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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Blow the Wind Southerly, a Fo'c'sle song, has been described as an 'amazingly sweet' tune. It originates from a Northumberland folk song and is sung by many concert soloists and groups to this day¹. The music is an air from northern England and the words are from a fragment in 'The Bishoprick Garland' (1834). Apart from it being adopted by sailors and so many others, it was famously sung as an unaccompanied solo by that extra-special contralto Kathleen Ferrier.

Kathleen was born in Higher Walton Lancashire (a village between Preston and Blackburn - with the beautiful Forest of Bowland to the north) in 1912, and started her working life as a telephone switchboard operator. Her warm and humorous personality and lovely voice endeared her to audiences and colleagues, and made her very popular in all spheres of music and the operatic stage. If you haven't heard her wonderful unaccompanied rendering of this delightful shanty, there are some recordings still about and it is well worth the listening. Unfortunately she died of cancer in London in 1953, aged 41 years, at the peak of her singing career. It was a great shock to the musical world.

On the other hand the song grows in popularity and there also are some wonderful state-of-the-art recordings by other talented singers. And if you have the good fortune to hear or take part in a live performance; do so. We have heard ladies' choirs and even heard of at least two men's choirs singing arrangements of the song. The variations include solo/chorus and two/three part ladies formats. So the opportunities seem limitless!

OR you can sing along with our MusicSmiles Solo/Solo/Solo/Chorus arrangement. Let's all be Kathleen Ferriers and enjoy this superb timeless love-song of the sea . . .

Blow the Wind Southerly
(2 bar Intro)

Solo: Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow the wind south o'er the bonny blue sea.
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonny breeze my lover to me.

Solo: They told me last night
There were ships in the offing,
And I hurried down
To the deep rolling sea;
But my eye could not see it,
Wherever might be it.
The barque that is bearing
My lover to me
(2 bar Interlude)

Solo: Is it not sweet to
Hear the breeze sighing,
As lightly it comes
O'er the deep rolling sea?
But sweeter and dearer
By far when 'tis bringing
The barque of my true love
In safety to me.
(2 bar Interlude)

Solo & Chorus: Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow the wind south o'er the bonny blue sea.
Blow the wind southerly, southerly, southerly,
Blow bonny breeze my lover to me.

It is 'amazingly sweet' isn't it? Like to Blow the Wind again?

OR: 

Would you like to return to the Sea Shanties page?

Solo: The ships there were many a-blowin' and bowin'
And bending right o'er in the salty sea foam;
'Til my eye did behold it,
As many had told it,
The great bonnie ship of my lover come home.
Solo & Chorus: Blow the wind southerly, etc . . .

Solo: My sweetheart had fared through the winter unfriendly;
His ship came along in the early spring tide.
Now my heartache is ended;
All rifts are now mended;
My lover will soon be right here by my side.
Solo & Chorus: Blow the wind southerly, etc . . .  Return to story.

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