synopsis
    The sealing ship, Maggie, leaves Brooklyn, Newfoundland, and enters St. John's harbour, where it collides with the steamer, Tiber, with the loss of thirteen of the twenty-three crew of the Maggie. The narrator describes how the crew anticipated the money that they would receive in St. John's for the seals they had on board. Captain Blunden spies the Tiber, but despite shouts from the crew, the Maggie is hit. The narrator will never forget that day, and the name of the Tiber will reverberate in the minds of the people of Brooklyn like a “funeral drum.” [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1905). Murphy's sealer's song book. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 5-6.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    James Murphy
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    26746 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sea captains / Fishermen / Ships / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Cliffs / Rescuing / Praise of local men / Bravery / Drook (Newfoundland) / Seal Cove (Newfoundland) / Galveston (Texas) / Le Havre
    Subject date
    1908-02 / Feb. 1908 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The ship, S. S. Tolesby, bound from Galveston, Texas, to Havre, France, founders in a snowstorm off of Little Seal Cove, Newfoundland. As the ship strikes the rocks, the captain orders the crew into lifeboats, which in turn, are smashed upon the rocks. All the crew manage to swim ashore, and spend the night below steep cliffs, burning wreckage from the ship to keep warm. In the morning, fishermen from Drook, Newfoundland, spot the crew, and Joe Perry is lowered down the cliff to save them. The narrator praises the brave Newfoundlanders who saved all twenty-two members of the Tolesby's crew. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1923). Songs their fathers sung, for fishermen: old time ditties. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. p. 13.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 23
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'The wreck of the Tolesby'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/21/tolesby.htm [Accessed 8 January 2019]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    9940 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Titanic (ship) / Ships' passengers / Shipwrecks / Icebergs / Lifeboats (shipboard) / <Emigration> / Irish people / Italians / Sea captains / Sailors / Wealth / Loss at sea (person) / Bravery / Praise of local men / Cape Race (Newfoundland) / Southampton
    Subject date
    1912-04-15 / 15 April 1912 (Anon., 2018)
    Synopsis
    The passenger liner, Titanic, sails from Southampton with three thousand aboard, including a number of New York millionaires. The passengers also include emigrants from Italy and Ireland, among other places. Off of Cape Race, Newfoundland, the ship hits an iceberg and begins to sink. The crew loads women and children into the lifeboats. The millionaires step aside and bravely face their deaths. The narrator praises Captain Smith and his crew for the lives that they save. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. p. 13.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Anon., 2018. RMS Titanic. Wikipedia [online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS Titanic [Accessed 28 December 2018]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    V46741 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Cape Race (Newfoundland) / Southampton / Ships' passengers / Titanic (ship) / Shipwrecks / Icebergs / Telegraph services / Loss at sea (person) / <Emigration> / Rescuing
    Subject date
    1912-04-15 / 15 April 1912 (Anon., 2018)
    Synopsis
    The Titanic leaves Southampton with three thousand emigrants, and hits an iceberg near Cape Race, Newfoundland. The ship's telegraph operator sends a message to Cape Race, and three ships change their courses to attempt a rescue. Until more news comes in, no one knows how many lives are saved. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. p. 15.
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    'RMS Titanic'. (2018). Wikipedia [online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS Titanic [Accessed 2018-12-28]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    4408 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Northern Bay (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Sailors / Ships / Rafts / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Rescuing / Accidental death / Grief / Loss at sea (person)
    Subject date
    1911-11-19 / 19 Nov 1911
    Synopsis
    The ship, Riseover, heavily laden with lumber, sinks during a storm. The Riseover leaves Northern Bay, Newfoundland, in calm seas, but after a few hours, a blizzard and heavy seas cause the ship to founder. The crew fashions a raft out of some of the lumber and head for shore, but the raft splits and two of the crew, John Pomroy and Spracklin, are separated from the others. The remaining crew reach shore and watch as their comrades are swallowed by the sea. The ship, Fogota, puts to sea to rescue the lost sailors, but cannot find them. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J. 1912? Burke's Ballads. [St. John's, Newfoundland]: s.l. P. 19.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny?
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/62620
  • Roud No
    4372 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    King's Cove (Newfoundland) / Goose Bay (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Sea captains / Sailors / Ships / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Marine salvage / Sea ice / Rescuing
    Subject date
    1866-12-25 / 25 Dec. 1866 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    On Christmas day, the ship Ellen Munn sails from King's Cove, Newfoundland, to Goose Bay (Bonavista Bay), but is caught in rough weather and sinks, leaving its crew on the sea ice. During the storm, the ship takes shelter in a cove and then resumes sailing the next day. It begins to take on water, and the captain orders all the crew onto the sea ice. The next morning, they are rescued and brought to Plate Cove. The Holloway family salvages supplies from the wreck. The narrator warns against sailing close to “new made ice” that can destroy a boat, nor to sail on Christmas day. [MET]
    Source
    Doyle, G. S., ed. (1940). The old time songs and poetry of Newfouindland. 2nd ed. St. John's: Gerald S. Doyle. p. 6.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 6
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Flynn, 'Young Jimmy' (GEST, no date).
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Gerald S. Doyle
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'The loss of the Ellen Munn'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://www.gestsongs.com/11/ellenmunn.htm [Accessed 3 July 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/69812
  • Roud No
    V44658 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    St John's (Newfoundland) / Ships / Sea captains / Sailors / Shipwrecks / Reefs (sea) / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Rescuing / Homecoming / Pernambuco (Brazil)
    Subject date
    1912-05 / May 1912
    Synopsis
    The Devonia from St. John's, Newfoundland, founders on a reef off of Pernambuco, Brazil. The narrator gives a history of the ship, naming three captains, and the original name and place of construction of the ship. The captain and crew safely make shore in lifeboats, and all are eagerly awaited back home. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. p. 17.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    4407 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Bonavista (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / <Labrador> / Sailors / Ships / Fishing vessels / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Rescuing / Accidental death / Bravery / Grief / Loss at sea (person)
    Subject date
    1907-09-19 / 19 Sep 1907
    Synopsis
    A great storm descends on the town of Bonavista, just as a fleet of fishing boats is returning from Labrador, and as the cargo vessel, Snorre, from Norway, has docked. The ships, Harold F, Olive Branch, and Reliance, as well as many small fishing boats are destroyed. Wharves and moored boats are smashed by the storm. The Snorre bursts her chains and is adrift, and the crew sends out a distress signal. Four men on shore risk their lives to get a line to the ship, and manage to rescue four crew members, but two others are lost: a thirteen year-old boy and an able-bodied seaman. The narrator imagines the the boy's tearful leave-taking from his mother in Norway, and the grieving of the seaman's aged parents. The narrator hails the four rescuers as heroes. [MET]
    Source
    Lehr, G., ed. 1985. Come and I will sing you: a Newfoundland songbook. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Pp. 170-172.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 5 / Male (Child) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    University of Toronto Press
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/23/snorre.htm
  • Roud No
    V6049 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Sailors / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / London (ship) / Steamships / Ships' passengers / Brooke, Gustavus Vaughan, 1818-1866 / Sea captains / <Praying>
    Subject date
    1866-01-11 / 11January 1866
    Synopsis
    All aboard are terrified as the ship founders and say prayers. The Captain and Gustavus Brookes try to save ship without success. [CPB]
    Source
    Meg of Wapping [and] The Loss of the London (ca. 1866). [broadside]. London: H P Such. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(2396).
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/2555
  • Roud No
    V46742 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Titanic (ship) / Ships' passengers / Musicians / Shipwrecks / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Rescuing / Bravery / Grief / Prayer / Cape Race (Newfoundland) / Astor, John Jacob, 1864-1912 / Straus, Isidor, 1845-1912 / Hays, Charles Melville, 1856-1912 / Stead, W. T. (William Thomas), 1849-1912 / Hymns
    Subject date
    1912-04-15 / 15 April 1912 (Anon., 2018)
    Synopsis
    As the ship, Titanic, sinks near Cape Race, Newfoundland, Colonel Astor places his wife and servants into the lifeboat, and then bravely awaits his death. Likewise, Straus, Hays, and Stead also stay on board, as do the band playing hymns to calm those that remain on board. The narrator prays that the brave souls on the ship will find a 'brighter land', and that God and time will lighten the grieving of loved ones. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. pp. 17-18.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Anon., 2018. RMS Titanic. Wikipedia [online]. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS Titanic [Accessed 28 December 2018]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    713 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws K20
    Subject terms
    Night / Morning / Rivers / Separation / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Lovers' ghosts / Moonlight / Dawn / Cocks crowing / Sleeping / Crying / Unhappiness
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Sandy's ghost appears and tells Mary that he was drowned in a shipwreck. He asks his love to prepare to go with him `where love is free from grief and care'. The cock crows and the ghost vanishes [Laws 1957, p.150].
    Source
    Mary's dream (ca. 1851-1910). [broadside]. Glasgow: Lindsay. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c. 14(166)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Unspecified (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Very popular in broadsides, from England from the 1790s onward and in the United States in the 19th century. Less popular historically in oral form, where most versions were found in the United States in the 20th century. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    HMF
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/1615
  • Roud No
    18225 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Salmonier (Newfoundland) / Eagle Cove (Newfoundland) / Trepassey Bay (Newfoundland) / Fog / Sea captains / Sailors / Sons / Townspeople / Shipwrecks / Masts (boats & ships) / Death at sea / Searching / Corpses / Coffins / Praise of local men / Prayer
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Captain Mike McDonald of Salmonier, Newfoundland, sets sail in thick fog. He orders the ship to head out from shore, but the ship founders on Johnson’s Point in Trepassey Bay. A mast serves as a bridge for the sailors to reach shore from the wrecked ship. The captain waits until all the crew are safe, but is swept overboard before he can join them. The crew, including the captain’s sons, cannot save him, and make their way to Eagle Cove. The crew return and, on the third day, retrieve the captain’s body. The people of Eagle Cove prepare the body, supply a coffin, and ship him back to Salmonier. The narrator praises the captain, and prays that God have mercy on his soul. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 5 Track 4
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/5-04.htm
  • Roud No
    1019 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M21
    Subject terms
    Americas / Farmers / Farmers' sons / Young men / Young women / Irish people / Courtship / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Handsomeness / Wealth / <Gold coins> / Shipwrecks / Promises to marry / Broken-heartedness / <North Star (ship)> / <Bantry>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    To prevent his marriage to a girl of low degree, a youth's parents send him to America to seek his fortune. His ship is sunk, but he manages to get to shore. There he meets a rich, handsome girl who suggests marriage. When he tells her of his love for the girl at home, she gives him 500 guineas and tells him to return to his true-love [Laws 1957, p.190].
    Source
    The North Star (1975). [transcript of field recording]. Ennis, County Clare: Clare County Library. Carroll Mackenzie Collection.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 2 / Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/songs/cmc/the_north_sta...
  • Roud No
    17748 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / Sea storms / Young women / Sea captains / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / <Gold coins>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator tells of setting sail for the Indies for 'gold and store'. The ship is caught in a storm and seven young women go down with the ship. The narrator praises the ship's captain. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. p. 122.
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 7
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://books.google.ca/books?id=iCJcjx3QMdkC&pg=PA389&lpg=PA389...
  • Roud No
    1093 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M37
    Subject terms
    Bay of Biscay / Nightingale (ship) / Sailing ships / Rural setting / Farmers' sons / Rich people / Fathers / Lovers / Dead lovers / Lovers' ghosts / Sailors / Shipwrecks / Gales / Sea storms / <Pillows> / Pale skin / <Uniforms> / Impressment / Loss at sea (person) / Hauntings / Winning someone's heart / Courtship / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / Leaving home / Mourning / Bereavement / Bitterness / Broken-heartedness / Falling in love / Death by drowning / Class difference (romantic couples)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Disapproving of their daughter's lover, her parents have him pressed into naval service on the Nightinale. On the night his ship sinks in a gale, his ghost appears to the girl blaming her parents for his death. The ghost says that his body lies in the Bay of Biscay with his shipmates [Laws 1957, p.199]. [In indexed version Nancy's lover is a rich farmer's son and her cruel father has him pressed on to the Nightingale. His ship sinks in a gale, and that night his ghost appears to her to say his body lies in the Bay of Biscay. She intends to leave her father's house to mourn elsewhere]. [AG]
    Source
    The Nightingale (ca. 1828-1829). [broadside]. London: T. Birt. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Firth c.12 (295)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Female
    Song history
    Popular in 19th century broadside versions in many parts of the English-speaking world. This popularity did not apply to oral versions, with Edwardian versions only three in number. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society.
    Indexer
    AG
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/4482
  • Roud No
    V44825 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Sailors / Sea captains / Shipwrecks / Ice floes / Seal hunting / Sea-going operations / Praise of local men
    Subject date
    1907-03-20 / 20 March 1907
    Synopsis
    The sealing ship, Nimrod, is caught in the ice off the coast of Newfoundland. Fearing that the ship will be crushed by the ice, the crew collects clothes and provisions, and climbs onto the sea ice. The deck master cuts the mainsail from the mast, so that the crew has some cover while on the ice. The wind shifts, and at the captain's orders, the men re-board the ship, which has sustained some damage, but is still seaworthy. The narrator names several members of the crew and commends Captain Barbour, and wishes him better success on future voyages. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1925). Songs sung by old-time sealers of many years ago. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 1-3.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 11
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    James Murphy
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/3...
  • Roud No
    6346 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Labrador / Oceans & seas / Sea captains / Merchant ships / Battleships / Shipwrecks / <Coal (fuel)> / Wrecking (ships) / <Rescuing>
    Subject date
    1922-08-08 / 8 Aug 1922
    Synopsis
    The steamer, Nordfeld, with a load of coal, runs aground off the coast of Labrador, and despite the captain's efforts, the contents of the ship are stripped by locals, just as the British battleship, Raleigh, also aground on the Labrador coast, had been stripped. While all on board are helped ashore by locals, the coal on board the Nordfeld is taken through holes chopped in the ship's deck. This supply of coal will help the Labradorians, who otherwise would have had to haul wood for their winter fuel. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 288-289.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Williams, George
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.gestsongs.com/34/norfeld.htm
  • Roud No
    V44746 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Pride & praise of place / Praise of local trades / Fishermen / Families / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Loss at sea (person) / Accidental death / Grief / Loss (emotion)
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator praises Newfoundland and its fishermen. They hurry back home to their wives and children after a day of fishing, eager to unload their catch. But when a sea storm arises, the fishermen are lost, and their families grieve for them. The narrator urges all to think on the drowned fishermen. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1904). Old colony song book, Newfoundland. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 42-43.
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Rogerson, Isabella
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/3...
  • Roud No
    4410 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    St John's (Newfoundland) / Petty Harbour Maddox Cove (Newfoundland) / Oceans & seas / Sailors / Sea captains / Ships / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Rescuing / Accidental death / Loss at sea (person) / Grief
    Subject date
    1852-06-08 / 8 Jun 1852
    Synopsis
    While on a trip from St. John's to Petty Harbour, Newfoundland, the ship is wrecked by a storm. Although the seas and sky were, at first, calm, the weather quickly changed just as the ship arrives near Petty Harbour. Captain John French and first mate Nick Sulivan, as well as four other crew members are lost. Jacob Chafe launches a boat from shore and is able to save “young Menchion.” When the news reaches St. John's, there is great lamentation. The narrator concludes by urging all to put their faith in God, whether on land or sea. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1905). Murphy's sealer's song book. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 26-28.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 7
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Grace, John
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    James Murphy
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/5...
  • Roud No
    618 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / Rocky shores / France / Children / Orphans / Fathers / <Mothers> / Ladies / <Masters> / Brandy / Barrels / Poverty / Wealth / <Money> / Shipwrecks / <Cottages> / <Lightning> / <Thunder> / <Rigging (boats & ships)> / <Graves> / Wills / Promises / <Wandering> / Smuggling / Loneliness / Grief / Smugglers / <Lands> / <Planks> / <Shelters> / Travel
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The narrator encounters a poor boy on the shore lamenting the drowning of his father. The boy tells of the voyage smuggling French brandy, and the storm that wrecks the boat. He manages to swim to shore, where a rich Lady hears his lament, takes him in and makes him her heir. He does well and when she dies, he inherits, and concludes "If you're ever so poor boys, you might live to be grand." [RAS]
    Source
    The Poor Smuggler's Boy [sleeve notes]. Pardon, W., 2000. Put a bit of Powder on it Father [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MT CD 305-6. P. 13.
    Characters
    Male (Adolescent) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    25337 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Fife / Sea captains (fishing) / Fishermen / Townspeople / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Being swept overboard / Death at sea / Hymns / Prayers / God / Heaven
    Subject date
    1872-12-17 / 17 Dec 1872
    Synopsis
    Captain Andrew Davidson from Fife and his vessel, Rose of June, venture out with the other Fife fishing ships. A storm rises up, and the townspeople eagerly await the return of the ships. All return except for Davidson's, which is wrecked in the storm. As the crew sings a hymn of praise to God, Davidson is washed overboard and lost. The mate, John Adams, praises God, for Captain Davidson is now in heaven. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 17 Track 9
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Based on a real shipwreck which happened outside Elie Harbour in Fife in 1872. (Zierke 2020)

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Zierke, R. (2020). ‘The Rose in June’. Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music. [online]. Available at: https://mainlynorfolk.info/louis.killen/songs/theroseinjune.html [Accessed 2021-06-14].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/17-09.htm
  • Roud No
    775 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws D27
    Subject terms
    Seaside setting / Summer / Morning / Harbours / <Sailors> / <Wives> / <Mothers> / Ships / <Waves> / <Breezes> / <Wealth> / Travel / Saying goodbye / Waiting / Blessing / Shipwrecks / Seashores
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The ship leaves after loving farewells. Among those aboard are a youngest son going away for his health, and the captain, who plans to retire after this final ship. But the ship is never heard from again. (Laws 1964, p.174). [In indexed copy] A ship sailed on a pleasant summer’s morning, where waves were rippling and there was a soft breeze. The passengers were hoping to find wealth during this voyage. We don’t find the word “shipwreck” in the text, but we can assume the ship encounters a terrible fate since the text exposes how it never returned to its place of origin, how people waited for its return and how its whereabouts are still unknown. [GHHB].
    Source
    Brooks, T. (Bristol). The Ship That Never Returned. [broadside] Johnson Collection, Oxford: Bodliean Library.
    Characters
    <Male (Adult) x 2> / <Female (Adult) x 2>
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Oral versions were overwhelmingly from the post-Edwardian 20th century, mainly from the United States with a few English ones. Rather fewer broadsides but more generally distributed around the English-speaking world. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1964). Native American balladry. Revised edition. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/e746ff57-4f01-466c-9846-c5...
  • Roud No
    552 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws N10
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / New York City / Nancy (ship) / Sailors / Daughters / <Merchants> / <Sea captains> / Casting lots / Revealing identity / Lifeboats (shipboard) / <Harbours> / Marriage / Cannibalism / Hunger / Sailing / Happy endings / Shipwrecks / Cross-dressing
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A girl's parents discharge a porter to prevent his marrying their daughter. She dresses in men's clothes and follows her lover. On her way she kills one of two heathens who attempt to murder her. She finds the porter and with him joins the crew of a ship which later springs a leak and sinks. After many days in a lifeboat, the crew casts lots to see who shall be killed for food. The girl is chosen and her lover designated executioner. She reveals her identity by producing a broken ring, and he offers to die in her place, but a ship is sighted, all are saved, and the lovers marry [Laws 1957, p.207]. [In indexed copy there is much less detail than in the synopsis [EHB]]
    Source
    New York streets [and] Lamentation of an old horse (ca. 1828-1842). [broadside]. London: Batchelar. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(2697)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / <Male (Adult) x 1>
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    A version of this song titled ‘Constant Lovers’ was found in the New England Whaler Polly of Gloucester, Massachusetts in 1794. Most 19th century English broadside printers published a copy. Most English Edwardian collectors gathered versions, and there were oral versions collected in the United States in the 19th century. See Roud and Bishop (2012, p. 390). [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society / Roud, S. and Bishop, J., eds. (2012). The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. London: Penguin Classics.
    Indexer
    EHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/2634
  • Roud No
    41 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Child 58
    Subject terms
    Scotland / Norway / <Dunfermline> / <Aberdeen> / <Aberdour (Fife)> / Kings / Sailors / Sea captains / Knights / Lords / Ladies / Scots / Daughters / Princesses / <Norwegians> / Omens / New moon / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Letters / Ships / <Silk> / <Wine> / <Fabrics> / Class differences / <International relations> / Tears / <Bedding> / Sailing / Laughing / <Crying> / <Mourning> / <Mourners> / Loss at sea (person) / Indignation / Fidelity / Betrayal
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The Scottish king wonders where he might find a good skipper. A knight suggests Sir Patrick Spens, prompting the king to command Spens to sail to Norway to bring the Norwegian king’s daughter to Scotland. Spens, knowing that is it not a good time of year to set sail, is angered to have been appointed this task. Nevertheless, off he sails with a crew. After overstaying their welcome in Norway, the Scottish crew readies for the return home, despite a bad weather omen. Indeed, a storm arises and breaches the ship. Vain attempts are made to bind up the ship’s holes. Once loathe to even wet their feet, the Scots lords aboard the ship are now wet to their hats. The ship sinks, leaving maidens and ladies to mourn the loss of those on board. [LEW 2021.05.01]
    Source
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. Vol II pp. 26-27
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / <Male (Adult) x 1> / <Female (Adult) x 1> /
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    A Child ballad only moderately popular historically but more so in the postwar revival, it first appeared in Percy’s Reliques in 1765 as 'A Scottish Ballad' and subsequently in most of the early Scottish collections. (It is also reported as occurring in the Mansfield Manuscripts of 1763-1786.) Before Scott (1803) it was only eleven verses long, but thereafter it was more than twice that length. Scott was also the first to use the ‘Spens’ title, it having originally had the title ‘Sir Patrick Spence’. Percy put forward the theory that the ballad was based on real historical events in the 13th century in Scotland, but later scholars have not substantiated this. Oral versions, not very many, have come from Scotland and a few from North America. In the postwar revival the ballad has been collected from Jock Duncan, Elizabeth Stewart, and Duncan Williamson, as well as many eminent revival singers. Child (1882-95, Vol II pp. 17-32) considered 18 versions, Bronson (1959-72, Vol II pp. 29-36) 12 tunes. [PRW]
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Child, F. J., ed. (1882-95). The English and Scottish popular ballads. Reprinted 1965. New York: Dover Publications. / Bronson, B. H., ed. (1959-72). The traditional tunes of the Child ballads. Princeton: Princeton University Press
    Indexer
    LEW
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    2796 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws dD36
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Seal hunting / Ships / Oceans & seas / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Loss at sea (person) / Accidental death / Prayer / <Sea captains>
    Subject date
    1914-04 / April 1914
    Synopsis
    A sailing vessel with 170 men disappears, 1914. (Laws 1964, p.265) The sealing vessel, Southern Cross, with one hundred and seventy crew members, is lost in a storm. After harvesting a bumper crop of seals, the Southern Cross heads home, but is struck by a storm. The captain of another ship sees the vessel and assumes that it took shelter, but the Southern Cross is never seen again. The S. S. Kyle is dispatched to find the ship, but can find no trace. The narrator advises to trust in God, and prays that the crew rest peacefully in Heaven. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 281-282.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1964). Native American balladry. Revised edition. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/01/southern.htm
  • Roud No
    4406 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Oceans & seas / Ships / Shipwrecks / Mysteries / Accidental death / Seal hunting / Grief / Loss at sea (person)
    Subject date
    Spring 1914
    Synopsis
    The sealing vessel, The Southern Cross, is lost at sea while returning from the seal hunt. The narrator recalls the waving flags and rejoicing, when the ship left port. The ship, Portia, spots The Southern Cross, deeply laden and sailing home, and it is seen no more after that. The narrator entreats the sea breezes to reveal the fate of the ship to the many grieving family members. [MET]
    Source
    Lehr, G., ed. 1985. Come and I will sing you: a Newfoundland songbook. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Pp. 175-176.
    Characters
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    University of Toronto Press
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/01/southern2.htm
  • Roud No
    4079 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws dD33
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Spaniards / Sea captains / Wives / Daughters / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / <Tug boats> / Prayers
    Subject date
    1876-08 -14 / 14 August 1876 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The Spanish captain and his wife and daughter die when the Margarita is wrecked. (Laws 1964, p.264). A Spanish captain, his wife and daughter, sail for Newfoundland aboard the Margarita. Upon arriving off-shore, they await a tug boat, but none arrives. A heavy fog obliterates the coast, and the ship founders on a rock. All three drown, and the narrator prays for their souls in Heaven. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 275-276.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1 / Female (Adolescent) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1964). Native American balladry. Revised edition. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society / GEST (no date). 'The Spanish captain'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/12/spanishcaptain.htm [Accessed 28 November 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/12/spanishcaptain.htm
  • Roud No
    949 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Sailors / Bo'suns / Ships / Sea storms / <Thunder> / <Reefing sails> / Top sails / Fore masts / Decks (boats & ships) / Shipwrecks / <Guns>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A ship is hit by a storm at sea . The crew encounter many difficulties keeping the ship afloat. They throw the guns overboard in order to save the ship and their lives. Eventually they are able to fix a leak and save their lives. [GHHB]
    Source
    The Storm [and] Black ey'd Susan (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: J. Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Harding B 11(3673)
    Characters
    Unspecified
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    There are many broadside, chapbook, and songster versions from the late 18th century onwards. Given this richness of printed versions, it is striking that there were only a few oral versions. [PRW]1
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    GHHB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/2917
  • Roud No
    17755 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Fishermen / Mothers / Sweethearts / Oceans & seas / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Grief
    Subject date
    1873-03-28 / 28 March 1873 (Walz and Engle, 2018)
    Synopsis
    The Newfoundland ship, Thorwaldsen, sails from port as a mother and a sweetheart of crew members look on from shore. They will grieve, as the ship will not return. On the way home, the ship is hit by a storm and all aboard perish. The wreck washes up on the shore of Newfoundland. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 290-291.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 2 / Female (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Waltz, R. B., and D. G. Engle., 2018. The Ballad Index. [online] http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/GrMa143.html [Accessed 28 November 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    7315 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Oceans & seas / Sea captains (fishing) / Fishermen / Ships / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Eggs (food) / Birds / Hunting / Icebergs / Misfortune
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Two “jinkers” (bringers of bad luck, or simple incompetents) cause trouble aboard ship. For lack of better men, Jimmie Walsh and Stephen are taken aboard the narrator's schooner. The crew feared bad weather because of the jinkers. The crew go hunting for puffins and their eggs on the Funk Islands, but the jinkers are not given a share of the eggs. When the jinkers are at the wheel and lookout, the ship is almost wrecked on a small iceberg (a “growler”). The entire fishing season is a strain because of the jinkers on board, and the narrator will not go fishing again because of the jinkers. [MET]
    Source
    Doyle, G. S., ed. (1940). The old time songs and poetry of Newfouindland. 2nd ed. St. John's: Gerald S. Doyle. p. 11.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Devine, Patrick Kevin (GEST, no date).
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Gerald S. Doyle
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'Two jinkers'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://www.gestsongs.com/11/ellenmunn.htm [Accessed 3 July 2018].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/cns/id/69812
  • Roud No
    V44864 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Fortune (Newfoundland) / Fishermen / Sea captains / Prime ministers / Ships / Rowing boats / Shipwrecks / Hunger / Sydney (Nova Scotia) / Frostbite / Hospitals
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    Two fishermen from Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, are shipwrecked and spend fourteen days in a dory (rowboat) without food or water. They are finally rescued by a passing ship, and the captain takes them to Sydney, Nova Scotia, where they are hospitalized. As they are recovering from frostbite and hunger, they are visited by the Premier of Newfoundland, who orders that they be treated well. [MET]
    Source
    Burke, J., ed. (1912?). Burke's ballads. St. John's, Newfoundland: John Burke. pp. 21-22.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 4
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Burke, Johnny (?)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    John Burke
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/6...
  • Roud No
    28981 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Sea captains / Sailors / Townspeople / Priests / Ships / Sea storms / Winds / Fog / Main sails / Compasses / Shipwrecks / Death at sea / Helplessness / Prayers
    Subject date
    1878 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    A storm hits the coast of Newfoundland, and several boats are in trouble. Captain Tom Hann tries to steer his ship safely to shore, first hoisting and then lowering his mainsail. In the wind and fog, his boat founders on a rock. All are lost, while those on land watch helplessly. After the storm, the people see the wreckage, and led by their priest, say the rosary. During the same storm, a ship captained by Boyles Murphy is also in trouble with a broken compass. Trying to steer for shore, two members of the crew are swept overboard and drown. The narrator observes this tragedy from his boat, which is also swamped by the storm. He cannot help them. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 15A Track 3
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 6
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Also known as Tobias Murphy and Tom Hann (GEST, no date). .

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Leonard, Peter (GEST, no date).
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'Tobias Murphy and Tom Hann'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online] Available at: http://gestsongs.com/23/tobias.htm [Accessed 2019-06-24].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/15A-03_51.htm
  • Roud No
    27067 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / <Sea captains> / <Ships> / Ice floes / Seal hunting / Shipwrecks / <Hauling on ropes> / <Hunger> / <Blindness> / <Praise of local people> / <Promises> / <Hospitality>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    The sealing ship, St. Patrick, under the command of Tom Casey, and with a crew of 28, leaves Carbonear, Newfoundland, for the sealing grounds of White Bay. They kill five seals early on, which is encouraging, but are then jammed in the ice of White Bay for two months. Finally free, they become ice-jammed in Stag Harbour Tickle, and tow the boat with ropes until the ship founders. Hungry, thirsty, and snow-blind, the crew abandons the ship and walks to Stag Harbour, where they are cared for by John Dooley and his wife. The narrator praises them for their hospitality. Eight crew members remain behind, while the rest board the ship, Kitty, commanded by Captain Kelly, and return home. They vow never to sail with Captain Casey again. [MET]
    Source
    Murphy, J., ed. (1925). Songs sung by old-time sealers of many years ago. St. John's, Newfoundland: James Murphy. pp. 3-5.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 30 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/compoundobject/collection/cns/id/3...
  • Roud No
    2973 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Sons / Fathers / Mothers / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Accidental death / Grief / Death from grief
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A young son remembers his father, and asks his mother when his father's ship will return. His mother replies that his father's ship is lost at sea in a hurricane. Mother and son both die of grief. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 224-225.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 / Male (Child) x 1 / Female (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Entitled: The Gentle Boy in Greenleaf and Mansfield.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/16/ship.htm
  • Roud No
    536 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws M7
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / London / Gentry / Daughters / Farmers / Lovers / Sea storms / Hunger / Death from exposure / Shipwrecks / Parental opposition (to courtship or marriage) / <Linnets> / <Doves> / Cross-dressing / <Bowers (apartments)>
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    To escape from her father, who is trying to prevent their marriage, William and Harriet go to sea together. Their ship sinks and they are cast upon an island where they die of exposure and starvation [Laws 1957, p.183].
    Source
    The coal hole [and] William & Harriet (ca. 1813-1838). [broadside]. London: Catnach. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. Firth b.25(77)
    Characters
    Female (Adult) x 1 / Male (Adult) x 2
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1957). American balladry from British broadsides. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    DRC
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/8697
  • Roud No
    886 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Oceans & seas / <Stomach> / <River Nile> / Shipwrecks / Crocodiles / Mythical animals / Boats / <Trees> / <Drinks> / <Meat> / Travel / Boasting / Amazement / Trickery / Tall stories
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A man is shipwrecked, sees a giant crocodile and avoids getting eaten by climbing down its throat. He finds enough food and drink to last him for ten years, then when the beast dies he digs a hole to get out. [PB]
    Source
    The Wonderful crocodile (ca. 1850). [broadside]. Manchester: G. Jacques. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c. 16*(150)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    The Derby Ram (Roud 126)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    PB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/27749
  • Roud No
    24242 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Newfoundland and Labrador / Oceans & seas / Sailors / Sea captains / Ships / Shipwrecks / Sea storms / Rescuing
    Subject date
    1919-11-12 / 11 Dec 1919 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The steamship, Ethie, is caught in a storm, and through skillful seamanship, is run aground in Bonne Bay, Newfoundland, without loss of life. The Ethie leaves Daniel's Harbour, when several hours later, a raging storm threatens to sink the ship. But the purser, first mate, and captain use their skills to run the ship aground off of Martin's Point. Those on shore rig a boatswain's chair to bring all ashore safely. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 277-280.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 3
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Easin, Burney
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'Wreck of the steamship Ethie'. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online]. Available at: http://gestsongs.com/07/ethie.htm [Accessed 4 July 2018]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/07/ethie.htm
  • Roud No
    30132 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Corner Brook (Newfoundland) / Sailors / Sea captains / First mates / Bo'suns / Scots / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Rigging (boats & ships) / Lifeboats (shipboard) / Death at sea / Blame / Government / Politicians / Lighthouses
    Subject date
    1881 or 1883 (GEST, no date).
    Synopsis
    The ship, Jane Hunter, leaves Corner Brook, Newfoundland, and encounters a storm. The ship is wrecked on the rocks. The captain is sick, and the first mate and bos’un first ordered the crew to climb the rigging, and then to abandon ship in the lifeboat. Three Scottish sailors jump overboard, but only one survives. The dead and dying cling to wreckage. The captain breaks his arm and succumbs. The narrator blames the government for not placing a lighthouse on shore to prevent shipwrecks, and urges the politicians to think of those who died. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 10A Track 14
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 6
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    GEST (no date). 'John Cutter '. GEST songs of Newfoundland and Labrador. [online] Available at: http://gestsongs.com/20/cutter.htm [Accessed 2019-06-02]
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/10A-14_51.htm
  • Roud No
    30147 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Cape Broyle (Newfoundland) / Townspeople / Local characters / Cobblers / Shipwrecks / Food / Bread / Jam / Soup / Rice / Macaroni / Ropes / Shoes / Water pipes / Marine salvage / Taxes
    Subject date
    1926-10-29 / 29 Oct 1926 (Waltz and Engle, 2019)
    Synopsis
    The ship, Toravan, is wrecked off of Cape Broyle, Newfoundland. People come from all along the coast to salvage what they can from the ship. Among the items salvaged are bread, jam, bouillon cubes, rice, macaroni, lead pipes, and rope, some of it later sold by the salvagers. The narrator mentions several of the salvagers, and notes that items from the wreck are in cupboards all along the coast, with no tax paid on the items. The narrator suggests that if a local shoemaker charges too much, there are shoes to be found in the harbor. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 2 Tape 1 Track 1
    Characters
    Unspecified (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    The actual name of the wrecked ship was The Torhamvan (Waltz and Engle, 2019).

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Waltz, R. B. and Engle, D. G. (2020). 'Wreck of the Torhamvan, The (The Wreck of the Toravan)'. The ballad index. [online]. Available at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/ML3Tormh.html [Accessed 2021-04-04].
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    https://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD2/1-01_51.htm
  • Roud No
    1174 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / <Dungeness> / Sea captains / Sailors / Northfleet (ship) / <English Channel> / <Steamships> / <Anchors (boats & ships)> / <Shooting> / Drowning / <Crying> / Fear / Shipwrecks / <First mates> / <Terror> / <Emigrants> / <Wood (material)> / Collisions (transport accidents) / Death at sea / Bravery
    Subject date
    1873-01-22 / 22 Jan 1873
    Synopsis
    An emigrant ship, the Northfleet, is laying at anchor at Dungeness, when a Spanish steamer crashes into her, but carries on without any offers of assistance. The Northfleet rapidly begins to sink and all rush for the lifeboats. The Captain orders that the women and children take the boats first, and shoots a man who disobeys him. He then gives his wife into the care of his First Mate - and goes down with the ship. The song ends with prayers and tears for those lost. [RAS]
    Source
    The Wreck of the Northfleet [sleeve notes]. In: Upton, H. 2001. Up in the North and Down in the South [CD]. Stroud: Musical Traditions Records. MTCD311-2. P. 6. Track 1/2.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 + / Female (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Male Female
    Song history
    Notes

    This is the true story of a shipwreck which took place on the night of 22nd January 1873. Surprisingly, there appear to be no broadsides.

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    RAS
    Example text
    URL
  • Roud No
    V15646 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Sailors / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / London (ship) / Steamships / Ships' passengers / Brooke, Gustavus Vaughan, 1818-1866
    Subject date
    1866-01-11 / 11January 1866
    Synopsis
    The passengers happiness turns to terror as the ship founders. The Captain and Gustavus Brookes try to save the ship without success. [CPB]
    Source
    Wreck of the London [and] Beautiful isle of the sea! (1866-1873). [broadside]. Manchester: Pearson. Held at: Manchester: Chetham's Library. Axon Ballad Collection No. 80
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.chethams.org.uk/axon_ballads/080.htm
  • Roud No
    4417 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Laws dD35
    Subject terms
    Renews-Cappahayden (Newfoundland) / <Cape Spear (Newfoundland)> / Oceans & seas / <Sea captains> / Ships' passengers / Ocean liners / Sea storms / Rescuing / Accidental death / Grief / Loss at sea (person) / Shipwrecks
    Subject date
    1918-02-23 / 23 Feb 1918
    Synopsis
    The passenger ship, S. S. Florizel, wrecks on the rocks near Renews, Newfoundland, with the loss of many lives. The ship sails despite an impending storm, which hits as the ship rounds Cape Spear. Neither Captain Martin nor the passengers are concerned, as the Florizel is a sturdy ship. Near Renews, the ship strikes a rock and many passengers are washed overboard. The ship sends a distress signal and a ship comes to the rescue of the remaining passengers. A gloom is cast on the homes of those lost. [MET]
    Source
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. pp. 283-284.
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Endacott, Joan (words) / Freeman, Harvey (music)
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Laws, G. M. (1964). Native American balladry. Revised edition. Philadelphia: American Folklore Society
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://gestsongs.com/01/florizel.htm
  • Roud No
    V15645 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    At sea setting / Sailors / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / London (ship) / <Rescuing> / <Australia> / Steamships / Ships' passengers / Bay of Biscay / Brooke, Gustavus Vaughan, 1818-1866 / Martin, J.B., -1866 / Falmouth
    Subject date
    1866-01-11 / 11January 1866
    Synopsis
    The emigrant ship London sets out for Australia but founders in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. The crew and passenger try to save the ship. A minster leads prayers. Nineten people escape in a boat and return to Falmouth. [CPB]
    Source
    The bonnie bunch o' roses O [and] The Wreck of the London (ca. 1866). [broadside]. No imprint. Held at: Oxford: Bodleian Library. 2806 c.13(149)
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1 +
    Song voice
    Unspecified
    Song history
    Notes

    Comparative songs
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Indexer
    CPB
    Example text
    URL
    http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/view/sheet/6713
  • Roud No
    6468 [Click on the Roud number to search for variants of this song]
    Other nums
    Subject terms
    Montreal / Boston (Massachusetts) / Gloucester (Massachusetts) / St John's (Newfoundland) / Railway construction personnel / Fishermen / <Sea captains (fishing)> / River boats / Ships / Sea storms / Shipwrecks / Being swept overboard / Accidental death / Leaving home / Robbery / Working conditions / Travel
    Subject date
    Synopsis
    A group of Newfoundlanders leave home to work on a railroad near Montreal, but the work is too hard, so they go to Halifax. There they are employed on a riverboat, but are robbed of their wages. From there they go to Boston, and then Gloucester, where they sign onto the fishing vessel, Morning's Gloom, heading for George's Bank. They are hit by a severe storm, which carries them dangerously close to the Newfoundland coast. As the ship is wrecked, seven of the fourteen fishermen are washed overboard, but the rest reach safety in St John's, Newfoundland, where they recount their experiences. The narrator concludes by claiming that the George's Bank fishery is the most dangerous. [MET]
    Source
    Leach, M., ed. (2004). MacEdward Leach and the songs of Atlantic Canada. [online]. St John's: Memorial University of Newfoundland. NFLD 1 Tape 11A Track 10
    Characters
    Male (Adult) x 1
    Song voice
    Male
    Song history
    Notes

    An earlier, more fragmentary version, appears in Greenleaf and Mansfield (1933, pp. 306-3070; the song is also known as The Shea Gang (Peacock 1965, p. 916).

    Comparative songs
    Fifteen ships on George's Banks (Roud 2229)
    Author / Composer
    Date composed
    Printer / Publisher
    Named singer
    Named venue
    Bib. ref(s)
    Greenleaf, E. B. and Mansfield, G. Y., eds. (1933). Ballads and sea songs of Newfoundland. Reprint 1968. Hatboro, PA: Folklore Associates. / Peacock, K. (1965). Songs of the Newfoundland outports. Ottawa: National Museum of Canada.
    Indexer
    MET
    Example text
    URL
    http://www.mun.ca/folklore/leach/songs/NFLD1/11A-10.htm