Lyr Add: Banks of Newfoundland 5 (Canadian)

Subject: Lyr Add: BANKS OF NEWFOUNDLAND 5 (Canadian)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 04:02 PM

Lyrics Add: The Banks of Newfoundland 5 (Canadian)

The springtime of the year is come,
Once more we must away,
Out on the stormy Banks to go
In quest of fish to stay.

Where seas do roll tremendously
Like mountain peaks so high,
And the wild sea-birds around us
In their mad career go by.

Out there we spend our summer months
Midst heavy fog and wind,
And often do our thoughts go back
To the dear ones left behind.

From where the wild sea billows foam,
There by cold breezes fanned,
Out on the stormy billows
On the Banks of Newfoundland.

At midnight when the sky is dark
And heavy clouds do frown,
It's there we stand great danger
Of our craft being soon run down

By some large greyhound of the deep
That rushes madly by.
It's then we trust our lives
To kind Providence on high.

It's when those summer toils are o'er
We return with spirits light
To see our sweethearts and our wives
Who helped us in the fight.

From where the wild sea billows foam,
There by cool breezes fanned,
Out on the stormy billows
On the Banks of Newfoundland.

Traditional, Sung by Jim Rice, Cape Broyle, 1952. Sung "Moderate, free time." Kenneth Peacock, 1965, "Songs of the Newfoundland Outports," vol. 1, pp. 108-109, with music. Sheet Music more clearly presented in the GEST Songs (Banks of Newfoundland 2), on line at Banks of Newfoundland

Note by Peacock: "This is the most lyrical of all the songs and ballads under this title. As far as I know, it has never been collected elsewhere, so I am temporarily claiming it as a native Newfoundland song. The lovely tune is still another example of a pure pentatonic melody uncluttered by auxilliary and passing notes. For other examples, see "Early Spring" and "Oh Write Me Down, Ye Powers Above," by Mrs. Decker, whose free style of singing, by the way, is similar to Mr. Rice's."

This Banks fishermans' song bears little similarity to the American and English songs under this title. This is the justification for a new thread.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: BANKS OF NEWFOUNDLAND 5 (Canadian)
From: GUEST, GEST
Date: 24 Oct 03 - 09:17 PM

Thanks, Q ~ I'll add some of that provenance data to the page ASAP. ~thumbsup~