1950s skye boat song

That used to be sung (and still may be) in every working man's club in Hull that catered to trawler men at 9pm every night. It is known as the sailor's hymn. Most of the people singing would have lost a family member or even more than one. Trawling was a hazardous occupation.

To all those who have corrected me: I did realise by the time I was about 11 that the Skye Boat Song wasn’t about Jesus!
sorry!!

Michael Row the Boat Ashore - is that about Jesus?

There are still people who say they are the true heir to the Scottish throne ,I think one Polish man ,Prince somebody and a man who lives in Australia
paddyann The Australian man was most definitely the true heir to the throne. He was descended from the Plantagenets who would probably still be on the throne if some Queen or other had not had a 13 month pregnancy!
However, 'King Michael' Abney-Hastings (d 2012) was an unpretentious Australian farmer and wouldn't have wanted to claim the throne and I don't think his son does either.

I have recollections of learning about the Jacobite rebellions in school but that was lost in the mists of time

I think Michael row the boat ashore is about dying and perhaps (I haven't googled it yet) a spiritual from America
"The Jordan River is deep and wide,
Alleluia
All my friends on the other side
Alleluia."
I shall now be singing Michael Row the boat ashore all day. It has replaced the Skye Boat Song!!!!!

For any of you with Amazon Prime do watch the intro music to Outlander. Different words to the Skye Boat Song, but it relates to the series. If you like adventure, romance, timeslip these four series are just brilliant viewing.

I did basic training in the RAF and we learned to slow march to Skye Boat Song.

Are they better than the books NanKate?
the books were turgid

perhaps turgid is not quite the right word - boring? like wading through treacle?

Just a comment about Eternal Father, strong to save.

Whenever we sang this at school prayers in the 1950s, one teacher... or mistress as they were known then - always left the hall, and came back when it was over. She was fairly young and beautiful, and the rumour was that her fiancé had died at sea during the war. She couldn’t listen to it. We all thought this was incredibly romantic and tragic. I think it is probably true. She never married.

It is one hymn that always brings tears to my eyes.
It is The Naval Hymn.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KCiMdR1ox0

Outlander is a great series. I enjoyed it better than the books and the music is magic ,especially written for the series it makes me cry buckets every time .Good choice with the actors too they make the charcters so believeable

Is it on Sky?
We don't have Sky, or Netflix.

Paddyann you maybe right but I believe the original version was a Scottish song that portrayed the Jacobite Rebellion 1745 from a warlike perspective. It was rewritten by Burns 1791 and I feel it was more about human side and a possible warning as to what was to come in France. ( French revolution) ' The tree of liberty '
Burns was imho a great observer and anti-war, but his politics seemed to swing b back and fro.

Apologies OP I have wandered, not what your thread is about.

Jalima I’m a bit of an old romantic and loved the books and the film series is equally good IMO.

Paddy I’m glad I have another follower of Diana Gabaldon books and I agree the Amazon Prime series is gripping.

I access it through Amazon Prime which is a subscription app. You can’t get it through Sky or Netflix.

I got bogged down in the American book NanKate and abandoned the books altogether then.

I love Outlander too NanKate both the books and the show

Did we hear back on this from the OP?

Your name tells me so Sassenach ?

Jalima, I also as a child was under the impression that the Skye Boat song was about Jesus!! I think it was 'Carry the man that's born to be king, over the sea and sky'' that gave me that impresion! Of course 'and' is 'to', which I eventually rumbled!!
The Ash Grove, is lovely Annie, but so sad, applicable for all who have loved and lost. ?

I can see now how you thought that.

Perhaps my school explained the song and the story to us.