I sang this song in a Michigan public elementary school in the late 50's, early 60's. My mom remembered it, as well. It seems to me that any music that she knew from early elementary school came from ancient piano method books, and personal favorites of the only teacher in a rustic upper-peninsula one room school. This school teacher was also the only piano teacher for miles, and happened to live with my mother's family all through the depression.

The John Thompson books that I learned to play from contained many sailing and sea songs..."Drifting" (Light is thy bark, brother, rest(or bend) on your oars, fair are the winds and the tide..." Perhaps other earlier lesson texts give origins of those two songs.

Which leads me to ask: My sister and I have sung this duet for our whole lives...Does anyone know this song?
we think that it's called "On the Deep"-

On the deep around us,
towering billows rise-
In its fury bounding
to the dark'ning skies.
Leagues of angry ocean
lash to raging foam.
Wildly roar between us
and the light of home.


It would be nice to know anything about its history.
Thank you

Kathryn