Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor

Subject: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Dick Hoskins
Date: 26 Nov 96 - 03:52 PM

Anyone know the lyrics to Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor? I learned some English words to it during the occupation of Germany following WWII and was told it was a German song.I only learned one verse and there should be more. It starts out "A girl and a sailor were parting one day".

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From:
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 01:42 AM

I found this:

Title: The blond sailor.
First Line: A girl and a sailor were parting one day
Chorus: Farewell, your blond sailor must leave for awhile, dear
Music by: Pfeil, J.
Words by: Parish, Mitchell, and Bell Leib.
P/P/D: New York : Mills Music Inc., c1945.
Location: SPC, KIRK PS 1945-1947

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 01:49 AM

Sure it's matrose? I would have thought Matelow (matlow) would be more accurate?

LTS

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:26 AM

I'm guessing it's right, Liz. Matrose is German for sailor. I found one line:

Fahr mich in die Ferne, meine blonde Matrose
(take me far away, my blonde sailor)

-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:28 AM

Oohh, get you!!! and so early in the morning!!

Glad you could sort it!

XX

LTS

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:34 AM

Here's more (click). The translation is mine.
-Joe Offer-

---

Golf von Biskaya
(Bay of Biscay)
(J. Pfeil)

1. Am Golf von Biskaya
Ein Mägdelein stand.
Ein junger Matrose
Hielt sie bei der Hand.
Sie klagt ihm ihr Schicksal,
Ihr Herz war so schwer.
Sie hat keine Heimat,
Kein Mütterlein mehr.

Refrain:
|: Fahr' mich in die Ferne,
   Mein blonder Matrose,
   Bei dir möcht ich sein
   Auch im Wellengetose.
   Wir gehören zusammen
   Wie der Wind und das Meer.
   Von dir mich zu trennen,
   Ach, das fällt mir so schwer.
   Wir gehören zusammen
   Wie der Wind und das Meer.
   Von dir mich zu trennen,
   Ach, das fällt mir so schwer. :|

2. Der Vater, die Brüder
Auf kämpfendem Schiff
Zerschellten im Sturme
Am felsigen Riff.
Vor Gram starb darüber
Mein lieb' Mütterlein,
Nun steh auf der Welt
Ich verlassen, allein:
Refrain:

3. Es rauschen die Wellen
Ihr uraltes Lied,
Zwei Herzen sind selig
In Liebe erglüht.
Drei Stunden vergehen,
Ihr war's wie ein Traum,
Da flüstert sie leise,
Man hörte es kaum:
Refrain:

4. Hörst du die Sirene,
Die Pflicht ruft mich fort,
Komm mit, teures Mädchen,
Wir müssen an Bord.
Es blühen die Reben
Am herrlichen Rhein,
Dort wird für uns beide
Die Heimat auch sein.
Refrain:

On the Gulf of Biscay
A maiden stood
A young sailor
Held her by the hand
She complained of her fate
Her heart was so heavy
She had no home
And no mother any more.

Refrain:
Take me far away,
My blonde sailor
I want to be with you
Even in the roaring of the waves
We belong together
Like the wind and the sea.
To part from you
Ah, that would be so hard for me!
We belong together
Like the wind and the sea.
To part from you
Ah, that would be so hard for me!

The father, the brothers
From the fighting ship
Were shipwrecked in the storm
On a rocky reef
My dear mother
Died in grief about it
Now I stand in the world
Left behind, alone.
CHORUS

The waves roar
Their ancient song
Two hearts are alone,
Glowing together in love.
Three hours go by
It was like a dream to her
Then she whispered softly,
One could hardly hear it.
CHORUS

Do you hear the sirens
Duty calls me forth
Come along, dear maiden
We must go on board
The grape vines blossom
On the spendid Rhine
There for us both
Will be our home.
CHORUS

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 02:47 AM

English lyrics are by Mitchell Parish, who wrote the lyrics for Hoagy Carmichael's "Star Dust." Relatives of Parish have posted here before. Wouldn't it be nice if they stopped in again? I'll send an e-mail. If they don't answer and somebody wants a translation, let me know and I'll work one up (unless Wolfgang beats me to it).
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From:
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 04:25 AM

With the translate function we get this:

Gulf of Biskaya
(Bay OF Biscay)
(J. Pfeil)
 
1. At the gulf of Biskaya
A farm servant flax was.
A young sailor
It held with the hand.
It complains it their fate,
Their heart was so heavy.
It does not have homeland,
No more mother flax.
 
Refrain:
|: drive ' me into the distance,
Mein blond sailor,
Bei you moecht I its
Auch in the Wellengetose.
Wir connect
the Wie wind and the sea.
to separate Von you me,
Ach, falls me so heavily.
Wir connect
the Wie wind and the sea.
to separate Von you me,
Ach, falls me so heavily: |
 
2. The father, the brothers
On fighting ship
Smashed in the Sturme
At the rocky reef.
Before Gram died over it
Mine dear ' mother flax,
Now be on the world
I leave, however:
Refrain:
 
3. The waves rush
Their age-old song,
Two hearts are blessed
In love erglueht.
Three hours offense,
You war's like a dream,
There she whispers quietly,
One hardly heard it:
Refrain:
 
4. You hear the siren,
The obligation calls me away,
, expensive girl comes along,
We must on board.
The vines flower
On the wonderful Rhine,
There both become for us
The homeland also its.
Refrain:

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 05:03 AM

Nice, George. You shamed me into doing an actual translation, although I believe a member of the Parish family will be alone soon.
-Joe Offer-

The Gulf of Biscay
(J. Pfeil)

On the Gulf of Biscay
A maiden stood
A young sailor
Held her by the hand
She complained of her fate
Her heart was so heavy
She had no home
And no mother any more.

---

I pasted the translation above so it would be side-by-side with the German.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From:
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 10:02 AM

You're welcome, Joe! 8-)

Subject: ADD: Blond Sailor
From: fox4zero
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 01:37 PM

Joe
Sorry I was away for a while (not institutionalized, just busy)

The BLOND SAILOR
Words by MITCHELL PARISH and Bell Leib
Music by J. Pfeil. C 1937 and 1945 by Mills Music Inc.
This is copied from the 1940 sheet music.

A girl and a sailor were parting one day,
She smiled through her tear drops and brushed them away.
"I wish I could stay here" he sighed soft and low,
"But duty is calling and now I must go:"

CHO
Farewell, your Blond Sailor must leave for a while, dear,
Farewell, send me off with a kiss and a smile, dear.
All my love and devotion I will leave in your care,
As deep as the ocean, and as true as a pray'r.
When my journey is over, and you'll be waiting I know,
Farewell, my sweet darling, your Blond Sailor must go.

Larry Parish

Line Breaks <br> added. Thanks a lot, Larry.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: fox4zero
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 01:49 PM

Joe I wish I could remember to hit enter twice to separate the lines: The intro is:

A girl...

She smiled...

I wish I...

But duty...

Chorus:

Farewell...

Farewell...

All my love...

As deep

When my journey...

Farewell, my sweet darling...

That should confuse things a bit. Also I hope you meanth to say a member of the Parish family will be ALONG soon, rather than ALONE soon.

Regards, Larry Parish

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Joe Offer
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 01:58 PM

Thanks a lot, Larry. As we used to say back home in Wisconsin, it's the same song - only different.
As I recall, Larry is the son of Mitchell Parish. Mitchell Parish wrote the lyrics or English versions for Deep Purple, Moonlight Serenade, Sophisticated Lady, Stairway to the Stars, Star Dust, Stars Fell on Alabama, Volare, and Tzena Tzena Tzena.

You know, Larry, I used to be a perfect typist, before I hit the age of 50.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 16 Sep 01 - 05:24 PM

Thanks - I never knew the 2nd, 3rd and 4th verses to the German original, and I'm still rooting in my aging memory for a less than respectable version I used to know as a child ... I know it's not a folk song, but I can't come up with the perpetrator's name either.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: The Blond Sailor
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 29 Mar 03 - 11:46 PM

This page has the following recording information:
The Blond Sailor - Waltz
(2559-A) (DECCA) (91738-A)
(J. Pfeil)
Vocal Chorus by Franz and The Mountain Lassies
Franz and Fritz and Their Swiss Hill Billies

This page has the following recording information:
The Blond Sailor
w. (Eng) Mitchell Parish, Bell Leib m. Jacob Pfeil
Andrews Sisters
O/Vic Schoen
Decca
18700
Los Angeles
L-3873-A
26 June 1945

The title is sometimes given as "The Blonde (sic) Sailor." Under that spelling, you can find a couple of sound samples of the Andrews Sisters recording at Yahoo! Music. I listened, but I heard only one more line, which precedes the lines you have posted above. It is

"...but duty is calling and now I must go."

I'm guessing the notation "(Eng)" above implies that Parish wrote the English version, and Leib wrote an earlier version in another language, possibly German--not something Decca would have wanted to publicize in 1945! On the other hand, German songwriters might have passed themselves off as Swiss!

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: Joe Offer
Date: 30 Mar 03 - 02:32 AM

There are a few Andrews Sisters CD's with this song - but, damnit, not the Andrews Sisters recordings I have. This Google Search (click) will bring up quite a bit about the original German version. I didn't explore much of it yet.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: toadfrog
Date: 30 Mar 03 - 10:40 PM

I rembember it as being a flyer. Am I crazy, or is it maybe a different song?

Am Strande von Rio da stand ganz allein
ein kleines Maedel im Abendschein . . .[not remembered]
...........
.............
Fliege in meine schoene alte Heimatort

Fliege mit mir in die Heimat.
Fliege mit mir uebers Meer.
Fliege mit mir in den Himmel hinein
Mein Flieger, und dann bin ich Dein.

And it was to a tune that you used to hear everywhere. There was a (sappy but melodious) American popular song to the same tune, a few remembered words:

We both made a promise, that we'd never part,
And sealed it with a kiss ......sweetheart.

Tha

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: GUEST,Sylvia Linde
Date: 21 Feb 05 - 06:22 AM

My Mom and I sang this song together. What I know is:
A girl and a Sailor were parting one day.
He brushed back her teardrops and kissed them away.                     I wish I could stay here. She cried soft and low.
"But duty is calling, and now I go.

Farewell,your blonde Sailor must leave for a while dear.
Farewell, send him off with a kiss and a smile.
All my love and devotion, I will leave in your care.
Farewell my sweet darling, Your blonde Sailor must go.

I know this is late but hope it helps you.
Sylvia

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: GUEST,Ian
Date: 06 Jul 12 - 08:12 PM

This is really late but going through my Mothers music I have found sheet music printed in 1945 for THE BLOND SAILOR music by J. PFEIL. Liber-Southern Ltd London. Allan and Co Pty Ltd Melboure Adelaide and Bendigo.
The words start:-
A girl and a sailor were parting one day, she smiled through her teardrops and brushed them away. I can't say goodbye love with you I must go. Don't leave me alone dear she sighed soft and low. Then the chorus starts - Take me 'cross the ocean my fair headed sailor sail me far away my handsome blond sailor. We won't mind stormy weather just so we are together but if we must part dear them I know I will die. Take me with you blond sailor said the maid with a sigh for if we should part dear I just know I shall die.

Then there is a second chorus

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: GUEST,Guest Ed
Date: 20 Jul 16 - 01:17 AM

I remember a chorus verse that went

Sailor, take me with you wherever your sailing,
Hold me, when the high waves break over the railings,
Yours I am forever, like th wind and the sea,
Yours I am forever, your belonging to me,

Fairly sure the words are correct. I recall seeing the sheet music my parents had back in the 40's

Subject: RE: Blond Matrose or Blond Sailor
From: GUEST,Bobberk
Date: 15 Apr 19 - 12:07 AM

I remember a version sung in the 1950's
A girl and a sailor were parting one day
She smiled through her teardrops and brushed them away
Please don't say goodbye dear
With you I must go
Don't leave me alone dear
She cried soft and low

Sailor, take me with you wherever you're sailing
Hold me when the high waves break over the railing
We belong dear together like the wind and the sea
Yours I am forever , you belong to me.