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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

Tom's Gone to Hilo is one of those enduringly beautiful sea shanties. It must have been a powerful tear-jerker to all aboard ship as the sun sank down behind the horizon in the evening. And for those loved ones who watched their boys (and girls now) sail out over the waves, it must have been very poignant. (Can you see Tommy on board ship through the telescope?) Its words and music have made the hairs on the back of the neck stiffen since its inception.

Marked Slowly with Expression, it has a very singular time-line. The basic time is 3/4 but the 4th and 5th bars in each verse (discounting the introduction) turn to 2/4. This and holding the last note of the solo in each verse for the whole 3 beat bar, gives it an interesting syncopated slowing effect. Coupled with this is the sprinkling of minor chords into the root key of G major, giving an overall melancholic feeling befitting the words. And the lyrics tug at the heartstrings don't they?

But enough of this technical stuff. Let's join in with music. It's lovely isn't it?

Tom's Gone to Hilo ¹

Solo: Tommy's gone and I'll go too,
Chorus: Away down Hilo.
Solo: Oh, Tommy's gone and I'll go too.
Chorus: Tom's gone to Hilo.

Solo: Tommy's gone to Liverpool,
Chorus: Away down Hilo.
Solo: Oh, Tommy's gone to Liverpool.
Chorus: Tom's gone to Hilo.

Solo: Tommy fought at Trafalgar,
Chorus: Away down Hilo.
Solo: Oh, Tommy fought at Trafalgar.
Chorus: Tom's gone to Hilo.

Solo: Tommy's gone for evermore,
Chorus: Away down Hilo.
Solo: Oh, Tommy's gone for evermore.
Chorus: Tom's gone to Hilo.

Encore, encore. Like to sing it again?

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Footnote 1    Hilo in our atlas is shown on the east coast of the Pacific Island of Hawaii, USA. Return to Story.

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