Media Monday: The Day Of The Clipper

The 1970s Oil Crisis saw a major revival in interest around Sail Freight, which coincided with the bicentennial of the American War of Independence, itself a trigger for renewed interest in traditional crafts and tall ships. As part of this whole scene, Folk Music also experienced a rise in popularity, and in this particular song, you have these threads all combined.

While the lyrics are certainly dated, they do encapsulate the spirit of their times, and a seed off which we build today. Folk tunes are always changing, and the lyrics could be modified just slightly to be far more inclusive and encouraging in a modern context. I propose the following as a candidate, for those interested in recording an updated version: "Sailing ships and sailors 'gain will sail the open waters... so all you brave windjammers climb your way into the rigging..." The verses will all need a bit of work as well, but that's not a terribly hard task either.

We construct our world through the stories we tell, and as I once heard it said, all stories aspire to be songs. We could use more of these types of stories and songs in the face of the challenges we face today.

LYRICS:
You can see the squares of canvas dancing over the horizon
You can hear the chanty wailing to the heaving of the men
You can feel the seas up to your knees and you know the sea is risin'
And you know the clipper’s day has come again
To the men on high the bos'n's cry commands a killing strain
’Til every mother's son begins to pray
With a hearty shout she comes about and she heads into the rain
And the ship has never seen a better day

Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open water
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again

Wooden beams and human dreams are all that make her go;
And the magic of the wind upon her sails
We'd rather fight the weather than the fishes down below;
God help us if the rigging ever fails
As the timber creaks the captain speaks above the vessel's groans
'Til every soul on board can hear the call
It's nothing but the singing of the ship inside her bones
And this is when she likes it best of all

Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open water
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again

Where the current goes the clipper's nose is plowing fields of green
Where fortune takes the crews we wish them well
Where men could be when lost at sea is somewhere in between
The regions of a heaven and a hell
Well they're sailing eastern harbors and the California shore;
If you set your mind to see them then you can
As you count each mast go sailing past you, prouder than before
Then you’ll know the clipper’s day has come again

Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open water
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again

Sailing ships and sailing men will sail the open water
Where the only thing that matters is the wind inside the main
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again
So all you loving mothers keep your eyes upon your daughters
For the sails will mend their tatters and the masts will rise again.

Author

Steven Woods is the Solaris and Education coordinator at HRMM. He earned his Master's degree in Resilient and Sustainable Communities at Prescott College, and wrote his thesis on the revival of Sail Freight for supplying the New York Metro Area's food needs. Steven has worked in Museums for over 20 years.

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