Sailing, Sailing

Written in 1880 by Godfrey Marks, this song depicts the life of a sailor and the waiting for his return. Godfrey Marks was a pseudonym for the British organist and composer James Frederick Swift, and the song celebrates seafaring life with nautical imagery like "bounding main" (referring to the open sea). The song quickly gained popularity in Victorian England, was performed in music halls and schools, and later became popular in America; interestingly, its melody was even used for "sledging songs" during the "heroic age" of Antarctic exploration.