Lyr Add: Liverpool Bay (John E. M. Sumner)

Subject: Lyr Add: LIVERPOOL BAY (John E. M. Sumner)
From: Stewart
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 12:51 PM

I ran across this poem doing a google search on "Liverpool Bay" and "Stockholm Tar." It's on an interesting site on Shipwrecks. Anyone know anything about the author, John E. M. Sumner? Sounds like it would make a good sea song. Any ideas? I've emailed the site's owner to find out more.
LIVERPOOL BAY - John E. M. Sumner

The strong salt winds at Liverpool
That sweep across the Bay
Once brought the great proud ships of old
With teak from Mandalay,
With bars of gold from lands untold,
With cloves from Zanzibar,
With tea and jute from Chittagong
And rubber from Para;
Trim figure-head and snowy sail,
Tall mast and tapered spar,
A rhythmic shanty from the waist,
The smell of Stockholm tar.

Whilst yet the fog bells clang and drone
And eyes are tired and red
With peering over weather cloths
To see what looms ahead;
Or Summer shakes her train of gold
And dawn breaks slow, supreme,
With funnels red and funnels white
Reflected in the stream;
The times have changed on Merseyside,
The years have travelled on,
And ugly ducklings plough and sheer
Where once there sailed a swan.

Safe anchored in a land-locked bay,
Washed by some river cool,
They lie at rest in fairer ports
Than even Liverpool;
Forgotten, garlanded with mist,
They drowse at anchor there,
Whilst wraiths of bearded sailormen
Patrol each poop and stare;
Borne faintly on an eerie wind
There goes a bosun's call,
Scraping as dim yards come round,
The clacking of a pall.

Then idly, these tall ships will turn
And hearken to the breeze
That whispers in the ghostly shrouds
Of days remote from these;
Remembering weeks of driving sleet
And high seas round the Horn,
And little islands, silver-rimmed,
Where mollyhawks are born;
Recalling long, cool, fragrant nights
Beneath a Southern moon;
The "Rio Grande" or" Shenandoah"
To a concertinas tune.

Yet often, just before the dawn,
They see in dreams afar
The glimmer of the Crosby Light
And rain across the Bar.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Liverpool Bay - poem/song?
From: Stewart
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:31 PM

Does anyone want to try to put a tune to this?

S.

Subject: RE: Liverpool Bay - poem/song?
From: Micca
Date: 04 Aug 02 - 07:34 PM

Stewart, I could hear it "singing" as I read it!! but I am not really a musician, I just sing a bit, but I will turn it over in my head for a while, if I may, It is a Lovely poem!!

Subject: RE: Liverpool Bay - poem/song?
From: Stewart
Date: 05 Aug 02 - 05:17 PM

I received this reply from the web site where I got this poem: "All I can recall is an older gentleman sent me a copy from the Liverpool area some time back when I was searching for "tree" info on my grandfather (also from that area). I am not into poems myself per say, but that one did something. I added the gulls at the beginning but that is all. I would think Mr Sumner is probably from that area. Sorry it could not be more. All the best, Hugh Brown."

So if anyone from Liverpool knows who the poet might be, let me know.

In the meantime, I put a tune to this (midi HERE)(nwc file HERE). It's an ABA form with the A part in a minor key, the B part in the relative major and then back to the minor, and then the A part again in a minor key. Once I started it just fell out, so I feel fairly good about it. Below is the text (only slightly changed to fit the meter) with chords and bar marks. Let me know what you think.

LIVERPOOL BAY - words by John E. M. Sumner (copyright ?); music by Stewart Hendrickson (copyright, 2002)

The /(Dm)strong salt (A7)winds at /(Dm)Li-ver-(C)pool
That /(Dm)sweep a-(A7)cross the /(Dm)Bay
Once /(Dm)brought the (A7)great proud /(Dm)ships of (C)old
With /(Dm)teak from (A7)Man-da-/lay,
With /(F)bars of gold from /(C)lands un-told,
With /(F)cloves from Zan-zi-/(C)bar,
With /(Dm)tea and (A7)jute from /(Dm)Chit-ta-(A7)gong
And /(Dm)rub-ber (A7)from Pa-(Dm)ra;
Trim /(Dm)fig-ure (A7)head and /(Dm)snow-y (C)sail,
Tall /(Dm)mast and (A7)tap-er'd (Dm)spar,
A (Dm)rhyth-mic (A7)shan-ty /(Dm)from the (C)waist,
The /(Dm)smell of (A7)Stock-holm /(Dm)tar.

Whilst /yet the fog bells /clang and drone
And /eyes are tired and /red
With /peer-ing o-ver /wea-ther cloths
To /see what looms a-/head;
Or /Sum-mer shakes her /train of gold
And /dawn breaks slow, su-/preme,
With /fun-nels red and /fun-nels white
Re-/flect-ed in the /stream;
The /times have changed on /Mer-sey-side,
The /years have tra-vell'd /on,
And /ug-ly duck-lings /plough and sheer
Where /once there sailed a /swan.

Safe /an-chored in a /land-locked bay,
- /Washed_by some ri-ver /cool,
They /lie at rest in /fair-er ports
Than /e-ven Li-ver-/pool;
For-/got-ten, garland'd with /mist and fog
They /drowse at an-chor /there,
Whilst /wraiths of beard-ed /sai-lor-men
Pa-/trol each poop and /stare;
Borne /faint-ly on an /eer-ie wind
There /goes a bos-un's /call,
- /Scraping as dim yards /come a-round,
The /clack-ing of a /pall.

Then /id-ly, these tall /ships will turn
And /heark-en to the /breeze
That /whis-pers in the /ghost-ly shrouds
Of /days re-mote from /these;
Re-/mem-bering weeks of /driv-ing sleet
And /high seas round the /Horn,
And /lit-tle is-lands, /sil-ver rimmed,
Where /mol-ly-hawks are /born;
Re-/call-ing long, cool, /fra-grant nights
Be-/neath a Sou-thern /moon;
The /Ri-o Grande or /Shen-an-doah
To_a /con-cer-tin-as /tune.

Yet /of-ten, just be-/fore the dawn,
They /see in dreams a-/far
The /glim-mer of the /Cros-by Light
And /rain a-cross the /Bar.

Cheers, S. in Seattle

Subject: RE: Liverpool Bay - poem/song?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 06 Aug 02 - 08:41 AM

Nice work, Stewart! Don't be surprised if the song and tune shift around over the next few weeks as you play it; it will finally click in at some point and you can then tell us what further changes you've made.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble
www.rollandgoseasongs.com