The song is told in story form, but there is more "meaning" beyond what is said. It is a coded warning to wives to let their men go out and party without them.
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The song is about an excursion to Harbour Grace, which Wikipedia describes as "essentially an all-day party attended by hundreds of people, in which they would all travel together by train or boat and then do activities at the destination. Excursions were often characterized by excessive drinking and rowdy behaviour."
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First verse: The singer is going out on a booze cruise. He didn't expect his wife to come along, but she seems to have been forced onto the ship. (Let's not speculate about what the "volunteer" work entailed; perhaps this was simply serving drinks.)
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2nd verse: He's having a good time (no mention of his wife).
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3rd verse: His wife is sick, and what does he do? He feeds her "cake and candy, fat pork and kerosene, castor oil and sugar of candy". Most of these things would make a sick person feel even worse, while kerosene has even worse, poisonous effects. Either the singer is a true idiot, or he is not actually trying to make his wife feel better.
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4th verse: They get to the party destination, and his wife's "screeches" can be heard far away. The singer goes to the shops to find a cure, or to "take her to the hop". He wants to go to the dance, he wants to find some way to get her there. Taking a person so sick they're screeching to a dance does not seem like it would help them feel better.
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5th verse: The wife dies (I think from alcohol poisoning, "beneath the brandies"). She's immediately buried at sea, despite it being a short journey. The singer does not mourn, but immediately is "in search of a pretty face". Further, he says "And the woman that says she'll have me, I'm off for Harbor Grace!" My interpretation of this line is "If I end up married again, I'll be leaving for the party town." Either he's planning to temporarily get away from his new wife, or (even more darkly) he's hoping for the same outcome again.
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The singer was going on a party boat, makes his already-ill wife more sick to the point that she dies, and he's off to find another woman (who had better not get in the way of his partying). His wife declares, repeatedly, "I wish I'd never taken this excursion around the bay".
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I love the song, the melodies and harmonies in the chorus, but I think it's not as lighthearted as it sounds.
The song is told in story form, but there is more "meaning" beyond what is said. It is a coded warning to wives to let their men go out and party without them. … The song is about an excursion to Harbour Grace, which Wikipedia describes as "essentially an all-day party attended by hundreds of people, in which they would all travel together by train or boat and then do activities at the destination. Excursions were often characterized by excessive drinking and rowdy behaviour." … First verse: The singer is going out on a booze cruise. He didn't expect his wife to come along, but she seems to have been forced onto the ship. (Let's not speculate about what the "volunteer" work entailed; perhaps this was simply serving drinks.) … 2nd verse: He's having a good time (no mention of his wife). … 3rd verse: His wife is sick, and what does he do? He feeds her "cake and candy, fat pork and kerosene, castor oil and sugar of candy". Most of these things would make a sick person feel even worse, while kerosene has even worse, poisonous effects. Either the singer is a true idiot, or he is not actually trying to make his wife feel better. … 4th verse: They get to the party destination, and his wife's "screeches" can be heard far away. The singer goes to the shops to find a cure, or to "take her to the hop". He wants to go to the dance, he wants to find some way to get her there. Taking a person so sick they're screeching to a dance does not seem like it would help them feel better. … 5th verse: The wife dies (I think from alcohol poisoning, "beneath the brandies"). She's immediately buried at sea, despite it being a short journey. The singer does not mourn, but immediately is "in search of a pretty face". Further, he says "And the woman that says she'll have me, I'm off for Harbor Grace!" My interpretation of this line is "If I end up married again, I'll be leaving for the party town." Either he's planning to temporarily get away from his new wife, or (even more darkly) he's hoping for the same outcome again. … The singer was going on a party boat, makes his already-ill wife more sick to the point that she dies, and he's off to find another woman (who had better not get in the way of his partying). His wife declares, repeatedly, "I wish I'd never taken this excursion around the bay". … I love the song, the melodies and harmonies in the chorus, but I think it's not as lighthearted as it sounds.
[Edit: Fighting poor formatting.]