Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Willie Lost at Sea / The Cruel Grave / Willie-O / The Bay of Biscay / Biscay-O (Roud No. 22567) / The Grey Cock (Child No. 248 Appendix) - Sung by Duncan Williamson, a Traveller of Furnace, Argyllshire, Scotland, later settled in Fife. He learned it from his grandmother Bett MacColl in Tarbert, Loch Fyne, Kintyre. Recorded by John D. Niles in August 1986 in the sitting room of a rented house in Auchtermuchty, Fife.
The original recording can be heard here:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AJHTREMELAEAR382
A biography of Duncan Williamson can be read here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/4292?l=en
Linda Williamson's thesis on Scottish Traveller singing can be read here, it's well worth your time if you're interested in Duncan Williamson's song repertoire: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/8223
Note by Kevin W.:
Duncan called it "The Cruel Grave" or "Willie Lost at Sea" on different occasions.
This is a conflation of two songs, "The Night Visiting Song" (Roud No. 22568) which tells of a nightly visit between non ghostly lovers. And "Willie-O or The Bay of Biscay" (Roud No. 22567) which tells of a nightly visit by the ghost of a former lover. With the story and the way it is told being similar it makes sense that the two songs would merge in oral tradition. In this conflated form the song was popular with Irish Travellers and I do wonder if Bett MacColl's song was originally learned from an Irish source.
A famous example was recorded from Mrs. Cecilia Costello of Birmingham who learned it from her Irish parents. Her text and tune are similar to Duncan's but also include the cock bribery stanzas from "The Grey Cock" (Child No. 248).
Song transcription:
You see, Marie [*], to start with, love is a very fine thing. And sometimes people would carry love a wee bit too far, even beyond the grave.
So this tells a story of a young lady who was in love with a young sailor, and he was gone in the sea. He had sailed away, and he was gone for many many years. He was gone for many months, he was gone for years. But she still loved him, she could not forget him. And during the night she used to lie in her bed, praying to almighty God to send him back home to her. But unknown to her, he had been drowned at sea. And when someone is dead, they're supposed to be forgotten, and let them sleep in peace. But with her praying every night for God to send him back, his soul could not rest. So one night his spirit came back to her to tell her to give him peace.
And this is what happened:
Oh it's seven long years since my true love left me,
It is seven long years since he went to sea;
But another seven I will wait as pleasure,
Till he comes home and he marries me.
Now I lie in my bed and I often wonder,
I lie in my bed and I often pray,
I pray to my dearest God in Heaven,
Would he send my true love back home to me?
Now who-who is that there that's at my window?
He is keeping me out of my night's rest.
It is not my father, it is not my mother
Who is keeping me out of my night's rest.
He said, "Open your door, love, oh let me in, love;
Will you open your door, will you let me in?
For I am cold, love, and I am weary,
And I am wet to the very skin."
So she opened the door with the greatest of pleasure,
She opened the door and she let him in;
She said, "If you're my Willie, you have changed your colour,
You're not like the young man I used to know."
So they got talking and went walking
Until the small cock he began to crow;
He said, "I must away, dear, I can stay no longer,
Oh for it's a far way I have to go."
She said, "Willie, love, oh please don't leave me;
Willie dear, don't go back to sea;
Oh Willie, love, oh please don't leave me;
Oh Willie, won't you stay with me?"
He said, "I must away, dear, I can stay no longer,
For it's a far way I have to go;
But when I'm gone, dear, please pray no longer,
For never more can I come home to you."
The idea of the cock: when the cock crows at five o'clock in the morning, all spirits must be home before the sun rises, you see? That's why I said, "When the small cock he began to crow," it means it tells ye, "all evil must be gone when the sun rises." Well, all spirits must back to rest when the sun rises in the morning. The cock crows at five o'clock. The small cock means the little cock crows at five o'clock. He knew it was time for him to go back to his grave. And she begged him not to go, but he had to go. And the only thing he wanted her — to pray no more. To give him rest for evermore. It's called "The Cruel Grave." That is a good old traditional ballad. I got the cup for that in Auchtermuchty. [**]
[*] Marie Jeffress, one of the more elderly members of John Niles' folklore research team. Duncan deliberately included her by name, as she was seated right next to him, and he often singled out individual members of his audience for special acknowledgment.
[**] Duncan won the traditional men's singing competition at the Auchtermuchty Festival in Fife.
Willie Lost at Sea / The Cruel Grave / Willie-O / The Bay of Biscay / Biscay-O (Roud No. 22567) / The Grey Cock (Child No. 248 Appendix) - Sung by Duncan Williamson, a Traveller of Furnace, Argyllshire, Scotland, later settled in Fife. He learned it from his grandmother Bett MacColl in Tarbert, Loch Fyne, Kintyre. Recorded by John D. Niles in August 1986 in the sitting room of a rented house in Auchtermuchty, Fife.
The original recording can be heard here:
https://search.library.wisc.edu/digital/AJHTREMELAEAR382
A biography of Duncan Williamson can be read here:
tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/4292?l=en
Linda Williamson's thesis on Scottish Traveller singing can be read here, it's well worth your time if you're interested in Duncan Williamson's song repertoire: era.ed.ac.uk/handle/1842/8223
Note by Kevin W.:
Duncan called it "The Cruel Grave" or "Willie Lost at Sea" on different occasions.
This is a conflation of two songs, "The Night Visiting Song" (Roud No. 22568) which tells of a nightly visit between non ghostly lovers. And "Willie-O or The Bay of Biscay" (Roud No. 22567) which tells of a nightly visit by the ghost of a former lover. With the story and the way it is told being similar it makes sense that the two songs would merge in oral tradition. In this conflated form the song was popular with Irish Travellers and I do wonder if Bett MacColl's song was originally learned from an Irish source.
A famous example was recorded from Mrs. Cecilia Costello of Birmingham who learned it from her Irish parents. Her text and tune are similar to Duncan's but also include the cock bribery stanzas from "The Grey Cock" (Child No. 248).
Song transcription:
You see, Marie [*], to start with, love is a very fine thing. And sometimes people would carry love a wee bit too far, even beyond the grave.
So this tells a story of a young lady who was in love with a young sailor, and he was gone in the sea. He had sailed away, and he was gone for many many years. He was gone for many months, he was gone for years. But she still loved him, she could not forget him. And during the night she used to lie in her bed, praying to almighty God to send him back home to her. But unknown to her, he had been drowned at sea. And when someone is dead, they're supposed to be forgotten, and let them sleep in peace. But with her praying every night for God to send him back, his soul could not rest. So one night his spirit came back to her to tell her to give him peace.
And this is what happened:
Oh it's seven long years since my true love left me,
It is seven long years since he went to sea;
But another seven I will wait as pleasure,
Till he comes home and he marries me.
Now I lie in my bed and I often wonder,
I lie in my bed and I often pray,
I pray to my dearest God in Heaven,
Would he send my true love back home to me?
Now who-who is that there that's at my window?
He is keeping me out of my night's rest.
It is not my father, it is not my mother
Who is keeping me out of my night's rest.
He said, "Open your door, love, oh let me in, love;
Will you open your door, will you let me in?
For I am cold, love, and I am weary,
And I am wet to the very skin."
So she opened the door with the greatest of pleasure,
She opened the door and she let him in;
She said, "If you're my Willie, you have changed your colour,
You're not like the young man I used to know."
So they got talking and went walking
Until the small cock he began to crow;
He said, "I must away, dear, I can stay no longer,
Oh for it's a far way I have to go."
She said, "Willie, love, oh please don't leave me;
Willie dear, don't go back to sea;
Oh Willie, love, oh please don't leave me;
Oh Willie, won't you stay with me?"
He said, "I must away, dear, I can stay no longer,
For it's a far way I have to go;
But when I'm gone, dear, please pray no longer,
For never more can I come home to you."
The idea of the cock: when the cock crows at five o'clock in the morning, all spirits must be home before the sun rises, you see? That's why I said, "When the small cock he began to crow," it means it tells ye, "all evil must be gone when the sun rises." Well, all spirits must back to rest when the sun rises in the morning. The cock crows at five o'clock. The small cock means the little cock crows at five o'clock. He knew it was time for him to go back to his grave. And she begged him not to go, but he had to go. And the only thing he wanted her — to pray no more. To give him rest for evermore. It's called "The Cruel Grave." That is a good old traditional ballad. I got the cup for that in Auchtermuchty. [**]
[*] Marie Jeffress, one of the more elderly members of John Niles' folklore research team. Duncan deliberately included her by name, as she was seated right next to him, and he often singled out individual members of his audience for special acknowledgment.
[**] Duncan won the traditional men's singing competition at the Auchtermuchty Festival in Fife.
