The Keeper of the Eddystone Light Me father was the keeper of the Eddystone Light, And he slept with a mermaid one fine night Out of this union there came three, A porpoise and a porgy, and the other was me! Chorus: With a yo-ho-ho, let the wind blow free, It’s all for the life on the rolling sea! One night, as I was a-trimmin’ the glim And singing a verse from the evening hymn I see by the light of me binnacle lamp, Me kind old father lookin’ jolly and damp. Chorus: With a yo-ho-ho, let the wind blow free, It’s all for the life on the rolling sea! A voice from starboard shouted, “Ahoy!” And there was me mother sittin’ on a buoy Meanin’ a bouy for ships what sail, And not a boy what’s a juvenile male. Chorus: With a yo-ho-ho, let the wind blow free, It’s all for the life on the rolling sea! “Well, what became of me children three?” Me mother then she asked of me. Well, one was exhibited as a talking fish, The other was served as a savory dish. Chorus: With a yo-ho-ho, let the wind blow free, It’s all for the life on the rolling sea! The phosphorous flashed in her seaweed hair I looked again and me mother wasn’t there, But her voice came echoing out of the night, “To hell with the keeper of the Eddystone Light!” Chorus: With a yo-ho-ho, let the wind blow free, It’s all for the life on the rolling sea! ··· Traditional Lyrics ···

Eddystone Light Smeaton’s Tower 1759 - 1882 Established: 1698 Position: 50° 10.8' N, 4° 15.9' W Eddystone Rocks, a treacherous reef in the shipping lane approaching the City of Plymouth, England. Characteristic: White Group Flashing twice every 10 seconds & Subsidiary Fixed Red Light which covers a 17° arc marking the dangerous reef, Hands Deep. Elevation: 134.51-feet Range: 24 miles Structure: 167.32-feet high Granite Tower present tower 1882, Constructed by James Douglass Fog Signal: Automated Tyfon, three blasts every 60 seconds

Web Author’s note: Eddystone Light is one of the world’s most famous Lighthouses since the Tower was the first offshore Lighthouse built on exposed rock barely above sea level in the open ocean. In 1698, the first lighthouse was built on Eddystone Rocks, a reef 14 miles southwest of Plymouth, England, by Henry Winstanley.   From 1698 to 1755, three wooden Lighthouse were built, altered (1699), and destroyed by a sea storm (1703) and fire (1755). The above Sea Shanty* was written for the fourth lighthouse built by John Smeaton between 1756 and 1759 using interlocking stone dovetailing construction to resist the forces of the sea.   The stone Tower survived for 127 years before cracks at the base required a new Lighthouse.   The Smeaton stone lighthouse was dismantled and rebuilt on Plymouth Hoe. *Sea Chanteys (or shanties) are sailor work songs about life at sea including Lighthouse work.   Any lyrics with a regular beat were used to harmonize the steady-paced work.   Originally, the shanty lyrics were shouted by a chanter and the seaman sung the chorus in rhythm to the teamwork.   The old sea chanteys energized the sailors performing the rigorous work during the age of sail. Sea chanteys were written by sailors and landlubbers alike to synchronize the work crews performing the strenuous labor.   For example, Alexander Mitchell, Irish marine engineer who developed the screwpile support for Lighthouses located in shallow bays and rivers, would lead the chanteys the crews sang as they tread around the huge windlasses that drove in the massive screws. ‘glim’: Old English word meaning a source of light such as a candle or oil lamp.   Wicks of whale oil lamps were frequently trimmed to ensure the light shone steadily without flare-ups which could be misinterpreted as a flash and to reduce the carbon deposits on the interior of the lamp’s lens. Download Midi File by Charles Wingate Photo of present Eddystone Lighthouse and illustrations of all five Towers Web page format and content, excluding the song, Copyright ©2001 to 2005 by Debbie Dolphin. Document Updated: Sunday, Jan 23, 2005, 10:23:00am EST (-5GMT)