| AKA | A gallant ship was sinking You take to the boat lads I’ll stick to the ship |
| First Published | 1893 |
| Writer/composer | Felix McGlennon | Roud | RN17057 |
| Music Hall Performers | Tom Costello |
| Folk performances | Collected from the singing of: Copper, Jim England : Sussex : 1936 Ferrill, Graham; USA 1963 (22 Jun) McKim, Nels; Canada : British Columbia, 1964 Costello, Cecilia; England : Warwickshire : 1967 Rudd, Walter ‘Tuddy’; England : Norfolk : 1975 Nellie; England : Hampshire : 1975 Whiting, Fred ‘Pip’; England : Suffolk : 1977 Palmer. Freda; England : Oxfordshire 1978 Copper, Bob; England : East Sussex : 1992 |
A gallant ship was labouring Labouring in the sea The Captain stood amongst his crew “Gather round” said he “This ship is doomed and sinking There on the lee is land Then launch the boats and pull away But here at my post I'll stand Goodbye, my lads, goodbye” I'll stick to the ship lads You save your lives I've no one to love me You've children and wives You take to the boats lads Praying to heaven above But I'll go down in the angry deep With the ship I love The crew stood hesitating Their hearts were staunch and true With tear-dimmed eyes spoke up the mate “Sir, we will die with you” The Captain cried “What? Mutiny? I am the Captain here So launch the boats and pull away And think of your children dear Goodbye, my lads, goodbye”
A song written by Felix McGlennon whose work was equally popular in the Halls and in the drawing rooms of respectable folk of late Victorian Britain. It was performed in the halls by Tom Costello, who sang it first in 1893 and kept performing it until the 1930s. It seems to have been popular throughout the English-speaking world.
The song was remembered by several late 20th-century traditional singers in England, the USA and Canada.
Here is Tom Costello singing it himself in the 1920s :
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%3A17057
- Kilgarrif Sing Us
- Lyrics: monologues.co.uk
- Canadian Sheet Music is available at archive.org
Last Updated on October 18, 2021 by John Baxter | Published: October 18, 2021
