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The Skipper and His Boy

[ Roud 2680 ; Wiltshire Roud 2680 ; trad]

Sam Larner sang The Skipper and His Boy to Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger and Charles Parker in between 1958 and 1960. This track was included in 2014 on his Musical Traditions anthology Cruising Round Yarmouth. Rod Stradling noted:

A song of which little is really known. Roud has 31 entries, but the four sound recordings, of the complete song, are all by Walter Pardon, the 20 broadside references all look very similar, and there’s one in Alfred Williams’ MS index. The only other ‘real’ evidence of it in the tradition is Sharp’s 1906 collection of it from Captain Vickery of Minehead, Somerset—and it’s said that Jim Copper sang it.

Walter Pardon sang The Skipper and His Boy to Mike Yates on 2 August 1978. This recording was included in 2000 on his posthumous Musical Traditions anthology Put a Bit of Powder on It, Father. Rod Stradling noted:

Another song of which little is really known. There are three broadside catalogue references and one in Alfred Williams’ MS index. The only other ‘real’ evidence of it in the tradition is Sharp’s 1906 collection of it from Captain Vickery of Minehead, Somerset. Walter’s is, again, the only sound recording.

Lyrics

Sam Larner sings The Skipper and His Boy

So merrily over the waves so high,
We ride together, my Father and I;
We ride together, my Father and I.

Now, the storm it went tossed and returned on the shore,
It tossed them around and they never spoke more.
The boy’s handkerchief laid on the sand;
Which she’d tied round his neck, with a parting hand.

Walter Pardon sings The Skipper and His Boy

The sea ran high and the winds waved wild
When the Skipper calls to his only child
“My boy, if fear doth assail thee now
Go pray in silence down below”
“Fear, Fear!” cried the boy, “I know no fear
Father, when thy right hand is near
For o’er the green wave ’neath the morning sky
We’ll ride together, my father and I
We’ll ride together, my father and I”

“And Mother will watch from the door and pray
For us both, dear Father, ’til break of day
She will be the first when her prayer is done
To catch sight of our sail ’neath the morning sun”
“Yes, yes” quoth the Skipper, brief and stern
“Tomorrow will see our back return
For o’er the green wave ’neath the morning sky
We’ll ride together, my boy and I
We’ll ride together, my boy and I”

She’s watching, watching, but never more
Will that gallant skipper return to shore
The boy’s black handkerchief lies on the sand
It was tied round his neck by her parting hand.
And all that there of the Skipper remains
The compass that he will ne’er use again
For she knows that full well on the jasper sea
They’re riding together, the boy and he
They’re riding together, the boy and he.