Nova Scotia question...

Subject: Nova Scotia question...
From: Goater
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 11:00 PM

I learned (and love) the song Nova Scotia (Aye farewell to Nova Scotia, ya sea bound soast/Let your Mountains dark and dreary be...). Does anyone know who wrote it, where and when?

Thanks

Subject: ADD: Nova Scotia Farewell ^^^
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 11:11 PM

Hmmm. doesn't seem to be in the database. Maybe I'm searching wrong. I found it HERE. No songwriter listed, but it doesn't quite seem traditional to me.

Nova Scotia Farewell

The sun was setting in the west
The birds were singing on every tree
All nature seemed inclined to rest
But still there was no rest for me.

Chorus:
Farewell to Nova Scotia
The seabound coast
Let your mountains, dark and dreary, be
For when I am far away
On the briny ocean, tossed
Will you ever heave a sigh and a wish for me?

I grieve to leave my native land
I grieve to leave my comrades, all
And my parents, whom I've held so dear
And the bonnie, bonnie lass I do adore

Chorus

The drums, they do beat
The wars, they alarm
The captain calls, we must obey
So farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms
For it's early in the morning and I'm far, far away (this should be the final verse)

I have three brothers
They are at rest
Their arms are folded on their breast
But a poor simple sailor just like me
Must be tossed and driven
on the dark blue sea

Chorus
^^^

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 11:16 PM

Something about this chorus always bothered me. How the heck does one "heave a wish?"

Picky

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Goater
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 11:18 PM

Thats the one. I could have sworn I saw it ref'd in a Stan Hugill book (which might make it a shanty derivation) but I can't remember for the life of me.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Apr 99 - 11:33 PM

There's something about you that bothers me, Sandy Paton. Sometimes, I get the impression you're an undercover English Ph.D. I'm the son of an English teacher myself, which is just about as bad.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:08 AM

Truth to tell, Joe, I'm a high-school dropout. Made it through the ninth grade, but didn't like it.

I've always wondered, though, how difficult it would be to sing: "Will you ever heave a sigh or make a wish for me?

Sandy (picky)

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Andy A.
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:14 AM

This is a truly great song, and it OUGHT to be in the DT. The Irish Rovers sang it on Greatest Hits. Their recording was taken for the theme song of a TV documentary about Nova Scotia many years ago. Wish I had a copy my own copy of the record, so I could give you the author.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: rich r
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:24 AM

This isn't a whole lot of information but Schooner Fare list the song as "traditional" in their liner notes. Longer ago the liner notes to Ian & Sylvia's "Northern Journey" album says that it was sung in primary schools in Nova Scotia and may have been based on a shanty type song. The school thing could mean that it was written by the author or editor of a school music book or even a local teacher who passed it around. Does Edith Fowke list it anywhere? The only book of hers that I have here is "Singing Our History" and it is not in there.

rich r

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:26 AM

The song, titled "The Nova Scotia Song", was collected by Dr. Helen Creighton in the Halifax County area. It was known by a number of people, but as a true folk song, it is NOT know who wrote it originally. There is some speculation on the tune it was based on, but no clear winners there either.

There is a funny story told where Dr. Creighton, after a few years heard one of her sources for this song sing it in a different way from when he gave it to her years back. This got her curious so she asked the reason. "Well, I heard this gal, Catherine MacKinnon, do it that way on the radio so I figured she had the right way of it" was his answer.

Just goes to show how the tradition changes.

Oh! This year, Helen Creighton would have been 100 years old. As part of the celebrations, the Helen Creighton Folklore Society is asking the Nova Scotia Legislature to declare the "Nova Scotia Song" to be Nova Scotia's Official Folk Song. We don't have an Official SONG, either. As well a few years ago, it was asked that the Federal Government make a stamp with a depiction of Dr. Creighton. At that time, they said the person had to be dead 10 years. 1999 is the 10th anniversary of her death. Hopefully THAT will come to pass this year as well. It's about time we had more recognition of the woman who single-handedly saved MORE songs than anyone would have considered possible. One exceptional woman.

If you're Canadian, please see if you can speak to your MP about the possibility of the stamp. If you're Nova Scotia, please ask your MLA to support the call to make this song our OFFICIAL FOLK SONG

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:28 AM

Actually Sandy, considering the guy's now on the "briny Ocean, tossed" perhaps the cat is seasick, in which case, "heaving a wish" might be a plea to stop barfing over the side.

"Oh gawd, I wish I hadn't eaten dinner.....RRROWWLLFFF......I wish I could stop......RROWLLFF..ACK..ACK...GACK...ERG.....Oh gawddam, I got nothin' left to throw up but my nuts."

In this case his illness may have been compounded by having greasy ham for dinner. Since the song isn't specific on that point some speculation is required.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:30 AM

Oh! Forgot. The Helen Creighton Folklore Society is also planning to celebrate her birthday with a cake at September's Word On the Street Festival. This is usually the last Sunday of September, and closes for about 6 hours, one of the busiest streets in Halifax. The festival promotes writers, books, magazines and their publishers. IF you are in the area, come attend.

There are other events scheduled over the summer and fall celebrating this anniversary year.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:33 AM

Sandy. Could it be akin to "her bosom heaved"?

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Night Owl
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:37 AM

Anyone know when/if the Stan Rogers Folk Festival is in Nove Scotia?????

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:39 AM

George,

You and I were posting at the same time and lest you think I was making fun of your song, I wasn't. Just having a little fun with Grandpa Paton there.

I'm not Canadian, but I wish you the best in your quest.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Night Owl
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 12:41 AM

Whoops....slipped.....NovA Scotia

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 01:09 AM

Now, lads, I've seen a few bosoms heave in my day, and they've been more like briny oceans tossing, wave-like, over a D-cup shaped guitar like Rick's 0-18. My wishes at the time, however, could not have been heaved any more than the poor dog aboard that Nova Scotian vessel could heave one of his. Of course, all of this excitement was decades ago, before I met Caroline, and completely innocent.

Helen Creighton certainly deserves a stamp, so keep at 'em! Then, after Edith Fowke has been gone the required length of time, get 'em to create one for her, too. While you're at it, ask for one honoring O. J. Abbott or Andrew Dornan. We ought to recognize great informants as well as collectors.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 01:32 AM

Sandy, Captain Osborn hammered into my head the unquestionable knowledge that the nautical meaning of "heave" is to pull or haul, like catspaw and I were laughing about in href=http://mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=10241&messages=34>Word definition site ,so I'm thinking you can "heave" a wish just the same way you'd "heave" a line, a sigh or a star -- by gettin ahold of it and hauling it in.

Wow, doing this link is my highest HTML accomplishment to date (iffin it works).

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Mark Roffe
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 01:35 AM

Well, so much for high HTML accomplishments. It didn't work and I dropped my cookie to boot. I'll practice and try again someday.

Mark

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Mark Roffe
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 01:44 AM

One more try, in the name of computer education...
I think if I stick in some HTML magic words this link might work...tinker...oof... Word definition site ...whew!

Mark

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Tucker
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 06:55 AM

I picked this song up on Taylor's Traditional Tunebook, Farewell to Nova Scotia. Same song I think. Since the words aren't sung there on his midis I tried to sing along with the tune with the words provided. Sure gotta sing fast to get em in.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: MMario
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 09:49 AM

It IS in the database - I just found it by searching on [heave a sigh].

I thought it was in there as I looked it up right after I found the 'Cat.

MMario

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 10:50 AM

On "heave a sigh" huh? Geez, what a nice ironic touch considering this thread!!!

catspaw

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Joe Offer
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 04:50 PM

Looks like the database has lots of Nova Scotia songs, if you search correctly. I searched for Nova Scotia, and came up with nothing. It appears that there is nowhere in the database where the term Nova Scotia exists by itself, without punctuation. In this Nova Scotia Farewell, it's Scotia, (with a comma) or Scotia's, so my search didn't pick up the song. I think I'll post a copy of this in the Help Forum and maybe Max can make it so the database isn't quite so fussy.
In the meantime, if you want Nova Scotia songs, search for Nova or Scotia, (with a comma)
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Dave T
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 05:07 PM

To George Seto:
I agree with you that Helen Creighton deserves a stamp. Interesting about having to be dead for ten years though; I've never heard of that (typical government thinking though). How about if we try to organize a campaign through the various folk festivals accross the country? Since summer's on it's way and folk festival organizers never seem to be shy about this sort of thing, may be the time is right. I'll suggest the idea to a few friends and we'll see where it leads (to).

On second thought, why not simply start a thread here on the 'Cat to drum up a bit of support?

Dave T (in Ontario)

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Tony Burns
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 05:17 PM

Someone asked about the dates for the Stan Rogers Folk Music Festival.

Fri, Jul 2, 1999 to Sun, Jul 4, 1999

Canso, NS.

For all things folky in Canada start at Northern Journey Online.

Follow the links for festivals and go to the UFOJoe site for the best information.

Quote marks made the link inoperable, so I removed them.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: harpgirl
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 07:01 PM

NS (sorry Joe),
This forum is always so fascinating. I am usually astounded by the knoweldge and absolutely adore it! The second best thing about Canada is it's music and song. The BEST thing is that Sarnia had male strippers who took off everything! Only heard about it, though *wink, wink*...harpgirl

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: harpgirl
Date: 14 Apr 99 - 07:03 PM

oops, I'm geographically challenged in addition to being dissolute...harp

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 12:31 AM

Cat - Sure, I realized that. Not a problem.

Sandy, Hope you didn't mind the teasing.

Dave T, yes, that IS a great idea. If, in Ontariom, you belong to or know of people who belong to some organization which supports Folk Music, please relay the information on to them.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 12:40 AM

Tony...THANKS for the information AND the links!!! Night Owl

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 01:00 AM

If teasing were a problem on this forum, we'd have to ban Catspaw from membership, and think of all the good fun we'd miss! I still don't know how one "pulls" or "hauls on" a wish any more than one can "haul" on a sigh. But then, I've never mastered sea-goin' jargon at all. The wheat fields used to roll with the breeze like oceanic waves when I was harvesting, but we were often pushing International Harvesters, not yawl boats!

Sandy (terminally terminologically impaired)

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Mark Roffe
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 01:10 AM

When S.J. Perelman put out to see, he reports "we breasted the waves and vice versa."

Mark

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Bob Biderman
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 09:58 PM

This song is associated with what I consider to be quite a remarkable feat.

Howard Kaplan, a Toronto songwriter and performer, has a friend who was leaving Toronto several years ago and moving to Nova Scotia. Howard decided that he would learn the song Farewell to Nova Scotia backwards and sing it at a gathering people were having to say goodbye to her.

He did it - learned every word of every verse and the chorus backwards. That was several years ago, but to this day he can sing it in reverse if asked. Once in a while someone will ask.

Bob Biderman

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 10:33 PM

Great song!

Bob Conroy and I sang it for a bunch of sailors at the Seamen's Church in NYC tonight. This is the first time either of us has ever sung it for anyone other than folkies and drunks. Great feeling! Anyway, the sailors had a ball and were talking to us at the break about the N.S. ports they've sailed to, etc.

Good luck getting a Creighton stamp issued in Canada. Great idea!

All the best,
Dan

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Wolfgang
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 05:21 AM

Joe, the search is much more mysterious than you think so far. I had tried of course and failed. Thanks to MMario we have found it. I tried now a lot of different strategies and what I have found so far deeply puzzles me.
I do not find it using 'Nova'
I find it using 'Scotia'
I do not find it using '[Nova Scotia]' or '[Nova Scotia,]'
I do not find it using DT's title as phrase (in capitals or not)
I do not find it with [Farewell to Nova]
My working hypothesis is that the word 'Nova' is the culprit, but I have not the slightest idea why this should be so. I find that song with every word and every phrase that is in that song, except if the word 'Nova' appears in my search.

puzzled Wolfgang

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Mark Roffe
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 03:29 PM

Maybe it's because "Nova" is Spanish for "it doesn't go?"

Mark

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 10:50 PM

Which made it hard to sell some Chevvies in Mexico.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: catspaw49
Date: 17 Apr 99 - 12:55 AM

Hey folks...Sandy's not joking, it's the truth!!! Detroit is eat up with some brilliant marketing folks. These are the same rocket scientists that saw the NEED for an Edsel.

catspaw

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 23 May 99 - 10:44 PM

Interesting. I thought the Nova Scotia Song (Which is Dr. Helen Creighton's title for it), was here, from the above discussion. However, I had forgotten the only way to find it was to use Scotia to search on!

Any way they could add the phrase Collected by Dr. Helen Creighton to the song listing in DT? That might make it a useful way to search for it, to find it as one of the Helen Creighton songs.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 12:09 PM

Rich R,

You asked about the song which the Nova Scotia Song/Farewell to Nova Scotia is derived from. Well, thanks to Dale Rose, and Crowhugger, we have most of the original song, if not all of it. It's called Soldier's Adieu. Have a look at this previous thread.

Farewell to Nova Scotia - lyric request

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 12:28 PM

I've also put the song and information on Robert Tannahill, who wrote The Soldier's Adieu at this link

Soldier's Adieu

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: The Lighthouse
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 09:58 PM

Recordings by T Makem , Schooner Fare and Liam Clancy all list this song as traditional.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: raredance
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 10:05 PM

Thanks George, I saw the information on Soldier's Adieu when it was first postes, but I certainly appreciate your diligence in going back through the old threads to make sure. thread creep alert: My sister-in-law is pushing for a family trip to Nova Scotia next August in honor of her 50th birthday. Never been there but sure do want to go.

rich r

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: GUEST,Hutzul
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 10:05 PM

Last summer my honey and I visited Nova Scotia for the first time. What a beautiful place. Took the ferry back to Maine and I kept belting out the words (I could only remember two lines) to the dismay of the fellow passengers.

Could it be "heave and sigh and wish (verb) for me"?

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 11:16 PM

Hutzel, It's always been "Heave a sigh" as far as I have heard.

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From: GUEST,hutzul
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 11:24 PM

On that ferry ride, Heave and Sigh, was somehow . . . :)

Subject: RE: Nova Scotia question...
From:
Date: 09 Sep 00 - 11:30 PM

Guess the person didn't know it well, Hutzul.

Rich R, Sure, come ahead. It'll be a great time I'm sure. Depending on what you're looking for, most of the festivals are between first of July and Mid August though. Only a few near the end of August.