Bound Down For Newfoundland lyrics and chords

The easy guitar / ukulele chords here are also suitable for playing the song on the mandolin or banjo. The sheet music notes for tin whistle are included. The Rolling Of The Sea song also comes from Newfoundland.

[A]On St. Patrick's Day [ song ], the[D] seventeenth,
From[A] New York[E] we set[A] sail.
Kind fortune did[E] favour[A] us
With a sweet and pleasant[E] gale,
We[A] bore away from A[E]meri[A]cay
The wind being off the[E] land.
With[A] courage brave we[D] plouged the wave
Bound[A] down for [E]Newfound[A]land.
 
Our captain's name was Nelson
Just twenty years of age.
As true, as brave a sailor lad
As ever ploughed a wave,
The Eveline our brig was called
Belonging to McLean;
With courage brave we ploughed the wave
Bound down for Newfoundland.
When three days out, to our surprise,
Our captain he fell sick.
And shortly was not able
To show himself on deck.
The fever raged, which made us fear
That death was near at hand
We bore away from Halifax
Bound down for Newfoundland.
 
We made the land, but knew it not
For strangers we were all;
Our captain was not able
To come on deck at all.
Then we were obliged to haul
Our brig from off the land
With laden hearts we put to sea
Bound down for Newfoundland.
All that long night we ran our brig
Till none o'clock next day.
Our captain, on the point of death,
To our record did say,
"We'll bear away for Cape Canso
Now, boys, come lend a hand
And trim your topsail to the wind
Bound down for Newfoundland."
 
At three o'clock we sighted a light
Which we were glad to see.
The smallpox it being raging
(That's what it proved to be)
And at four o'clock in the afternoon
As judge as God's command
We anchored her safe in Arichat
Bound down for Newfoundland.
 
And for help and medicine
Ashore then we did go.
Our captain on the point of death
Our sympathy to show,
At five o'clock in the afternoon
As judge as God's command
In Arichat he breathed his last
Bound down for Newfoundland.
 
All that ling night we did lament
For our departed friend
And we were praying unto God
For what had been his end.
We'll pray the God will guide us
And keep us by his hand
And give us fair wind while at sea
Bound down for Newfoundland.

Guitar chords in the key of G.
​
[G]On St. Patrick's Day, the[C] seventeenth,
From[G] New York[D] we set[G] sail.
Kind fortune did[D] favour[G] us
With a sweet and pleasant[D] gale,
We[G] bore away from A[D]meri[G]cay
The wind being off the[D] land.
With[G] courage brave we[C] ploughed the wave
Bound[G] down for [D]Newfound[G]land.

The Irish In Newfoundland
Here is a little history of the island called Newfoundland. The Irish were great travellers and during the Christian period they spread the light all across Europe and over the western ocean to the great lands of the West. So they would have known of the islands existence since time began and certainty from St. Brendan’s time. 
 
The Island passed to the British from the French by the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. In 1765, the governors ordered that no Catholics were to remain on the island over the winter.  They were determined to prevent the Irish from settling the island.  The law stated no idle person should remain during the winter, no Papist, servant, man or woman, shall remain at any place where they did not fish or serve during the summer.  

It was also stated that no more than two men shall dwell in a house during the winter except that of their Protestant masters.  No Papist shall keep a public house or sell liquor by retail.  The masters of servants were acquired to pay their passage home.  

No place in Canada had more sectarian laws than Newfoundland had but their labour was needed for the fisheries so they increased in numbers.  The Irish were hard working and useful and kept coming and remained in spite of proclamations.  

They had not the liberty of the birds of the air to build or repair their nests.  There was forest and rocky soil but they were denied a licence to till it.  The only resource open to them was the sea.  The wealth they won from the stormy ocean was taken from them and spent in other lands leaving them with a scanty existence.  Still the population increased.  They built towns and villages, magnificent buildings, schools and churches but is was not until 1784 that liberty of conscience was given to Catholics. 

​Many fled to Newfoundland in consequence of the 1798 rebellion and sought to continue to struggle there.  They secured the co-operation of a large portion of the regiment there but the plot was foiled by the Catholic Bishop O’Donnell who informed the general of the plan.  

It was defeated before it began.  The islanders almost totally depend on the fisheries for their living and when it fails it causes great distress.  Potato blight came to the island in 1847 and caused much hardship.   The islands were saved thanks to the fruits of the sea.  

​A benevolent Irish society was formed by the Irish merchants for the relief of distress without any distinction of religion and succeeded in fostering a united nationalist spirit.  Both Protestant and Catholics got involved in the annual celebration on St. Patrick’s Day.  There was a great relationship between the Irish of all religions and all are proud of their Irish heritage, roughly half the population is Catholic. Brian Warfield Wolfe Tones 2011
 

Bound down for Newfoundland lyrics

​Bound Down For Newfoundland sheet music for tin whistle