Song Ambassador
Salt Sea Singers
Origin
English and American
Time Period
1860s or earlier
Song Type
Ballad and shanty
Welcome to the 2024 Sea Song Showdown fundraiser. We’re singing our hearts out to raise money for our educational and interpretive programs at the Maritime Museum of BC!
To put the “fun” in “fundraiser”, we’re showcasing eight classic sea songs performed by maritime organizations in weekly matchups until 24 June; follow along on our blog and social media to see which sea song is this year’s favourite. All campaign proceeds go directly to support our programs, but you can let us know which sea song inspired your donation by voting each week.
The Salt Sea Singers present this haunting and evocative shanty and ballad, called “Lowlands Away”. The tune is likely very old, and there are two distinct set of lyrics and traditions. We are using the ballad version with rhyming couplets, about the final spectral visit of a sailor lost at sea. Black dockworkers in the American South, especially around the port of Mobile, Alabama, sang a shanty version about working conditions and low pay.
What is the difference between a shanty and a ballad? A shanty is specifically a work song–it accompanies specific actions, and the length, rhythm, and format is determined by the type of work being done. A ballad is a set of narrative verses in stanzas.
This narrative, describing someone’s beloved faraway mariner–sailors were colloquially called “Johnnies”–wonderfully represents a common sea song trope, from the perspective of the person left behind. The narrator’s promise of spurning any new love is sometimes resolved by the pair unexpectedly reuniting many years later, after an extended sea voyage–this version, however, ends in tragedy.
The Lyrics
There are many versions and arrangements for this song. We’re using these lyrics:
I dreamed a dream the other night,
Lowlands, lowlands away, my John,
I dreamed a dream the other night,
Lowlands away.
I dreamed my love came standing by,
Lowlands, lowlands away, my John,
Came standing close to my bedside,
Lowlands away.
He was green and wet with weeds so cold,
Lowlands, lowlands away, my John,
He was green and wet with weeds so cold,
Lowlands away.
I’ll cut away my bonny hair,
Lowlands, lowlands away, my John,
For no other man shall think me fair,
Lowlands away.
I dreamed a dream the other night,
Lowlands, lowlands away, my John,
I dreamed a dream the other night,
Lowlands away.
From the 2022 Darn It! Our Maritime Make and Mend Culture exhibit:
The rise of synthetic fishing nets has made life easier for people, although it has come at a cost. When nets were made by hand, they were harder to replace and worthy of repair. In a time when a new net can be cheaply bought, an old net can be cheaply discarded and not always in the most environmentally friendly way.
Ghost gear is becoming an increasingly significant problem. Because most fishing nets are now made from plastic, they no longer decompose in the water so any lost, abandoned, or discarded fishing gear stays in the ecosystem. This creates a danger to marine wildlife and impacts the health of local fisheries.
The problem isn’t only in British Columbia. The impact of ghost gear can be seen all across the world. In 2015, World Animal Protection launched the Global Ghost Gear Initiative to fight back. Today, there are over 80 participants, including the Government of Canada. The Ghost Gear Fund, started in 2019 by the federal government, now supports 37 projects, many of which are centred around increasing our ability to recycle fishing gear that has reached the end of its usable life.
Photo: MMBC Archives 998.066.04.
