When the Boat Comes In (song)


"When The Boat Comes In" is a traditional English folk song, originating in North East England. An early source for the lyrics, Joseph Robson's "Songs of the bards of the Tyne", published 1849, can be found on the FARNE archive. In FARNE's notes to the song, it is stated that these lyrics were written by William Watson around 1826.
It was popularised as the theme tune to the 1970s BBC drama serial When The Boat Comes In in an arrangement by the composer David Fanshawe.

Lyrics

There are two distinct sets of lyrics in popular culture for the song. The theme to the TV series of the same name, sung by Alex Glasgow, was released as a BBC single and uses the traditional lyrics. The song was also used in the TV advertisement for Young's fish, Sea to Plate campaign which uses the same lyrics as The Wiggles. The lyrics from traditional version of the song, used by the TV series, differ significantly from those of the TV advertisement.