ADD: Come, Come Away (half-remembered song)

Subject: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: GUEST,M.Bill
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 01:21 PM

(Please forgive my singing…)

Does anyone recognize this old traditional song?

I am several months into trying to find any mention of it online and I’ve officially finished searching through all of my friends CDs and cassettes.

This is the first verse to the best of my memory:

Sample MP3

"Oh Come to the sea side and hear the wild waves.
On the dark rocks we’ll stand as the storm wildly raves.
And we’ll watch the white seagulls o’er tempest and spray.
For the mighty ocean ridge is fierce and loud.
Oh come come away."

The second and third verses start with:

" Oh come to the hedge row…
(Something about the blackthorn and bramble)…"

And

“Oh come to the meadow, with gay flowers all around…”

Exhaustive Google searches and AI only managed to find the first verse by lyrics and it turns out that it was a poem from an older book that someone wrote a few more verses for and turned into a song.

I remember hearing it first some time around 2006 in either CD or cassette format, but it may have been recorded way earlier. The whole album was English language acapella singing “field recordings” in the Sean-nós style. I had thought that the singer was either Paddy Berry or Paddy Tunney, but I couldn’t find it in the CDs that I could track down.

Any help or leads at all would be greatly appreciated. This has been driving me crazy.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 02:21 PM

I'm not coming up with anything. I emailed Martin Ryan near Galway to see if he can come up with anything - he's a longtime user of the Irish Traditional Music Archive.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Helen
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 02:33 PM

Guest M.Bill, do you remember who wrote the poem and which book it was in?

I've tried searching for lines from the lyrics you posted but no luck so far. The tune sounds vaguely familiar.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Reinhard
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 03:09 PM

RoudFS/S201853

COME COME AWAY

    First line: Oh come to the seaside to hear the wild waves
    Roud no: 5707    |   Sound recording   |   Audio
    Veteran VT 132 ('From Donegal and Back')
    Byrne, Packie   |   Northern Ireland - Co. Donegal

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Reinhard
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 03:26 PM

COME, COME AWAY
sung by Packie Byrne

O come to the seaside, to hear the wild waves,
On the dark rocks we’ll stand, whilst the storm wildly raves,
And we’ll watch the white seagulls, over tempest and spray,
Where the mighty ocean ridges fierce and loud,
O come, come away.

O come to the hedgerows, with gay flowers all bright,
See the daffodils dancing beneath the sunlight,
Where the blackthorn and bramble in harmony sway,
And the little birds are singing merrily,
O come, come away.

O come to the valley, let’s sit by the stream,
See the fast flowing waters reflect the sunbeam,
Where the lambs in the meadows are sporting in play,
And the whispering breezes tell us we’re in love,
O come, come away.

From Julie McNamara’s album liner notes:
A song probably made for consumption in respectable parlours accompanied by the strains of the genteel piano. However, this sort of song was far more popular among Irish traditional singers (as well as those in Britain) than has been admitted. It's of a type which originated early in the twentieth century.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: GUEST,M.Bill
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 03:36 PM

Wow Reinhard! Thank you. I definitely have a few songs from Packie Byrne. I can't tell you how much this all means to me!

Helen - Ramsay Colles' 1911 memoir, In Castle and Court House: Being Reminiscences of 30 Years in Ireland. I definitely have not read it myself but it was the closest I got in my search.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Helen
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 03:53 PM

Wow indeed, Reinhard! Two hours and 15 minutes from M.Bill's first post!

Ask and ye shall receive here at Mudcat. (Well, most of the time.)

Thanks M.Bill for the info on the poem and book.

Sound clip here: Packie Byrne Come, Come Away

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Helen
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 04:03 PM

And here is the poem from page 208 in the book:

In castle and court house, being reminiscences of 30 years in Ireland by Colles, Ramsay, 1862-1919

The poem was written by Dr P. W. Joyce, one of the Commissioners for the Publication of the Ancient Laws of Ireland - quoted from page 206 in the book.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Looking for a half-remembered song
From: Helen
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 04:09 PM

Sorry, I should have read the full page because Dr Joyce wrote the poem to fit with an old Irish melody called "O, come to the Hedgerows"

Page 208, the paragraph before the poem:

"Dr Joyce is an authority on Ancient Irish Music, and has collected over a hundred of original Irish airs which are indeed genuine Irish melodies, which until Dr Joyce collected them had never been published. One of these he sent me recently jotted down from memory with the music. It is entitled, 'O, come to the Hedgerows,' the words by Dr Joyce being charmingly wedded to the old Irish air. The words are —

O come to the hedgerows with gay flowers all bright,
While the green fields are smiling beneath the sun's light;
Through the green lanes we'll wander the long happy day,
While the little birds are singing merrily —

O come, come away.
O come to the seaside to hear the wild waves.
On the dark rocks we'll stand while the storm wildly raves;
And we'll watch the white seagulls through tempest and spray,
While the mighty ocean rages fierce and loud —

O come, come away.
O come to the blue hills, the wild mountain side.
Where the green fern grows tall and the heath-bell blooms wide.
Where the mountain stream dashes o'er mossy rocks grey,
And sings with gentle murmur all day long —

O come, come away.

Subject: RE: ADD: Come, Come Away (half-remembered song)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 05:58 PM

Hi, M. Bill,
I changed the title of this thread so it's more closely related to the song. I hope you can still find it.
I can't find a recording of this song by Packie Byrne, but I recommend that you take a listen to his recordings. Here's a link to his YouTube channel, which doesn't include everything he's recorded.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCodZBfRme7jHqp50TPhZPPA

Subject: RE: ADD: Come, Come Away (half-remembered song)
From: Helen
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 06:10 PM

Thanks Joe,

I posted the link to a sound clip on 16 Jul 26 - 03:53 PM.

Subject: RE: ADD: Come, Come Away (half-remembered song)
From: GUEST,M.Bill
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 06:49 PM

Thank you Joe,

With everyone's help, I was able to find the recording that I was trying to remember and I ended up purchasing a digital copy from the publisher's band camp page:

veterantapes.bandcamp.com/album/donegal-back

For anyone interested, the track "Meet and Irish Man"(sic) is a fun patter song if you're up for a challenge.

Subject: RE: ADD: Come, Come Away (half-remembered song)
From: Helen
Date: 16 Jul 26 - 06:56 PM

Successful song search adventures always remind me of this lovely feel-good thread so I can't help myself, I have to revive it.

Lyr Req: Marcus (Pamela Polland)

I've posted a link to this thread into the other one as well.