webster • whittaker
Roger Whittaker died 13th of September 2023, 87 years old. The Kenyan born man of British origin left a promising medical career for entertainment in the sixties, thanks Lord. The world lost a good teacher, but won a fabulous folk singer, songwriter and artist.
In 1971, Whittaker hosted a radio programme backed by an orchestra with arrangements by Zack Lawrence. In his own words: «One of the ideas I had was to invite listeners to send their poems or lyrics to me, and I would make songs out of them. We got a million replies, and I did one each week for 26 weeks.»
One of these contributers was a silversmith from Birmingham, Ron A. Webster. The song about departing was recorded for Whittaker's 1971 RCA Victor album "A Special Kind of Man" same year, released as a single in 1975 and became one of the fifty all-time singles to have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Ronald Arthur Webster(1943-1993) is not credited more songs, though being a local folk singer beside his trade as a silversmith. At least he wrote ONE golden poem. What is this about? The scene is obviously back to the time of the Napolean Wars; a sea warrior from the colonies gotten involved with both these pacific islands AND a woman, and forced to leave both to fight for his native country. If I'm wrong; it doesn't matter. The poem is perfectly melted with Whittaker's composition.
there's a ship lies rigged and ready in the harbor
tomorrow for old England she sails
far away from your land of endless sunshine
to my land full of rainy skies and gales
and I shall be aboard that ship tomorrow
though my heart is full of tears at this farewell
for you are beautiful and I have loved you dearly
more dearly than the spoken word can tell
I've heard there's a wicked war a-blazing
and the taste of war I know so very well
even now I see the foreign flag a-raising
their guns on fire as we sail into hell
I have no fear of death : it brings no sorrow
but how bitter will be this last farewell
for you are beautiful and I have loved you dearly
more dearly than the spoken word can tell
though death and darkness gather all about me
and my ship be torn apart upon the sea
I shall smell again the fragrance of these islands
in the heaving waves that brought me once to thee
and should I return safe home again to England
I shall watch the English mist roll through the dale
for you are beautiful and I have loved you dearly
more dearly than the spoken word can tell
For the following CHORD section, fullscreen/horizontal mobile is recommended.
Chords in brackets may be omitted.
... D A D there's a ship lies rigged and ready in the harbor D D7 G tomorrow for old England she sails Em G far away from your land of endless sunshine Em E7 A ...A7 to my land full of rainy skies and gales D A D and I shall be aboard that ship tomorrow D D7 G ...Em though my heart is full of tears at this farewell Em A D Bm Em A7 for you are beautiful and I have loved you dearly G A A7 D more dearly than the spoken word can tell
