O, Waly Waly See base text
Language: English
The water is wide I cannot get o'er, And neither have I wings to fly. Give me a boat that will carry two, And both shall row, my love and I. ... A ship there is, and she sails the sea, She's loaded deep as deep can be, But not so deep as the love I'm in: I know not if I sink or swim. I leaned my back up against some oak Thinking that he was a trusty tree; But first he bended, and then he broke; And so did my false love to me. O, down in the meadows the other day, A-gathering flowers both fine and gay, A-gathering flowers both red and blue, I little thought what love can do. ... O! love is handsome and love is fine, And love's a jewel while it is new; But when it is old, it groweth cold, And fades away like morning dew.
Composition:
- Set to music by David Evan Thomas (b. 1958), "O, Waly Waly", 1989/2003, stanzas 1,4,3,2,5 [ medium voice, piano ]
Text Authorship:
See other settings of this text.
Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):
- CAT Catalan (Català) (Salvador Pila) , "Ai las, ai las", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- FRE French (Français) (Guy Laffaille) , "Hélas, hélas", copyright © 2024, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
- ITA Italian (Italiano) (Ferdinando Albeggiani) , "Non posso attraversare il mare vasto", copyright © 2012, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 152