Learning the Harp. Early Beginner Course 1 – “The Water is Wide”
Harp: SE Fullsicle @harpsicleharps
Beginner student harp player: Christine Kerxhalli
Lyrics Source: https://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/i/irish_music/the_water_is_wide.html
O’ the water is deep
I can’t swim o’er
And neither have I wings to fly
Build me a boat that can carry two
And both shall row my love and I
There is a ship that sails the seas
She sails so deep as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I’m in
I know not how I’ll sink or swim
I leant my back against an oak
Thinking it was the strongest tree
But first it bent and then it broke
And that’s the way love treated me
Oh love is handsome and love is kind
Gay as a jewel when first it’s new
But as love grows old then twice as cold
And fades away like morning dew
O’ the water is deep
I can’t swim o’er
And neither have I wings to fly
Build me a boat that can carry two
Both shall row my love and I
Lyrics Explanation source: https://irishhistory.com/culture/the-water-is-wide-irish-song-lyrics/
“The song dates back to the 1600s and appears in various forms under titles like “O Waly, Waly” and “When Cockleshells Turn Silver Bells.” The haunting melody and poignant lyrics about love that has cooled or become impossible to sustain resonated deeply with folk singers across the British Isles, including Ireland, where it was embraced and adapted into the Irish folk canon.
The song’s imagery of a wide, uncrossable body of water serves as a powerful metaphor for separation and insurmountable obstacles in love. Throughout the 20th century, “The Water is Wide” experienced several revival periods, with notable recordings by folk luminaries like Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Irish groups such as The Chieftains helping to cement its place in the international folk repertoire.”
