I’m Bound Away: A Shanty Great for Tam-ti
As well as being a beautiful sea shanty, it’s excellent for teaching the dotted crotchet and quaver rhythm: tam-ti.
Below I’ll give you ideas for teaching this song, preparing the rhythm with an ostinato, presenting tam-ti, working out the rhythm and finally the solfa.
A Capstan Shanty
This is a sad song about heading off to sea and leaving your loved ones behind.
Watch this video to listen to the song and find out more about it and when it was sung.
Here are the words to the song so you can join in:
Chorus:
I’m bound away my darling (x3)
I’m bound away
For the sake of you my darling
I’m bound away my darling
For the sake of you my darling
I’m bound away
(chorus)
Far across the sea my darling
I’m bound away my darling
Far across the sea my darling
I’m bound away
(chorus)
Bound to sail from Carolina
I’m bound away my darling
bound aboard an ocean liner
I’m bound away
(chorus)
Bound to sail the bitter ocean
I’m bound away my darling
No hope and all devotion
I’m bound away
(chorus)
So, dry your tears, have no more sorrow,
I’m bound away my darling
for the packet sails tomorrow
I’m bound away
(chorus)
Ostinato
As Seán Dagher described so well in his video, sailors would weigh the anchor by pushing the levers around it. To help them to push in time with each other they needed a steady beat and the sea shanties helped them to do that.
Let’s learn a body percussion ostinato and then tap it along to Seán’s video.
(body percussion coming soon…)
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