The Ferryman (song)
{{Short description|Irish folk ballad by Pete St. John}}
"The Ferryman", also sometimes known as "The Strawberry Beds",{{cite web|url = https://www.irishmusicdaily.com/ferryman | website = irishmusicdaily.com | title = The Ferryman – lament for passing of Dublin tradition | date = | accessdate = 14 March 2022 }} is an Irish folk ballad, written by Pete St. John.{{cite web|url = https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60722042| website = bbc.com | publisher = BBC News | title = Pete St John: Fields of Athenry songwriter dies aged 90 | date = 13 March 2022 | accessdate = 14 March 2022 }}
Set in modern-day Dublin in Ireland, as with other works by St. John, "The Ferryman" relates to economic change in the city. The song is a monologue, by a former pilot of a ferry on the River Liffey to his wife, Molly, as he contemplates the implications of his unemployment.{{fact|date=March 2022}}
Despite the unpleasant subject matter, the song ends optimistically, with the declaration "we're still living, and ... we're still young, and the river never owned me heart and soul".{{fact|date=March 2022}}
Recordings
The song was recorded by the Dublin City Ramblers in the early 1980s for their EP, The Ferryman, reaching number 6 in the Irish charts in December 1982.{{cite web|url = http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%2Btitle%5D=Ferryman | publisher = Irish Music Rights Organisation | website = irishcharts.ie | title = Irish Charts - Search - Placement - Ferryman | accessdate = 14 March 2022 }} The song has also been recorded by The Dubliners, Four to the Bar, The Irish Rovers, Gaelic Storm, Patsy Watchorn, and Patrick Clifford.{{fact|date=March 2022}}
See also
References
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