Far Enchanted Isle
Bob Nolan
Original copyright: Undetermined
Let my ship on a silver wave go rolling
Rolling to the shores of that far enchanted isle
Where my dreams tell of someone up there waiting,
Waiting on the shores of that far enchanted isle.
As the wind fills my sails and the gentle white wake trails,
In the song that they sing I can hear
One sweet voice from the blue horizon call me,
Call me to the shores of that far enchanted isle.
ABOUT THIS SONG
"Far Enchanted Isle" was recorded twice by RCA Victor (1957 and 1969) and there were minor changes in the lyric. The inspiration for this song may have been a line in a poem by one of Nolan's favorite poets, Edgar Allan Poe: "Like some enchanted far-off isle...." ("To F__" or "To One Departed")
Traveling was a constant dream in Bob Nolan’s life and when he was young he took every opportunity to move around his adopted country, usually a free ride on top of or under a train. Later, the tours he made with the Sons of the Pioneers took him to Canada and Mexico but he still dreamed of “seeing the world” after he retired.
Sadly, when he did retire - except for one sea trip to Hawaii - he could not afford to fulfill that dream. During his lifetime he was unable to benefit from the huge royalties his famous Tumbling Tumbleweeds made for Williamson Music. According to Laurence Zwisohn, even though he won his court cases, Nolan still lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of back payment. In a 1979 interview, Bob told Douglas B. Green that the final blow came after his last year with the Pioneers, the year he made the most money of all. His personal agent absconded with $100,000 and was never seen again.
But he did make that one extended trip to Hawaii in 1948 and it colored much of his later work. Throughout his entire career the lyrics, melody and tempo of his compositions were carefully matched to whatever theme he chose. Because he had spent most of his life by an ocean, it is natural that its gentle rolling motion should be reflected in the tempo of these songs.