| AKA | Dark is the night |
| First Published | 1897 |
| Lyrics | Arthur J Lamb | Music | HW Petrie | Roud | RN23790 |
| Music Hall Performers | GH Chirgwin |
| Folk performances | Source Singers Copper, Jim 1936 England : Sussex [Male singer] 1975 England : Yorkshire Ellaway, Arthur 1977 England : Gloucestershire Modern performances |
Stormy the night and the waves roll high Bravely the ship doth ride Hark while the lighthouse bell's solemn cry Rings o'er the sullen tide There on the deck see two lovers stand Heart to heart beating and hand in hand Though death be near, she knows no fear While at her side is one of all most dear. Loudly the bell in the old tower rings Bidding us list to the warning it brings Sailor take care, sailor take care Danger is near thee, beware, beware. Beware, beware. Many brave hearts are asleep in the deep So beware, beware. Many brave hearts are asleep in the deep So beware, beware. What of the storm when the night is o'er There is no trace or sign Save where the wreckage has strewn the shore Peaceful the sun doth shine But when the wild raging storm did cease Under the billows two hearts found peace No more to part, no more of pain The bell may now toll its warning in vain.
Asleep in the Deep was a popular early 20th century parlour ballad, sung by bass opera singers like Norman Allin (1884-1973) and Peter Dawson (1882-1962). The song comes from the minstrel entertainers – it was written and composed by two former blackface minstrels: the words were by Arthur J Lamb (1870 – 1928) whose greatest hit was Only a bird in a gilded cage, the music by Henry W Petri (1857 – 1925).
George H Chirgwin (1854-1924), a blackface Music Hall performer with a repertoire of tear-jerking songs, sang a parody of this song.
The song has been collected from a couple of traditional source singers, and was in Jim Copper’s song book. At the moment I have been unable to access the recordings or the song book of Jim Copper so I’m not sure whether they are singing the original or a parody. I suspect it’s more likely that they picked this song up from sources other than the music hall stage…but more work to do here!
Sources:
- Entries in the Roud Indexes at the Vaughn Williams Memorial Library: https://archives.vwml.org/search/all:single[folksong-broadside-books]/0_50/all/score_desc/extended-roudNo_tr%3A23790
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Miall and Turner: A song at twilight
- Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
- Mudcat thread
- Sheet music:University of Illinois at Chicago
Chirgwin’s parody:
Last Updated on August 26, 2021 by John Baxter | Published: September 3, 2020
