“Remember Me”

Description

The singer's ship is ready to sail. He hopes his sweetheart and old Ireland boys will remember him. They spend the night drinking together and he sails away. He bids Killarney farewell. "Alas my friends I am away, Here's my hand but you have my heart"

Notes

Wright-Irish (_Irish Emigrant Ballads and Songs_) pp. 111, 170-173, has two versions of "Our Ship Sails Ready to Sail Away" and one of "Remember Me" and considers them to be variants of the same song. His longest version of "Our Ship ..." and his "Remember Me" share three verses almost exactly; "Our Ship ..." adds six 4-line verses and "Remember Me" adds five 4-line verses and, in these lines, the songs share no lines. "Our Ship ..." is a farewell to Nora, and besides to Dublin, Delgany and Wicklow; "Remember Me" is a farewell to old Ireland boys, and besides to Killarney. My inclination is to keep them as two separate songs. - BS

Cross references

• cf. "Our Ship Sails Ready to Sail Away" (shares opening verses)

Broadsides

• Bodleian, Harding B 26(567), "Remember Me" ("Our ship is ready to sajl [sic] away"), P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867; also 2806 c.8(216), 2806 b.9(3), 2806 c.8(290), "Remember Me"