Sons of the sea

First Published 1897
Writer/composer Felix McGlennon Roud RN32467

Music Hall Performers Arthur Reece
Folk performances Collected from the singing of:
Keeping family, London England, 1930s		 

Have you heard the talk of foreign powers,
Building ships increasingly?
Do you know they watch this Isle of ours,
Watch their chances unceasingly?
Have you heard the millions they will spend,
Strengthening their fleets, and why?
They imagine they can break or bend
The nation that has oft made them fly
But one thing we possess, they forget, they forget
The lads in blue they've met, often met, often met.

Sons of the sea, all British born
Sailing every ocean, laughing foes to scorn
They may build their ships, my lads
And think they know the game
But they can't build boys of the bulldog breed
Who made old England's name.

Do you know they threaten to combine
Three to one's their bravery?
Do you know they'd like to sweep the brine
Bind us lads in slavery?
Have you heard they think that plates of steel
Plates of steel and guns will do?
But we know 'twas British hearts of oak
In every battle pulled us safely through
For one thing we possess, they forget, they forget
The lads in blue they've met, often met, often met.

If they'd know why Briton rules the waves
If they'd solve the mystery
If they'd know the deeds of Britain's braves
Let them read their history
Let them search the bottom of the seas
Where their battered hulks now lie
Let them build their puny ships of war
We build men prepared to do or die
There's one thing we possess, they forget, they forget
The lads in blue they've met, often met, often met.

Another patriotic song from the prolific songwriter and composer Felix McGlennon, in this case he wrote the music to words provided by Arthur Reece, who also performed the song. It was originally written in 1897, but was revived and republished beginning of the First World War.

Reece was a major star in the halls, but tended to only be remembered for this song. Many of the overly patriotic songs in this period have been forgotten, but this one lived on. This may be partly because Reece continued to perform it in Music Hall revival shows until the late 1950s.

Here is a contemporary review of an early performance by Arthur Reece:

May 28, 1898; The Licensed Victuallers’ Mirror 

The song became directly associated with the bravery of British sailors as a result of a peacetime tragedy. In April 19o8 during a heavy snowstorm at the mouth of the Solent, the cruiser Gladiator collided with the 800 berth passenger ship St Paul, and sank. As the sailors on Gladiator waited to board the lifeboats they stood to attention and sang this song, right up to the point where the ship keeled over and sank. Whilst a number of sailors survived by swimming to the shore, the collision and sinking claimed 28 sailors’ lives. Many newspapers reprinted the lyrics to the song as part of the story – the publicity around this event may have helped to keep the song in the public attention.

It is perhaps not surprising that the song was successfully parodied, see the entry for Bobbing up and down like this

A recording from 1914:

Sources: