Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy

Subject: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,Sara Lorimer
Date: 09 Mar 04 - 02:23 PM

I have a half-remembered song from my childhood running through my head. It begins:

Oh, once I heard a mermaid sing
As I sailed this sea, this deep blue sea
Once I heard a mermaid sing
As I sailed this briny ocean

It's sung by a cabin boy, resisting temptation. I remember bits and pieces of other verses, but never knew the title or its origins. It might be from the 1970's, or it might be centuries old, or I might've made it up without realizing it.

Do any of you recognize it, or have suggestions as to where I might find it? I've tried Google, searching this site, rec.music.folk, and The Gunroom.

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: ced2
Date: 09 Mar 04 - 02:36 PM

Was the cabin boy called Roger by any chance? Sorry!

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 09 Mar 04 - 02:36 PM

no luck at Levy

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 09 Mar 04 - 02:39 PM

or the Bodlian

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: Charley Noble
Date: 09 Mar 04 - 04:49 PM

This is a mystery to me.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: EBarnacle
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 11:15 AM

If the song is the one I believe it is, it is cast in the genre of the typical mermaid song, in which the youth is enticed to marry a mermaid at the bottom of the sea and comes back, telling his compatriots of the wonderful life down there.

Subject: ADD: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,KB
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 12:18 PM

My sis & I used to sing this:

O once I heard a mermaid sing
across the sea, the deep blue sea
o once I heard a mermaid sing
across the briny ocean

o cabin boy come and play with me
across the sea, the deep blue sea
o cabin boy come and play with me
across the briny ocean

o no pretty maid I can't follow you
across the sea, the deep blue sea
o no pretty maid I can't follow you
across the briny ocean

with a flick of her tail she was off and away
across the sea, the deep blue sea
with a flick of her tail she was off and away
across the briny ocean

and now I am a captain grand
across the sea, the deep blue sea
and now I am a captain grand
across the briny ocean

and sometimes I wish I had followed her
across the sea, the deep blue sea
and sometimes I wish I had followed her
across the briny ocean


(might be some bits missing - its about 30 years since we used to sing it....)

KRis

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: MMario
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 12:27 PM

Thank you KRis!

What's the tune like?

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,Sara
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 10:10 PM

Yes! KRis, that's it! I remember slightly different lyrics, and bits of another verse or two, but it's obviously the same song.

I don't suppose you know any more about it? I remember the tune, but I'm trying to find who wrote it.

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Mar 04 - 10:42 PM

Finding who wrote a song like that might be pretty tough. You're lucky you found the words! But as a starting place, you might find some old poetry books and look in the index of first lines. Sometimes poems are put to music, and sometimes music is treated like poetry. (I have several examples of both instances around here).

SRS

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,KB
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 11:34 AM

Glad I could help. Will try to write down the tune & find some way of representing it.
Will also email my sis and see if she can tell me where she learnt it (I learnt it from her) - I imagine she must have learnt it at school.

Kris

Subject: RE: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST
Date: 11 Mar 04 - 12:04 PM

Kris - If you are capable of writing down the tune - you should be able to manage ABC -- see The Mudcat ABC tune Guide

I'm always willing to transcribe sheet music scanned and e-mailed or snail mailed to me as well.

MMario

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Nov 09 - 10:01 AM

Miss Take - England

We sang this song circa 1966, at primary school. It was in a collection of songs called 'Time and Tune' a schools programme, run by the BBC. There was also 'Singing Together' for the older kids, and this included timeless classics like 'Gossip Joan,''Michael Finnigan' and 'Casey Jones'. Happy Days!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,Richard Chamberlain
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 01:07 PM

We sang this song in kindergarten in England in about 1962. I'm sure it came from the BBC as one reviewer mentions. We had an end-of-term show in the local village hall and I got to sing it solo. Those were the days!

From what I remember these are the first two verses:

Oh once I heard a mermaid Sing
As I sailed the sea, the dee-ep blue sea
Oh once I heard a mermaid sing
As I sailed the briny ocean

Oh-h cabin boy come and play with me
As I swim the sea, the de-ep blue sea
Oh cabin boy come and play with me
As I swim the briny ocean

That's all I can remember, but it brings back very fond memories!

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST, Richard Chamberlain
Date: 26 Jan 10 - 01:59 PM

Here are all the lyrics I can remember, with the tune, starting with Middle C.

Here is a link to a keyboard you can try the tune on. Middle C is the eighth key from the left:
http://www.apronus.com/music/flashpiano.htm

Oh-h once I heard a-a mermaid sing
c-d    e      c    c    d-e    f-d       d   

As I sailed the sea, the-e   dee-ep blu-e sea
g   f    e      c    c      d-e      f-e      d-c    b

Oh-h once I heard a-a mermaid sing
c-d    e      c    c    d-e    f-d       d   

As I sailed the briny ocean
g    f    e      c   d-b    c-c

(Same tune for all the verses below)

Oh-h cabin boy come and play with me
As I swim the sea, the de-ep blue sea
Oh cabin boy come and play with me
As I swim the briny ocean

Oh pretty maid I can't follow you
As I sail the sea, the dee-ep blue sea
O pretty maid I can't follow you
As I sail the briny ocean

With a flick of her tail she was gone away
As she swam the sea, the de-ep blue sea
With a flick of her tail she was gone away
As I swim the briny ocean

And now I am a Captain grand
As I sail the sea, the dee-ep blue sea
And now I am a Captain grand
As I sail the briny ocean

And I sometimes wish I had followed her
As I sailed the sea, the dee-ep blue sea
And I sometimes wish I had followed her
As I sailed the briny ocean

---

MIDI from Leeneia: Click to play (joeweb)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: Charley Noble
Date: 27 Jan 10 - 10:10 AM

Nice to have another song request tidied up. This one only took six years!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 03 Dec 11 - 12:04 PM

Tidied up? I beg to differ. We still don't know who wrote it, or the official title, or where it was published, or whether anybody ever recorded it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST
Date: 23 Oct 16 - 02:09 PM

i remember this. my son sang it at his school when he was about six. late seventies,

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,Doug
Date: 04 Mar 17 - 07:47 PM

I also sang this song in England in the late sixties in first grade. I remember the lyrics that the others also wrote but I also remember the mermaid saying "we can ride away on a dolphins' back as we sail the sea the deep blue sea

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: GUEST,Edward Lucas
Date: 26 Aug 17 - 10:44 AM

I sang this in Ide primary school in Devon in 1967

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: leeneia
Date: 26 Aug 17 - 11:18 AM

I have made a MIDI of the tune as posted by R. Chamberlain above, and I'm sending it to Joe for posting. It will work better with Internet Explorer, I think.

I had to make some guesses as to note times, but I think it's about right.

---

MIDI from Leeneia: Click to play (joeweb)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: the mermaid and the cabin boy
From: Joe Offer
Date: 26 Aug 17 - 08:38 PM

Leeneia's MIDI posted - see link just above. Has anybody found a printed source for the lyrics and melody of this song? It was part of the BBC Time and Tune series.