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Not to be confused with Lowlands Low.

"Lowlands Away" is a traditional song that exists in multiple versions, as both a ballad and a shanty. W.B. Whall included a version in his book Ships, Sea Songs & Shanties, placing it at least as far back as the 1860s. Various folk song collectors have theorized that the original form may have been a longer Scottish or English ballad about a visit from a deceased love, fragments of which evolved into shorter songs and shanties, but no concrete evidence has surfaced to support this theory.

Shanty versions frequently show influence from black dockworkers in the American South. They often include verses about pay and work conditions of the dockworkers or of sailors, with "a dollar and a half a day" being a common refrain. Ballad versions, meanwhile, usually feature the narrator mourning a deceased love, either from the point of view of a sailor at sea, or of a woman left behind by her sailor (or sometimes soldier) beau.[1] The Johns' version is in this vein.

The question of which version, if any, can be called the "original" version, though much debated, ultimately remains unclear.

Factoids[]

"John" was a slang term for a sailor; the "my John" line is likely this usage rather than referring to anyone named John.

Lyrics[]

These lyrics are based on the version performed by the Longest Johns in their 1st April 2020 livestream. Many versions are used in their streams, however, and these are not the only lyrics.

I dreamed a dream the other night
(Lowlands, lowlands away, my John)
My love she came, all dressed in white
(Lowlands away) [continues throughout]

I dreamed my love came in my sleep
Her cheeks were wet, her eyes did weep

She came to me at my bedside
All dressed in white, like some fair bride

And bravely in her bosom fair
A red, red rose, my love did wear

She made no sound, no word she said
And then I knew my love was dead

Then I awoke to hear the cry
Oh watch on deck, oh, watch ahoy

Recordings[]

YouTube Videos[]

Full Band Streams[]

Chill Streams[]

Gaming Streams[]

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