It is that sadness in a relationship that 'grows cold' that forms the heart of the song and part of the emotion that goes with it, but it is also something in the composed music that wrings emotion out. Cecil Sharp published the song in Folk Songs From Somerset (1906), and it is said that it is possibly based on the unhappy first marriage of James Douglas, 2nd Marquis of Douglas to Lady Barbara Erskine. The original lyrics go back to the 1600s. That is not, of course, the origin of the song which is also known as O Waly, Waly. The hundreds that drown at sea.Īnd then the last verse that reflects attitudes to migration, the sympathy for those in desperate need and seeking safety and then a changing attitude as numbers of migrants increase. Now, in 2016, it is difficult not to read these lyrics without thinking of the current 'migration crisis', people leaving their countries for various reasons, paying large sums of money for a place on a crowded boat that might or might not make it across the sea. The lyrics we know best have, over time, emerged from the original lyrics and we'll visit those later, but for now we'll stick with those that are most familiar. The Water Is Wide is a traditional Scottish song. To introduce it, here is a video by pianist and saxophonist Annette Kreutz and Carolin Hild: The Water Is Wide is one that begs for emotion although not everyone has played it that way. How much emotion can you pack into a song? Well, I guess that depends on the song and the musician or singer.

The water is wide book