As I walked by the dockside one evening so rare,
To view the still waters and take the salt air
I spied an old sailorman singing this song:
"Oh take me away boys my time is not long."
Chorus: Wrap me up in my oilskins and jumpers No more by the docks I'll be seen Just tell my old shipmates I'm taking a trip mates I'll see you some day on Fiddler's Green
Now Fiddler's Green is a place I've heard tell Where fishermen go if they don't go to hell Where the weather is fair and the dolphins do play And the cold coast of England is far far away (Chorus)
And when you're in dock and the long trip is through There's pubs and there's clubs and there's lassies there too The girls are all pretty and the beer is all free And there's bottles o' rum growing on every tree (Chorus)
Oh I don't want a harp, nor a halo, not me,
Just give me a breeze and the good rollin' sea,
I'll play me old squeeze-box as we sail along
With the wind in the riggin', I'll sing me this song (Chorus)

These are the original lyrics, directly from John Conolly:
As I roved by the dockside one evening so rare,
To view the still waters and take the salt air –
I heard an old fisherman, singing this song -
“Oh, take me away, boys, me time is not long”
CHORUS: Dress me up in me oilskins and jumper –
No more on the docks I’ll be seen –
Just tell me old shipmates, I’m taking a trip, mates,
And I’ll see you some day, in Fiddlers’ Green …
Now, Fiddlers’ Green is a place, I’ve heard tell,
Where fishermen go if they don’t go to Hell –
Where the weather is fair, and the dolphins do play –
And the cold coast of Greenland is far, far away …
The sky’s always clear, and there’s never a gale –
And the fish jump on board with a flip of their tails –
You can lie at your leisure, there’s no work to do –
And the Skipper’s below, making tea for the crew …
And when you’re in dock, and the long trip is through –
There’s pubs and there’s clubs, and there’s lasses there too –
The girls are all pretty, the beer is all free –
And there’s bottles of rum, growing on every tree …
I don’t want a harp nor a halo, not me –
Just give me a breeze and a good rolling sea –
And I’ll play me old squeezebox as we sail along –
With the wind in the rigging, to sing me this song …
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www.mysongbook.de
from Germany notes that part of both the lyrics as well as the tune
appear to have been borrowed from a 19th century sailors song, "Wrap Me
Up In My Tarpaulin Jacket."
The version that we sing has evolved from this
author's original, both to accommodate
the Renaissance motif (jumpers were sweaters invented no earlier than
the 1800's, for instance) and through simple folk-song /renaissance
faire mutations.
After a couple of years of
unsuccessful attempts at reaching John
Conolly word finally got through to him via mutual friends that we
were seeking his permission to use and record his song, Fiddler's
Green. You can see John's very nice reply
here. Thank
to all who helped in this quest, especially John's friend and club
owner Les Worrall. |