The Skipper's Dream Explained

The Skipper’s Dream
Artist:	T Moor
Language:	English (Geordie)
Written:	c1824
Published:	1824
Lyricist:	T Moor

"The Skipper’s Dream" is a Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by T. Moor, in a style deriving from music hall.

Even less is known about Moor than many of his counterparts. The only information available coming from a brief item in "Allan’s Tyneside Songs".^{[1] [2]}
Mr Moor, not even his Christian name is known, was a shoemaker who had a business in Denton Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Lyrics

T. Moor was a Tyneside singer/songwriter. The only song attributed to his name is "The Skipper’s Dream".
The Industrial Revolution in Great Britain in the early nineteenth century caused a shortage of labour, which in turn led to an influx of Irish families into England. This caused a certain amount of resentment, particularly in many places due to the families being of Roman Catholic religion. When this was coupled with the threat of invasion by Napoleon and the Roman Catholic French, it caused even more concern and led to a sudden and alarming increase in the number of Orange Lodges. This forced the government to legislate against the Order in 1825.
The song is evidence of the Anti-Papish paranoia felt at the time on Tyneside where Orange lodges were particularly prevalent.
In this song, a Tyneside skipper, having fallen into a drunken sleep, is tempted to 'turn Papist', with caustic comments about the forgiving of sins for money.

Comments on variations to the above version

NOTE – In the early 19th century, as today, there were cheap books and magazines.
Many of these "chapbooks" were on poor-quality paper to a poor standard and with poor-quality print. The works were copied with no thoughts of copyright, and the work required very little proofreading, and what was done was not required to a high standard. Consequently, the dialect words of songs varied between editions.
This particular song shows several variations between the various published versions, some very minor, mainly in the spelling of the words, and sometimes variations within the same edition. Some of the most common are listed below :

• and about
• and count
• great and greet
• hanging and
• and hep
• and keys
• and now
• and piece
• and priest
• and to
• and told
• and wakened

See also

• Geordie dialect words

References

1. Web site: Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings.
2. Book: Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings with lives, portraits and autographs of the writers, and notes on the songs. Revised Edition. 1891. Thomas & Gorge Allan, 18 Blackett Street, and 34 Collingwood Street, (Newcastle upon Tyne) – Sold by W. Allan, 80 Grainqer Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, B. Allan, North Shields and Walter Scott. London.

External links

• FARNE-Folk Archive Resource North East–The Skipper’s Dream
• Allan’s Illustrated Edition of Tyneside songs and readings 1891