My Boy Willie
Traditional:
courtesy of www.SailorSongs.com
It was early early all in the Spring
That my boy Willie went to serve the King
The night was dark and the wind blew high
It was then I lost my dear sailor boy
The night is long and I can find no rest
The thought of Willie runs in my breast
I'll search the green woods and village wide
Still hoping my true love to find.
Oh father father give me a boat
Out on the ocean that I may float
To watch the big boats as they pass by
That I might enquire for my sailor boy
She was not long out upon the deep
When a man-o-war vessel she chanced to meet
Saying Captain captain now tell me true
If my boy Willie is on board with you
What sort of boy is your Willie dear
Or what sort of a suit does your Willie wear
He wears a suit of the royal blue
And you'll easy know him for his heart is true O
h, then your boy Willie I am sorry to say
Has just been drowned the other day
On yon green island that we pass by
'Twas there we laid your poor sailor boy
She wrung her hands and she tore her hair
And she sobbed and sighed in her despair
And with every sob she let fall a tear
And every sigh was for her Willie dear
Oh father, make my grave both wide and deep
With a fine tombstone at my head and feet
And in the middle a turtle dove
That the world may know that I died of love
Come all you sailors who sail along
And all you boatmen who follow on.
From the cabin-boy to the mainmast high
Ye must mourn in black for my sailor boy
The author of this website has put a lot of time and effort into gathering the greatest collection of sea shanties for the world to enjoy - There are songs that have been to sung to a job of work at sea for many, many years and collecting them has been a great endeavour. - Roger Chartier has made the effort out of his own interest and the requests that he has gotten to do this work from fellow musicians who wanted a good source of sea shanties to draw on and learn from. He has been told that for this effort he is a remarkable man.
