THE MAID ON THE SHORE

Purchase Rosemary Lawton's music at Citadel House
Performed by Nick Earle (more info), Rosemary Lawton (more info)
“The Maid on the Shore”
Anita Best & Pamela Morgan
From the album The Colour of Amber, 1991
Open in YouTube Music
Performed by Pamela Morgan (more info), Anita Best (more info)
Purchase the album at Fred's Records

Person list

Words and tune:

  • Traditional (English)

Locations associated with this song:

Background Info:

The Maid on the Shore comes from the singing of Mrs. Annie Centres of Rocky Harbour, who performed it for Elisabeth Greenleaf in 1929 and for Kenneth Peacock in 1958; both published it in their collections. She did not compose the song; it has been found in oral tradition elsewhere in Canada and in the U.S. and seems to have originated in the British Isles as a broadside. “Broadside” was the name given, starting in the 16th century, for single sheets of paper on which songs or other popular texts were printed and sold; the broadside has been called the ancestor of tabloid newspapers and of popular song sheet music.
Dr. Neil V. Rosenberg, Catch Ahold this One...Songs of Newfoundland & Labrador –Volume 1
© Vinland Music. Reproduced with permission

Lyrics:

THE MAID ON THE SHORE - Traditional

It was of a young maiden who lived all alone,
She lived all alone on the shore-o;
There was nothing she could find for to comfort her mind
But to roam all alone on the shore, shore, shore,
But to roam all alone on the shore.

It was of a young Captain who sailed the salt sea,
Let the winds blow high or blow low-o;
“I will die, I will die,” this young captain did cry,
“If I can't get that maid from the shore, shore, shore,
If I can’t get that maid from the shore.”

“I have lots of silver, I have lots of gold,
I have lots of costly ware-o;
I'll divide, I'll divide, with my jolly ship's crew,
If they row me that maid from the shore, shore, shore,
If they row me that maid from the shore.”

After long persuadance they got her on board
Let the winds blow high or blow low-o;
Where he placed her a chair in his cabin below,
“Here's adieu to all sorrow and care, care, care,
Here’s adieu to all sorrow and care.”

She sot herself down in his cabin below,
Let the winds blow high or blow low-o;
Where she sang so sweet, so neat and complete,
She sang captain and sailors to sleep, sleep, sleep,
She sang captain and sailors to sleep.

She robbed him of silver, she robbed him of gold
She robbed him of costly ware-o;
And she stole his broadsword instead of an oar
And she paddled her way to the shore, shore, shore,
And she paddled her way to the shore.

“My men must’ve been crazy, my men must’ve been mad,
My men must’ve been deep in despair-o;
For to let her go ‘way with her beauty so gay,
And to paddle her way to the shore, shore, shore,
And to paddle her way to the shore.”

“Your men was not crazy, your men was not mad,
Your men was not deep in despair-o;
I deluded your sailors as well as yourself,
I'm a maiden again on the shore, shore, shore,
I’m a maiden again on the shore.”
from Catch Ahold this One...Songs of Newfoundland & Labrador –Volume 1
© Vinland Music. Reproduced with permission.

See lyrics on a page by themselves