> Martin Carthy > Songs > Fair Maid on the Shore
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> Frankie Armstrong > Songs > Maid on the Shore
> Eliza Carthy > Songs > Maid on the Shore

[Fair] Maid on the Shore / The Mermaid

[ Roud 181 ; Laws K27 ; Ballad Index LK27 ; trad.]

Martin Carthy sang Fair Maid on the Shore in 1966 on his Second Album. A live recording with Dave Swarbrick at the Folkus Folk Club in the same year is available on Both Ears and the Tail. Frankie Armstrong sang this song as Maid on the Shore in 1972 on her LP Lovely on the Water; this track was re-released on the Topic theme CDs The Bird in the Bush: Traditional Songs of Love and Lust and Round Cape Horn: Traditional Songs of Sailors, Ships and the Sea.

Martin Carthy commented in his original recording's sleeve notes:

Bronson in his Tunes of the Child Ballads lists Fair Maid on the Shore as a variant on the Broomfield Hill theme, where a young girl extricates herself from a nasty predicament by employing a mixture of guile and magic. The story of a siren, whether benevolent, malevolent or just plain amoral, is quite widely diffused in Europe but is not so common in England. Learned originally from the vast repertoire of A. L. Lloyd.

and Lloyd noted in the sleeve notes of The Bird in the Bush on Frankie Armstrong's version:

Another girl trickster, but this time perhaps she's no ordinary girl at all. Seemingly at the mercy of a crew of rough sailors, she extricates herself with such aplomb that it's no wonder some country folk call the song The Mermaid. The evocation of moonlight through the song seems to emphasise a supernatural atmosphere, though the delicate wit of it keeps the song's feet on the ground.

The Maid on the Shore was also sung by Cyril Tawney on his CD Nautical Tawney: Songs of the Old Seafarers from which Eliza Carthy learned it and recorded it with the Ratcatchers (Jon Boden, Ben Ivitsky, and John Spiers) for her 2005 album Rough Music. She commented further:

Girls have always fancied that the sound of their voice could possibly lull a man, or perhaps a forest full of enchanted creatures, into doing exactly what they want. But perhaps she really is magic. Songs where the hero or heroine tricks someone, fools him of her into falling in love or getting into a compromising position are quite common. Doesn't seem very nice, but it's true, and the tradition can be seen carrying on to this day in hilarious adverts for cleaning products.

This is a video of Eliza Carthy and the Ratcatchers playing Maid on the Shore at Buxton Opera House in 2007:

Rachael McShane sang Maid on the Shore in 2009 on her CD No Man's Fool.

Jon Boden sang Maid on the Shore to Frankie Armstrong's tune (instead of the above Ratcatchers' version) as the March 29, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Martin Carthy sings Fair Maid on the Shore Frankie Armstrong sings Maid on the Shore

Oh it's of a sea captain who sailed the salt sea
And the moon it shone gentle and clear-o.
“I will die, I will die,” the captain did cry,
“If I can't have that maiden who walks on the shore,
If I can't have that maid on the shore.”

Well it's of a sea captain who sailed the salt sea
And the moon it shone gentle and clear-o.
“I'll die, I'll die,” this captain did cry,
If I can't have that maid who walks on the shore,
If I can't have that maid on the shore.”

 

“Well I have got silver and I have got gold
And a-plenty of costly fine ware-o,
Well I'll give half to you, oh me gallant young crew,
If you fetch me that girl who walks on the shore,
If you fetch me that girl on the shore.”

So the sailors all got in the very long boat
And it's off for the shore they did steer-o,
Saying, “Ma'am if you please will you enter on board
To view a fine cargo of costly ware,
To view a fine cargo of ware.”

So the sailors they got them a very long boat
And off for the shore they did steer-o,
Saying, “Ma'am if you please will you enter on board
To view a fine cargo of costly ware,
For to view a fine cargo of ware.”

Now it's with much persuasion they got her on board
And the moon it shone gentle and clear-o,
And she sat herself down in the stern of the boat
And off for the ship the bold sailors did steer,
And it's off for the ship they did steer.

With much persuading they got her on board
And the moon it shone gentle and clear-o,
She sat herself down in the stern of the boat
And back for the ship the young sailors did steer,
And back for the ship they did steer.

And when they've arrived alongside of the ship
Oh the captain he spat out his chew-o,
Saying, “First you will lie in my arms all this night
And then I'll hand you to me jolly young crew,
Then I'll hand you right back to me crew.”

And when they arrive alongside of the ship
The captain he spat out his chew-o,
Saying, “First you will lie in my arms all this night
And then I'll give you to me jolly young crew,
And then I'll give you to me crew.”

“Oh thank you, oh thank you,” this young girl she cried,
“Oh that's just what I've been awaiting for:
For I've grown so weary of my maidenhead
As I walked all alone on the rocky old shore,
As I walked all alone on the shore.”

“Oh thank you, oh thank you,” this young girl she cried,
“It's just what I've been waiting for-o:
For I've grown so weary of my maidenhead
As I walked all alone on me rocky old shore,
As I walked all alone on the shore.”

So she sat herself down in the stern of the ship
How the moon it shone gentle and clear-o,
And she sung so neat, genteel and complete,
She sung the sailors and captain right off to sleep,
She sung sailors and captain to sleep.

She sat herself down in the stern of the ship
And the moon it shone gentle and clear-o,
She sang so sweet and so neat and complete,
She sang sailors and captain right fast asleep,
She sang sailors and captain asleep.

And she's robbed them of silver, she's robbed them of gold,
And she's plundered their bright costly ware-o.
And the captain's bright sword she's took for an oar
And she's paddled right back to that rocky old shore,
And she's paddled right back to the shore.

And she robbed 'em of silver, she robbed 'em of gold,
She plundered that costly fine ware-o.
The captain's bright sword she's took for an oar
And she paddled right back to her rocky old shore,
She paddled right back to the shore.

“Oh were my men drunk or were my men mad
Or were they sunk deep in despair-o
That they let her away with her beauty so gay?
And now she's a maiden once more on the shore,
She's a maiden once more on the shore.”

“Oh were my men drunk or were my men mad
Or were they sunk deep in despair-o
That they let her away with her beauty so gay?
And the sailors all wished that that sweet maid was there,
How the sailors all wished she was there.”

“Now your men were not drunk and your men were not mad
Nor were they sunk deep in despair-o.
But I deluded your crew and likewise yourself too,
And again I'm a maid on the rocky old shore
And again I'm a maid on the shore.”

“Now your men they weren't drunk and your men they weren't mad
And neither sunk deep in despair-o.
But I deluded your crew and likewise yourself too,
Captain, now I'm a maid on me rocky old shore
I'm a maiden once more on the shore.”

  
Eliza Carthy sings Maid on the Shore Rachael McShane sings Maid on the Shore

There was a young maiden who lived all alone,
She lived all alone on the shore-o.
There was naught she could find that would comfort her mind
But to roam all alone on the shore, shore, shore,
But to roam all alone on the shore.

It's of a fair maiden who walked all alone,
She walked all alone on the shore-o.
No-one could she find for to calm her sweet mind
As she walked all alone on the shore, the shore,
As she walked all alone on the shore.

There was a young captain who sailed the salt sea,
Let the winds blow high or blow low-o.
“O, I'll die! O, I'll die!” that young captain did cry,
“If I don't get that maid on the shore, shore, shore,
If I don't get that maid on the shore.”

It's of a sea captain who sailed a fine ship,
The weather was pleasant and clear-o.
“I shall die! I shall die!” this young captain did cry,
“If I can't have that maid on the shore, the shore,
If I can't have that maid on the shore.”

“I've got lots of silver, I've got lots of gold,
And I've got lots of costly ware-o.
I'll divide, I'll divide,” this young captain did cry,
“If they'll bring me the maid from the shore, shore, shore,
If they'll bring me the maid from the shore.”

This captain had silver and this captain had gold,
This captain had fine costly ware-o.
And these would he give to this pretty fair maid
If she'd please take a sail from the shore, the shore,
If she'd please take a sail from the shore.

So with long persuading they got her on board,
Let the winds blow high or blow low-o,
Then he sitted her down in his cabin below.
Here's adieu to all sorrows and care, care, care,
Here's adieu to all sorrows and care.

After many persuasions they got her on board,
The captain he's set down a chair-o.
He's invited her down to his cabin below.
Farewell sorrow, farewell now dull care-o,
Farewell sorrow, farewell now dull care.

The night being so still and the water so calm,
Let the winds blow high or blow low-o.
She sang charming and sweet, she sang neat and complete,
She sang sailors and captain to sleep, sleep, sleep,
She sang sailors and captain to sleep.

“I will sing you a song,” this young maiden did cry,
The young captain was weeping with joy-o.
She sang to them sweetly, so neat and completely,
Sang sailors and captain to sleep-o,
Sang sailors and captain to sleep.

Then she robbed him of silver, she robbed him of gold,
She robbed him of costly ware-o.
And she stole his broadsword for to make her an oar
And she rowed herself back to the shore, shore, shore,
And she rowed herself back to the shore.

Then she's robbed them of silver, she's robbed them of gold,
She's robbed them of fine costly ware-o.
The captain's broadsword she has used as an oar
And she's rowed herself back to the shore, the shore,
She's rowed herself back to the shore.

“Well, were my men stupid or were my men drunk
Or were my men deep in despair-o?
For to let you away with your beauty so gay
For to roam once again on the shore, shore, shore,
For to roam once again on the shore.”

The captain was mad and the captain was sad,
The captain was deep in despair-o
To see her go away, with her beauty so gay
And her rings and her things and her fine fare-o,
Her rings and her things and her fine fare

“No, your men they weren't stupid, your men they weren't drunk,
Your men weren't so deep in despair-o.
I deluded your sailors as well as yourself,
I'm a maiden once more on the shore, shore, shore,
I'm a maiden once more on the shore.”

“Now your men must be mad and your men must be sad,
And your men must be deep in despair-o
For I've robbed you of silver and I've robbed you of gold
And again I'm a maid on the shore, the shore,
Again I'm a maid on the shore.”

Acknowledgements

Martin Carthy's version transcribed by Garry Gillard and Reinhard Zierke. Thanks to Roberto Campo and Uilm Abruzzo for transcribing from Eliza Carthy's singing.