This is actually a very well-done twist on the old "Phantom Hitch-hiker" story. All the clues we're given point to the girl being a ghost. We're led to expect the pilot to find out that the girl died trying to reach her parents. But then the song turns it around, and we find that _he_ was the ghost, who died trying to bring his passengers in alive. Brilliant!
I interpret the end as the second passenger is the ghost, because it's HER shawl on the old pilot's grave. Not the pilot telling the story. Or maybe all three of them are ghosts?
@@WhoTouchedMyReindeer Don't think so. Remember, the girl who is pointing at the grave...it's HER shawl on the grave. listen carefully to that last verse. Clearly, she's the ghost.
A harsh wind hammered and bent down the trees 'Till they moaned and they wailed in the dark A wind cold and bitter as lies or as death As cruel as the jaws of a shark So high ran the river, so heavy and wild The waves were as strong as the sea A fool could've told it was no night to be Out earning a ferryman's fee Chorus: "Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind My mother and father are waiting for me Ferryman, ferryman, take me across Though I haven't the price of your fee." She stood there alone on the cold heaving dock She was pale and she trembled with fear Her hands were clenched white as the moon on her breast As she waited his answer to hear "Although it's no night to be crossing," he said "For their sake I'll take you aboard They must be near dying with worry for you And one fare I'll easily afford." Chorus The ferry fought hard. It bucked, yawed and rolled With the waves surging over the bow. Bravely the old pilot clung to the tiller And steered the craft over somehow The windlashed young maiden stood near to the rail Her eyes fixed upon the far side She seemed not to notice the wind or the waves That threatened to finish her ride Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind My mother and father are waiting for me Ferryman, ferryman, take me across Though I haven't the price of your fee." By fate, or by whim of old blind lady luck He brought them in safely to shore The young girl turned round and she took off her shawl Saying, "I haven't anything more But I'll bring you your money tomorrow, I swear Tomorrow at first morning light Until then keep this as a trust of my pledge." And she disappeared into the night Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind My mother and father are waiting for me Ferryman, ferryman, take me across Though I haven't the price of your fee." "I hear that the ghost has been walking again." The passenger said with a yawn "Oh yes sir, it has." said the pilot who took The old ferry's tiller at dawn "The annual storm that sank this ferry's twin Came down just the same time last year And now any night that a high wind comes up That spirit is like to appear." Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind My mother and father are waiting for me Ferryman, ferryman, take me across Though I haven't the price of your fee." "A ghost on the ferry?" his second fare asked A young girl who paled with fright "Oh yes. miss, and that's why we can't hire a pilot Who'll dare take the ferry at night Eleven poor souls there were lost on that night And it seems that there's one who can't rest Some duty of conscience still binds it to Earth Some promise or sin unconfessed Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind My mother and father are waiting for me Ferryman, ferryman, take me across Though I haven't the price of your fee." "They're buried up there on the river's far shore You can see all the graves plain from here The pilot's the last one--" He cut off his words As the young maiden cried out in fear They stared as she pointed her pale trembling hand And there on the shore they could see Her shawl lay folded on the old pilot's grave Her pledge for the ferryman's fee Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind My mother and father are waiting for me Ferryman, ferryman, take me across Though I haven't the price of your fee."
@Leslie Fish Call me thick, but I don't quite get the timeline for the events of this song. The ferryman got her across in the storm, she left her shawl, and then promised to return with the money for his fee. Then it switches over to the day shift, and it talks as if they sunk years ago and never made it: Why? Edit- I get it, thanks! Yeah, if i were the lady, id be sure to put the money i promised him where he put the folded shawl on the grave.
@@TheKhopesh the twin never made it. The girl he takes over that night is a ghost, she was on that twin ferry and died. She appears in stormy nights like the one she died in and asks to get taken across the river and now that this ferryman dared to take her over she can rest and all that's left is her shawl. At least that's how I understand it
@@tirtaipirka666 So I might be wrong but I think the girl isn't a ghost at all. I think that the old ferry's pilot is the ghost. Here is why: the girls at night and in the morning have similar description: pale/trembling with fear, so it is possible that it's the same girl who returned in the morhing with money; the ghost's descripton is never given; the pilot states that they can't hire anyone who will take the ferry at night (but someone did), the words "Tomorrow at first morning light " and "at dawn " hint that events of the song happened previous night, also the words "she pointed her pale trembling hand " and "Her shawl lay folded on the old pilot's grave " indicate that it might literally be her shawl. And yeah, it's called "The Ferryman"))
@@renaster1097 omg that makes sense. i did like the idea of the young girl being the ghost tho its kinda aesthetic. also i thought that when the twin ferry sank and she didnt make it to get to her parents is what keeps her restless.. but i think its just what i want it to be i didnt really analyze the lyrics
Some of my favorites are in her album "Cold Iron" which is a collection of her adaptations of Rudyard Kipling poems to song (She's done so many that it's a sub-genre of Filk called "Kipplefish") ruclips.net/video/fu2eC0dFf_w/видео.html
I like to imagine the ghost continues to watch every annual storm so as to ensure if someone truly needs to cross, there will be someone with the daring to try and the experience to succeed
This is actually a very well-done twist on the old "Phantom Hitch-hiker" story. All the clues we're given point to the girl being a ghost. We're led to expect the pilot to find out that the girl died trying to reach her parents. But then the song turns it around, and we find that _he_ was the ghost, who died trying to bring his passengers in alive. Brilliant!
I interpret the end as the second passenger is the ghost, because it's HER shawl on the old pilot's grave. Not the pilot telling the story. Or maybe all three of them are ghosts?
I remember the phantom hitchhiker, where the girl was dead. That was an excellent Twilight Zone presentation.
@@RedwoodTheElf It seems to me it's the pilot who is the ghost, since it's his grave.
@@WhoTouchedMyReindeer Don't think so. Remember, the girl who is pointing at the grave...it's HER shawl on the grave. listen carefully to that last verse. Clearly, she's the ghost.
@@RedwoodTheElf Her Shawl is on the old pilot's grave because he went there back when the sun came up; he left it on his own grave.
Anyone else tear up when Leslie sings?
A harsh wind hammered and bent down the trees
'Till they moaned and they wailed in the dark
A wind cold and bitter as lies or as death
As cruel as the jaws of a shark
So high ran the river, so heavy and wild
The waves were as strong as the sea
A fool could've told it was no night to be
Out earning a ferryman's fee
Chorus:
"Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind
My mother and father are waiting for me
Ferryman, ferryman, take me across
Though I haven't the price of your fee."
She stood there alone on the cold heaving dock
She was pale and she trembled with fear
Her hands were clenched white as the moon on her breast
As she waited his answer to hear
"Although it's no night to be crossing," he said
"For their sake I'll take you aboard
They must be near dying with worry for you
And one fare I'll easily afford."
Chorus
The ferry fought hard. It bucked, yawed and rolled
With the waves surging over the bow.
Bravely the old pilot clung to the tiller
And steered the craft over somehow
The windlashed young maiden stood near to the rail
Her eyes fixed upon the far side
She seemed not to notice the wind or the waves
That threatened to finish her ride
Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind
My mother and father are waiting for me
Ferryman, ferryman, take me across
Though I haven't the price of your fee."
By fate, or by whim of old blind lady luck
He brought them in safely to shore
The young girl turned round and she took off her shawl
Saying, "I haven't anything more
But I'll bring you your money tomorrow, I swear
Tomorrow at first morning light
Until then keep this as a trust of my pledge."
And she disappeared into the night
Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind
My mother and father are waiting for me
Ferryman, ferryman, take me across
Though I haven't the price of your fee."
"I hear that the ghost has been walking again."
The passenger said with a yawn
"Oh yes sir, it has." said the pilot who took
The old ferry's tiller at dawn
"The annual storm that sank this ferry's twin
Came down just the same time last year
And now any night that a high wind comes up
That spirit is like to appear."
Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind
My mother and father are waiting for me
Ferryman, ferryman, take me across
Though I haven't the price of your fee."
"A ghost on the ferry?" his second fare asked
A young girl who paled with fright
"Oh yes. miss, and that's why we can't hire a pilot
Who'll dare take the ferry at night
Eleven poor souls there were lost on that night
And it seems that there's one who can't rest
Some duty of conscience still binds it to Earth
Some promise or sin unconfessed
Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind
My mother and father are waiting for me
Ferryman, ferryman, take me across
Though I haven't the price of your fee."
"They're buried up there on the river's far shore
You can see all the graves plain from here
The pilot's the last one--" He cut off his words
As the young maiden cried out in fear
They stared as she pointed her pale trembling hand
And there on the shore they could see
Her shawl lay folded on the old pilot's grave
Her pledge for the ferryman's fee
Chorus Ferryman, ferryman, won't you be kind
My mother and father are waiting for me
Ferryman, ferryman, take me across
Though I haven't the price of your fee."
@Leslie Fish you have a wonderfully voice and amazing songs!
@Leslie Fish
Call me thick, but I don't quite get the timeline for the events of this song.
The ferryman got her across in the storm, she left her shawl, and then promised to return with the money for his fee.
Then it switches over to the day shift, and it talks as if they sunk years ago and never made it: Why?
Edit-
I get it, thanks!
Yeah, if i were the lady, id be sure to put the money i promised him where he put the folded shawl on the grave.
@@TheKhopesh the twin never made it. The girl he takes over that night is a ghost, she was on that twin ferry and died. She appears in stormy nights like the one she died in and asks to get taken across the river and now that this ferryman dared to take her over she can rest and all that's left is her shawl.
At least that's how I understand it
@@tirtaipirka666 So I might be wrong but I think the girl isn't a ghost at all. I think that the old ferry's pilot is the ghost. Here is why: the girls at night and in the morning have similar description: pale/trembling with fear, so it is possible that it's the same girl who returned in the morhing with money; the ghost's descripton is never given; the pilot states that they can't hire anyone who will take the ferry at night (but someone did), the words "Tomorrow at first morning light " and "at dawn " hint that events of the song happened previous night, also the words "she pointed her pale trembling hand " and "Her shawl lay folded on the old pilot's grave " indicate that it might literally be her shawl. And yeah, it's called "The Ferryman"))
@@renaster1097 omg that makes sense. i did like the idea of the young girl being the ghost tho its kinda aesthetic. also i thought that when the twin ferry sank and she didnt make it to get to her parents is what keeps her restless.. but i think its just what i want it to be i didnt really analyze the lyrics
Always loved the old version.
Thank you for posting this. This was a favorite song of a departed friend, and it's nice to hear it again.
Whenever a hear a new Leslie Fish song, it often becomes my favorite. This one is now my favorite.
This was my favorite when I was a kid, its beautiful isnt it?
@@shineyluna1268 Yes, it's beautiful and remains my favorite.
After seven months, this still remains my favorite.
Some of my favorites are in her album "Cold Iron" which is a collection of her adaptations of Rudyard Kipling poems to song (She's done so many that it's a sub-genre of Filk called "Kipplefish")
ruclips.net/video/fu2eC0dFf_w/видео.html
Still my favorite in September, 2024.
FERRYMAN FERRYMAAAAAN WONT YOU BE KIND
FERRYMAN FERRYMAN TAKE ME ACROSS
I like to imagine the ghost continues to watch every annual storm so as to ensure if someone truly needs to cross, there will be someone with the daring to try and the experience to succeed
I was singing with it before it was halfway done! Excellent work
i love this
Hi! this video has been shared with The Filk Club on Deviant Art! www.deviantart.com/thefilkclub