Print This Page#00872 Print This Page
On the rocky coast of Scotland, in a little village there,
There dwelt a man of honor, serving God without a care;
But he was not a man of honor, but a humble fisherman,
Working hard to earn a living, his name was Andrew Davis.
He was the master of a vessel, and he claimed her as his own,
She was fitted with all was needed. She was called The Rose In June;
And with eager expectation he was waiting for the day,
That the time would come for fishing and the boats would sail away.
Now Andrew had been lately married, and before he left his home,
Andrew and his wife together knelt in prayer before the throne;
Asking God for His protection on his wife while he was gone,
Praying nothing would befall her, not a danger nor a harm.
And Andrew's wife was kneeling by him, and she heard his fervent prayer,
Asking God for her protection, not a word of that for his;
And her heart did sink within her as she rose from her bended knee,
Thinking of those terrible dangers, and those perils of the sea!
Now as the summer winds blew softly, herrin' fishing season came,
Andrew Davis was preparing, herrin' fishing was his game;
Andrew Davis was preparing with his crew to go to sea,
Not thinking t'would be his last time evermore his friends to see.
And all night long the storm was raging, and those angry billows roared,
Many a vessel was tossed and driven all along that rocky shore;
Their crews was clinging to them, all seamen, strong and brave,
Praying that the Lord would save them from a seaman's watery grave.
And all along the coast next morning, anxious eyes did watch and wait,
The children of those absent seamen, still returning ships was seen;
Till one by one, those vessels sailed in, from morning until noon,
Until all were safely anchored, all but one, The Rose In June.
Whom the seas turned bottom upward, dashed against that rocky shore,
Her crew was clinging to her, thinking the storm would soon be o'er;
Andrew Davis, our captain in that time of sudden fear,
Called on Jesus Christ our Savior and he bowed his head in prayer.
Sayin', Come on and sing God's praises, and at last they all begun:
Dearest Jesus, I am dying, such a comfort divine,
Such a comfort to know that the Savior is mine;
Hallelujah, send the Glory; Hallelujah, amen,
Hallelujah, send the Glory to revive us again.
But these words were scarcely ended when the out-wave struck our side,
Tore our captain from his holdings, and he sank beneath the tide;
Going to join those friends and shipmates on that heavenly shore,
Welcomed by his lovin' Savior, praising God forevermore.
And John Allen was our young mate and he knew he was forgiven,
Let us keep on with our singing, our captain is in heaven;
And they sang so loud and trilled,
Till they came to this last verse:
Slowly onward we haste to the heavenly place,
For this is the glory and this is the grace;
Hallelujah, send the Glory; Hallelujah, amen,
Hallelujah, send the Glory to revive us again.
But these words were scarcely ended when the out-wave burst around,
Tore our young mate from his holdings and his body too was drowned;
Going to join those friends and shipmates on that heavenly shore,
Welcomed by his lovin' Savior, praising God forevermore.
And the rest of the crew was rescued, but they'll ne'er forget that scene,
In the hour and the moment when that song they tried to sing;
Oh! Were no sermon ever preached or experience ever known,
Like the power of that moment, that time of sudden doom!
Oh, sinner, give your soul to Jesus, it can never be too soon,
If in heaven you meet the captain, meet the crew of The Rose In June;
Oh, sinner, give your soul to Jesus, it can never be too soon,
If in heaven you meet the captain, meet the crew of The Rose In June.
Sung by Louis Killen, on a tape of the same name, with these notes: "This magnificent ballad was collected from Bill Dobbins, in Blas de Blanc, Labrador, by Dr. Kenneth Goldstein. Mr Dobbins learned the song as a young man working in the Newfoundland lumber camps. No versions of this song have yet been found in Scotland."
