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The Parting Song

[ Roud - ; DT PARTSONG ; Mudcat 38007 ; Dave Webber]

Dave Webber, Anni Fentiman and Johnny Collins sang The Parting Song in 1993 on Webber and Fentiman’s CD Together Solo. They noted:

Dave was having a very long and honest conversation with a very close friend in the small hours of the morning when the realisation dawned that time was running out.

It was the last conversation of its kind that they were to have, and Dave wrote this song in memory of a true friend and to serve as a parting song for any circumstance.

Dedicated to the memory of Mr. John Purdy of Torquay (1927-1993).

Johnny Collins sang The Parting Song, with Dave Webber, Anni Fentiman joining in on chorus, on his 2000 album Now & Then.

Chris Miles, Aileen Carr and Gordeanna McCulloch sang The Parting Song at the Fife Traditional Singing Festival, Collessie, Fife in May 2007. This recording was included in the following year on the festival anthology Nick-Knack on the Waa (Old Songs & Bothy Ballads Volume 4). They noted:

A song composed by Dave Webber in 1993 in memory of a good friend, John Purdy of Torquay.

Lyrics

Dave Webber, Anni Fentiman and Johnny Collins The Parting Song

Soon the morning sun will rise
And dawn will bathe the sky.
There’s time for just one parting song
Before we say goodbye.

Chorus (after each verse):
So sing together one and all
And raise a glass of wine,
Here’s hoping we will meet again
Along the road of time.

We’ve shared our stories, yours and mine,
We’ve shared our hopes and fears.
With memories of distant youth
We’ve both rolled back the years.

The ever-turning, fateful wheel
Must cause our ways to part,
And bringing untold mysteries,
Another day will start.

For from endings come beginnings,
From the old shall come the new,
With hopes for tomorrow
We’ll see our parting through.