My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (Ali Silva)

Title: “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”

General Information about Item:

Informant Data:

BH was born in Los Angeles, California on June 22, 2000. She lived with her mother, father and older brother, Christopher. Their family did not practice any religion, but they are spiritual. She participated in lots of community service and played volleyball and soccer. Her parents both worked in a hospital as surgeons.

Contextual Data:

Cultural context: This lullaby talks about a special person living abroad away from the singer. This lullaby is sung in a sweet, gentle tone because it is referencing missing your loved one and wanting them to come back to you. This lullaby may have originated during a time where there was a war and the men away at war would sing this song missing their significant others back home.
Social Context: BH learned this song from her dad. He would often stay at work with late shifts, so when he came home he would sing this song to BH because he missed her while he was away at work. BH remembers this song fondly because of the connection she has with her dad through it.

Item:

“My Bonnie lies over the ocean

My Bonnie lies over the sea

Well, my Bonnie lies over the ocean

Yeah, bring back my Bonnie to me

Yeah, bring back, ah, bring back

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me, to me

Ah, bring, oh, bring back, ah, bring back

Oh, bring back my Bonnie to me”

This lullaby rhymes and is often sung twice through. The song is centered around missing someone you love when they are away.

Associated File:

Informants Comments:

“I love this song because it makes me feel connected to my dad.”

Collector’s Comments:

I had never heard this lullaby before hearing BH sing it.

Collector:

Ali Silva

Dartmouth College

Russian 13

Professor Gronas and Professor Apresyan

Fall 2021

Tags:

Dartmouth

Students

Verbal Folklore

English Lullaby

Ocean

Dartmouth Folklore Archive