Lyr Req: Nick Young? / Voyage of a Sailor's Lad

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young? / Voyage of a Sailor's Lad
From: Little Robyn
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 04:12 PM

I don't think it's me - is it a female voice? I'm a woman!
Most people outside NZ and Aus think it's a boys name but on this side of the world, the boys spell theirs with an I and the girls spell it with a Y.
So if it's a male voice, with a group backing, it could be Mike Moroney, a well known Kiwi folkie who lives in Dunedin.
If it's unaccompanied it's probably Roger Giles, from Devonport folk club in Auckland and if it's accompanied on concertina, that's John Sutherland.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young? / Voyage of a Sailor's Lad
From: GUEST,Peter Nelson
Date: 10 Jun 10 - 09:46 AM

I have a recording of this song with those exact lyrics.   It's an MP3 I stream-captured off Andy Zard's site in NapierVille, Illinois (198.246.244.11 - PirateRaid.com) so I have no idea who the performer is.

Is it you - Little Robyn?

Thanks in advance for clarifying this.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 19 Sep 09 - 04:24 PM

No, I don't think he'd have a recording of me singing it - I only recorded it once, for the competition entry, and as far as I know that was only heard by the judges. All the entries in the final were performed, at the Gisborne Folk Festival, by selected singers and John Sutherland sang mine, playing his concertina.
Since then Roger Giles (from Devonport Folk Club in Auckland) has learnt it and sings it sometimes, but I don't think he's recorded it. His version is usually unaccompanied.
And I once heard it played on the radio by Mike Moroney's group and it was credited to Mike because there was no other information with the recording.
Most of the other entrants concentrated on Captain Cook, including Paul Metsers 'Song for Captain James Cook', which also won a prize. John was the singer who performed that as well.
I have the dots on my computer but I'm no good at ABCs so I'm not sure how to send them to you.... Any ideas?
Cheers,
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young?
From: 10stringer
Date: 19 Sep 09 - 03:08 PM

Just talked to Mike on the phone. He says he has it on a cassette (I had it wrong I thought a CD) that was taped off old vinyl. He says it's acapella but he knows the melody and some of the words but lost the cassette. He's played it a few times accompanied on his mandolin. He wants to know if that is you singing it on the old album?

And he said thanks, been looking for it for years.
cheers
Ed Dawson, for Michael Livingston

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young?
From: 10stringer
Date: 19 Sep 09 - 02:53 PM

THANK YOU! That's super. :)

I am passing it along to Mike.

Great song, Robyn.

cheers
Ed (AKA 10stringer)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE VOYAGE OF A SAILOR'S LAD (R Williams)
From: Little Robyn
Date: 18 Sep 09 - 06:45 AM

Is this the one?

THE VOYAGE OF A SAILOR'S LAD

By Robyn Williams 1969

My name it is Nick Young, me boys,
On a gallant bark I came,
James Cook he was her Master
And the Endeavour was her name, oh,
The Endeavour was her name.

From Plymouth harbour we sailed forth,
In the year of 68.
To Rio, then around Cape Horn
And past Magellan's strait, aye,
And past Magellan's strait.

With five weeks off the horn's fierce pitch
And still no sign of land,
We headed north with studding sails
And plied northwest to stand, boys,
And plied northwest to stand.

To reach King Georges Island fair
Was next our aim in mind
And 80 days from Staten land
The mountains we did find, aye,
The mountains we did find.

To watch the morning star by day
We stayed for full months three,
But in mid-July all sail was loosed
And we faced the open sea,
And we faced the open sea.

On the 6th day of October - oh,
Whilst watching from the mast
I spied land bearing west by north
And for the shore we cast, aye,
And for the shore we cast.

We sailed around New Zealand's coast
For fully half a year.
Then in April, turning west again
For New Holland we did steer,
For New Holland we did steer.

And now our mission is complete
We'll leave this pleasant shore.
Our Whitby cat has hoisted sails
And is turned for home once more,boys,
Is turned for home once more.

Note:In NZ we celebrate the sighting of young Nick's Head on October 7th but Cook didn't realise he'd sailed across the dateline and it was written in his diary on October 6th, 1769.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young?
From: GUEST,10stringer
Date: 17 Sep 09 - 04:18 PM

Really? LOL! Well let me give you the backstory on this:

My friend Mike had a sea shanty CD with a song about Nick Young on it. He remembers the tune but not all the words. I think he is thinking of covering the song with his band The Homebillies. He asked me to look for the lyrics online; I am a bit more web savvy... so I asked here because of the knowledgability of the mudcaters.

So... could you give the lyrics, plus your name and copyright year? If you will, I'll pass it along to him.

cheers
Ed (10stringer)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Nick Young?
From: Little Robyn
Date: 17 Sep 09 - 03:25 PM

The only song about young Nick that I know of is one I wrote back in 1969 - The Voyage of a Sailor's Lad. It was for the "Cook Bicentenary songwriting competition" and it came 2nd.

My name it is Nick Young me boys,
On a gallant bark I came......

Robyn

Subject: Lyr Req: Nick Young?
From: 10stringer
Date: 16 Sep 09 - 09:50 PM

Anyone have the lyrics for a sea shanty called Nick Young? He sailed w/ Capt Cook...