The Dark-eyed sailor embraces two common themes in folk songs about returning lovers - the broken token and the poor-eyesight of young women. Oh, and this has a warning to young maids who might give up on the abscent sailor.It was collected in Shropshire by Fred Hamer, but is essentially that collected by Cecil Sharp from William Nott of Meshaw Devon in 1904 (complete with the extra verse about the drink). Roud No. 256. Sung by Alan Rosevear in Exeter, Devon.
DARK EYED SAILOR
It's of a comely lady fair
Was walking out for to take the air.
She met a sailor all by the way,
So I made attention,
So I made attention to hear what he did say.
Said William, 'Lady why roam alone?
The night is dark and the day near gone'
She said, while tears from her eyes did fall,
'It's my dark-eyed sailor,
'It's my dark-eyed sailor that's proved my downfall'.
'It's two long years since he left the land,
And I took the gold ring from off my hand,
We broke this token, here's a half with me,
And the other's rolling,
And the other's rolling at the bottom of the sea'.
Said William, 'Drive him from your mind,
Some other sailor as good you'll find,
Love turns aside and so cold do grow,
Like a winter's morning,
Like a winter's morning when the land is white with snow'.
These words did Phoebe's fond heart inflame,
She said, 'On me you shall play no game',
She drew a dagger and then did cry,
'For my dark-eyed sailor,
For my dark-eyed sailor a maid I'll live and die'.
'His coal black eyes and his curly hair,
His 'mazing tongue did my heart ensnare,
Genteel he was, not a rake like you,
To advise a maiden,
To advise a maiden to slight a jacket blue'.
Then half the ring did young William show,
She seemed distracted 'midst joy and woe,
'Oh welcome, William, I've land and gold,
For my dark-eyed sailor,
For my dark-eyed sailor so manly, true and bold'.
Then in a village down by the sea,
They joined in wedlock and well agree,
So maids be true when your love's away,
For a cloudy morning,
For a cloudy morning brings forth a sunny day.
