Blow the Wind Southerly
Blow the Wind Southerly is a traditional English folk song from Northumbria.[1] It tells of a woman desperately hoping for a southerly wind to blow her lover back home over the sea to her. It is Roud number 2619.[2]
Kathleen Ferrier recorded what is perhaps the best-known version of the song in London in 1949.[3][4][5]
Lyrics
As with all folk music, there are now multiple versions of the lyrics after years of these lyrics being passed down the generations primarily by word of mouth. A common version is:
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow the wind south o'er the bonny blue sea;
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonnie breeze, my lover to me.
They told me last night there were ships in the offing,
And I hurried down to the deep rolling sea;
But my eye could not see it wherever might be it,
The barque that is bearing my lover to me.
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonnie breeze o'er the bonny blue sea;
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonnie breeze, and bring him to me.
Oh, is it not sweet to hear the breeze singing,
As lightly it comes o'er the deep rolling sea?
But sweeter and dearer by far when 'tis bringing,
The barque of my true love in safety to me.
The Ferrier recording does not have the "Oh," at the start of the last verse and changes ""when 'tis" to "'tis when".[3]
References
- ↑ Walker, Geoff. "Blow the Wind Southerly". Ptera Tunes. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ↑ "Blow the Wind Southerly - English Folk Dance and Song Society". English Folk Dance and Song Society. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- 1 2 Kathleen Ferrier - Blow The Wind Southerly on YouTube
- ↑ Campion, Paul (2005) Ferrier – a Career Recorded. London: Thames Publishing ISBN 0 903413 71 X, pp. 43–45
- ↑ "Kathleen Ferrier Edition Vol 8". ArkivMusic. Retrieved 20 May 2011.