{"id":13505,"date":"2021-11-06T18:35:04","date_gmt":"2021-11-06T18:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/?page_id=13505"},"modified":"2021-11-06T18:51:02","modified_gmt":"2021-11-06T18:51:02","slug":"grace-darling","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/folksongandmusichall.com\/index.php\/grace-darling\/","title":{"rendered":"Grace Darling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
AKA<\/strong><\/td>And she pulled away
The shipwrecked crew<\/td><\/tr>
First Published<\/td>1891<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Writer\/composer<\/td>Felix McGlennon<\/td>Roud<\/strong><\/td>RN1441<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Music Hall Performers<\/strong><\/td>Kate Harvey<\/td><\/tr>
Folk performances<\/strong><\/td>Collected from the singing of:<\/strong>
Tanner, Ada; England : Oxfordshire; 1926
Copper, Jim; England : Sussex : 1936
Repetto, Frances; Tristan da Cunha 1937-38
Phillips, Mrs.; England : Surrey : 1952
Mathieson, Willie; Scotland : Aberdeenshire 1952
Sykes, Annie; England : Yorkshire : 1967
Dolan, Mick; Australia : 1968
Tarrant, Thomas James; England : Suffolk : 1968
Barker, Sydney; England : Yorkshire; 1969
Pardon, Walter; England : Norfolk : 1974
Poleson, Andrew; Scotland :Shetland 1974
Walsh, Tom; Ireland : Co. Wexford : 1946
Modern performances<\/strong>
Megson, Paul and Elizabeth Davenport, Lal and Norma Waterson<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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GRACE DARLING.<\/strong>\nCopyright, 1891, by Frank Tousey.\nWords and Music by Felix McGlennon.\n\n'Twas on an ocean lighthouse there dwelt an English maid,\nPure as the air around her, of danger ne'er afraid;\nOne morning just at daybreak a storm-toss'd wreck she spied,\nAnd though to try seemed madness, \"I'll save the crew,\" she cried.\n\nAnd she pulled away o'er the rolling sea, over the waters blue;\nHelp! help! she could hear the cry of the shipwrecked crew;\nBut Grace had an English heart, And the raging storm she braved;\nShe pulled away, 'mid the dashing spray, and the crew she saved.<\/em>\n\nThey to the rock were clinging, a crew of nine all told,\nBetween them and the lighthouse the sea like mountains rolled;\nSaid Grace, \"Come, help me, father; we'll launch the boat,\" said she.\nHer father cried, 'Tis madness to face that raging sea! \" \n\nOne murmured prayer, \"Heaven guard us!\" and then they were afloat.\nBetween them And destruction the planks of that frail boat:\nThen spoke the maiden's father, \"Return or doomed are we!\"\nBut up spoke brave Grace Darling, \"Alone I'll brave the sea\" \n\nThey bravely rode the billows and reached the rock at length;\nThey saved the storm-tossed sailors, in heaven alone their strength;\nGo tell the wide world ever what British pluck can do,\nAnd sing of brave Grace Darling, who nobly saved the crew.<\/pre>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
A song based on the true story of a Northumbrian hero, though in some versions of the song she is described in the first line as an Irish maid<\/em>.  The original rescue took place in 1838 and while events may not have enfolded exactly as described in the song, Grace Darling was something of a Victorian obsession, with many  paintings, theatre productions and songs created to honour her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This particular song has been collected in slightly varying forms from traditional singers throughout the English-speaking world, for example the version by Walter Pardon held in The British Library Sound Archive<\/a>. Pardon’s singing of the song seems to have influenced the many folk revival singers who have sung it – see MainlyNorfolk site<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was originally performed on the Music Hall stage by Kate Harvey, having been written and composed by  Felix McGlennon<\/a>:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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 June 9, 1888; The Era<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Oct. 18, 1890; The Era<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Norma and Lal Waterson sing it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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