Tune Req: As Slow Our Ship (Thomas Moore)

Subject: Anyone heard of 'As Slow Our Ship'?
From: Mbo
Date: 25 Oct 99 - 09:56 PM

I have just found a poem by Thomas Moore called "As Slow Our Ship" and was wandering if anyone knew if this had a tune like the other Thomas Moore compositions, because I'd love to hear it. By the way, the poetry book I got it from calls it "As Slow Our Ship" but if you take it's repeated refrain it might elsewhere be called "Those We've Left Behind."

--Mbo

Subject: RE: Anyone heard of 'As Slow Our Ship'?
From: Bruce O.
Date: 26 Oct 99 - 01:43 AM

Moore's song, with it's tune of "The girl I left behind me", was #2 in the 7th issue of A Selection of Irish Melodies (*1818). See the Irish tune index at www.erols.com/olsonw for that and other early copies of the tune, and Scarce Songs 1 for "The girl I left beind me", song and tune.

Subject: RE: Anyone heard of 'As Slow Our Ship'?
From: Fergie
Date: 21 Mar 05 - 02:23 PM

The air is "The Girl I've Left Behind Me" also known as "Brighton Camp" and is also the air used for "The Waxies Dargle"
Fergus

Subject: RE: Anyone heard of 'As Slow Our Ship'? (Thos Moore)
From: asirovedout
Date: 22 Mar 05 - 06:25 AM

Sharon Fountain (see other threads for contacts) wrote a nice tune for it, recorded on her CD 'Songs Almost Sung'.

@

Subject: RE: Tune Req: As Slow Our Ship (Thomas Moore)
From: GUEST,Sharon
Date: 25 Apr 05 - 07:37 PM

The title of the original poem by Thos Moore is 'The Journey Onward'
I made up a tune (I think) because I liked the words of the poem - haven't heard any other versions of it but I am sure they exist!
Having said that...is there any such thing as an 'original' tune? Tunes tend to just lodge somewhere and reappear later!

Subject: Lyr & Tune Add: As Slow Our Ship
From: masato sakurai
Date: 26 Apr 05 - 06:08 AM

X:1
T:As Slow Our Ship
T:(Air--The Girl I Left Behind Me)
M:2/4
L:1/8
S:A Selection of Irish Melodies, vol. II, Dublin: Robinson and Bussell, n.d.[18??], pp. 145-48
K:Dm
f|d B A3/2 G/|A3/2 F/ D3/2 E/|F3/2 F/ F/G/ A/B/|c3/2B/ A f|
w:As slow our ship her foam-y track A-gainst the wind_ was_ cleav - ing, Her
d B A/ G3/2|A3/2 F/ D3/2 E/|F3/2 G/ A3/4G/4F/ E/|D2 D c|
w:trembl-ing pen-nant still look'd back To that dear isle__ 'twas leav-ing. So
A c d3/2 e/|f3/2 c/ A F|A3/2 c/ d e|f2 e f|
w:loath we part from all we love, From all the links that bind us, So
d B A3/2 G/|A3/2 F/ D3/2 E/|F3/2 G/ A3/4G/4F/ E/|D2 D z|]
w:turn our hearts, wher-e'er we rove, To those we've left__ be-hind us.

1. As slow our ship her foamy track
Against the wind was cleaving,
Her trembling pennant still look'd back
To that dear isle 'twas leaving.
So loath we part from all we love,
From all the links that bind us,
So turn our hearts, where'er we rove,
To those we've left behind us.

2. When round the bowl of vanish'd years
We talk, with joyous seeming,
And smiles, that might as well be tears,
So faint, so sad their beaming,
While mem'ry brings us back again
Each early tie that twin'd us,
Oh! sweet's the cup that circles then
To those we've left behind us!

3. And, when in other climes we meet
Some isle or vale enhanting,
Where all looks flow'ry, wild, and sweet,
And nought but love is wanting;
We think how great had been our bliss,
If Heav'n had but assign'd us
To live and die in scenes like this,
With some we've left behind us!

4. As trav'llers oft look back, at eve,
When eastward darkly going,
To gaze upon that light they leave
Still faint behind them glowing.
So, when the close of pleasure's day
To gloom hath near consign'd us,
We turn to catch one fading ray
Of joy that's left beind us!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: As Slow Our Ship (Thomas Moore)
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 26 Apr 05 - 09:22 AM

As I understand it, Moore didn't write songs, he wrote poems. Others selected tunes later in order to sing his lyrics. In this case, I think using "The Girl I Left Behind Me" is a bad idea. The poem is sad in tone, while the tune is idiotically cheerful. Time for a new tune!

Subject: RE: Tune Req: As Slow Our Ship (Thomas Moore)
From: Snuffy
Date: 27 Apr 05 - 09:03 AM

idiotically cheerful? depends how you play it.

And the poem was published with that tune over 30 years before Moore's death, so presumably he was fairly happy with it.