From the full Maritime Concert May 17th 2020. Recorded live at the Shalin Liu Performance Center, Rockport, MA. davidcoffin.co... #RevelsConnects. Audio/Video credit Dave Jamrog
-- Who is this dude? -- This isn't a dude. You're a dude. This... *This is a man!* David's performance, as always, is something beyond amazing. It's awesome in the true sense of the word. Awe-inspiring.
David Coffin....after the x-mas I am going "down" to Old Maui.....for my open heart surgery! I am very scared....no joke....But this is the tune...with your voice that will make me sleep and hopefully wake up again..Tnx David for being there. This is the tune I will play for the surgeons before....hopefully I will wake up to your voice and the fantastic seamen before me and you. For me this is the best video on the tube now. Sing me to life.........like the whalers of Kamshatcha....going down to the bed down south....To get some rest.I hope to wake up....but I do not know. And if all goes right...I will sail around the Horn next year on a sail ship from Norway. . At least that is my hope! All the best to all of you nd David this x-mas. And in the top sail.....if I make it...I will hoist the name David. This song Is the end or the beginning for me. Keep up the fantastic work you do David!
I will expect to hear from you on the other side...of your surgery. It's an honor to sing you to sleep and more so to sing you awake. You'll see your baggy sails runnin' fore the gale in no time at all! Cheers my friend.
Coffin's voice is so powerful, and yet delicate: like a ball of yarn collecting all the scents of a room, so his voice is filled with all human feelings, and this is why these songs, when sung by him, are so amazing. He's channeling the voices of generation of sailors, and sea-farers, of the sea itself, of its waves...
Thank you, sir for the gift of your voice. In 2012, I ran across a video of you singing "Roll The Old Chariot." That video sent me down a musical rabbit hole from which I have yet to emerge. Thank you for opening up a hole new world of music.
As a Christian, I can say that stuff like this is proof that no matter where you attribute it, magic is 100% real. Whether from God, ancestral spirit, esoteric ritual, nature itself, or some supreme meta-narrative that encompasses all of history, magic definitely exists.
What an astounding voice and beautiful performance. Thank you David!! Lyrics … It's a damn tough life full of toil and strife We whalermen undergo And we won't give a damn when the gale is done How hard the winds do blow … For We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground With a good ship taut and free And we don't give a damn when we drink our rum With the girls of Old Maui … Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys Rolling down to Old Maui We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground Rolling down to Old Maui … Once more we sail with a Northerly gale Through the ice, and wind, and rain Them coconut fronds, them tropical shores We soon shall see again … For Six hellish months we passed away On the cold Kamchatka sea But now we're bound from the Arctic ground Rolling down to Old Maui … Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys Rolling down to Old Maui We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground Rolling down to Old Maui … Once more we sail the Northerly gale Towards our Island home Our whaling done, out mainmast sprung And we ain't got far to roam … Our stans'l booms is carried away What care we for that sound A living gale is after us Thank God we're homeward bound … Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys Rolling down to Old Maui We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground Rolling down to Old Maui … How soft the breeze through the island trees Now the ice is far astern Them native maids, them tropical glades Is awaiting our return … Even now their big, brown eyes look out Hoping some fine day to see Our baggy sails running 'fore the gales Rolling down to Old Maui … Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys Rolling down to Old Maui We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground Rolling down to Old Maui Rolling down to Old Maui, me boys Rolling down to Old Maui We're homeward bound from the Arctic Ground Rolling down to Old Maui... Source: Musixmatch
David, please take care of yourself so that I might manage to travel to the States someday when the pandemic is over to hear you live. Many greetings from Poland
You've got the best voice for these sea Shanty tunes. It would be great if you could record a series of songs with 4 - 8 back up singers to compliment your lead. Your live performance of "Roll the old chariot" is amazing - the best on the internet.
I've been spending some time researching my family's maritime history in the age of sail while listening to your sea shanties. It makes for great background music while looking at family photos from those days. While it wasn't on a whaling ship, a distant cousin of mine William Shuttleworth Holden rolled down from the Chukchi Sea to Hawaii while serving as a Midshipman on Captain Cook's Third Voyage.
Amazing voice! i didn't know you until this week, and this gave me goosebumps. so passionate, you remind me Luke Kelly From a little french man in Brittany where there is a big celtic/sea shanties tradition
I absolutely love how you sing out with your full voice as if you're doing it in a big hall without a microphone, rather than toning it down for a small recording room. The acoustics of that room are fantastic as-is, but even accounting for that first, you project incredibly well. Too many singers ruin their potential by relying on post-processing. Not you, sir. Not you.
Sounds great! Just discovered you through a video of you leading a big crowd on the street to sing "Roll the Old Chariot." You've got a new subscriber.
David, I came across your version of Roll the Chariot and let me just say that not even ONE other version evens comes close in quality. Your version is in a league of its own. All the others are far too "pirate-y" for my taste. Your's give me goosebumps and calls me back to a bygone era. This is also a fantastic song and performance, and what a neat venue! Thank you for sharing your gift.
I've been singing this song for the last several months, and become obsessed with it and your herculean voice Mr. Coffi! Hope you are having a blessed day. 🙏
If I ever have a semblance of prominence on this ol' internet space, I'd love to talk to you about music, life, and anything else conversation may provoke. I never expect to be anyone of interest, so I'll remain content to listen to what you've given us and hope someone else tells your story. Tis' a mighty fine tale, I'm sure. And we'd all love to hear it. Cheers.
I find it very nice you take the time to respond to comments, David. I discovered you and shanties in general about 2 months ago and i think its an amazing powerfull music genre. Thank you for keeping it alive along with The Longest Johns
I found this video from accidentally stumbling upon a vid of him singing in front of a bunch of a people at a folk festival... I will be watching more of your vids sir... I love your singing. The concertina playing is cool. (I think it's a concertina anyways)
Sea shanties are a good way to feel like you have had a few beers, without the empty calories or the hindrance of your ability to drive a car. Sea shanties are like Gregorian chants, only more enjoyably muscular and filled with joie de vivre.
