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Davy Lowston

[ Roud - ; Ballad Index DTdavylo ; trad.]

Martin Carthy recorded Davy Lowston with Dave Swarbrick in 1967 for their album Byker Hill; it was reissued on their compilation album Selections and on Martin Carthy: A Collection. He commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

New Zealand has not as yet been notable for producing good songs—most Antipodean songs are from Australia—but Davy Lowston is a New Zealand song about the seal hunters who, each season, go down into the Antarctic. It is a remarkable song in several ways; firstly because it underlines the difference between reading a song on a piece of paper and actually singing it; secondly in its brevity; and also because it uncovers and encompasses more in four verses than do many songs with several times that number.

The American duo William Pint and Felicia Dale sang Davy Lowston on their 2001 album White Horses. According to their album sleeve notes they learned it from Martin Carthy who told them he got it from A.L. Lloyd. However, I don't know of any recording of this song by A.L. Lloyd.

June Tabor sang Davy Lowston on her 1980 album with Martin Simpson, A Cut Above. with some different verses. Here, Davy Lowston's captain tried to return to Port Jackson (i.e. Sydney), and some of those left behind were finally rescued. In Martin Carthy's version the scenery was set on the other side of the Antarctics as the captain's destination was Port Stanley on the Falklands.

See also the very informative article by Frank Fyfe, The story of David Lowston, a pre-colonial NZ song. The lyrics published there are very similar to June Tabor's; basically, she just left out the second verse of them.

Lyrics

Martin Carthy sings Davy Lowston

Oh me name is Davy Lowston, I did seal, I did seal,
Oh me name is Davy Lowston, I did seal.
Though me men and I were lost,
Though our very lives it cost,
We did seal, we did seal, we did seal.

We were set down in open bay, were set down, were set down,
We were set down in open bay, we were set down.
We were left, we gallant men,
Nevermore to sail again,
Nevermore, nevermore, nevermore.

Our captain John McGrath, he set sail, he set sail,
Oh yes for old Port Stanley he set sail.
“I'll return, men, without fail,”
But she foundered in the gale
And went down, and went down, and went down.

So come all you lads who venture far from home, far from home,
Come all you lads who venture far from home,
Where the icebergs tower high,
That's a pitiful place to die,
Never seal, never seal, never seal.

June Tabor sings Davy Lowston

Oh me name is Davy Lowston, I did seal, I did seal,
Oh me name is Davy Lowston, I did seal.
Now me men and I were lost,
Though our very lives it cost
We did seal, we did seal, we did seal.

We were set down in open bay, were set down, were set down,
We were set down in open bay, we were set down.
We were left, we gallant men,
Nevermore to sail again,
For to sail, for to sail, for to sail.

Our captain John Bedar, he set sail, he set sail,
Yes, for Port Jackson he set sail.
“I'll return, men, without fail,”
but she foundered in the gale
And went down, and went down, and went down.

We cured ten thousand skins, for the fur, for the fur,
Yes we cured ten thousand skins for the fur.
Brackish water, putrid seal,
We did all of us fall ill,
For to die, for to die, for to die.

Come all you lads who sail upon the sea, sail the sea,
Come all you jacks who sail upon the sea,
Though the schooner “Governor Bligh”
Took up some who did not die,
Never seal, never seal, never seal.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Wolfgang Hell for the transcription of Martin Carthy's singing. Thanks to Rudy Sunde of The Maritime Crew who sings Davy Lowston in the original New Zealand version and who told me more about the song's origins.