by Allan Cunningham (1784 - 1842)
A wet sheet and a flowing sea
Language: English
A wet sheet and a flowing sea, A wind that follows fast And fills the white and rustling sail And bends the gallant mast; And bends the gallant mast, my boys, While like the eagle free Away the good ship flies, and leaves Old England on the lee. "O for a soft and gentle wind!" I heard a fair one cry: But give to me the snoring breeze And white waves heaving high; And white waves heaving high, my lads, The good ship tight and free -- The world of waters is our home, And merry men are we. There's tempest in yon hornèd moon, And lightning in yon cloud: But hark the music, mariners! The wind is piping loud; The wind is piping loud, my boys, The lightning flashes free -- While the hollow oak our palace is, Our heritage the sea.
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Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
Text Authorship:
- by Allan Cunningham (1784 - 1842) [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Humphrey Procter-Gregg (1895 - 1980), "A wet sheet and a flowing sea" [voice and piano], misattributed to Thomas Campbell [text not verified]
- by Robert Still (1910 - 1971), "A wet sheet and a flowing sea" [text verified 1 time]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2005-12-17
Line count: 24
Word count: 141