Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl - Nicolia, by Holly Near

Subject: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl
From: GUEST,Rachel B.
Date: 16 Mar 16 - 04:42 AM

I learned this song in summer camp in CO in about 1977 or so. I cannot find any mention of it anywhere. Here is what I can remember of it:

Nikolaya girl, worked inside a factory

[...]

Nikolaya girl, found a book called "ORGANIZE"
And she understood every word to her suprise
With a small boat and a modest crew
They made a big wave on the ocean blue

[...]
And she's sailing, sailing now



That is all I can remember. It is a beautiful song and I wish I could hear it and sing it again.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl
From: GUEST,#
Date: 16 Mar 16 - 08:49 PM

Google

"Nicolia Girl, worked inside a factory"

Two sites will show on your screen. Good luck.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl
From: GUEST,#
Date: 16 Mar 16 - 09:07 PM

' ("Nicolia girl, worked inside a factory/Never saw the sun, never saw the summer sea . . . Dreamed one day she'd meet a prince/but she's been real disappointed since . . . One day she read a book called Organize/And she understood every word, to her surprise") '

That's from the blog site: May 27(?), 2007 entry

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl
From: cnd
Date: 16 Mar 16 - 09:13 PM

It's called "Nicolia" and copyright 1976 by Holly Near. Here is the whole lyrics from the site:

Nicolia girl worked inside a factory
She never saw the sun, never felt the summer sea
Nicolia girl found a book called Organize
And she understood every word to her surprise

With a small boat and a novice crew
They made a great big wave on the ocean blue
Nicolia girl, had a big idea somehow
And she's sailing, sailing now
©1976 HOLLY NEAR, HEREFORD MUSIC

http://www.scribd.com/doc/178137523/Communities-Magazine-24-Jan-1977-Building-Community#scribd

It was released on the album "Holly Near With Jeff Langley ‎– You Can Know All I Am," Redwood Records RR-3600

https://www.discogs.com/Holly-Near-With-Jeff-Langley-You-Can-Know-All-I-Am/release/1674066

Here's an audio recording of part of it
http://www.jdavidmoore.net/audio/Nicolia.mp3

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Mar 16 - 10:12 AM

I am so incredibly grateful!! It's been like an itch in my brain for weeks now! Thank you so so so much.

Subject: ADD: Nicolia (Holly Near)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 05 Jul 17 - 02:28 AM

Can't remember who sent this to me by email: We learned a new song in class it is called "Nicolia". It is about a girl in a factory. And she wants to live on a boat. We learned this song a few days ago. We talked about standing up for the life you want and what it means for people to organize and come together. The song also has a harmony so you have one big group and you split them in half, the first group sings "O-harbor won't you harbor me?" and the second group sings "harbor me, harbor me!" Here are the words…


NICOLIA
(Holly Near)

If Nicolia had a boat
And Nicolia made it her home
If Nicolia sang a song
She would sing O-Harbor me!

Verse 1
Nicolia girl worked inside a factory
She never saw the sun
Never felt the summer sea
She dreamed one day she'd meet a prince
But she's been real disappointed since

Chorus
Nicolia girl got a big idea somehow
And she's sailing, sailing now

Verse 2
Nicolia girl found a book called "Organize!"
And she understood all the words to her suprise
So with an old sail and a novice crew
She's made great big waves on the ocean blue

Chorus

Verse 3
Nicolia girl sings her favorite working song
To let the people know that it's time to move along
Small boats on a mighty sea
Small girls in a factory

Chorus

Now Nicolia has a boat
And Nicolia has made it her home
And Nicolia sings a song
And she sings O-Harbor me!

Harmony
O-won't you harbor me?
Harbor me, harbor me

Source: http://thedowntownschool.org/2017/04/01/week-of-march-27th-2017/

This song is on page 257 of the Rise Up Singing Songbook.

I haven't found a recording of the song, and I didn't find the song on Holly Near's Website, http://www.hollynear.com/lyrics.html

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl - Nicolia, by Holly Near
From: GUEST,Jean Crossle
Date: 18 Nov 20 - 11:05 PM

Hollis Near song. In Rise up Singing

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl - Nicolia, by Holly Near
From: GUEST,jan alovus
Date: 26 Aug 23 - 01:14 PM

Re Joe Offer's comment some years back - I have always taken this song to be a union organizing song and the boat is used as a metaphor. I learned it decades ago and have sung it on Labor Day now and again

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nikolaya Girl - Nicolia, by Holly Near
From: GUEST,jan alovus
Date: 26 Aug 23 - 01:14 PM

Re Joe Offer's comment some years back - I have always taken this song to be a union organizing song and the boat is used as a metaphor. I learned it decades ago and have sung it on Labor Day now and again