> A.L. Lloyd > Songs > Farewell Nancy / Nancy of Yarmouth
> Martin Carthy > Songs > Farewell (Lovely) Nancy
> Tim Hart & Maddy Prior > Songs > Farewell Nancy

Farewell (Lovely) Nancy / Nancy of Yarmouth

[ Roud 527 ; Laws K14 ; Ballad Index LK14 ; trad.]

There are several quite different songs that all share the generic title Nancy of Yarmouth.

A.L. Lloyd sang this parting song as Nancy of Yarmouth in 1962 on his and Ewan MacColl's Transatlantic LP A Sailor's Garland. He commented in the sleeve notes:

To dress in sailor's clothes and smuggle oneself aboard ship was a pretty notion that often occurred to young girls a century or two ago, if the folk songs are to be believed. This song has been widely found in the south of England, also in Ireland. It seems to belong to an age when seamen had more delicate minds than they were later to display.

For years later he recorded this song again, but with the more usual title Farewell Nancy, on his album First Person. He was accompanied by Dave Swarbrick on fiddle. This track was also included on the compilations Round Cape Horn and Classic A.L. Lloyd. He said in the original album's sleeve notes:

Treading on the heels of the class of ballads in which girls dress as sailors and brave the hazards of deck and fo'c'sle are the numerous songs in which the girls wistfully volunteer to accompany their sweethearts on long voyages incognito, only to be told that the life and work is too rough for delicate creatures. Many of these ballads, like Farewell Nancy, are as pretty and as formalised as the popular engravings of the early nineteenth century, showing jolly tars with curls and dancing pumps innocently sporting with long-lashed maidens, porcelain-pure. The song has generally been reported from the southern counties, but in must have been well known in the North too, for Bebbington of Manchester published a successful broadside of it in the 1850s. In Ireland it's known as Adieu, Lovely Mary, and in North Carolina they have a version in which Nancy sees her young man swept overboard, and she dies of regret. Our version here is substantially the one that Sharp noted rather tentatively from a 74-year old Somerset woman with lovely tunes but an uncertain voice.

Martin Carthy recorded Farewell Nancy in 1966 too for his Second Album, and live in studio in July 2006 for the DVD Guitar Maestros. He commented in the original recording's sleeve notes:

An uncomplicated song of farewell in which the fairly standard offer by the maiden to dress up as “some little sea-boy” and go along with her lover is refused gently but firmly. I suspect that she is more relieved than sorry, as her pleas do not seem to carry the ring of conviction. Printed several times in the Journal of the Folk Song Society.

He recorded it again with his Waterson:Carthy family and Ben Ivitsky guesting on cello in 2004 as Farewell Lovely Nancy for the album Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand. The album notes say:

Several years ago Vic Gammon handed me a cassette of dubbings of cylinder recordings made by Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Through all the static could be heard some occasionally very odd but always beautiful performances of some songs from the original singers which, for the most part, had subsequently been published in the Journal of the Folk Song Society. Among them was this version of Farewell Lovely Nancy sung to the latter early in 1909 by a very old man called George Lovett in Winchester. Lovely Stuff.

This video shows Martin Carthy singing Farewell Lovely Nancy at the East Dulwich folk club on October 24, 2008. I'm sorry that this audience recording is quite dark.

And Tim Hart sang Farewell Nancy in 1968 on his and Maddy Prior's first duo album, Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 1.

Siney Crotty sang Lovely Mary to the Sea Do Not Go on a recording made by Roly Brown in Clare or Cabra, Dublin, in 1976/77. This was published in 1978 on the Topic LP The Lambs on the Green Hills: Songs from County Clare. Nora Cleary, who also appeared on this records, sang Farewell, Lovely Mary in a recording made by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie in the singer's home at The Hand, Milton Malbay, Co. Clare, in July 1976. This was included in 1998 on the Topic anthology We've Received Orders to Sail (The Voice of the People Series, Volume 12).

Jon Boden sang Farewell Sweet Lovely Nancy as the March 12, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Compare to this Pretty Nancy of Yarmouth (Roud 407) as sung by the Young Tradition.

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings Nancy of Yarmouth on A Sailor's Garland.

“Fare you well my lovely Nancy since now I must leave you;
Bound for the West Indies our course we must steer
Don't let my long voyage to trouble and grieve you
For I will be back in the spring as you know.”

She said, “Like a little seaboy I'll dress and go with you;
In the midst of all danger your help I'll remain.
In the cold stormy weather when the winds are a-blowing,
My love I'll be ready to reef your topsails.”

“Well, your pretty little fingers they can't handle our tackle,
Your delicate feets to our topmast can't go.
Your little behind, love, would freeze in the wind, love;
I would have you ashore when them winds it do blow.”

“Fare you well my lovely Nancy for now I must leave you;
All on the salt seas I am bound for to go.
But though we are parted, my love, be true-hearted
For I will return in the spring of the year.”

A.L. Lloyd sings Farewell Nancy on First Person

“Fare you well my dearest Nancy for now I must leave you;
All across the Western ocean I'm bound for to go.
Don't let my long voyage to trouble and grieve you
For I will return in the spring as you know.”

She says, “Like a little seaboy I'll dress and go with you;
In the midst of all dangers your help I'll remain.
In the cold stormy weather when the winds are a-blowing,
My dear I'll be ready to reef your topsail.”

“Well, your pretty slender fingers couldn't handle our tackle,
Your delicate feets to our topmast can't go.
And your little behind love would freeze in the wind love;
I would have you at home when them stormy winds do blow.”

“So fare you well my dearest Nancy for now I must leave you;
All for the West Indies I'm bound to bear.
And though we are parted my love be true-hearted
For I will return in the spring of the year.”

Martin Carthy sings Farewell Nancy on his Second Album

“Oh farewell my dearest Nancy for now I must leave you;
Far across to the West Indies our course we must steer.
Don't let my long voyage to trouble and grieve you
For you know I'll be back in the spring of the year.”

She says, “Like some little seaboy I'll dress and I'll go with you;
In the midst of all danger your help I'll remain.
In the cold stormy weather when the winds they are a-blowing,
Oh, my love I'll be there for to reef your topsail.”

“Oh, your pretty little hands they can't manage our tackle,
Your delicate feet to our topsail can't go.
Your little behind love would freeze in the wind love;
I would have you ashore when them stormy winds do blow.”

“So farewell my lovely Nancy for now I must leave you;
Far across the western ocean I'm bound far away.
Before we are parted my love be true-hearted
For you know I'll be back in the spring of the year.”

Tim Hart sings Farewell Nancy

“Farewell my lovely Nancy for I must now leave you
Unto the salt seas I am bound for to go.
But let my long absence be no trouble to you
For I will return in the spring as you know.”

“Like some pretty little seaboy I will dress and go with you
In the deepest of dangers I shall stand your friend.
In the cold stormy weather when the winds they are a-blowing,
My love I'll be willing to wait on you then.”

“Your pretty little hands cannot handle our tackle,
Your pretty little feet to our topmast can't go.
And the cold stormy weather love you never could endure
Therefore lovely Nancy to the sea do not go.”

(repeat first verse)

Waterson:Carthy sing Farewell Lovely Nancy on Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand

“Fare you well lovely Nancy for now I must leave you;
Far across to the Indies our course we must steer.
Don't you let my long voyage to trouble and grieve you
For you know I'll be back in the spring of the year.”

“Oh, don't talk of leaving me, my dearest Johnny,
Don't talk of leaving my here all alone.
For it is your sweet company that I do admire;
I will sigh till I die if I ne'er see you more.”

“I will dress in men's clothing and I will go with you;
In the midst of all danger your help I'll remain.
In the cold stormy weather with the stormy winds blowing;
Oh, my love I'll be there for to reef your topsail.”

“Oh, your beautiful fingers can't manage our cable,
Your sweet little feet to our topsail can't go.
Your delicate body strong winds can't endure,
Stay at home, lovely Nancy, to the seas do not go.”

Now Johnny is sailing and Nancy be wailing,
The tears from her eyes in some torrents do flow.
Her beautiful hair she is riving and tearing,
Saying, “I will sigh till I die if I ne'er see you more.”

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Garry Gillard and Reinhard Zierke.