Digital Tradition Mirror

Mrs. MacDonald's Lament

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
Pennywhistle notation and Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

Mrs. MacDonald's Lament
(Gordon Bok)

When the wind's away, and the wave's away,
  That crazy old fool will go down on the bay,
Dodgin' the ledges and settin' his gear,
  And come back when the wind drives him in.

chorus:
     Yet he knows full well the fishin' is done,
       His credit's all gone and the winter is come,
     But as sure as the tide will rise and run,
       He'll go back on the bay again.

When the snow is down on the Western Bay,
  That fool will go runnin' the Fiddler's ground,
Haulin' his gear in the trough o' the sea,
  As if he'd no mind of his own."

Well his father's gone, an' his brothers are gone,
  And still he goes down on the dark of the moon,
Rowin' the dory an' settin' the twine,
  An' it don' even pay for his time.


When the wind's away, and the wave's away,
  Our children go down on the morning sun,
They go rowin' their little boats out on the tide,
  And they'll follow their foolish old man.


     Well you blind old fool, your children are gone,
       And you never would tell 'em the fishin' was done,
     Their days were numbered as soon as they're born,
       The same as their foolish old man.

Copyright Folk-Legacy Records 1977
recorded by Gordon Bok
DC

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!