Songs about lighthouses

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Jul 23 - 11:11 AM

Reminds me of this well documented story that appeared in the newspapers in Portland, ME, in the 1880s, which inspired this ballad:

By Charlie Ipcar, ©2021 (9-25-21)
Tune traditional “Whiskey before Breakfast”
Key: F(5/C)
The Wreck of the Anne C. Maguire-1886

C--------------------F--------C
On a moon lite night so clear,
F-----------C-------G
Whiskey for me Johnny-o,
C------------------------F----------C
Portland Head was drawing near,
F-----------C-------G------C
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
-----------------------G----C---------G---C
Our gallant bark sped through the night,
-------G------------------C---F----C---G
She struck the ledge be-fore the Light,
------C---------G7-------F----------C
And it was a totally dreadful sight,
F----------C-------G-------C
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!

The Anne Maguire swung half around,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o,
Broadside to the cliff, hard aground,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o,
“All hands on deck!” our Captain cried,
We pounded the deck from side to side,
But she wouldn’t budge, though hard we tried,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!

The year was eighteen eighty-six,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o,
We found ourselves in a helluva fix,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o,
‘Twas Christmas Eve, disaster bound,
Our Captain’s shout did resound,
“Abandon ship, ‘lest we all drown!”
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!

We heaved a ladder o’er the rail,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
And tumbled ashore without fail,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
The lighthouse keeper and his spouse,
Warmed us up with Liverpool scouse,
On salvaged Scotch we all got soused,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!

Early next day to town we rode,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
The ship was bilged, her bottom stove,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
Wreckers saved her sails and chains,
Only her standing rigging remained,
While we drowned our sorrows and pain,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!

Here’s to our Captain where e’er he be,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
A friend to the sailor on land or sea,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!
And may his soul fore’er be blessed,
Of all good fellas he was the best,
He shared the insurance at our request,
Whiskey for me Johnny-o!(2X)

Subject: Lyr Add: LIGHTHOUSE (Jim Lowe; from Rusty Draper)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Jul 23 - 06:38 PM

The arrangement of this song suggests that it’s trying to recreate the spookiness of “[Ghost] Riders in the Sky.” My transcription from the recording on the Internet Archive:


LIGHTHOUSE
Words and music by Jim Lowe.
As recorded by Rusty Draper (with the Jack Halloran Singers, and with orchestra conducted by David Carroll), on Mercury 70188, 1953.

I don’t know where I came from and I don’t know where I’ve been.
I’ve lived all my life in the rollickin’ sea, I guess since time began.

I recall the Flyin’ Dutchman, the Mayflower and the Maine,
And along about five hundred years ago, I saw three ships from Spain.

My castle is the lighthouse; my kingdom is the sea.
I rule all alone in the middle of the night and no one cares for me. (And no one cares for me.)

I can see the Vikings, their sails so white and clean.
The skull and bones and old Davy Jones are sights that I have seen.

I recall the great Titanic; my light she couldn’t see,
And along about mornin’ I heard the strains of “Nearer, My God, to Thee.”

And once I had a sweetheart I still recall with joy.
We loved all alone in the rollickin’ sea when I was but a boy.

But the poundin’ surf and trade winds were jealous as can be,
And along about nine hundred years ago, they took my love from me. (They took my love from me.)

But I cannot forget her, my lady from above.
When you see my light in the blackness of the night, I’m searchin’ for my love.

I’m searching for my love.

Subject: Lyr Add: LIGHTHOUSE IN THE HARBOR (from Sammy Kaye
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Jul 23 - 06:04 PM

My transcription from the recording at the Internet Archive:


LIGHTHOUSE IN THE HARBOR
Words and music by Pinky Herman, Bill Harrington, & Bob Emmerich, ©1953
As recorded by Swing and Sway with Sammy Kaye, with vocals by The Kaydets & Jeffrey Clay, on Columbia 39936, 1953.

There’s a lighthouse in the harbor
On a shore that’s far away.
There’s a white house with an arbor
Where we kissed farewell that day.

[§] Darling, keep the love light shining
For this heart of mine so true,
Till the lighthouse in the harbor
Lights my way back home to you.

[INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE, THEN REPEAT FROM §.]

- - -
There is a catalog entry that indicates there is a missing verse that begins “I'm watching the stars and counting the days.” This line apparently occurs in the sheet music but not in the recording. I have not found any other recording of this song; however, there are other songs with the same title, or with “lighthouse in the harbor” as part of the lyrics.

Subject: Lyr Add: LIGHTHOUSE SONG (from Burt Taylor))
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 22 Jul 23 - 12:37 PM

If you remember this song from your childhood, you might have some nostalgia for it, but other than that, I predict it will have little appeal. I post it here mainly for completeness:


LIGHTHOUSE SONG
Words and music by Cam Morris
As recorded by Burt Taylor with Percy Faith and His Orchestra on Columbia 39557, 1951.

CHORUS: Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling went the old lighthouse bell,
Over the ocean so blue.
Ding-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling! I’ve a story to tell:
Maidens are ever untrue.

1. Oh, once I was happy and gay as could be,
With never a worry or woe.
I lived in a lighthouse way down by the sea,
Watching the boats come and go.

2. I met a sweet maiden and wooed her one day,
And all of my love did bestow,
When along came a sailor and took her away,
Out where the boats come and go. CHORUS

3. She whispered she loved me and said she’d be mine,
That maiden I loved long ago.
Now she is sailing way over the brine,
Out where the boats come and go.

4. Oh, now as the words of the bell come to me,
They tell a sad story, I know;
While I am standing alone by the sea,
Watching the boats come and go. CHORUS

- - -
The Internet Archive has 3 copies of this recording: 1, 2, 3.

Subject: Lyr Add: A LITTLE WHITE LIGHTHOUSE (Leslie/Burke)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 21 Jul 23 - 12:20 PM

This is my transcription from several recordings (which are remarkably consistent):


A LITTLE WHITE LIGHTHOUSE
Words by Edgar Leslie, music by Joe Burke, ©1937.

There’s a little white lighthouse by a blue lagoon
And it twinkles like a love light when clouds hide the moon.
There’s a little white lighthouse where the night birds croon.
We can stroll beside the seaside by love’s lagoon,
Dreaming in the gloaming,
Where the sea is foaming,
Just a happy pair with hearts in tune;
And the little white lighthouse will be twinkling soon
As we sail away to Love Land on our honeymoon.

- - -
The Internet Archive has these recordings:
Bert Block and his Bell Music, with vocal refrain by Bill Johnson, on Vocalion 3958, 1938.
Dick Robertson and His Orchestra, with vocal refrain by Dick Robertson, on Decca 1585 B, 1937.
Music in the Russ Morgan Manner, with vocal refrain by Russ Morgan, on Brunswick 8047, 1938.
Rudy Vallee and His Connecticut Yankees, with vocal refrain by Rudy Vallee, on Bluebird B-7331-B, 1937.
The Melody Masters, with vocal refrain by Rudy Vallee, on Regal Zonophone G23630, no date.
Tommy Dorsey and his Orchestra, with vocal refrain by Jack Leonard, on Victor 25733-A, 1937.

YouTube also has:
Maurice Winnick and His Sweet Music, 1938.

Subject: Lyr Add: LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER (Mark J. Bradlyn)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 20 Jul 23 - 04:00 PM

Masato mentioned this on 19 Aug 02. My transcription from the recording at YouTube:


LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER
As recorded by Mark J. Bradlyn on “Lighthouse Keeper” (2000).

Down at the harbor, seals are barking.
Somebody’s building a fire on the sand.
Up in the lighthouse, the keeper is sleeping—
Dreams filled with darkness that he can’t understand.

Out on the jetty, breakers are crashing.
Salt spray falls softly on my true love and me.
Up in the lighthouse, a keeper is pacing,
Watching and waiting for a vessel lost at sea.

Up on the clifftop, we stand embracing.
Dolphins are leaping, half circles on the waves.
Up in the lighthouse, the keeper is praying,
Hoping for shipwrecks and sailors he can save.

On the horizon, a tall ship is passing,
Sails reefed and ready, the sky going gray.
Up in the lighthouse, the keeper is weeping.
Where is the wreckage? When will he have his day?

Out at the buoy, our dory is rocking,
Oars sweeping even, arms pulling strong.
Up in the lighthouse, the keeper is packing—
Decades of watching, now it’s time to move along,
Time to move along,
Time to move along.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST,Guitarfumbler
Date: 20 Jul 23 - 11:33 AM

https://youtu.be/Uv9z8HSWEd4

I think this version of 'Lighthouse' trumps all others I've heard.
What a talented band!

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST,Rob Mad Jock Wright
Date: 14 Jul 23 - 01:11 PM

Wang Dang Delta have a song written by Ian McLaren titled ‘the Lighthouse’ on their album Delta Road.
Think it might be on Spotify.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 14 Jul 23 - 11:55 AM

Fog Horn
Words & music by Bob Gibson and Shel Silverstein

When it’s midnight time by the waterfront
And the night’s callin’ out to its own
And the fog rolls in from a troubled sea
And I walk down by the docks all alone

Hear that fog horn, hear it moanin’
Sad song for a lonely few
And I’m walkin’, and I’m callin’
Where are you? Where are you?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPN8DuNV3e4 Bob Gibson

BBC Radio 4 The Foghorn: A Celebration
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yqp5z The Foghorn

Subject: Lyr Add: WHEN THE BELL IN THE LIGHTHOUSE RINGS
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jul 23 - 01:51 PM

Masato mentioned this on 19 Aug 2002.

From the sheet music at York University:


“Sung by Mr. Harry Smith, with Eddie Leonard’s Minstrel Co.”
WHEN THE BELL IN THE LIGHTHOUSE RINGS (Ding Dong)
Words by Arthur J. Lamb, music by Alfred Solman, ©1905.

1. Just a glance in your eyes, my bonnie Kate,
Then over the sea go I,
While the seagulls circle around the ship,
And the billowy waves roll high;
And over the sea and away, my Kate,
Afar to the distant west;
But ever and ever a thought I’ll have,
For the lassie who loves me best:

CHORUS: When the bell in the lighthouse rings ding dong,
When it clangs its warning loud and long,
Then a sailor will think of his sweetheart so true,
And long for the day he’ll come back to you;
And his love will be told in the bell’s brave song,
When the bell in the lighthouse rings ding dong,
Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!
When the bell in the lighthouse rings ding dong, ding dong, ding dong!

2. For a day is to come, my bonnie Kate,
When joy in our heart shall reign;
And we’ll laugh to think of the dangers past,
When you rest in my arms again;
For back to your heart I will sail, my Kate,
With love that is staunch and true.
In storm or in calm there’s a star of hope
That is always to shine for you: CHORUS

---
This song resembles ASLEEP IN THE DEEP (which, by the way, is another song about a lighthouse with words by Lamb) in that it seems to be written to show off the ability of a basso singer to sing very low notes.

The Internet Archive has recordings by Frank C. Stanley (1905) and by Wilfred Glenn (1923).

Subject: Lyr Add: BELL OF BOSTON BAY (Smith/Catlin, 1869)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jul 23 - 12:44 PM

Another song that was mentioned first by Bev and Jerry and later by Masato:

From the sheet music in the Levy collection at Johns Hopkins University:


BELL, OF BOSTON BAY, or, THE LIGHT-HOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER.
Words by Dexter Smith, music by E. N. Catlin, ©1869.

1. When the world is fast asleep,
And the stars shine o’er the deep,
And the winds roar wildly at their play;
When the white-winged ships go by,
When the sea runs mountains high,
Then I think of Bell far down the bay,

CHORUS: Raven hair and eyes of jet,
Sparkling orbs that haunt me yet,
Has the maiden of the dashing spray.
Yes, let me go where I will,
I am thinking of her still,
Bell the lighthouse girl of Boston Bay.

2. ’Mid the ocean’s fitful damps,
Sits she there and trims the lamps,
A beacon to the storm-lost bark;
And she fears not wind or tide,
For her duty is her pride,
And she sits and sings like any lark.

3. There’s a sailor, far away
From the lights of Boston Bay.
She has promised to become his bride,
And when he returns again,
To his home far o’er the main,
He will have the maiden by his side.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE FOG BELL (de Burgh/Pontet, 1878)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jul 23 - 10:33 AM

Another song that was mentioned first by Bev and Jerry and later by Masato:

From the sheet music in the Levy collection at Johns Hopkins University:

[The stanza breaks and indentations were inserted arbitrarily by me; no breaks are evident in the sheet music.]


THE FOG BELL
Words by Hubert de Burgh, music by Henry Pontet, [1878].

Around the lighthouse saps the tide.
Above its head, the sea-gulls glide,
And o’er the ocean waste and wide,
Afar its starry light is spied
By ships home-bound, by ships home-bound;
But when the mists around it close,
And hush the winds in dull repose,
Through the dun pall around it goes
A sullen sound, a sullen sound!

The thick cold fog, than night more dead,
Is folded round its lifted head,
Nor through the gath’ring darkness shed,
Is seen the glimm’ring beacon red,
To guide the sail, to guide the sail;
But still above the surge’s moan
The warning fog bell’s hollow tone
Is wafted to the vessel lone
In fun’ral wail, in fun’ral wail!

Loud as the raving breakers roar,
On the dread storm-beat rugged shore,
The fog bell soundeth more and more,
The waves along with iron tongue, with iron tongue, with iron tongue.

All through the long lone night of fear,
The seaman holds his breath to hear,
Now faint and low, now loud and clear:
The fog bell! the fog bell!
Calling: “Danger, danger here!
Danger here! Danger here! Danger here!”

The storm is o’er; the night has fled.
The vex’d seas with the morn are red.
Back creeps the dun fog slowly sped,
Above the mist, its stately head
The lighthouse rears, its stately head the lighthouse rears,
While o’er the calming ocean’s swell
Now gladly calling: “All is well!”
The last note of the grave fog bell
The sailor hears, the sailor hears,
Gladly calling: “All is well!”
The last note of the grave fog bell!

Subject: Lyr Add: THE ANGEL OF SUNSET ROCK (Charles Graham)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Jul 23 - 08:45 AM

This song was mentioned by Bev and Jerry in the opening message, and again by Masato:

From the sheet music in the Levy collection at Johns Hopkins University:


THE ANGEL OF SUNSET ROCK
Words and music by Charles Graham, ©1897.

1. The lighthouse keeper on Sunset Rock had trimmed his lamp for the night,
And over the ocean, far and near, it spread ifs brilliant light.
His daughter fair, on the winding stair, awaited his safe return,
But he fell; his work it was over; his own light had ceased to burn.
She took on her shoulders the burden her father had borne for years,
And banished her grief forever, chose duty instead of tears.
She sometimes wept, but her vows she kept, till ev’ry sailor knew
About the keeper’s daughter and the trouble she’d been through.

CHORUS: On the wildest night, her light shone bright, to give the sailors warning.
No thought of sleep, her watch she’d keep, until the peep of morning.
In ev’ry ship, on her outward trip, from river, canal, and dock,
The sailors all said, “God bless her; she’s the angel of Sunset Rock.”

2. One stormy night, from a foreign land, a ship for the harbor steered,
And ev’ry brave heart on board rejoiced; a home they swiftly neared.
Alas! no light on the Pilot’s sight, from Sunset Rock shed its gleam,
And the vessel struck, in the darkness, where safety had always been;
But some who escaped to the lighthouse soon opened the little door.
They saw that the girl was blameless, for stretched on the lighthouse floor,
True to the last, her young life had passed; she lay with features cold.
She died just as her father did, back in the days of old.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST,Guitarfumbler
Date: 12 Jul 23 - 07:26 AM

Check out 'Lighthouse' by that wonderful Australian band 'The Waifs'

Subject: ADD: Old Fastnet (Cicely Fox Smith)+tune by RJM
From: GUEST,RJM
Date: 12 Jul 23 - 07:18 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqmLNHqYuKo
Fastnet old fastnet music DickMiles words c fox smith

---

(lyrics added by Joe Offer from https://allpoetry.com/Old-Fastnet


OLD FASTNET
(Cicely Fox-Smith)

The ships to the westward, by night and by day,
In storm and in sunshine go forth on their way,
The big ships and little ships, swift ships and slow . . . 
And Fastnet — old Fastnet — he watches 'em go.

Hull down to the westward they vanish afar,
Like the waft of a wing or the flash of a star,
A feather of smoke on the rim of the sky . . . 
And Fastnet — old Fastnet — he waves 'em good-bye.

Strange stars will behold them, strange harbours will know,
Strange lights for their guiding will beacon and glow,
And they'll maybe remember and maybe forget
That Fastnet — old Fastnet — he's waiting there yet.

A-waiting the day, be it distant or soon,
When the ships from the westward, by night or by noon,
In storm or in sunshine rejoicing will come . . .
And Fastnet — old Fastnet — he'll welcome them home!


From ROVINGS: Sea Songs and Ballads, edited by Cicely Fox Smith, published by Elkin Mathews, London, UK, ©1921, p. 50.

"Fastnet" here refers to the Fastnet Rock off Southern Ireland, the last land to be sighted by early Irish immigrants and the first to be sighted by returning trans-Atlantic sailors.

Subject: ADD: Haul for Glasson (Henry Peacock)
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 12 Jul 23 - 07:02 AM

Haul for Glasson!

In 1779 the Lancaster Port facilities were extended closer to the Irish Sea at Glasson Dock. In 1847 the Lancaster Port Commission built a pair of lighthouses near Cockersand Abbey to help guide ships into the port. The lower lighthouse still stands on Plover Scar. It was rebuilt in 2017 after being hit - at night time! - by a large, empty, cargo vessel en route to Glasson Dock. The old high light, a square wooden tower, was demolished in 1954 but the keeper's cottage still remains.

HAUL FOR GLASSON
(Henry Peacock)

Home to dear England, our ship she is bound
And in heaving the lead, we'll soon strike English ground
What pleasure we have, with what joy cry the men
When first we catch sight of old England again

And we call, Haul for Glasson! through sea spray and foam
Yes, we all haul for Glasson, now we're heading for home

We wait in Lune Deep then sail in with the tide
John Lamb will be waiting, dock gate open wide
By Cockersand Light and then past Plover Scar
Every family awaiting their home-coming tar

Now our ship she's inside of John Lamb's parlour door
Up to the Pier Hall we must go, to be sure
For there our dear girls come from town in great style
To welcome us home with their kisses and smiles

We climb Glasson Hill for a view of the Lune
And look over the valley we'll leave all too soon
We spend time in the arms of our sweethearts and then
Kiss them goodbye as we sail off again

And we call Haul for Glasson! through sea spray and foam
But when you're a sailor, the sea is your home

Written by Henry Peacock, inspired by fragments of songs collected in Glasson by Ruth Zanoni Roskell. Tune; Farewell to Tarwathie.

Subject: Lyr Add: BRASSWORK (Fred Morong)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 11 Jul 23 - 07:41 PM

This was mentioned by Bev and Jerry in the opening message of this thread.

From Historic Furnishings Report: Raspberry Island Light Station: Apostle Islands National Lakeshore, Bayfield, Wisconsin, by David H. Wallace (Harpers Ferry, WV: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, 1989), page 257:

Lightkeepers in the U.S. Lighthouse Service often spoke of the trouble they had keeping the brasswork polished at their stations. In response to their cries of frustration, Fred Morong, who was known by the keepers as their "Unofficial Poet Laureate," wrote this poem to describe their plight.


BRASSWORK, or THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER'S LAMENT
Fred Morong

O what is the bane of a light keeper's life
That causes him worry, struggle, and strife,
That makes him use cuss words, and beat at his wife?
It's brasswork.

What makes him look ghastly, consumptive, and thin,
What robs him of health, of vigor and vim,
And causes despair and drives him to sin?
It's brasswork.

The devil himself could never invent
A material causing more worldwide lament,
And in Uncle Sam's service, about ninety percent
Is brasswork.

The lamp in the tower, reflector, and shade,
The tools and accessories pass in parade.
As a matter of fact, the whole outfit is made
Of brasswork.

The oil containers I polish until
My poor back is broken, aching; and still.
Each gallon and quart, each pint and each gill
Is brasswork.

I lay down to slumber all weary and sore.
I walk in my sleep; I awake with a snore;
And I'm shining the knob on my bedchamber door.
That's brasswork.

From pillar to post, rags and polish I tote.
I'm never without them, for you will please note
That even the buttons I wear on my coat
Are brasswork.

The machinery, clockwork, and fog-signal bell,
The coal hods, the dustpans, the pump in the well;
Now I'll leave it to you, mates, if this isn't—well,
Brasswork.

I dig, scrub and polish, and work with a might,
And just when I get it all shining and bright,
In comes the fog like a thief in the night.
Good-by, brasswork.

I start the next day and noontime draws near,
A boatload of summer visitors appear,
For no other purpose, than to smooch and besmear
My brasswork.

So it goes all the Summer, and along in the Fall,
Comes the district machinist to overhaul
And rub dirty and greasy paws overall
My brasswork.

And again in the Spring, if perchance it may be,
An efficiency star is awarded to me,
I open the package and what do I see?
More brasswork.

Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud,
In the short span of life that he is allowed,
If all the lining in every dark cloud
Is brasswork?

And when I have polished until I am cold
And I'm taken aloft to the Heavenly fold,
Will my harp and my crown be made of pure gold?
No; brasswork.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 18 May 23 - 02:29 PM

Robert Stevenson was very successful as a lighthouse engineer. His step-father was an engineer for the Northern Lighthouse Board. His sons Alan, David and Thomas also became lighthouse engineers.

David's sons, David Alan Stevenson and Charles Stevenson, designed lighthouses too. Thomas' son chose not to be an engineer. His name was Robert Louis Stevenson and he became famous as a writer.

From BBC Bitesize.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 May 23 - 10:52 AM

Tattie, what a beautiful backstory for Da Slockit Light.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: pattyClink
Date: 18 May 23 - 07:05 AM

The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Diane Raines of Neptune's Keep

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST,henryp
Date: 18 May 23 - 05:48 AM

Haven written by Lester Simpson
Sung by Coope Boyes and Simpson

I used to collect postcards of lighthouses for Lester.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gu_kZfubOE Haven

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 18 May 23 - 04:35 AM

Oh, and incidentally, the lighthouse at Fraserburgh was the first mainland one to be built in Scotland, in 1787, by Stevenson: on the site of an older castle.

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 18 May 23 - 04:23 AM

Back in 2004 an unnamed Guest asked about preservation of lighthouses: at Kinnaird Head, Fraserburgh, in NE Aberdeenshire, we have the Museum of Scottish lighthouses: well worth a visit if ever in these parts.
www.lighthousemuseum.org.uk

As for “Da Slockit Light” = here is the full quote, in the words of Tom Anderson himself, as to how the tune came about: Tom was born in Eshaness, and even helped with the building of the lighthouse there in his younger days.
"I was coming out of Eshaness in late January, 1969, the time was after 11 pm and as I looked back at the top of the hill leading out of the district, I saw so few lights compared to what I remembered when I was young. As I watched, the lights started going out one by one. That, coupled with the recent death of my wife, made me think of the old word ‘Slockit’ meaning, a light that has gone out, and I think that is what inspired the tune".
(So please play it nice and slowly - it’s a lament, not a march!)

Subject: Lyr Add: NOTICE TO MARINERS (John Dwyer)
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 May 23 - 09:04 PM

This isn't exactly a lighthouse song, it's a song about navigating in the fog by sound (lighthouses also have loud horns to complement the work the light does).

Notice to Mariners about a ferry running aground when the captain thought he was responding to the lighthouse horn. By John Dwyer in 1974, copyright and all of that still intact.

These lyrics were posted by Stewart Hendrickson, I haven't checked them against any records I have here (Dad's files are in one place but not terribly organized.)

NOTICE TO MARINERS
(John Dwyer, 1974)

Come all you Northwest sailors, who cruise on Puget Sound,
And listen to my story, for well it will astound;
'Tis of a ferry captain, who ventured forth one day,
And of the fate befell him, as he sailed on the bay.

The ferry left Seattle, 'twas on a foggy day,
The captain had no worries, for well he knew the way;
He headed 'cross the water, where finny things abound,
And set his course for Bremerton, across famed Puget Sound.

He left Seattle Harbor, and passed Duwamish Head,
Past Alki on the port side, he westerly did head;
And now 'twas open water, across to Orchard Point,
Through fog as thick as chowder, the ferry's bow did point.

Now all good skippers have a trick, who sail these waters 'round,
And when the fog is thickest, 'tis then they steer by sound;
Full several times a minute, their whistle loud they blow,
And by the echo bouncing, when land is close they know.

The ferry neared Rich Passage. a place of rocks and shoals,
And narrow as an hourglass, as past Point White she goes,
The captain slowed the ferry, and not to run aground,
He blew upon his whistle, and listened for the sound.

Now, a farmer on Point Glover, across the neck from White,
Had tied his cow that foggy morn, upon lush grass to bite;
So several times a minute, the ferry's whistle blew,
And as the captain listened, the echo came back "Moo!"

The captain turned the vessel, still steering by the sound,
And guided by that silly cow, the ferry ran aground;
So all you Northwest sailors, give listen to me now,
And when you cruise on Puget Sound, don't navigate by cow!

Subject: RE: Songs about lighthouses
From: GUEST
Date: 17 May 23 - 05:56 PM

I'm looking for that song about the Lighthouse off the Coast of Maine also! Thanks for posting the words. Hopefully eventually someone will post a recording. We lost ours years ago.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 09:04 PM

A tune rather than a song:

The Graveyard of the Gulf

Paul Cranford wrote it when he was working as a lighthouse keeper at St Paul Island in the Gulf of St Lawrence. It's one of the most beautiful tunes I know.

newspaper story about Cranford

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST,Jerry Crossley
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 08:00 PM

If anyone's interested, I wrote a song about UK lighthouses some time ago that mentions over a hundred of them. It was partly as an exercise and also because I like the evocative names that many have.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 06:56 PM

We had a somewhat related thread recently:

Spurn Point

No lighthouses in the song fragment, but it's about a wreck and the lighthouses on the point were put there for a reason.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spurn

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST,Z. Harmonious!
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 09:07 AM

I have words and chords to a beautiful song about a lighthouse off the coast of Maine. I've searched and searched to find out who did it..(I transcribed it off an album years ago, but can't remember who did it, and can find no mention of it.) If anyone can find it, let me know where! It had mandolin in the background that sounded like water tinkling and trickling.
Here it is...

To every drifting sailor on the ocean

(A)To every drifting (D)sailor on the (A)ocean
May you be (D)delivered from the (E)gale
(A)May only peaceful (D)waters lie before (A)you
(D)Gentle homeward (E)breezes fill your (A)sails.

Long ago, some(D) I heard a (A)story
About a lighthouse (D)on the coast of (E)Maine
(A)Seasons come and (D)go and leave her (A)standing
(D)Holding out her (E)lantern in the (A)rain.

Chorus:
(D)Sixty miles she (E)shines in all (A)direction
While the (D)wind, comes (E)lashing down the (A)sound
And the (D)deck heaves and (E)groans to the (A)pounding
Of the (D)demon seas, driving us (A)aground.

(A)To every drifting (D)sailor on the (A)ocean
Across the seven (D)seas you're bound to (A)roam
When there is no (D)star to guide your (A)journey
(D)May the lighthouse (E)guide you safely (A)home.

Chorus:

Repeat 1st or last verse...repeat last line

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Max Johnson
Date: 02 Mar 11 - 07:14 AM

My dear old chum John Spires used to sing...

'You have been my lighthouse in every storm.
You have been my rock, you've kept me safe and warm.
And through the darkest night you have been my guiding light.
You have been my saving grace.
Darling, I love you.'

I've seen a packed beer festival hall in tears when he sang that, and in a good way.

Subject: Lyr Add: THE LIGHTHOUSE'S TALE (Nickel Creek)
From: GUEST,Autumn
Date: 02 Mar 11 - 02:41 AM

THE LIGHTHOUSE'S TALE
As recorded by Nickel Creek on "Nickel Creek" (2000)

I am a lighthouse worn by the weather and the waves
I keep my lamp lit to warn the sailors on their way
I'll tell a story, paint you a picture from my past
I was so happy but joy in this life seldom lasts

I had a keeper, he helped me warn the ships at sea
We had grown closer 'til his joy meant everything to me
And he was to marry a girl who shone with beauty and light
They loved each other, and with me watched the sunsets into nights

And the waves crashing around me
The sand slips out to sea
And the winds that blow remind me
Of what has been and what can never be

She'd had to leave us; my keeper, he prayed for a safe return
But when the night came, the weather to a raging storm had turned
He watched her ship fight, but in vain against the wild and terrible wind
And me so helpless, as dashed against the rocks she met her end

And the waves crashing around me
The sand slips out to sea
And the winds that blow remind me
Of what has been and what can never be

Then on the next day, my keeper found her washed up on the shore
He kissed her cold face, and that they'd be together soon he swore
I saw him crying, watched as he buried her in the sand
Then he climbed my tower, and off the edge of me he ran

And the waves crashing around me
The sand slips out to sea
And the winds that blow remind me
Of what has been and what can never be

I am a lighthouse worn by the weather and the waves
And though I'm empty I still warn the sailors on their way

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST,bfdk
Date: 10 Apr 05 - 02:40 AM

Try http://www.molwert.de/Lieder/Keepers.htm.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST,Angelzbabe
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 05:48 PM

Hey!!!

Could anyone tell me where I could get the lyrics to to McCalmans song 'Keepers' from their album because I can't seem to find them anywhere.

Thanks

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Celtaddict
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 10:56 PM

Rick Spencer, at Mystic Seaport, wrote and sings "The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter," on his CD with Susan Jerome (title track).
Dave Littlefield, also of Mystic, wrote and sings "Keeper of the Light" on his CD "Far From the Shore."
The Ancient Mariners do "Faulkner's Light" on their album which might be eponymic, I don't have it around to check.
Jimmy Crowley of Cork has a wonderful song long out of print but soon to be back on CD about the passing of the manned lights, and how the computer can't grieve for the soul it fails to save. He blessed me with a private rendition of it once that is damaged but might be usable to retrieve/recreate it if CD is not ready; I will check his site.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: JWB
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 10:22 PM

Stu,

I've heard that Tom Anderson wrote Da Slockit Light after returning by sea to his home town on the Shetlands one evening and noticing how many of the houses' lights were not on, since folks had moved away to the mainland looking for work.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Joe_F
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 06:06 PM

Three Men of Eddystone, by Cyril Tawney. In the DigiTrad.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: s&r
Date: 25 Mar 04 - 04:21 AM

not a song but @Da Slockit Light' is a beautiful air, and would seem to be inspired by a lighthouse (but I don't know that for sure)
Stu

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: JWB
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 06:06 PM

Chicago-based singer Lee Murdock has a song titled "Let the Light From the Lighthouse Shine on Me" on his Standing at the Wheel CD. He says it's traditional.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: fiddler
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 03:53 PM

YOu can't keep a horse in a Lighthouse
It isn't a place for old ned
A HOrses place is on dry land
You can't keep a horse on seaweed and sand

I can't remember the rest but I can probably get the rest of the words (and the tune) if they are wanted?

Hmmm.....

A

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: kendall
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 07:43 AM

I don't know how often "Let the lower lights be burning" has been recorded, but I did it for Folk Legacy back around 1977. This was my grandfather's favorite hymn, and it was sung at his funeral.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: breezy
Date: 24 Mar 04 - 05:19 AM

song written by Graham Searle and put to music by Ben Campbell

'The Last Keeper' on the album 'Songs of lost skies'

about the the last manned lighthouse on the south coast

contact at the Moorland Folk Club, wotter nr Plymouth

good song good tune,
with a simple chorus
'The Last Keeper am I , the last keeper am I'

even I nearly got the 1st time around

It documents moments in history

'Many before me have stood on this coast
And felt the cold channels grey ire
On this very point as the Spanish approached,
There were lit a great signal fire
Two hundred years back with semaphore flags
bold sailors would signal the fleet
They stood where I stand aTrinity man
While history waves at my feet

The last keeper am I ,the last keeper am I

and ends with the line

Now I shut the last gate
I turn the last key
And walk the last clifftop bend


Hope you get it its a great song to sing.
Its a good album too.

Ben Campbell - a jewel from the North -East embedded in the South-west of England

Subject: Lyr Add: THE PORTLAND OBSERVAT'RY (Charlie Ipcar)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 08:24 PM

Hmmm. Our group Roll & Go is going to be providing entertainment for a cruise in Casco Bay for the American Lighthouse Foundation. We're just beginning to think about what we might sing.

We did compose a song in honor of the renovation of the Portland Observatory, an octagon wooden signal tower that was built on Munjoy Hill in Portland, ME, back in 1807 to keep track of unidentified sailing objects (USOs). I might as well add it to this thread although it's not a lighthouse:

THE PORTLAND OBSERVAT'RY
(Words by Charlie Ipcar © 2000
Adapted Traditional Tune: "Bonny Ship the Diamond")

Chorus:

Dm
Here's to Capt'n Moody,
-------------Am
Heave with a will!
-----Dm------------------Am
Who raised the Portland Ob-servat'ry,
-----------------Dm
High on Mun-joy Hill.


'Twas in the year eighteen-o-seven
Old Moody had a plan,
To build a signal tower
On Portland's highest land. (CHO)

With his telescope in the lantern room,
He'd scan the Bay around,
And hoist a signal up the mast
When a vessel there he found. (CHO)

'Twas in the War of 1812,
He beheld a thrilling sight,
As the Enterprise beat the Boxer,
It was one brutal fight. (CHO)

In the Civil War, in '63,
The Rebels made a play,
From the tower we tracked the Cushing,
As she fled through Casco Bay. (CHO)

In nineteen hundred and twenty-three,
The tower's work was through,
But hordes of tourists climbed the stairs,
To enjoy the view. (CHO)

In nineteen hundred and ninety-five,
The tower was condemned,
But plans were made and money raised,
From hundreds of her friends. (CHO)

Now the tower stands again,
From the elements defiant,
After all this work we're glad to know
She's Y-2-K compliant. (CHO)

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Mar 04 - 07:44 PM

I have heard the Balad of Grace Darling one and only one place. That is on the Limelighters "Through Children's Eyes" album. now available on CD.

Hey, is anyone actively involved in lighthouse preservation or in collecting LH lore?

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 21 Aug 02 - 12:47 AM

Thanks again, Masato.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 11:17 PM

These [sheet music] are in Music for the Nation: American Sheet Music, 1870-1885:

"The Lighthouse" (Y Golendy)
English version by G.F. Fuller; poetry by Iswyn; music by J. W. P. Price.
CREATED/PUBLISHED -- Louisville: Faulds, D. P., 1874.

"The Light-house keeper" (Der Leuchtthrm -- Wächter)
Words by Theo. D.C. Miller; music by W. H. Rieger.
CREATED/PUBLISHED -- New York: Spear & Dehnhoff, 1881.

~Masato

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 10:48 PM

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: GUEST,Mariner
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 05:33 PM

Just to change the subject slightly. As the part owner of a maritime museum which is housed on the oldest intact Lightship in the British Isles, I would be interested in finding any songs about the Light Ship service. Can any of you help? Mariner

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: MMario
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 03:11 PM

Dagnabit Barry - you need to do a tape of your songs and ship them off to someone who can transcribe by ear.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 03:02 PM

Thanks, Masato. We heard it. It's pretty corny and we never heard of a lighthouse with a bell in it but it's just the kind of thing we're looking for.

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 10:17 PM

Bev and Jerry, I found that title in The Great Song Thesaurus (Oxford UP, 1984) (Part IX: Thesaurus of Song Titles by Subject, Key Word, and Category). You can listen to Stanley's singing of "When the Bell in the Lighthouse Rings" (Victor single-sided 31426) HERE (The Acoustic Recording Process 1877 - 1925) [the third number].

~Masato

Subject: Lyr Add: IDA LEWIS (Barry Finn)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 09:59 PM

Hey Sinsull, thanks for being so generous with your kind words. I still don't know how to do the blue clicky thing & I can't do tunes either but if you do end up wanting the tune I've been known to sing cross country into a telephone's message machine. My e-mail is on this site. Good Luck, Barry

Subject: Lyr Add: IDA LEWIS (Barry Finn)
From: Barry Finn
Date: 23-Feb-02 - 04:08 PM

Another of the famed women lighthouse keepers (America's most famous) was Ida Lewis. She kept the Lime Rock Light after her father took (4 months after arriving at age 15) to a wheelchair. No American lighthouse has ever had its name changed by the Lighthouse Service (part of the Coast Guard), except for the Lime Rock Light. It was renamed the Ida Lewis Light. After the Light was retired it was bought by the Newport Yacht Club, who remend the club the Ida Lewis Yacht Club & has been maintained by them ever since. Her first rescue, at age 16, was 4 young men. Her last was a close friend when at age 63. Here's part of her story in song:

IDA LEWIS
As recorded by Finn & Haddie on "Fathom This" (2008)

Ida Lewis left Newport at the age of 15,
Moved onto Lime Light Rock in the 1850s
Her father was a captain, now keeper of the light
Soon the duties fell on Ida to keep the lamps burning bright.

Her sisters & brother she'd row to school every day
In a small open lifeboat across the rough bay
From his wheelchair, her father would watch through the storms
In horror as Ida would row the children back home.

Renowned for her skills no matter the weather
At swimming or rowing, no man was her better
At the age of 16 she had saved 4 men's lives
By the time she retired, she had saved 25

There are saints on the water & demons in the sea
One & all they praise Ida for her great bravery
On the very night this woman died, who had lived on the shoals
Every bell on every boat in Newport did toll

Now they've renamed that rock the Ida Lewis Rock Light
And in her honor today the lights are still burning bright
But sometimes at night when it's rough & it's cold
Some claim to see Ida pulling boys from the foam.

copyright 1998 Barry Finn

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Nancy King
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 09:22 PM

And don't forget "Let the Lower Lights Be Burning," a fine old hymn which uses the lighthouse both as a metaphor for God's love and as a literal reference; it was written by P. P. Bliss in response to a shipping disaster on Lake Erie, caused by the failure of the lighthouse keeper to do his job properly. It's in the DT.

Cheers, Nancy

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: SINSULL
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 08:58 PM

Contact Barry Finn who has written a wonderful song about a lighthouse and its keeper - a woman who saved many lives under the worst of conditions. Best of all, it is a true story. If you can get a recodring of Barry singing it - all the better.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 08:56 PM

Just casting another vote for McCutcheon's song...

-- Gary

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 06:35 PM

Hey, you guys are amazing.

Drummergirl: Where can we get the words/music to "The Lighthouse"?

Masato: Where did you find "When the Bell in the Lighthouse Rings Ding Dong"?

Anyone: Where can we find the music to "Grace Darling"?

More?

Bev and Jerry

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 06:00 PM

The title song of the McCalmans' album 'Keepers' (1999) is about lighthouse keepers and their demise. 'The Lifeboat Mona' by Peggy Seeger is about trying to save the crew of the Tay lightship in a storm. Does this count?

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Mary Humphreys
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 02:32 PM

There is a wonderful new song, written by Chris Manners and recorded by him on his recently released CD called ' Will the last man leaving turn out the light' about the situation in English lighthouses , where there are no manned lighthouses any more. You can contact him through Pete Coe or Ryburn 3 step ( he is a resident at that club ). Both have web sites.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: late 'n short 2
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 01:43 PM

Try John McCutcheon's The Old Brown's Head Light from his album "Live at Wolf Trap"

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: beadie
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 12:33 PM

In far northern Wisconsin, on the shores of the greatest of the Great Lakes (Superior), there is a tent show extravaganza that runs from May til September every year called the Lake Superior Bigtop Chautauqua. Empressario Warren Nelson and his band of entertainers book major (and minor) name acts as well as provide locally produced offerings throughout the season.

One of Nelson's projects (repeated several times each summer) is a multi-mdeia and live performance show called "The Keeper of the Light" , a production about the history of the shipping trade on the lakes dating from the earliest European occupation of the region.

The title song (Keeper of the Light) is a masterpiece chronicle of the lighthouse service.

The CD (and many others from the group) is availabel on their website at Bigtop.org .

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From:
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 10:56 AM

Check Out Dan McKinnon. He's got a great modern song about the Canadian Government selling off lighthouses. (BTW, they are selling off or have sold off a number of them)

http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/dan.mckinnon/

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: EBarnacle1
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 10:49 AM

I believe that Rick Spencer of Mystic also has a sone about a lighthouse keeper's daughter.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 10:33 AM

The Watersons' Grace Darling [lyrics].

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: Les from Hull
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 10:21 AM

'Grace Darling' - which starts off, 'Twas on the Longstone Lighthouse there dwelt an English maid..."

'My Father Was a Lighthouse Keeper' was an Incredible String Band number - they also did 'At the Lighthouse Dance'.

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 09:00 AM

Some "lighthouse keeper" songs:

I Want to Marry a Lighthouse Keeper [lyrics] by Ericka Eigen (from the film Clockwise Orange) [updated link]

My Father was a Lighthouse Keeper [lyrics] by Malcolm Le Maistre [updated link]

So Said the Lighthouse Keeper [lyrics] (John Woloschuk)

The Lighthouse Keeper by Billy Bennett [this seems to be a poem] [updated link]

Lighthouse Keeper by Mark J. Bradlyn, [title only]

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 08:24 AM

Two German songs:

Wir saßen am Fischerhause (We sat at the fisherman's house)
Text by Heinrich Heine

Im Sturme (In a storm)
Text by Karl Siebel

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 08:14 AM

Sorry, I didn't notice all the songs above are already on your list. I've found another one, but the title only:

"When the Bell in the Lighthouse Rings (Ding Dong)"
1905; Words by Arthur J. Lamb; Music by Alfred Solman

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 04:18 AM

There're three songs in the Levy Collection.

(1) Title: English Favorites. Fog Bell.
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Words by Hubert de Burgh.
Composed by Henry Pontet.
Henry Pontet Publication: New York: T.B. Harms & Co., 819 Broadway, n.d..
Form of Composition: sectional
Instrumentation: piano and voice
First Line: Around the lighthouse saps the tide
Plate Number: 493-8
Subject: Ships
Subject: Absences
Subject: Homecomings
Subject: Storms
Subject: Lighthouses
Subject: Sailors
Call No.: Box: 174 Item: 105

(2) Title: Professional Copy. The Angel of Sunset Rock. Song and Chorus.
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Words and Music by Chas. Graham.
Publication: n.p., 1897.: , .
Form of Composition: strophic with chorus
Instrumentation: piano and voice
First Line: The lighthouse keeper on Sunset Rock, had trimmed his lamp for the night
First Line of Chorus: On the wildest night, her light shone bright
Subject: Occupations
Subject: Fathers & children
Subject: Shipwrecks
Subject: Death
Call No.: Box: 140 Item: 018

(3) Title: Bell of Boston Bay, or, The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter.
Composer, Lyricist, Arranger: Poem by Dexter Smith. Music by E.N. Catlin.
E. N. Catlin Publication: Boston: White, Smith & Perry, 298 & 300 Washington Street, 1869.
Form of Composition: strophic with chorus
Instrumentation: piano and voice (solo and satb chorus)
First Line: When the world is fast asleep, and the stars shine o'er the deep
First Line of Chorus: Raven hair and eyes of jet, sparkling orbs they haunt me
Dedicatee: Respectfully Dedicated to Miss Ida Lewis
Engraver, Lithographer, Artist: Music Typography by J. Frank Giles, 89 Washington Street, Boston
Subject: Sailors
Subject: Courtship
Subject: Love
Subject: Marriage proposals
Subject: Absences
Call No.: Box: 181 Item: 030

~Masato

Subject: RE: Help: Lighthouse Songs
From: drummergirl
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 02:21 AM

I have heard a song called "The Lighthouse's Tale" by a young bluegrass band called "Nickel Creek". It is a story of a lighthouse keeper from the view of the lighthouse with lines like (if my memory serves me correctly) "I am a lighthouse, worn by the weather and the waves . . ." IMHO, it has a pretty catchy tune, although it has a sad ending because the lighthouse keeper and his wife die. It still is a nice song though. Have you heard of this song, is it what you are looking for?

Subject: Lighthouse Songs
From: Bev and Jerry
Date: 19 Aug 02 - 01:34 AM

We are looking for songs about lighthouses. Not just songs that mention lighthouses or religious songs that use the lighthouse as a metaphor, but songs that are actually about lighthouses.

We checked some sheet music sites and did a DT and forum search. There are a lot of references in the forum search but most of them were not actually to lighthouse songs.

So far, we have come up with these:

Bell of Boston Bay
Eddystone Light (not really about the lighthouse)
Flannan Isle
Brasswork (a poem looking for a tune)
The Angel of Sunset Rock
The Fog Bell
The Lighthouse
The Man at the Nore
The Three Fishers

Any more?

Bev and Jerry

p.s. Joe Offer: This one got your attention, didn't it?

[Some song titles in this thread have been converted to links by a Mudelf.]