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The Ship That Never Returned

[ Roud 775 ; Laws D27 ; Ballad Index LD27 ; DT NVRETURN , NVRETUR2 ; Mudcat 164460 ; Henry Clay Work (1865)]

John Howson: Songs Sung in Suffolk Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Ridings

Arthur Wood (82) of Middlesborough sang The Ship That Never Returned in 1962 to Colin S. Wharton who collected songs in the North Riding of Yorkshire for his Leeds University Thesis. It was published in 2019 on the Musical Traditions anthology of songs from the Colin Wharton Collection, Songs of the North Riding. Wharton noted:

The pains of parting and going to sea are seen from the point of view of the folk, which is genuine. There is no lachrymose sentiment or exaggerated self-pity: the tragedy is stated simply and objectively, briefly and impersonally, and the nature of the song is reflected in the clear, bold intervals and crisp rhythm of its tune.

Fred Jordan sang The Ship That Never Returned in 1966 on his Topic album Songs of a Shropshire Farm Worker. Another recording made by Sybil Clarke for the EFDSS in 1982 was included in 2003 on his Veteran anthology A Shropshire Lad. Mike Yates noted on the first album;

Henry Clay Work was a Chicago printer who inclined to neglect his calling in favour of song-writing (“His name may be Work but that ain’t his nature”, said his unimpressed in-laws). He was in fact an excellent song-writer, probably better than his contemporary, Stephen Foster. Among his best-known pieces are the Abolitionist song The Year of Jubilo, Marching Through Georgia, and My Grandfather’s Clock. But it is his Ship That Never Returned, published in 1865, that was particularly taken to heart by English country singers. For some reason it turns up repeatedly in those pubs where authentic folk singing still goes on. Probably it owes its spread, in good part, to its appearance on a successful Edison Bell cylinder record some time before World War I. The tune will be recognised as the one that was later annexed for the hillbilly song The Wreck of the Old 97.

Harry Upton sang The Ship That Never Returned at his home in Balcombe, Sussex to Mike Yates in band between 1975 and 1977. This recording was released in 1978 on his Topic album Why Can’t It Always Be Saturday? and was included in 2015 on his same-named Musical Traditions anthology Why Can’t It Always Be Saturday?. It was also included, together with a version of Asa Martin singing The Ship That Never Returned in a recording made in New York in 1931 (Oriole 8163/Conqueror 8068), on the 2020 Musical Traditions Old World/New World Trilogy CD Wait Till the Clouds Roll By.

Freda Palmer sang The Ship That Never Returned to Steve Roud in Witney, Oxfordshire in 1978. This recording was included in 2018 on her Musical Traditions anthology Leafield Lass. Rod Stradling noted:

A remarkably popular song with 145 Roud entries, although the majority of these are from North America. The 33 English ones range from Sussex to Yorkshire and, of the 42 sound recordings, it would appear that only Fred Jordan (VTD148CD) can be found on CD. It was recorded by several American singers, including Vernon Dalhart and Bradley Kincaid. The latter recording has been reissued and is available on the 4 CD set Bradley Kincaid—A Man and His Guitar (JSP77158A-D).

Bert Allen sang The Ship That Never Returned to John Howson at Stowmarket in 1983. This recording was included in 1993 on the Veteran Tapes double cassette of traditional music making from Mid-Suffolk, Many a Good Horseman. John Howson noted:

Another popular song in East Anglia, this was composed by American songwriter Henry Clay Work who was a Chicago printer. He actually preferred his song-writing activities to printing, and his in-laws are said to have commented: “His name may be Work, but that ain’t his nature!” Even so he became a prolific writer and other classics he wrote include, Marching Through Georgia and My Grandfather’s Clock. The Ship That Never Returned was published in [1865] but it was probably a recording on an Edison Bell cylinder, released sometime before the First World War, which fixed it in the English traditional singer’s repertoire.

Charlie Bridger sang The Ship That Never Returned at his home in Stone-in-Oxney, Kent on 15 April 1983 to Andy Turner. This recording was released in 2019 on his Musical Traditions anthology Won’t You Buy My Pretty Flowers?. Andy Turner and Rod Stradling noted:

“That’s one of my favourites, that one.” Charlie learned it from Nip Bayley.

Written by Henry Clay Work (who also wrote My Grandfather’s Clock). It later formed the basis of The Wreck of the Old ’97 and later still as The MTA Song.

A remarkably popular song with 145 Roud entries, although the majority of these are from North America. The 33 English ones range from Sussex to Yorkshire and, of the 42 sound recordings, it would appear that only Freda Palmer (MTCD375-6), Harry Upton (MTCD371) and Fred Jordan (VTD148CD) can be found on a British CD.

Charlie Hancy from Bungay sang The Ship That Never Returned to John Howson in between 1985 and 1987. This recording was included in 1989 on the Veteran Tapes cassette of songs of bargemen, fishermen and sailors sung by traditional singers from Suffolk, Songs Sung in Suffolk Vol. 5.

John Mearns sang The Ship That Never Returned on his 1987 Ross cassette Come Awa Ben The Hoose and on his 2006 posthumous Ross anthology CD The Best of John Mearns.

Finn Collinson sang The Ship That Never Returned on his 2022 album The Threshold.

Lyrics

Asa Martin sings The Ship That Never Returned

On a summer’s day when the wave was rippled
By the soft and gentlest breeze
Did a ship set sail with cargo laden
For a port beyond the sea
There were sweet farewells
There were loving signals
While her form (fate?) was yet to learn
Though they knew it’s not was a solemn parting
For the ship she never returned

Chorus (after each verse):
Did she ever return? She never returned
Her fate is yet unlearned
Though for years and years
There were fond ones watching
For the ship that never returned

Said a feeble lad to his anxious mother
“I must cross the wide, wide sea
For they say, perchance, in a foreign climate
There is health and strength for me”
Was a gleam of hope and a maze of danger
And her heart for (?) did yearned
Did she send him forth with the smile and blessing
On that never returned

“Only one more trip”, said a gall-i-ant seaman
As he kissed his weeping wife
“Only one more bag of the golden treasure
And will last us all through life
Then I’ll spend my days in my cosy cottage
And enjoy the rest I’ve earned”
But alas, poor man, for he sailed (from land?)
On the ship that never returned

Fred Jordan sings The Ship That Never Returned

On a summer’s morn, when the waves were a-rippling
In a soft and sighing breeze,
A ship set sail with a precious burden
To a port beyond the seas.
There beyond farewells and loving gestures
And their hearts are left to yearn
But they sailed away with a smile and a blessing
On a ship that never returned.

That never returned, that never returned,
And its fate is still unlearned,
They sailed away with a smile and a blessing
On a ship that never returned.

Said the pale-faced boy to his loving mother,
“Let me cross the wide, wide sea,
For they tells me that in a foreign country,
There is health and wealth for me.”
So he kissed his mother with a fond affection
The lad for whom her heart always yearned,
And he sailed away with his mother’s blessing
On a ship that never returned.

That never returned, that never returned,
And its fate is still unlearned,
He sailed away with his mother’s blessing
On a ship that never returned.

“Only one more trip,” said the gallant sailor,
As he kissed his fond young wife,
“Only one more bag of the golden treasure
And we’ll settle down for life.
For we will leave this place and find a little cottage
And enjoy the wealth we’ve earned.”
But from that day to this she’s been watching and waiting
For a ship that never returned.

That never returned, that never returned,
And its fate is still unlearned
And from that day to this she’s been watching and waiting
For a ship that never returned.

Harry Upton sings The Ship That Never Returned

On one bright summer’s morning as the waves were rippling
In a soft and sighing sea
A ship set sail with a precious burden
To a port beyond the sea

There were fond farewells and loving signals
From the hearts that still do yearn
And she sent him forth with a mother’s blessing
On the ship that never returned

No, she never returned, no, she never returned,
And her fate is still unlearned.
And from that day to this we’ve been watching, waiting
For the ship that never returned.

Said a pale faced boy to his loving mother,
“Let me cross that wild, wide sea
For they tell me that in a foreign country
There is health and wealth for me.“

So his mother listened with fond affection
Though her heart still for him still yearned
And she sent him forth with her mother’s blessing
On the ship that never returned

No, she never returned, no, she never returned,
And her fate is still unlearned.
And from that day to this we’ve been watching, waiting
For the ship that never returned

“Only one more trip,“ said this gall-i-ant captain
As he kissed his fond young wife
“Only one more bag of that golden treasure
Then we’ll settle down for life“

“Yes, we’ll leave this place for a little cottage
And enjoy the wealth we earned.“
But she never thought that her love would perish
On the ship that never returned.

No, she ever returned, no, she never returned,
And her fate is still unlearned.
And from that day to this we’ve been watching, waiting
For the ship that never returned.

Freda Palmer sings The Ship That Never Returned

“I must cross the wide, wide sea;
For they say that France is a far off country
There is health and wealth for me.”
The mother listened in fond affection
In her heart for her youngest yearn’d;
Then she sent him forth with a smile and a blessing
On the ship that never return’d.

Chorus:
O she never returned She never return’d
Her fate, it is yet unlearn’d;
And from that day to this there were fond ones watching,
For the ship that never returned.

Bert Allen sings The Ship That Never Returned

On a summer’s morn when the waves were rippled,
by a sweet and gentle breeze.
A ship set sail with a car-go ladened,
for a port beyond the sea.

There were sweet farewells, there was solemn partings
While the form could yet be concerned.
But they never thought that her love would perish,
On the ship that never returned.

No it never returned, no it never returned,
And it’s fate is still unknown.
From that day to this I’ve been watching,
Waiting for the ship that never returned.

Said a pale faced boy to his loving mother,
“Let me cross this wild, wide sea.
For they tell me that, in a foreign country
there is health and wealth for me.”

Now his mother listened with a fond affection
And her heart still to him yearned.
As she sent him forth with a mother’s blessing
On the ship that never returned.

No it never returned, no it never returned,
And it’s fate is still unknown.
From that day to this I’ve been watching,
Waiting for the ship that never returned.

Charlie Bridger sings The Ship That Never Returned

On a summer day when the waves were rippled
By the softest, gentlest breeze
Did a ship set sail with a cargo laden
For a port beyond the seas.

There were fond farewells, there were loving signals,
When her form was yet discerned.
Though they knew it not, for the solemn parting
For the ship he never returned.

Did she ever return, no, she never returned,
And her fate is still unlearned.
And from that day to this they’ve been watching and waiting
For the ship that never returned.

Said a pale faced boy to his aged mother,
“I must cross that wild, wide sea.
For there, perhaps, in a foreign country
There is health and wealth for me.”

So the dream of hope and the lack of danger
For her son, the mother’s heart yearned.
So she sent him off with a smile and a blessing
In the ship that never returned.

Did she ever return, no, she never returned,
And her fate is still unlearned.
And from that day to this they’ve been watching and waiting
For the ship that never returned.

“Only one more trip,” said a gallant sailor
As he kissed his fond young wife.
“Only one more bag of that golden treasure
And we’ll settle down for life.”

“We will spend our days in a cosy cottage
And enjoy the wealth we’ve earned.”
But she never dreamt that her love would perish
In the ship that never returned.

Did she ever return, no, she never returned,
And her fate is still unlearned.
And from that day to this they’ve been watching and waiting
For the ship that never returned.