I's the B'y

Last updated

"I'se The B'y" (also I's The Bye) is a traditional Newfoundland folk song/ballad. "I's the B'y" is in the Newfoundland English dialect, and translates to standard English as "I'm the Boy" or "I'm the Guy". The Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame decided to honour the song in 2005, officially accepting it as part of the Canadian Song Hall of Fame. [1]

Contents

Native Newfoundland folk songs have fared well in terms of continued popularity, due in part to their appearance in widely circulated publications such as Gerald S. Doyle's songsters. Doyle's company published five free and popular collections of Newfoundland songs, the first in 1927, as a means of promoting his patent medicine business. These songs included "I'se the B'y", "Tickle Cove Pond", "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor", "Old Polina", "The Ryans and the Pittmans", and "Lukey's Boat".

Professional musicians including Clint Curtiss, Dick Nolan, Great Big Sea and Gordon Bok have recorded the song (the latter under both its original name and the title "Liverpool Handy"). Toronto-based Ubiquitous Synergy Seeker sampled the lyrics in their first single, "Hollowpoint Sniper Hyperbole". An instrumental version of the song was also played in episode two of the HBO series The Neistat Brothers. [2]

A Strathspey for bagpipes was composed in honour of "I's the B'y". [3]

Lyrics

I's the b'y that builds the boat
And I's the b'y that sails her
I's the b'y that catches the fish
And brings them home to Liza. (or Lizer)

Chorus: Hip yer partner, Sally Thibault
Hip yer partner, Sally Brown
Fogo, Twillingate, Moreton's Harbour
All around the circle!

Sods and rinds to cover your flake
Cake
and tea for supper
Codfish caught in the spring o' the year
Fried in maggoty butter.

Chorus:

I don't want your maggoty fish
They're no good for winter
I could buy as good as that
Down in
Bonavista.

Chorus:

I took Liza to a dance
As fast as she could travel
And every step that she did take
Was up to her knees in gravel.

Chorus:

Susan White, she's out of sight
Her petticoat wants a border
Old Sam Oliver in the dark
He kissed her in the corner.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ fish: Unless otherwise specified, "fish" in Newfoundland English almost always refers to codfish, fish entry at the Dictionary of Newfoundland English
  2. ^ rind: A long strip of bark, normally from a standing spruce or fir, and used for various fisheries and building purposes, rind entry at the Dictionary of Newfoundland English
  3. ^ flake: A platform built on poles and spread with boughs for drying codfish on land, flake entry at the Dictionary of Newfoundland English
  4. ^ cake: Ship's biscuit or hardtack, cake entry at the Dictionary of Newfoundland English
  5. ^ maggoty fish: Fish when not cured correctly would become infested with Blow-fly larva, maggoty entry at the Dictionary of Newfoundland English

Related Research Articles

Newfoundland English is any of several accents and dialects of Atlantic Canadian English found in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Most of these differ substantially from the English commonly spoken elsewhere in Canada and North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">16th century in Canada</span>

The 16th century in Canada saw the first contacts, since the Norsemen 500 years earlier, between the indigenous peoples in Canada living near the Atlantic coast and European fishermen, whalers, traders, and explorers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Big Sea</span> Canadian folk rock band

Great Big Sea was a Canadian folk rock band from Newfoundland and Labrador, best known for performing energetic rock interpretations of traditional Newfoundland folk songs including sea shanties, which draw from the island's 500-year Irish, Scottish, and Cornish heritage. The band was very successful in Canada, with eleven of their albums being certified Gold in the country, including four being certified Platinum and two achieving multi-platinum certifications. Between 1996 and 2016, Great Big Sea was the sixteenth best-selling Canadian artist in Canada and the sixth best-selling Canadian band in Canada.

Newfoundland and Labrador is an Atlantic Canadian province with a folk musical heritage based on the Irish, English and Cornish traditions.

"Hard, Hard Times" is a traditional Newfoundland folk song/ballad, adapted from an earlier English song, "Rigs of the Times" by William James Emberley. The song has been sung and recorded by a number of Newfoundland musicians.

"Jack Was Every Inch A Sailor" is a traditional Newfoundland and Labrador folk song. It is a comical retelling of the Jonah tale, with a Newfoundland whaler as protagonist, but in this instance the whale gets his comeuppance.

"Four Strong Winds" is a song written by Ian Tyson and recorded by Canadian folk duo Ian and Sylvia. Tyson has noted that he composed the song in about 20 minutes in his then manager Albert Grossman's New York apartment in 1962. A significant composition of the early 1960s folk revival, the song is a melancholy reflection on a failing romantic relationship. The singer expresses a desire for a possible reunion in a new place in the future but acknowledges the likelihood that the relationship is over.

"Home for a Rest" is a song by Canadian folk rock band Spirit of the West from their fourth studio album Save This House, released in 1990. It is the band's signature song and is considered a classic of Canadian music.

Old Polina is a traditional Newfoundland folk song. It is most likely based on the ship Polynia, built in 1861, of the Dundee Seal and Whale Fishing Company fleet. Polynia was commanded by Captain William Guy from 1883 to 1891, when she was sunk by ice in Davis Strait. This song is similar to another song called The Balaena, about another whaler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fishcake</span> Minced or ground fish or other seafood mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried

A fishcake is a culinary dish consisting of filleted fish or other seafood minced or ground, mixed with a starchy ingredient, and fried until golden.

<i>A Chinese Honeymoon</i>

A Chinese Honeymoon is a musical comedy in two acts by George Dance, with music by Howard Talbot and additional music by Ivan Caryll and others, and additional lyrics by Harry Greenbank and others. One song that originated in the show was "Mister Dooley" which became famously associated with The Wizard of Oz for decades, when John Slavin, in the title role, interpolated the song for much of the first year of its run.

"Saturday Night Fish Fry" is a jump blues song written by Louis Jordan and Ellis Lawrence Walsh, best known through the version recorded by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five. The recording is considered to be one of the "excellent and commercially successful" examples of the jump blues genre.

Moreton's Harbour is a local service district and designated place in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on New World Island. The community is sometimes written as Morton's and occasionally as Moreton's. Clarence Wiseman, the tenth General of The Salvation Army from 1974 to 1977, was born at Moreton's Harbour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liza Lehmann</span>

Liza Lehmann was an English soprano and composer, known for her vocal compositions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Touton</span> Newfoundland pancake

Touton is a traditional dish from Newfoundland, most usually thought of as a pancake-like bread dough commonly made with risen dough. Although pancakes are rarely made from homemade bread dough in Newfoundland, the memory of regional terms still exists in younger generations, such as the British English term tiffin, meaning "small lunch". The dish has a long list of regionally-distinct names, and can refer to two different types of baked or fried dough: the dough cake variant, usually fried; and a baked bun variant, made with pork fat. Toutons are usually served at breakfast or brunch and are on the breakfast menus of many local restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">At the Codfish Ball</span> 7th episode of the 5th season of Mad Men

"At the Codfish Ball" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American television drama series Mad Men and the 59th episode of the series overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthems and nationalistic songs of Canada</span>

Patriotic music in Canada dates back over 200 years as a distinct category from British or French patriotism, preceding the first legal steps to independence by over 50 years. The earliest, "The Bold Canadian", was written in 1812.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Me and Liza</span> 2014 single by Rufus Wainwright

"Me and Liza" is a song by American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright for his greatest hits album, Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright (2014); it appears as the third track on the album's standard issue, serving as its lead single. The song is about Wainwright's relationship with Liza Minnelli, who was reportedly upset by his 2006 tribute concerts to her mother, Judy Garland. It premiered on BBC Radio 2's Weekend Wogan on January 12, 2014 and was officially released on January 20. "Me and Liza" reached a peak position of number 59 on Belgium's Ultratop singles chart.

Gerald Stanley Doyle, was a Newfoundlander and Canadian businessman who is well known for his compilation of Newfoundland folk music.

References

  1. "Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame 2005". Archived from the original on 2006-08-26. Retrieved 2006-08-06.
  2. "Episode 2." The Neistat Brothers. Home Box Office. 2010. Television.
  3. Archie Cairns - Book 1 Pipe Music 'I'se The B'yse' Strathspey 1995