The Mermaid- Starke (FL) pre1950 Morris
[From Morris, Folk Songs of Florida, no date given, title possibly supplied by Morris since stake did not sing, "mermaid."
R. Matteson 2014]
THE MERMAID
(Child, No. 289)
"THE MERMAID." Text furnished by Miss Letha Adkins, Starke, from the singing of her mother, Mrs. Maggie Adkins, Starke.
Last Thursday night I seated myself
Not far far away from the shore,
And there I spied a beautiful maid,
With a comb and a glass in her hand, hand, hand,
A comb and a glass in her hand.
Chorus: Those region bells go roar, roar, roar, [1]
And the stormy winds do blow,
While we poor sailors hang to the top
And the land of our lives below, low, low,
And the land of our lives below.
The first one that spoke was the captain of the ship,
And a well-spoken captain was he,
Saying, "I have a wife in the forest of New York,
Oh, tonight how she looks for me, me, me,
Oh, tonight how she looks for me."
The next one spoke was the man of the ship,
And a well-spoken man was he,
Saying, "I have a wife in old Virginia state,
Oh, tonight how she looks for me, me, me,
Oh, tonight how she looks for me."
The next one thar spoke was the boy of the ship,
And a well-spoken boy was he,
Saying, "f have a mother in old Scotland town,
Oh, tonight how she looks for me, me, me,
Oh, tonight how she looks for me."
The next one thar spoke was the cook of the ship,
And a well-spoken cook was he,
Saying, "I think more of my kettles and pots
Than girls all think of me, me, me,
Than the girls all think of me."
Three times around went the gallant old ship;
Three times around went she;
Three times around went the gallant old ship,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea, sea, sea,
And she sank to the bottom of the sea.
This ballad is represented in Florida by three variants, only one of which is included here. Though it has been reported from more than fifteen states, the variants are few in America. It is one ballad that has shown more vitality in England and Scotland than in this country. That it has become naturalized in the Florida variant is indicated by the presence of such places as the "forest of New York" and "old Virginia state."
1. region= raging; usually "raging seas."