Lyr Add: Pacific Coast (C. Fox Smith)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Pacific Coast (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 Apr 05 - 10:15 AM

Here's a link back to the main C. Fox Smith thread: Click here!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: Lyr Add: Pacific Coast (C. Fox Smith)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 10 Apr 05 - 06:15 PM

I've posted this one already in the general C. Fox Smith thread but since I now have a musical arrangement link for my adaptation of this poem, it's probably better to have a stand alone thread.

Here's the original poem:

Poem by C. Fox Smith, SEA SONGS & BALLADS 1917-22, pp. 96-97, © 1924

Pacific Coast


Half across the world to westward there's a harbour that I know,
Where the ships that load with lumber and the China liners go, –
Where the wind blows cold at sunset off the snow-crowned peaks that gleam
Out across the Straits at twilight like the landfall of a dream.

There's a sound of foreign voices – there are wafts of strange perfume –
And a two-stringed fiddle playing somewhere in an upstairs room;
There's a rosy tide lap-lapping on an old worm-eaten quay,
And a scarlet sunset flaming down behind the China Sea.

And I daresay if I went there I should find it all the same,
Still the same old sunset glory setting all the skies aflame,
Still the smell of burning forests on the quiet evening air, –
Little things my heart remembers nowhere else on earth but there.

Still the harbour gulls a-calling, calling all the night and day,
And the wind across the water singing just the same old way
As it used to in the rigging of a ship I used to know
Half across the world from England, many and many a year ago.

She is gone beyond my finding – gone forever, ship and man,
Far beyond that scarlet sunset flaming down behind Japan;
But I'll maybe find the dream there that I lost so long ago –
Half across the world to westward in a harbour that I know –
Half across the world from England many and many a year ago.

Here's my musical adaptation:

PACIFIC COAST (VICTORIA, BC)P

(Poem by C. Fox Smith, SEA SONGS & BALLADS 1917-22, pp. 96-97, © 1924
Adapted for singing by Charles Ipcar, 8/25/2004
Tune: after traditional "Rolling Home"
Key: G)

Half across the world to westward, there's a harbour that I know,
Where the ships that load with lumber, and those China liners go;
Where the wind blows cold at sunset, off the snow-crowned peaks that gleam,
Out across the Straits at twilight, like the landfall of a dream.

Chorus:

There's a harbour that I know,
There's a harbour that I know,
Half across the world to westward,
There's a harbour that I know.

There's a sound of foreign voices; there are wafts of strange perfume,
And a two-stringed fiddle playing somewhere in an upstairs room;
There's a rosy tide lap-lapping on an old worm-eaten quay,
And a scarlet sunset flaming down, beyond the China Sea. (CHO)

And I daresay if I went there, I'd find it all the same,
Still the same old sunset glory, setting all the skies aflame,
Still the smell of burning forests on the quiet evening air,
Little things my heart remembers, nowhere else on earth but there. (CHO)

Still the harbour gulls a-calling, calling night and day,
And the wind across the water, singing just the same old way,
As it used to in the rigging of a ship I used to know,
Half across the world from England, now so many years ago. (CHO)

She is gone beyond my finding, gone forever, ship and man,
Far beyond that scarlet sunset, flaming down behind Japan;
But perhaps I'll find the dream there that I lost so long ago,
Half across the world to westward, in a harbour that I know. (CHO)

Here's the link to the MP3 sample file on my website: Click here!

We'll be singing this for some folks in Victoria, BC, when I visit there in August of this year.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble