US versions 7Aa. Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea (Deep Blue Sea; I have No One to Love Me; It Was on Last Sunday Evening)
[Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea (Deep Blue Sea) is a folk song that adapted and recorded by the Carter Family in 1928. It is usually found in the US south and southwest. Deep Blue Sea has one stanza and the theme of Sailor Boy and the Died for Love Songs. The theme is: A maid is abandoned by her sailor boy who has left her to go to sea and is missing. When she learns he has drowned, she vows to follow him into the deep.
The Carter Family recording at some point entered tradition and their five core stanzas have become the core stanzas found in subsequent recordings and traditional versions. It's not known if these subsequent versions are based on an earlier tradition or more likely, based on the tradition of the Carter Family version.
The Carters' seminal version of "Deep Blue Sea" is now given. The title, "I have No One to Love Me (But the Sailor in the Deep Blue Sea)," is unusually long and taken from the last two lines of the Carter Family's third verse:
I Have No One To Love Me (But the Sailor in the Deep Blue Sea)
1. It was on last Sunday evening
Just about the hour of three,
When my darling started to leave me,
To sail on the deep blue sea.
2. He promised to write a letter,
he promised to write to me,
and I haven't heard from my darling,
who sails on the deep blue sea.
3. My mother is dead and buried,
My papa’s forsaken me,
And I have no one to love me,
but the sailor on the deep blue sea.
4. "Oh, captain, can you tell me,
Can you tell me where he may be?"
"Oh yes, my little maiden,
He’s drownded in the deep blue sea."
5. Farewell to friends and relations,
This is the last you'll see of me,
I'm going to end my troubles
By drowning in the deep blue sea.
Only stanza 4 can be considered to be directly from the "Sailor Boy" tradition. Other stanzas, like the 1st or 5th stanzas, are clearly rewritten from the Sailor Boy story. A composite of Deep Blue Sea was collected by Max Hunter from Ollie Gilbert of Mountain View, Arkansas on March 11, 1970:
Deep Blue Sea
1. I once't had a sweetheart
Sweetheart brave an' true
His hair was dark an' curly
His lovin' eyes was blue
2. They took him away
To the awful German war
An' when he came to say, goodbye
My heart did overflow
3. He took a golden finger ring
Placed it on my hand
Said, remember me little darlin'
When I'm in no-mans-land
4. It was on a Sunday evenin'
About the hour of three
When my darlin', start to leave me
Sail on the deep blue sea
5. He promised to write me a letter
Promised to be true
When I read his letters
I pray the war is through.
6. My Mother's dead, in Heaven
My Father's forsaken me
I have no one to love me
But the sailor on the deep blue sea
7. The second letter I got from him
The war was just ahead
The next letter I got from him
My darlin' Bill, was dead
8. I'll keep all of his letters
I'll keep his gold ring too
An' always live a single life
For the boy who was so true
9. So, fare you well, dear friends
That's the last you'll see of me
For I'm going to end my troubles
By drownin' in the deep blue sea.
Gilbert's composite is a mixture of a popular song written by Jimmie Rodgers titled, "Soldier's Sweetheart" that was recorded at the Bristol Sessions for Victor records and Ralph Peer in 1927. The Deep Blue Sea text starts with Stanza 4. Rodger's title is similar to one used for Sailor Boy variants: "Sailor's Sweetheart."
"Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea" has been a popular song among folk and bluegrass musicians for many years. A different song, a bluesy variant of Deep Blue Sea goes: Deep blue sea, Willie deep blue sea (3X), with a final line in each stanza: "It was Willie who got drowned in the deep blue sea." Several versions of this variant, Deep Blue Sea (II), appeared in US folk circles during the 1950s. It was recorded first by Pet Seeger in 1953. This variant of Deep Blue Sea will not be included here.
For additional notes and details see "main headnotes" on the first page,
R. Matteson 2017]
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CONTENTS: (To access individual texts click on the title attached to this page or, on the blue highlighted title below)
1) I Have No One To Love Me- Carter Family (VA) 1928
2) Deep Blue Sea- Grace Hahn (AR) 1941 Randolph A
3) Deep Blue Sea- Olga Trail (AR) 1941 Randolph B
Deep Blue Sea- G. McCarty (AR) 1941 Randolph C
Deep Blue Sea- Marie Washam (AR) 1954 Parler E
Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea- Artus Moser (NC) 1955
Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea- Lunsford (NC) 1956
Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea- O. Ramsey (NC) 1961
Sailor on the Sea- Buna Hicks (NC) 1966 Burton
I Have No One to Love Me- Ollie Gilbert (AR) 1971
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Missing Versions
Deep Blue sea
It Was on Last Sunday Evening
Roud Folksong Index (S239950)
First Line:
Source: WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.1362 (version i)
Performer: Mullins, Miss Lorene
Date: 1940 (9 Jul)
Place: USA : Virginia : Pound
Collector: Adams, John Taylor
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I Have No One to Love Me
Roud Folksong Index (S310531)
First Line: It was on one Sunday evening
Source: Duncan, Ballads & Folk Songs Collected in Northern Hamilton County (1939) p.312
Performer: Aslinger, Sylvia
Date: 1938c
Place: USA : Tennessee : Sale Creek
Collector: Duncan, Ruby
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Deep Blue Sea [Composite version with Jimmie Rodgers song]
First Line: I once't had a sweetheart
Source: Max Hunter Collection (Springfield-Greene County Library, Missouri) 1048 (MFH 739)
Performer: Gilbert, Ollie
Date: 1970 (11 Mar)
Place: USA : Arkansas : Mountain View
Collector: Hunter, Max
Roud No: 4291
I Have No One to Love Me
Roud Folksong Index (S388622)
First Line: It was on a dark and stormy evening
Source: James Madison Carpenter MSS Collection (American Folklife Center, Library of Congress / VWML, London) p.10554
Performer: Blair, Marion
Date: 1929c-1935c
Place: USA : Tennessee : Maryville
Collector: Carpenter, James Madison
Roud No: 4291
Subjects: Drowned : Deep blue sea