"Farewell to Nova Scotia" is a popular folk song from Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

 of unknown authorship, collected by folklorist Helen Creighton

Helen Creighton

Mary Helen Creighton, CM was a prominent Canadian folklorist. She collected over 4,000 traditional songs, stories, and myths in a career that spanned several decades, and she published many books and articles on Nova Scotia folk songs and folklore...

. It is believed to have been written just prior to or during the First World War

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

. "Farewell to Nova Scotia" brings the listener back to an age when Nova Scotia was renowned for "wooden ships and iron men

Frederick William Wallace

Frederick William Wallace was a journalist, photographer, historian and novelist. He was the author of Wooden Ships and Iron Men, a now-classic 1924 book about the last days of the Age of Sail in Maritime Canada...

". The song appears in the Penguin Book of Canadian Folk Songs. In 1808 a Glasgow newspaper printed "The Soldier's Adieu", attributed to Robert Tannahill

Robert Tannahill

‎Robert Tannahill was a Scottish poet. Known as the 'Weaver Poet', his music and poetry is contemporaneous with that of Robert Burns.He was born at Castle Street in Paisley on 3 June 1774, the fourth son in a family of seven...

. It has several lines and phrases in it that suggest it was a source of inspiration for the song.

Lyrics

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 parents whom I love so dear,

And the bonnie, bonnie lass/lad that I do adore.



Chorus



The drums they do beat and the wars to alarm,

The captain calls, and I must obey.

So 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 hands are folded on their breast.

But a poor simple sailor just like me,

Must be tossed and driven on the dark blue sea.



Chorus

Renditions

Both the tune and lyrics are public domain

Public domain

Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...

, and many artists have released recordings of "Farewell to Nova Scotia", including The Irish Rovers

The Irish Rovers

The Irish Rovers is a Canadian Irish folk group created in 1963 and named after the traditional song "The Irish Rover". The group is best known for their international television series, and renditions of traditional Irish drinking songs, as well as early hits, Shel Silverstein's "The Unicorn",...

, Ian and Sylvia Tyson

Ian and Sylvia

Ian & Sylvia were a Canadian folk and country music duo which consisted of Ian and Sylvia Tyson, née Fricker. They began performing together in 1959, married in 1964, and divorced and stopped performing together in 1975.-Early lives:...

, Anne Murray

Anne Murray

Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....

, Stompin' Tom Connors

Stompin' Tom Connors

Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, OC is one of Canada's most prolific and well-known country and folk singers.He lives in Wellington County, Ontario.- Early life :...

, the Celtic punk band Real McKenzies

Real McKenzies

The Real McKenzies is a North American Celtic punk band founded in 1992 and based in Vancouver, British Columbia.In addition to writing and performing original music, Real McKenzies perform traditional Scottish songs, giving them a new punk-influenced sound...

, Schooner Fare

Schooner Fare

Schooner Fare is a local Maine folk band, consisting of the late Tom Rowe , Steve Romanoff , and Chuck Romanoff . Schooner Fare plays primarily original maritime, socially conscious, and traditional folk music...

, Wicked Tinkers

Wicked Tinkers

The Wicked Tinkers are an American Celtic music group who perform at many Scottish/Irish festivals.http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EajppDn4TKY/TAZi7AWKuOI/AAAAAAABsMc/8ARk5wnpcHM/DSC08855-ec.jpg-History:...

, Battlefield Band

Battlefield Band

Battlefield Band is a Scottish traditional music group. Founded in Glasgow in 1969, they have released over 30 albums and undergone many changes of lineup. As of 2010, there are no founder members in the band....

, Alex Beaton

Alex Beaton

Alex Beaton is a Scottish, guitar-playing folksinger who makes more than 20 concert appearances annually at various events across the United States . Beaton appears annually at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in North Carolina, and the Stone Mountain Highland Games in Atlanta, Georgia,...

, Mitchell and Dusty Keeler, Donner Party Reunion, Moist, 70s/80s Irish band Oisin

Oisin

Oisin , is a common boy's name.-Origin:The name Oisin probably originated in the myth of Tír na nÓg.Oisin was the son of Fionn mac Cumhaill and was brand to the land of youth by beautiful Niamh.-McPherson and Ossian:...

, Stan Rogers

Stan Rogers

Stanley Allison "Stan" Rogers was a Canadian folk musician and songwriter.Rogers was noted for his rich, baritone voice and his finely crafted, traditional-sounding songs which were frequently inspired by Canadian history and the daily lives of working people, especially those from the fishing...

, Sons of Maxwell

Sons of Maxwell

Sons of Maxwell is a Canadian music duo who perform both traditional Celtic folk music and original compositions with a pop-folk sound. The duo consists of brothers Don and Dave Carroll, originally from Timmins, Ontario, now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia...

, as well as the Gaelic folk trio Na h-Òganaich

Na h-Òganaich

Glasgow based Gaelic folk group Na h-Òganaich formed early in 1971, following a concert in Dunoon where Mod Gold Medallist singer Margaret MacLeod first met guitarist Noel Eadie...

 on their album Scot-Free. It was recorded by the Czech group, Asonance

Asonance

-Biography:Asonance was founded on Jan Neruda's grammar school in late 1976. Former members of the group were Jan and Pavel Lašťovička, Milan Štěrba and František Korecký. They started with folk and country songs.1977...

, with the title of "Nové Skotsko" on their album "Čarodějnice z Amesbury." The Halifax CBC TV show "Singalong Jubilee" used Catherine McKinnon

Catherine McKinnon (actress)

Catherine McKinnon is a Canadian actress and folk/pop singer.McKinnon began as a child performer, making her first radio appearance at age eight and her television debut at age 12. She subsequently studied music at Mount St...

's version as the title theme.

External links

Music and Lyrics to Farewell to Nova Scotia