LOVELY NANCY – Trad. Somerset, collected by Cecil Sharp
Sung by Stewart Hendrickson
Farewell, my lovely Nancy, for it’s now I must leave you,
All on the salt seas I am bound for to go;
But let my long absence be no trouble to you,
For I shall return in the spring, as you know.
Like some pretty little sea boy, I will dress and go with you
In the deepest of danger, I will stand as your friend;
In the cold stormy weather, when the winds are a-blowing,
My dear I’ll be willing to wait upon you then.
Well, your pretty little hands they can’t handle our tackle,
And your dainty little feet on our topmast can’t go;
And the cold stormy weather, love, you can’t well endure,
I would have you ashore, when the raging winds do blow.
So fare you well my lovely Nancy, since it’s now I must leave you,
All on the salt seas I am bound for to go;
But you must be safe, and be loyal and constant,
For I shall return in the spring, as you know.
In "A Selection of Some Less Known FOLK-SONGS," Vol. 2, arr. by Cecil J. Sharp, R. Vaughn Williams, and others, compiled by Cyril Winn (© 1909). Novello, London. p. 32.
Recorded by Ian Campbell in "Blow The Man Down, Sea Songs and Shanties."