1 Meaning
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
Nursery Rhyme of Innocence and Experience Lyrics
I had a silver penny
And an apricot tree
And I said to the sailor
On the white quay
Sailor O sailor
Will you bring me
If I give you my penny
And my apricot tree
A fez from Algeria
An Arab drum to beat
A little gilt sword
And a parakeet?'
Well he smiled and he kissed me
As strong as death.
And I saw his red tongue
And I felt his sweet breath.
You may keep your penny
And your apricot tree.
And I'll bring your presents
Back from sea,
From over the sea.
The ship dipped down
On the rim of the sky
And I waited while three
Long summers went by
Three long summers went by.
Then one morning
On the white quay
I saw a grey ship
Come in from sea.
Slowly she came
Across the bay
and her flashing rigging
Was shot away
All round her wake
The seabirds cried
And flew in and out
Of the hole in her side
Slowly she came
In the path of the sun
And I heard the sound
Of a distant gun.
Of a distant gun.
And a stranger came running
Up to me
From the deck of the ship
And he said, said he
O are you the boy
Who would wait on the quay
With the little silver penny
And an apricot tree?
I've a plum-coloured fez
And a drum for thee
And a sword and a parakeet
From over the sea.'
O where is the sailor
With bold red hair?
And what is that volley
On the bright air?
O where are the other
Girls and boys?
And why have you brought me
Children's toys?'
Brought me children's toys?
And an apricot tree
And I said to the sailor
On the white quay
Will you bring me
If I give you my penny
And my apricot tree
An Arab drum to beat
A little gilt sword
And a parakeet?'
As strong as death.
And I saw his red tongue
And I felt his sweet breath.
And your apricot tree.
And I'll bring your presents
Back from sea,
From over the sea.
On the rim of the sky
And I waited while three
Long summers went by
Three long summers went by.
On the white quay
I saw a grey ship
Come in from sea.
Across the bay
and her flashing rigging
Was shot away
The seabirds cried
And flew in and out
Of the hole in her side
In the path of the sun
And I heard the sound
Of a distant gun.
Of a distant gun.
Up to me
From the deck of the ship
And he said, said he
Who would wait on the quay
With the little silver penny
And an apricot tree?
And a drum for thee
And a sword and a parakeet
From over the sea.'
With bold red hair?
And what is that volley
On the bright air?
Girls and boys?
And why have you brought me
Children's toys?'
Brought me children's toys?
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
The version of this song feat. Natalie Merchant in collaboration with Lunasa is one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard. It is a story about a boy who grows into a man during a war. (I'm presuming it to be the 100 Years War in England, but I could be wrong). In the beginning of the song, the boy is hanging out on the docks looking to trade with sailors on a merchant freighter which is about to set sail. A young sailor promises him to bring him a fez, a drum, a sword, and a parakeet. Three years go by, in which time the ship was attacked during it's voyage. The boy is no longer a boy after 3 years but has turned into a man. Keeping to his word, the sailor makes it back with the things he promised the boy, only to find out that the boy doesn't even recognize him anymore, having grown up. The sailor must have been through such an ordeal that it changed his appearance. The young boy who is now a man notices that the children who used to be on the ship are no longer there, which means they either didn't survive the voyage or were captured. This is a song about growing up and forgetting about who you used to be when you were young. How age and experience changes you.
@Joeknob11 To correct myself. This song is set in WW1. I've read other interpretations as the ship returning being a "ghost ship" and that the sailor is dead and the person bringing the presents is a stranger. It represents the loss of innocence, as the world has been forever changed
@Joeknob11 To correct myself. This song is set in WW1. I've read other interpretations as the ship returning being a "ghost ship" and that the sailor is dead and the person bringing the presents is a stranger. It represents the loss of innocence, as the world has been forever changed
"The young boy who is now a man notices that the children who used to be on the ship are no longer there, which means they either didn't survive the voyage or were captured. "
"The young boy who is now a man notices that the children who used to be on the ship are no longer there, which means they either didn't survive the voyage or were captured. "
I thought it mean that the children had also grown up.
I thought it mean that the children had also grown up.