Nancy Lee

Melody - Stephen Adams

Fred E. Weatherly

Of all the wives as e'er you know,
Yeo ho! lads! ho! Yeo ho! yeo ho!
There's none like Nancy Lee, I trow,
Yeo ho! lads! ho! yeo ho!
See, there she stands
An' waves her hands, upon the quay,
An' eve'ry day
When I'm away she'll watch for me,
An' whisper low,
When tempests blow, for Jack at sea;
Yeo ho! lads! ho! yeo ho!
The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be.
Yeo ho! we go across the sea,
The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be,
The sailor's wife his star shall be.
  The harbour's past, the breeze blow,
Yeo ho! lads! ho! Yeo ho! yeo ho!
'Tis long ere we come back, I know,
Yeo ho! lads! ho! yeo ho!
But true an' bright,
From morn till night, my home will be,
An' all so neat,
An' snug an' sweet, for Jack at sea,
An' Nancy's face
To bless the place, an' welcome me;
Yeo ho! lads! ho! yeo ho!
The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be.
Yeo ho! we go across the sea,
The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be,
The sailor's wife his star shall be.

The bo's'n pipes the watch below,
Yeo ho! lads! ho! Yeo ho! yeo ho!
Then here's a health afore we go,
Yeo ho! lads! ho! yeo ho!
A long, long life
To my sweet wife, an' mates at sea;
An' keep our bones
From Davy Jones, where'er we he,
An' may you meet
A mate as sweet as Nancy Lee;
Yeo ho! lads! ho! yeo ho!
The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be.
Yeo ho! we go across the sea,
The sailor's wife the sailor's star shall be,
The sailor's wife his star shall be.


Written in 1876, this song sold over 70,000 copies in England alone in the first eighteen months of its life. Its rather idealised view of the sailor's wife must have appealed strongly to the Victorians who saw in the life of their own Queen a similar constancy to her husband. Stephen Adams, the composer, had a lot of success with his sea songs. Among others he wrote 'The Midshipmite', 'The Tar's Farewell' and 'They All Love Jack'. Fred E. Weatherly was probably the most prolific lyricist of all time. When he wrote his autobiography in his seventy-fifth year he noted that he had written literally thousands of songs some 1,500 of which were published. Among his well-known lyrics were those for 'Danny Boy', 'Roses of Picardy' and 'The Old Brigade'.

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