Lyrics
Adieu, my lovely Nancy
Parting farewell to Nancy, expressing affection
Ten thousand times adieu
Repetition of farewell, emphasizing the sorrow of departure
I'll be thinking of my own true love
Commitment to thoughts of the true love left behind
I'll be thinking, dear, of you
Reiteration of the intention to think about the loved one
Will you change your ring with me, my love?
Proposal to exchange rings as a symbol of love
Will you change your ring with me?
Repetition of the ring exchange proposal
It will be a token of our love
The ring exchange symbolizing a token of love
When I am far at sea
Expressing the significance of the ring when the speaker is away at sea
When I am far away from home
Being far away from home without knowledge of the speaker's whereabouts
And you know not where I am
Uncertainty about the speaker's location and activities
Love letters I will write to you
Promising to write love letters from distant lands
From every foreign strand
Commitment to communication from foreign places
When the farmer boys return at night
Anticipating stories from returning farmer boys
They will tell their girls fine tales
Expectation of tales about daily activities in the fields
Of all that they've been doing
Speculation about the experiences of the farmer boys
All day out in the fields
Recognition of the toil in the fields
Of the wheat and hay that they cut down
Describing the work of cutting wheat and hay
Sure it's all that they can do
Noting the limited options for the speaker, contrasting with the farmer boys
While we poor jolly, jolly hearts of oak
Reference to the challenging life of sailors, symbolized by "hearts of oak"
Must plow the seas all through
Highlighting the difficulties of sailing the seas
And when we return again, my love
Anticipation of the return to the native shore
To our own dear native shore
Commitment to sharing stories of ocean voyages
Fine stories we will tell to you
Expressing the intention to narrate experiences to the loved one
How we plowed the oceans o'er
Desire to convey the challenges of sailing the oceans
And we'll make the alehouses to ring
Planning to celebrate with revelry in alehouses and taverns
And the taverns, they will roar
Expectation of lively and joyous atmospheres
And when our money is all gone
Recognition of the likelihood of spending all money in festivities
Sure we'll go to sea for more
Acknowledgment of the possibility of returning to the sea for more adventures
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