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Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)

13 Mar 97 - 07:35 PM (#3070)
Subject: lyrics for lowlands low
From:

I'm trying to get the lyrics for "The Lowlands Low." The chorus is "The lowlands low, the lowlands low, sailing for the lowlands low." and the first verse starts "We sailed out of Dunmore, Michaelmas gone by Cowhides and wool and live cargo Plenty young wild geese Sailing for the lowlands low"

That's all I can remember. If anyone knows more, I'd appreciate hearing about it. thanks, cathy

14 Mar 97 - 01:58 AM (#3078)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE GOLDEN VANITY
From: Sandy

Could this be another version of the one you seek? Are we getting warm? :D

THE GOLDEN VANITY

There was a ship that sailed upon the Lowland sea,
And the name of that ship was the Golden Vanity.
And we feared she would be taken by the Spanish enemy
As we sailed upon the Lowland, Lowland, Low,
We sailed upon the Lowland sea.

Then up spoke our cabin boy and boldly outspoke he,
And he said to our captain, "What will you give to me
If I swim alongside of the Spanish enemy
And sink her in the Lowland, Lowland, Low,
And sink her in the Lowland sea?"

"O I will give you silver and I will give you gold
And my own fair young daughter, your bonny bride shall be
If you'll swim alongside of the Spanish enemy
And sink her in the Lowland, Lowland, Low,
And sink her in the Lowland sea."

Then the boy he made him ready and overboard sprang he,
And he swam alongside of the Spanish enemy,
And with his brace and auger in her side he bored holes three,
And sank her in the Lowland, Lowland, Low,
And sank her in the Lowland sea.

Then quickly he swam back to the cheering of the crew,
But the captain would not heed him, for his promise he did rue,
And he scorned his poor entreatings when loudly he did sue,
And left him in the Lowland, Lowland, Low,
And left him in the Lowland sea.

Then roundabout he turned and swam to the port side,
And up unto his messmates full bitterly he cried,
"O messmates, draw me up, for I'm drifting with the tide,
And I'm sinking in the Lowland, Lowland, Low,
I'm sinking in the Lowland sea."

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 13-Nov-02.

14 Mar 97 - 07:43 AM (#3083)
Subject: RE: lyrics for lowlands
From: Martin Ryan

Cathy

The song is indeed called "The Lowlands Low" but is no relation of the others of similar name in the tradition. Written (late last century?) by P J MCaul and still sung a fair amount. I'll post a set of wordss later

Regards

19 Mar 97 - 04:31 AM (#3240)
Subject: Lyr Add: SAILING IN THE LOWLANDS LOW (P J McCall)
From: Martin Ryan

Here goes:

*******
Dunmore we quitted, Michelmas gone by
Cowhides and wool and live cargo
Twenty young wild geese ready fledged to fly
Sailing for the Lowlands Low.

CHORUS: The lowlands low, the lowlands low,
Sailing for the lowlands low.

Shaun Paor's the skipper from the church of Crook.
Peary keeps log for his father.
Crew all from Bannow, Fethard and the Hook,
Sailing for the Lowlands low.

These twenty wild geese gave Queen Anne the slip,
Crossing to Louis in French Flanders.
He and Jack Mulbrook both are in a grip,
Fighting in the lowlands low.

Close lay a rover off the Isle of Wight,
Either a Salee or Saxon.
Out through the sea mist, we bade them goodnight,
Sailing for the lowlands low.

Ready with priming, we'd our galliot gun,
Muskets and pikes in good order.
We should be riddled, captives would be none,
Death or else the Lowlands low.

Pray Holy Brendan, Turk nor Algerine,
Dutchman nor Saxon may sink us.
We'll bring Geneva, Sack and Rhenish wines
Safely from the lowlands low.

Place names and surnames all from the southeast corner of Ireland.

Regards

HTML line breaks added. --JoeClone, 13-Nov-02.

19 Mar 97 - 08:52 AM (#3244)
Subject: RE: lyrics for lowlands
From: Martin Ryan

Apologies for the formatting of the lyrics. I thought I had this sorted out!

Four lines to the stanza and a two line chorus

Regards

27 Dec 09 - 09:12 AM (#2797208)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST

anyone know who jack Mulbrook was? Who's in a grip with louis fighting in the lowlands low.

09 Aug 19 - 03:27 PM (#4003856)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: Cattia

Jack Malbrook: pheraps John Churchill first Duke of Marlborough (1650-1722)

09 Aug 19 - 04:51 PM (#4003874)
Subject: Lyr Add: THE LOWLANDS LOW
From: GUEST,JIm I

I used to sing a version of this some 40 years ago which had nothing about fighting. I have no idea where I got it from but others in Edinburgh at that time sang the same version.

Lowlands Low, The

From Dunmore we drifted, Michlemass gone by
Cow hide and wool was our cargo
Twenty young wildies newly fledged tae fly
Sailing for the lowlands low

Chorus:        
The Lowlands Low, The Lowlands Low
Sailing for the Lowlands Low

John White, the skipper, from the town o’ Crook
Here he keeps law for his father
Crew all from Bannow, Fethard and the Hook
Sailing for the Lowlands Low.

Gone from our country, driven by the foe
Proud and yet sad we departed
Green hills behind us, foreign lands before
Sailing for the Lowlands Low

Pray Holy Brendan, help us on our way
Guide and protect us from all danger.
Keep safe our cargo, bring us safely home
Sailing for the Lowlands Low.

09 Aug 19 - 08:12 PM (#4003898)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST,Starship

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2RWo3L5xAk

There it is by the Clancy Brothers.

09 Aug 19 - 10:41 PM (#4003906)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: Anglo

P J McCall is a pseudonym of Peter Dawson, the Australian concert baritone. I found a recording of him doing a version of the Golden Vanity (Lowland Sea), not this one though.

09 Aug 19 - 11:07 PM (#4003907)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: Anglo

Sorry, I think my post above was a red herring. Wrong P J McCall. This one seems to be an Irish composer of historical songs, including Kelly The Boy From Killane - see comments on this video Here.

10 Aug 19 - 09:40 AM (#4003982)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST,Bob Coltman

[To set the stage, here's a brief quote from Wikipedia as regards the 'Wild Geese,' cited in this song:
'The Flight of the Wild Geese was the departure of an Irish Jacobite army under the command of Patrick Sarsfield from Ireland to France, as agreed in the Treaty of Limerick on 3 October 1691, following the end of the Williamite War in Ireland. More broadly, the term Wild Geese is used in Irish history to refer to Irish soldiers who left to serve in continental European armies in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.']

My comment: In this song the term may be more loosely used to mean rebels or runners of contraband, but I can't be sure just how it is meant.
***

Now to my main point: I'd be interested to know more about the history of this magnificent song. I learned 'Sailing in the Lowlands Low' in 1958 from an older friend, Bob Keppel of St. Louis. He had learned it from a 78 rpm record (probably issued c. 1940s) sung by Christopher Casson on Copley, one of the Irish/Irish-American record labels then current around Boston. I know of no earlier recorded source. Tommy Makem later recorded it with the Clancys.

Since Patrick Joseph McCall lived 1861-1919 (see Wikipedia), the text was written in the late 19th or early twentieth century. The tune appears without text or comment in Joyce's Old Irish Music and Song, 1965 ed., and thus presumably in the 1909 first edition, which I haven't seen. I don't know whether text and tune were both McCall's, or whether they were joined later.

Given its beauty and creativeness, it's odd that 'Sailing in the Lowlands Low' (or as 'Lowlands Low,' but not the sea chantey of that name) does not appear in Sam Henry, Patrick Galvin's Irish Songs of Resistance, Clancy Bros. songbook, Zimmerman's Songs of Irish Rebellion, not even in 'Twas Only an Irishman's Dream,' or any other printed Irish song source I have found.

That's as much as I've been able to learn. The song is among my favorites, and I still sing it.

Bob

10 Aug 19 - 10:24 AM (#4003986)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: Anglo

Sailing in the Lowlands Low is in McCall's book, Irish Fireside Songs. See Here. 
Kelly from Killann is a few pages later. As you can see, a tune reference is given for Lowlands, Joyce's Old Irish Music & Songs, #182.

Apparently a number of McCall's poems were set to music by Arthur Darley, using traditional Irish tune sources (hence the Joyce reference, I assume). I don't know if this as Darley's suggestion or not. Other examples are Kelly (no tune suggested in the book), Boulavogue, and Follow Me Up To Carlow.

I don't know where, or if, the Darley arrangements were published. I'd certainly be interested to find out.

Best to you, Bob.

John Roberts

10 Aug 19 - 10:41 AM (#4003988)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST,Starship

Bob, have you heard Christopher Casson's recording??

10 Aug 19 - 11:04 AM (#4003991)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST

I didn't look carefully enough - "The Darley & McCall Collection of Irish Music", Darley & McCall, Ossian Publications Limited. 1914, reprinted by Music Sales Corporation (January 1997).

10 Aug 19 - 11:09 AM (#4003992)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST

Yet again, from AbeBooks - "The Darley & McCall Collection of Irish Music" Ex-library copy, with the usual stamps and markings. Interior pages clean and unmarked. Most corners dog-eared. Tight sewn binding. Laminated card cover. 47 pages. Solo instrumental lines only, no harmony, and no lyrics. Jigs, reels, hornpipes, marches, slow airs, etc. (no songs).

This lists it as Ossian, 1984. (I wonder if 1914 is a misprint.)

And no songs.

10 Aug 19 - 11:32 AM (#4003994)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST,Starship

"Sailing in the Lowlands Low is in McCall's book, Irish Fireside Songs. See Here." Incidentally, the publication date of that book was 1911.

10 Aug 19 - 11:51 AM (#4003995)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: Anglo

And if I may correct another of my errors in this thread, the pseudonym used by Peter Dawson was J. P. McCall, not P.J.

10 Aug 19 - 02:08 PM (#4004022)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST

Hi Starship, No, I haven't heard the Casson recording ... wish I had. But Keppel passed along only the tune and lyrics.

And thanks John (best to you as well!) for the tip about McCall's book of 1911 ... Fascinating look at a revolution-minded poet of the times whose words are still stirring. I wonder to what extent he chose that tune from Joyce's then-recent collection, or whether it was chosen for him, which might hint to us whether he thought of himself primarily as a poet whose lyrics others set to music, or as a songwriter for Irish freedom, or both.

Bob

10 Aug 19 - 02:23 PM (#4004024)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST,Starship

Here is a link to Casson's recording of it.
10 Aug 19 - 06:29 PM (#4004063)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: Anglo

Wow! Nice find, Starship.

11 Aug 19 - 08:11 AM (#4004111)
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailing in the Lowlands Low (P J McCall)
From: GUEST,Starship

Got lucky, Anglo. I tripped over it while Googling something you wrote, so backatcha :-)