“A Gift For You, Too” Saibhrean Work Song (Sea Shanty)

The songs and poetry of the Saibhrean Isles differ significantly from the heavily structured traditional verse of the clerics of mainland Caelon. This should come as no surprise, as the Daoine Farraige people were marginalized and never fully accepted by the Torian peoples during the Third Age. Because of their poor treatment and failure to fully assimilate into Torian culture, the people who would eventually inhabit the Saibhrean Isles maintained a distinct culture from their hosts, especially in their songs and poetry. On the islands, bards who break all the rules of verse are well-received, but there is also another type of music that is distinctly Saibhrean.

On the decks of the merchant vessels, workers sing songs without lute or mandolin. The work songs of the Saibhrean sailors still are something to behold, even though they are primarily functional and not enjoyed in an entertainment setting on the isles themselves. The songs are sung in a “call and response” format, where one strong voice, typically the crew foreman, sings the “call” portion. The rest of the crew responds with their voices in unison forming the chorus. The chanting’s rhythmic nature allows the crew to work in synchronized fashion. Here is but one of the many work songs (sea shanties) of the sailors of the Saibhrean Isles.

A Gift for You, Too – Saibhrean Work Song (Sea Shanty)

(Call)
Oh, I took my leave from you, Mother,
And Father and my kin
I threw away my boyhood
And I took it on the chin
For to seek my hopeful fortune
With ev’ry baited breath I drew
I made a bet that I would get
A Gift for you, too!
(Response)
You’ll live to regret the way that you sweat
For the things you won’t get
The pain and the stains
From the blood in your veins
Drawn by me (four stamps)
Hey! Here’s a gift for you, too!
(Call)
Wasn’t long before we saw them,
Those colors from the South
They came to claim our homeland
They came to take us out
Well they didn’t consider about us
That we wouldn’t let them through
So, shake and quake it all you want
We’ve got a gift for you, too!
(Response)
You’ll live to regret the way that you sweat
For the things you won’t get
The pain and the stains
From the blood in your veins
Drawn by me (four stamps)
Hey! Here’s a gift for you, too!
(Call)
The tide rose up to challenge us
We were staring up at death
We braced ourselves for impact,
Held our britches and our breath
When the wave crashed into us
We hung on and saw it through
The sea and me, we both spat back,
‘Now here’s a Gift for you, too!’
(Response)
You won’t live to regret the way that you sweat
For the things you won’t get
The pain and the stains
From the blood in your veins
Drawn by me (four stamps)
Hey! Here’s a gift for you, too!