LSC Song Book - The Farewell Shanty

It seems oddly fitting to start a series of blogs on our songbook with the song we usually sing last.

"The Farewell Shanty," also sometimes called "The Padstow Farewell," is a poignant sea shanty that speaks of farewells and the last trip to the afterlife.

While many sea shanties celebrate returning to port, this one faces the opposite direction, towards departure.

Mervyn Vincent's Role

The song is generally credited to Mervyn Vincent, a Cornish fisherman and singer from near Padstow, Cornwall, England. According to The Journal of Blue Lou Logan, there are different stories about the song's origin. One version says that Vincent discovered the words in an old chapbook and set them to music. Another says that Alan Molyneaux found it tucked away in a book at Plymouth Library and passed it on to Vincent.

A Relatively Recent Addition

Despite its powerful imagery and emotional depth, "The Farewell Shanty" is considered a relatively recent addition to the shanty canon. It doesn't appear in older collections like those of Stan Hugill, a renowned expert on sea shanties.

Themes of Departure and the Unknown

The lyrics evoke a sense of finality and embarkation on a journey to another world. Some interpretations link it to the Celtic tradition of the "funeral ship," where the ship symbolizes a protector for travelers to the afterlife.

A Lasting Legacy

Regardless of its exact origins, "The Farewell Shanty" has resonated with singers and audiences alike. Its haunting melody and evocative lyrics capture the bittersweet emotions of saying goodbye and venturing into the unknown. As Futtock Shrouds notes, "There are many versions of the song's history but we know one solid fact: we often sing it as a final song and it's not an easy one to stop singing."

Lyrics

It is time to go now

Haul away your anchor.

Haul away your anchor,

’Tis our sailing time.

Get some sail upon her,

Haul away your halyards.

Haul away your halyards,

’Tis our sailing time.

Get her on her course now,

Haul away your fore-sheets.

Haul away your fore-sheets,

’Tis our sailing time.

Feel the seas run under,

Haul away down channel.

Haul away down channel,

On the evening tide.

When my days are over,

Haul away to heaven.

Haul away to heaven,

God be by my side.