Davy Lowston

Ship's Mate David Loweriston and other sealers were left on an island in Open Bay (now Jackson Bay?) in Fiordland, New Zealand in 1810. They were there for nearly 4 years before being rescued by the Governor Bligh. Full story

Oh my name is Davy Lowston, I did seal, I did seal. My name is Davy Lowston, I did seal. Though my men and I were lost, though our very lives it cost We did seal, we did seal, we did seal We were set down in Open Bay, we were set down, were set down We were set down in Open Bay, we were set down We were left we gallant men, never more to sail again (T'was on the sixteenth day, of Feb-ru-ar-i-ay ) For to seal, for to seal, for to seal. Our Captain John Bedar he set sail, he set sail. Our Captain John Bedar he set sail "I'll return, men, without fail". But she foundered in a gale, And went down, and went down, and went down. We cured ten thousand skins for the fur, for the fur. We cured ten thousand skins for the fur. Brackish water, putrid seal, we did all of us fall ill, For to die, for to die, for to die. Come all you sailor lads who sail the sea, sail the sea, Come all you jolly tars who sail the sea, Though the schooner Governor Bligh took on some who did not die Never seal, never seal, never seal.

Origins

The tune and structure was obviously derived from the old Captain Kidd song series ("My Name is Captain Kidd," "My Name is Samuel Small," "Ye Jacobites By Name," "What Wondrous Love is This?" etc.) For example;-

My name is Captain Kid, who has sailed, who has sailed, My name is Captain Kid, who has sailed. My name is Captain Kid; What the laws did still forbid Unluckily I did while I sailed, while I sailed.                                      All the verses

For full details into the origins of this song, read Frank Fyfe's 1970 research paper.

The lyrics probably originated on the Sydney waterfront after Loweriston sued the owners of the 'Active' for abandoning his group.

The song was then taken to Kororareka in New Zealand, where Yankee whaling crews learnt it and carried the song back to Halifax, where it was eventually collected by John Leebrick.

(JA) I tried singing a topical version of Davy Lowston in 1981.

I'm Arthur Alan Thomas, I was framed, I was framed, For shooting Harvey Crewe I was blamed, Lies about me they did tell, and I spent 9 years in hell, I was framed.

For obvious reasons, I never got any requests to sing it again!

The Ballad Writers' Toolbox

Perfomance

Davy Lowston is a serious song about great deprivation. Your audience is emotionally affected. When you perform this, it is useful to follow with something humorous to give your audience some emotional relief. For instance, you could follow a couple of standard verses of She'll be Right and then...

Davy Lowston On Record

Recorded in NZ by

Val Murphy 1965,
Song Spinners 1967,
Neil Colquhoun 1972,
Graham Wilson 1982,
Marcus Turner 1983,
Martin Curtis 1985,
Phil Garland 1996,
Mike Harding 1998.
Maritime Crew 2000
Maritime Crew 2003

Also recorded in England by

Carthy & Swarbrick

June Tabor

English Variant

The English variant has picked up references to the sealers who departed south from Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands to the iceburg-girt Antartic islands.

...Our captain John McGraw, he set sail, he set sail
Oh, yes, for old Port Stanley, he set sail
"I'll return, men, without fail", but he foundered in the gale,
And went down, and went down, and went down

So come all you lads who venture far from home, far from home
So come all you lads who venture far from home
Where the icebergs tower high, that's a pitiful place to die,
Never seal, never seal, never seal

A transcript of June Tabor's version has her singing all the parrs haul in (??).
This seems to be a totally meaningless mis-interpretation of all of 'aarrss' fall ill.

...We cured ten thousand skins for the fur.
Brackish water, putrid sea, we did all the parrs haul in
For to die, for to die, for to die.