“The Water is Wide,” while often associated with Irish musical tradition, actually has its earliest documented roots in Scotland and England. The song dates back to the 1600s and appears in various forms under titles like “O Waly, Waly” and “When Cockleshells Turn Silver Bells.” The haunting melody and poignant lyrics about love that has cooled or become impossible to sustain resonated deeply with folk singers across the British Isles, including Ireland, where it was embraced and adapted into the Irish folk canon.
The song’s imagery of a wide, uncrossable body of water serves as a powerful metaphor for separation and insurmountable obstacles in love. Throughout the 20th century, “The Water is Wide” experienced several revival periods, with notable recordings by folk luminaries like Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Irish groups such as The Chieftains helping to cement its place in the international folk repertoire.
Lyrics
The water is wide, and I can’t swim over,
and neither have I wings to fly,
Build me a boat that can carry two,
And both shall row, my love and I.
There is a ship and she sails the sea,
She’s loaded deep as deep can be,
But not so deep as the love I’m in,
I know not how to sink or swim.
I leaned my back against an oak,
Thinking it was the strongest tree,
But first it bent and then it broke,
And that’s the way love treated me.
For love is handsome and love is fine,
The sweetest flower that ever grew, *
But love grows old and waxes cold,
And fades away like summer dew.
When salt sea turns far inland,
And mussels grow on every tree,
When cockle shells make Christmas bells,
Then would I lose my love for thee.
Leave a reply