> Tim Hart & Maddy Prior > Songs > Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
> Peter Bellamy > Songs > Here's Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy
> Martyn Wyndham-Read > Songs > Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
> Spiers & Boden > Songs > Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
> Louis Killen > Songs > Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy
> The Watersons > Songs > Blue Murder: Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy

Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy

[ Roud 165 ; Ballad Index E153D ; trad.]

Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy is one of the best-known songs from the repertoire of the Copper Family. It is printed in The Copper Family Song Book and in Bob Copper's book, A Song for Every Season. Bob and John Copper sang it on their 4 LP box set of 1971, A Song for Every Season, that accompanied the book and Jill and Jon Copper sang it on the first Coppersongs LP. Bob, John and Jill Copper and Jon Dudley sang it in 2003 on Song Links: A Celebration of English Traditional Songs and Their Australian Variants and the Young Coppers sang it in 2008 on their CD Passing Out.

Tim Hart and Maddy Prior recorded this song for their first duo album Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 1. The record's sleeve notes comment on this song and on Farewell Nancy:

These songs are on the same theme, and are two of a tremendous body of songs which deal with a sailor leaving his girl-friend to go to sea. Although nowadays these songs have little relevance it must be remembered that at the time they were written people rarely ventured from their own area, and also that sea voyages lasted for a number of years during which time there could be no communication with home. Keeping these facts in mind it is easy to understand why so much of nautical balladry is written on this theme.

Peter Bellamy and Chris Birch sang Here's Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy on Bellamy's third solo LP, The Fox Jumps Over the Parson's Gate. He also sang it live at the Folk Studio, Norwich, on June 22, 1971. This concert was published on the LP Won't You Go My Way?. A.L. Lloyd commented in the first album's sleeve notes:

Oldtime sailors are popularly imagined as hairy-chested bawlers, but many of their songs belie this stereotype, for they are often remarkable for tender lyricism, as with this example. It has an amiable history, for it's one of the first pieces ever noted from the Copper family of Rottingdean, being noted in 1898 by Mrs. Kate Lee from James and Thomas Copper, the grandfathers of well-known Bob and Ron of our day. It was published in the very first issue of the Journal of the Folk Song Society. Some country singers call it The Poor Jolly Sailor Lads, at it comes to us from the eighteenth century.

Martyn Wyndham-Read sang Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy in 1973 on the Topic LP The Valiant Sailor: Songs and Ballads of Nelson's Navy.

John Spiers & Jon Boden sang Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy on their 2001 CD, Through & Through. Jon Boden also sang it as the August 13, 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day; in the accompanying blog he wrote: “A classic. I’ve heard many versions but I think my favourite is still Maddy Prior & Tim Hart.”

Louis Killen sang Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy in 2002 on the Revels CD Homeward Bound.

Blue Murder (Waterson:Carthy plus Coope, Boyes & Simpson) sang Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy in 2002 on their CD No One Stands Alone. This recording was reissued in 2003 on the Watersons anthology The Definitive Collection.

And Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy was recorded by Martin Simpson for his album Kind Letters. This track was included on the compilation Folk Awards 2006.

Pilgrims' Way sang Adieu Lovely Nancy in 2010 on their eponymous debut EP, Pilgrims' Way and in 2011 on their CD Wayside Courtesies. They commented in their sleeve notes:

Learned form the lovely Julie Henigan and collected from Bertha Lauderdale in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this Ozarks vesion of the popular British broadside is an example of a song that has travelled many miles—and long may it continue to do so.

Lyrics

Tim Hart & Maddy Prior sing Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy

Adieu, sweet lovely Nancy, ten thousand times adieu,
I am going across the ocean, love, to seek for something new.
  Come change your ring with me, dear girl,
  Come change your ring with me,
For it might be a token of true love while I am on the sea.

And when I'm far upon the sea you'll know not where I am.
Kind letters I will write to you from every foreign land.
  The secrets of your heart, dear girl,
  Are the best of my good will,
So let your body be where it might, my heart will be with you still.

There's a heavy storm arising, see how it gathers round,
While we poor souls on the ocean wide are fighting for the crown.
  There's nothing to protect us, love,
  Or keep us from the cold,
On the ocean wide, where we must fight like jolly seamen bold.

There's tinkers, tailors, shoemakers, lie snoring fast asleep,
While we poor souls on the ocean wide are ploughing through the deep.
  Our officers commanded us,
  And them we must obey,
Expecting every moment for to get cast away.

But when the wars are over, there'll be peace on every shore,
We'll return to our wives and our families, and the girls that we adore.
  We'll drink out liquor merrily,
  And spend our money free,
And when the money is all gone - we'll boldly go to sea.

Peter Bellamy and Chris Birch sing Here's Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy

Here's adieu, sweet lovely Nancy, ten thousand times adieu,
I'm a-going around the ocean, love, to seek for something new.
  Come change your ring with me, dear girl,
  Come change your ring with me,
For it might be a token of true love while I am on the sea.

When I am far upon the sea you knows not where I am.
Kind letters I will write to you from every foreign land.
  The secrets of your mind, dear girl,
  Are the best of my good will,
So let my body be where it might, my heart is with you still.

There's a heavy storm a-rising, see how it gather round,
While we poor sailors are on the sea, are fighting for the crown.
  Our officers commanded us
  And them we must obey,
Expecting every moment for to get cast away.

There are tinkers, tailors and shoemakers, lie snoring in their sleep,
While we poor souls on the ocean wide are ploughing through the deep.
  There's nothing to defend us, love,
  Nor to keep us from the cold,
On the ocean wide, where we must bide like jolly seamen bold.

But when the wars are all over there'll be peace on every shore,
We will drink to our wives and our children and the girls that we adore.
  We'll call for liquor merrily,
  And spend our money free,
And when our money it is all gone we'll boldly go to sea.

Blue Murder sing Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy

Here's adieu, sweet lovely Nancy, ten thousand times adieu,
I'm a-going across the ocean, love, to seek for something new.
  Come change your ring with me, dear girl,
  Come change your ring with me,
For it might be a token of true love while I am on the sea.

When I am far upon the sea you know not where I am.
Kind letters I will write to you from every foreign land.
  The secrets of your mind, dear girl,
  Are the best of my good will,
So let my body be where it might, my heart will be with you still.

There's a heavy storm a-rising, see how it gathers round,
While we poor sailors are on the sea, are fighting for the crown.
  Our officers commanding us
  And them we must obey,
Expecting every moment for to get cast away.

There are tinkers, tailors and shoemakers, lie snoring fast asleep,
While we poor souls on the ocean wide are ploughing through the deep.
  There's nothing to defend us, love,
  Or to keep us from the cold,
On the ocean wide, where we must bide like jolly seamen bold.

And when the wars are all over there'll be peace on every shore,
We'll drink to our wives and our children and the girls that we adore.
  We will call for liquor merrily,
  And spend our money free,
And when our money is all gone we'll boldly go to sea.