"The Water Is Wide" (also called "O Waly, Waly" or "Waly, Waly") is a Scottish folk song that was also known in southern England. “Waly” means “wail” or “woe.”
Folklorist Cecil Sharp included the song (compiled from various versions) in Folk Songs From Somerset (1906).
There were, in fact, so many different versions of this song, that it can be considered a
“family of lyrics.” Since it has
“grandparent” songs (such as the ballad “Jamie Douglas”), it also has “cousins”
based on those earlier sources (such as “Carrickfergus” and "Peggy Gordon"); and there are also “descendants,”
including the modern version of “The Water is Wide,” which was popularized by Pete Seeger.
The melody has been arranged
by classical composers, such as Benjamin Britten and John Rutter (it is the
third movement in Rutter's Suite for Strings). It has also been used for Christian
hymns, such as John Bell’s “When God Almighty Came to Earth; and other hymns
(such as “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross”) can be sung to this tune.
Like so many folk songs, there are versions and verses that are family-friendly,
and there are others that are not. Even Pete Seeger’s version has verses that
you may prefer not to sing with children; please preview.
Here are the lyrics as sung by Karla Bonoff (a favourite version of Advisory member Leslie Laurio).
1. 1. The water is wide, I can’t cross o’er
and neither have I wings to fly
Give me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row, my love and I
2. Oh, love is gentle and love is kind
The sweetest flower when first it’s
new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like morning dew.
(instrumental bridge)
3. There is a ship and she sails the sea,
She’s loaded deep as deep can be,
But not as deep as the love I’m in,
I know not how I sink or swim.
4. The water is wide, I can’t cross o’er
And neither have I wings to fly.
Give me a boat that can carry two,
And both shall row, my love and I.
Where does the “Waly, Waly” fit in?
The original Scottish words to the song can be read online (such as on
Wikipedia), and they include these words of lament:
O Waly, waly up the bank,
And waly, waly doun the brae,
And waly, waly, yon burn-side,
Where I and my love wont to gae.
I lean'd my back into an aik,
I thocht it was a trusty tree;
But first it bow'd, and syne it brak,
Sae my true love did lightly me.
But modern English versions do not include them.
Other Video Links
Advisory member Donna-Jean Breckenridge likes this version by James Taylor.
Donna-Jean also likes this recording by Joan Baez, from the album Farewell Angelina.
Here is Pete Seeger's recording, from the album Pete Seeger Now. This is a good one for singing (and humming) along.
Finally, one that’s a bit more upbeat: Bob Dylan with Joan Baez, recorded in 1975.
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