Goodnight And Joy
Scottish Song By Robert Tannahill
Goodnight And Joy is a song written by Robert Tannahill sung to the old air of "Good Night And Joy Be Wi' You A'". The tune first appears in recorded history as early as 1625. This version of 'Goodnight And Joy' is an adaptation of the 1791 Scottish folk song "The Soldier's Adieu", printed in 1803 in a Glasgow newspaper and attributed to Robert Tannahill.Related Scottish Country Dances
Goodnight And Joy Be With YouJoy Be Wi' Ye
Goodnight And Joy By Robert Tannahill
The birds sit nodding on the tree;
All nature now prepares for rest,
But rest prepared there's none for me.
The trumpet sounds to war's alarms,
The drums they beat, the fifes they play,-
Come, Mary, cheer me wi' thy charms,
For the morn I will be far away.
Chorus
Good night and joy, good night and joy,
Good night and joy be wi' you a';
For since it's so that I must go,
Good night and joy be wi' you a'!
I grieve to leave my comrades dear,
I mourn to leave my native shore,-
To leave my aged parents here,
And the bonnie lass whom I adore.
But tender thoughts maun now be hush'd,
When danger calls I must obey.-
The transport waits us on the coast,
And the morn I will be far away.
Chorus
Adieu, dear Scotia's sea-beat coast!
Though bleak and drear thy mountains be,
When on the heaving ocean tost,
I'll cast a wishful look to thee!
And now, dear Mary, fare thee well!
May Providence thy guardian be!
Or in the camp, or on the field,
I'll heave a sigh, and think on thee!
Chorus
Farewell To Nova Scotia
It is perhaps noteworthy that the similar "Farewell To Nova Scotia" (Roud 384) is a popular folk song from Nova Scotia that is an adaptation of the 1791 Scottish folk song "The Soldier's Adieu", printed in 1803 in a Glasgow newspaper and attributed to Robert Tannahill, although it doesn't contain the words 'Good night and joy be wi' you a'.While known as the official song of Nova Scotia, when the song began to be adapted by Nova Scotians is unknown. Believed to have been written shortly before or during World War I, folklorist Helen Creighton collected versions of the folk song in the 1930s from different communities along the eastern shore of Nova Scotia, such as Devils Island. She first collected the song in 1933 from Ann Greenough in Petpeswick, Nova Scotia.
Farewell To Nova Scotia - Anonymous
Chorus
Farewell to Nova Scotia, the sea-bound coast,
let your mountains dark and dreary be.
for when I am far away on the briny ocean tossed,
Will you ever heave a sigh or a wish for me?
The sun was setting in the west,
The birds were singing on every tree.
All nature seemed inclined to rest
But still there was no rest for me.
Chorus
I grieve to leave my native land,
I grieve to leave my comrades all,
And my aging parents whom I've always loved so dear,
And the bonnie, bonnie lass that I do adore.
Chorus
The drums they do beat and the wars do alarm,
The captain calls, I must obey.
Farewell, farewell to Nova Scotia's charms,
For it's early in the morning and I'm far, far away.
Chorus
I have three brothers and they are at rest,
Their arms are folded on their chest.
But a poor simple sailor just like me,
Must be tossed and turned in the deep dark sea.
Chorus
Farewell To Nova Scotia Song Video
Farewell To Nova Scotia Song - Information VideoDance information licensed under this Creative Commons Licence 3.0.
Text from this original Two Original Songs By Tannahill article on Wikisource.
Text from this original Farewell To Nova Scotia article on Wikipedia.