Robert John Ardiff has a new video out and it takes viewers on a spooky journey down the Grand Canal.
The Co. Meath musician has seen his profile soar in recent months, with his EP Whistle In The Dark gaining rave reviews upon its release last month. One of the songs on the album is a cover of a song called The 13th Lock, which Robert described to Lovin Dublin as a ‘murder ballad’. It was originally performed by an Irish traditional singer by the name of Frank Harte and Robert told us that he found “courtesy of a Radio One documentary about the Grand Canal and the people who worked on it. It’s essentially a murder ballad about a fella sailing down the canal with the devil on board.”
Robert has released an accompanying music video, directed by Eoin Heaney, which was filmed between The Camac and Dolphin’s Barn bridge. The song itself references places like Dolphin’s Barn and Inchicore and there’s definitely an eerie feel to the tune and the video.
You can check out the clip below, with the lyrics underneath, and if you want to read more from Robert, our in-depth interview with him can be found via this link.
Lyrics:
A bright born day in the month of May
And a weeping group stands by
To bid adieu to the gallant crew
That sail as the sun mounts high
Leaning over the waves are the mariners brave
Who reck not of storm nor rock
Though they laugh and smoke and they jest and joke
Though they’re bound for the thirteenth lock
‘Oh skipper stay’ quoth a mariner gay
Who stood nigh Marrowbone Lane
‘I’m a sailor old and I trow as bold
As what roves on this angry main’
Thirteen, be still, ’tis a number ill
Beware young man, don’t mock
Right scomfully laughed the captaincy
We are bound for the 13th Lock
‘Oh Pat, beware’ cried a damsel fair
Sail not today my dear
We warn, don’t scorn, ’tis Friday morn
The day true mariners fear
And what would I do Pat, if I lost you
Sure my heart couldn’t stand the shock’
Right ‘merrily’ cried the captaincy
We are bound for the 13th Lock
‘Cease love, those sighs, dim not your eyes
With beauty-killing tears
Though I may be bound I’ll come back sound
So calm your woman’s fears
And I’ll bring to thee a chimpanzee
A parrot, a jabberwock
A kangaroo and a cockatoo
From the wilds of the Thirteenth Lock
The ship set sail while a piercing wail
Rang out from the womankind
‘Port yer helm a-lee’ cried the captaincy
And we’ll catch the southern wind
Spur up your steed to its fastest speed
’Tis well past twelve o’clock
We should sight the shore of Inchicore
Then ho! for the Thirteenth Lock
But never the shore of Inchicore
Could the man at the masthead see
Though he craned his neck to the quarter deck
He came and thus spake he
Skipper, ’tis true that I’m your crew
Your cook, mate-all in stock
But I’m hanged if I’ll steer for a place so queer
As the cursed 13th Lock
‘Let us change our way till another day
And smoke and spin a yarn
On the evening’s tide we’ll at anchor ride
In the bay of Dolphin’s Barn’
Then the skipper quick gave a mighty kick
And the mariner felt the shock
And the crew found a grave ’neath the watery wave
On the way to the Thirteenth Lock,
Thus ever’ quoth he, ‘perish mutiny’
And turned him round with a smile.
About and around, and lo, he found
A shape behind the while.
With fiery eyes and horns of size
And a tail that might Peter shock
At the skipper’s gape up spake the shape
‘I’m bound for the Thirteenth Lock’
By the harbour sands a maiden stands
With her gaze fixed out to sea
Though she’ll watch in vain, for never again
Will he come with that chimpanzee
And a man stands, wringing both his hands
His face like a marble block
For the skipper bold borrowed half his gold
Before he sailed for the Thirteenth Lock
