Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away

Subject: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: Weasel
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 02:39 PM

Does anybody know the correct lyrics for this song (Idon't mean educated guesses) The verse

"May the sun shine bright through the London fog
Or the River run quite clear
Or the ocean's brine be turned to wine
Or I forget me beer

Or I forget me beer me boys
Or the landlord's......."

The landlord's what?

I've seen "Quart a day", "Quarter day", "Quarter pay"

Does anybody know for certain what it should be?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 02:50 PM

Not making any guesses with regard to words, just throwing in what seems a peculiarity in the words quoted; the impression is of an English song from the first line, but isn't "quite" the American idiom? That is, to say something is "quite good" means "excellent" in American usage, as far as I learnt anyway, but in English usage means "fairly good". Or, "it's no' bad" in Scots English.
Someone is sure to know whether a "quart a day" were part of a sailor's/soldier's rations.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: RTim
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 02:52 PM

A Hampshire Version - Tim Radford

BLOW THE WINDS.
Oh for a brave & valiant Barque,
a brisk & a lively breeze
A bully crew & a captain too,
to carry me over the seas.
To carry me over the seas my boys,
to carry my love so gay.
She taken a trip on a government ship,
Ten thousands miles away.
Chorus -
So Blow the winds I O,
& a sailing I will go,
I’ll stay no more on England’s shore
so let the music play
I’ll start by the morning train
to cross the raging main
For I’m on the move to my own true love
Ten Thousand miles away.

My true love she is beautiful,
my true love she is young,
Her eyes are blue as the violet’s hue,
And silvery sounds her tongue.
And silvery sounds her tongue, my boys,
But while I sing this lay, she doing the grand
In a distant land ten thousand miles away.

I wish I was but a bosun bold or only a bombardier,
I’d hire a boat & hurry afloat,
And straight to me love would steer.
And straight to me love would steer,
Where the dancing dolphins play
Where the whales & the sharks are having their larks
Ten Thousand miles away.

The sun may shine through a London fog,
The Thames run bright and clear.
The ocean’s brine may urn to wine,
I may forget my beer
I may forget my beer, my boys
And the landlord’s quarter day, but I’ll not depart
From my own sweet heart,
Ten Thousand miles away.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 02:57 PM

Ah, "Landlord" who collects rent, not one who dispenses Wines and Spirits.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: GUEST,Phil d'Conch
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 03:05 PM

Mainly Nofolk: Ten Thousand Miles Away / Blow the Winds High-O

wiki: Ten Thousand Miles Away

"The Scottish Student's Song Book gives the author as "J. B. Geoghegan".[2] This is Joseph Bryan Geoghegan (c. 1816 – 1889) who was manager of the Star and Museum Music Hall in Bolton, Lancashire...

Verse 5

    Oh! the sun may shine through a London fog. and the Thames run bright and clear,
    The oceans' brine be turned to wine, And I may forget my beer -
    And I may forget my beer, my boys, And the landlord's quarter-day;
    But I'll never part from myy own sweetheart, Ten thousand miles away!" [wiki]

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 03:28 PM

Already threads on this Geoghegan song.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 04:30 PM

In British and Irish tradition, the quarter days were the four dates in each year on which servants were hired, school terms started, and rents were due.

Original dates; Lady Day (25 March); Midsummer Day (24 June); Michaelmas (29 September); Christmas (25 December)

The British tax year still starts on "Old" Lady Day; 6 April under the Gregorian calendar corresponded to 25 March under the Julian calendar (the eleven days the new-style calendar advanced in 18th century plus one day due to the twelfth skipped Julian leap day in 1800).

From Wikipedia, thank you.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: Joe_F
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 06:14 PM

A.B.C.D.: I am an American, and my notion of "quite" is almost opposite to yours: In British usage, it means "entirely" ("Quite so!"), and in colloquial American, "rather" ("He was quite sick").

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: GUEST,Starship
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 06:37 PM

http://boundingmain.com/lyrics/capital_ship.htm

See notes at the end of the song lyrics.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: An Buachaill Caol Dubh
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 06:59 PM

@Joe_F: how very interesting; maybe things have changed in forty years, or perhaps different areas of USA have different idioms ( that wouldn't be unusual), or maybe the information I got was too definite. I have, however, encountered references to these two senses on at least three occasions with regard specifically to the idea of being "divided by a common language". Mind you, "quite so", or "the glass is quite empty" (ie "entirely") are certainly idiomatic here. Now, however, the glass is significantly fuller... and now, slightly less so. Good Luck!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Ten thousand miles away
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 19 Mar 20 - 10:28 PM

Gosh, I'm really glad to be reminded of this. I used to play this with me old mucker Martin Cole (who did almost everything, with me just playing the harmonica!), but it's got to be over twenty years since we last did it and I'd forgotten about it. We'd follow it with the Sailor's Hornpipe!