Bird Rocks, The

DESCRIPTION: "Twas winter down the icy gulf, The Gulf St Lawrence wide." The Bird Rocks lighthouse keeper, his son, and helper are swept away. His wife keeps the light burning until spring. Like her we should "in sorrow's darkest night ... show the world our light"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland)
KEYWORDS: grief death drowning sea wife
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Greenleaf/Mansfield-BalladsAndSeaSongsOfNewfoundland 144, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 903-904, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl-NewfoundlandersSing, pp. 69-70, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ryan/Small-HaulinRopeAndGaff, pp. 110-111, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST GrMa144 (Partial)
Roud #6348
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Thomas Walters, "The Bird Rocks" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
NOTES [128 words]: Bird Rocks is an islet in the Gulf of St Lawrence, northeast of Magdalen Islands in East Quebec. - BS
There is also a Bird Rocks in Newfoundland, near Green Island, but I don't believe it had a lighthouse. It wouldn't have been a hot spot for seals in any case.
There isn't much in the way of evidence for dates in this song, but this story fits the conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland: Many communities had no communication with the outside world except by sea, and that was closed off in winter and early spring by ice. And it certainly fits the Newfoundlander's obsession with seals -- and the Gulf of St. Lawrence was one of the prime areas for hunting them. Tragedies like this were part of the lore of the "land-based hunt" in Newfoundland. - RBW
Last updated in version 5.0
File: GrMa144

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