Terry Bishop, a frequent guest lecturer with Oceania Cruises and man of many worlds, has had a lifelong love affair with global history and discovery which has taken him on adventures around the world. He now lives with his wife Julie in Andalusia, Spain, and often serves as guide in the nearby Sierras de Tejeda. Also an accomplished folk musician and entertainer, Terry looks forward to sharing his many passions with you during his upcoming lectures and performances during our Polynesian Treasures voyage aboard Insignia this June. Below, he shares a sneak preview of his “Songs of the Sea” presentation: stories and songs about the great sailors – Nelson, Cook, Bligh and Franklin – at work, rest and war. As he says, it’s less of a lecture, and more of a show!
Anchors aweigh, anchors aweigh,
Away, away,
We’ll sail the ocean blue.
This could be the theme song of many a ‘cruiser’ as they set off on another, or maybe their first, trip with Oceania Cruises. But the sailors who sang this type of song were not going to enjoy the benefits of 21st-century travel – with its personalized service, luxury accommodations and little to worry about except what and how much to pack! That sailors in their very basic wooden-walled square riggers could find the enthusiasm to create songs and make music is in itself a wonder. “Anchors Aweigh” heralds the departure of that great explorer Captain James Cook, heading for the South Sea:
We’ll sail Endeavour southwards and sniff the tropic air
We’ll sail her to Tahiti and coral islands fair
And he would take with him his trusty crew, the men who knew the hard life back home, a life centered on survival, alcohol and women!
As I was a walking up London, from Wapping to the Ratcliffe Highway
I chanced to pop into a gin-shop, to spend a long night and a day
And invariably trouble would result and then turned into a song to sing during the rare periods of free time on a ship heading who-knows-where, with no promise of a happy return.
Meanwhile, Admiral Lord Nelson battled his way to public recognition through his brilliant victories at the Nile, Copenhagen and finally to his tragic triumph at Trafalgar:
But my love was slain with Nelson, all on that very day,
At the cost of life and limb to many a loyal sailor:
But now he’s got no legs at all, for he ran a race with a cannon ball
And then, John Franklin took two vessels to explore the Northwest Passage in 1845. He lost his ships, his crew and his life, rued by his loyal wife Jane:
Ten thousand pounds would I freely give, to see my Lord Franklin again
Shanties, gigs and reels would keep the crews exercised through many a dark day and create stories that live to this day. One time pop idol, David Essex created the musical Mutiny that closes with the Bounty’s Fletcher Christian’s melancholic air:
I’ll go no more a-roving.
Whaling, warfare, trade and exploration were all part of the musical world of seafarers, with an optimistic view of their final resting place.
And I’ll see you one day in Fiddlers Green!
Join Terry this June aboard Insignia for what is certain to be an engaging and entertaining show!
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