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18 Dec 21 - 06:20 PM (#4129340) Subject: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips I couldn't seem to find any lyrics for this song recorded by Artie Trezise so I thought I'd take a stab at adding them. I think I have most of it although I wasn't sure about a word in the third verse, "and the onward ??? do roll." It sounds like it should be obvious but I'm drawing a blank. NANCY BELL As sung by Artie Trezise A sailor and his ain true love went out one day to walk To view the fields and valleys and to have a pleasant talk To hear the wee birds whistle and the lark in the air soar high For it is so nice and charming for to hear the young ones cry And for every sigh that Nancy gave it was for her Jimmy dear And on her red and rosy cheek shone mony's the sorrowful tear For I hear you're going to leave me love and it grieves my heart fu' sair For I hear that you're bound for the West in days, and ne'er to return again Oh my Nancy, oh my Nancy, I'm sorry to complain But who has put in your fancy love, that I'll never return again? For when I'm on the ocean wide and the onward ??? do roll I will crown ye queen o' my Nancy Bell, you're the girl I do adore So she's tain the ring frae off her finger and gaed it to her true love Saying "Tak ye this my Jimmy as a token o' true love" Saying "Tak ye this my Jimmy and wear it on your right hand, "It will keep ye in mind o'a broken heart when you're oot in a foreign land" So he's lifted up his anchor, the ship being ready to sail Doon the Firth and awa' he went wi' a soothing pleasant gale Aye doon the Firth and awa' he went, the water being cauld and clear And it's there that he's tain his last fare weel to the girl he loves sae dear Sae fair thee weel until bonny Dundee for it is my native shore And thrice fare weel tae Nancy Bell, she's the girl I do adore And if I should return again, as I hope someday that I will I will mak' ye my ain sweet wedded wife, and me charming Nancy Bell |
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18 Dec 21 - 06:23 PM (#4129341) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips Just occurred to me that "Firth" is probably more likely "Forth." |
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18 Dec 21 - 06:43 PM (#4129343) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: Reinhard The Roud Index has three entries for Nancy Bell as Roud 5289, from Co. Clare and Co. Donegal, but none from Scotland. Kevin Mitchell sang Nancy Bell on his 1977 Topic album of Irish songs and ballads, "Free and Easy". In this version the ship's not sailing from the Forth but from Loch Foyle. |
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18 Dec 21 - 06:55 PM (#4129344) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips Yes the Kevin Mitchell version is the closest to this. I wonder if Artie Trezise has refashioned the words himself from a Scottish perspective. I found this transcription of the sleeve notes for the Kevin Mitchell version: >>This refashioning of the English song Pleasant and Delightful, in its turn a fragment of Farewell Nancy (see Topic 12T110 and Collinson and Dillon, “Songs from the Countryside”), comes from Cornie McDaid, sexton of Cockhill Church, Buncrana. It’s not so economical as the English versions, it tells less story in more verses and the last two are additions in the characteristic form for the end of emigration or leave-taking songs, but in itself it’s an engaging song. It’s less emotionally intense and more reflective than its “foreign” counterparts. Farewell Nancy is sung, in one shape or another, moderately commonly in Ireland but I’ve never heard it as thoroughly remade as in this case. Despite temptation and the name “Nancy Bell” there is no connection between this song and Lord Lovel (Child 75). |
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19 Dec 21 - 05:35 AM (#4129362) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: Reinhard James, the very terse sleeve notes on Cilla Fisher & Artie Trezise's album "Balcanquhal" say: "Thanks to [...] George Wishart of Flisk for Nancy Bell", so the song was possibly/probably already localised to East Scotland when Artie Trezise learned it. |
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19 Dec 21 - 05:41 AM (#4129363) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: Reinhard I think it's "and the onward billows do roll". |
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19 Dec 21 - 09:00 AM (#4129368) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips Thanks for that sleeve note Reinhard. I had tried squinting at a very low resolution image of the back of the album but couldn't make out the words. |
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19 Dec 21 - 09:05 AM (#4129371) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips And yes you're probably right about "billows." I found a couple of instances of nautical references to rolling billows in obscure old poems online. |
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19 Dec 21 - 10:41 AM (#4129376) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: Reinhard According to my empirical dataset (lyrics on MN), billows do roar, preferably loudly or thundering, much more often (19 times) than they do roll (just one time, in Will Your Anchor Hold) ;-) |
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20 Dec 21 - 02:58 AM (#4129445) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: Jim McLean Obviously not “West in days”. West Indies. |
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21 Dec 21 - 05:55 PM (#4129591) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips Ha ha yes, obviously. Amazing how easy it is to hear it as something completely different. Also, a minor correction but "crown ye Queen o' my Nancy" should be "crown ye Queen oh my Nancy" |
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22 Dec 21 - 01:02 PM (#4129661) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: leeneia Thank you very much, James Phillips, for posting this song PLUS a source for the melody. This is the kind of post that puts a song back into circulation. |
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22 Dec 21 - 02:50 PM (#4129688) Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Nancy Bell (as sung by Artie Trezise) From: GUEST,James Phillips Thanks, Leeneia. That was my intention, since the rendition in question stood out as an absolute gem when I heard it. |