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Leave Your Side Again

from The Likes of Us (2006) by Bob Bickerton

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about

A rework of the old ‘stand by your man’ theme. Not to be tried without adult supervision.

lyrics

When Mary she came to Johnny, she walked o’er the mountain fair,
And her cheeks were like the roses and the wind blew through her hair.
They met at Kilcreggan and they spent awhile there,
Says Mary to her Johnny, ‘I’ll not leave your side again’.
But a press gang came upon them, looking for a sailor bold,
And they’ve taken poor Johnny for to sail the seas so cold.
And she’s cursed them and she’s fought them, till the blood ran through her hair,
Mary cries to her Johnny ‘I’ll not leave your side again’.

So she’s gone straight to the tailor and she’s got him make men’s clothes,
And she’s cut off all her long hair, she looks like a sailor bold.
She’s gone to the captain to enlist and serve the queen,
To serve by her Johnny, she’ll not leave his side again.
But the captain he says to her, you’re too young to sail the main,
So she’s drawn out her long rapier, to his chin she took her aim,
Saying ‘I’ll fight as good as any man, and I’ll fight you if needs be’.
So he’s let her join the navy, she’ll not leave his side again.

And they sailed out into Biscay, and the French they did engage,
And the blood it ran like rivers all into the salty main,
A shot came towards him and it pierced poor Johnny sore,
Mary knelt down beside him, ‘I’ll not leave your side again’.
The tears they welled up in his eyes, when he saw his Mary dear,
And they talked about Kilcreggan, till he died without a fear.
She’s laid him to rest, in the salty grave below,
Saying ‘I’ll not leave my Johnny’ and she fell upon her sword.
And when the captain saw her he said ‘Lads you’ll never see,
A stronger love for a sailor, or greater courage on the sea’.

credits

from The Likes of Us (2006), released January 9, 2006
Words and Music Bob Bickerton

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all rights reserved

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about

Bob Bickerton Nelson, New Zealand

Bob Bickerton is based in Nelson, New Zealand and has had a long career as a music manager, sound engineer and performing artist.

His earlier albums specialised in traditional and self-penned Celtic music, but in more recent times he has collaborated with other artists as a kaiwhakatangitangi or practitioner of taonga pūoro, the traditional instruments of Māori.
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