Sussex by the Sea
Encyclopedia
Sussex by the Sea is a song
written in 1907 by William Ward-Higgs
. It became popular during the First World War, having already been adopted by the Royal Sussex Regiment
as an unofficial "nick" march
. It may well have come from a poem written by Rudyard Kipling
in 1902 entitled Sussex, the final stanza
of which is:
It became well known throughout Sussex
and is regarded as a county
anthem
. It is regularly sung at celebrations throughout Sussex and can be heard during the Lewes
bonfire
celebrations and is played by marching bands and even Morris dancers
throughout the county.
During the liberation of Singapore
in 1945, the Royal Marine band of the heavy cruiser HMS Sussex
played Sussex by the Sea as the ship entered harbour.
.
Chorus:
and Sussex County Cricket Club
. It is the clubs' official song, but with a changed chorus
(often sung on its own, without any verses) - or, more recently, just humming the verses.
Good old Sussex by the sea,
Good old Sussex by the sea
Oh we're going up
And we'll win the cup
For Sussex by the sea.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written in 1907 by William Ward-Higgs
William Ward-Higgs
William Ward-Higgs wrote "Sussex by the Sea", a famous song down on the south coast of England. It is also the official song of Brighton & Hove Albion F.C., being played when the players run out on to the pitch at the start of a game....
. It became popular during the First World War, having already been adopted by the Royal Sussex Regiment
Royal Sussex Regiment
The Royal Sussex Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army from 1881 to 1966. The regiment was formed as part of the Childers reforms by the amalgamation of the 35th Regiment of Foot and the 107th Regiment of Foot...
as an unofficial "nick" march
March (music)
A march, as a musical genre, is a piece of music with a strong regular rhythm which in origin was expressly written for marching to and most frequently performed by a military band. In mood, marches range from the moving death march in Wagner's Götterdämmerung to the brisk military marches of John...
. It may well have come from a poem written by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
in 1902 entitled Sussex, the final stanza
Stanza
In poetry, a stanza is a unit within a larger poem. In modern poetry, the term is often equivalent with strophe; in popular vocal music, a stanza is typically referred to as a "verse"...
of which is:
- GodGodGod is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
gives all men all earth to love, - But since man's heart is small,
- Ordains for each one spot shall prove
- Beloved over all.
- Each to his choice, and I rejoice
- The lot has fall to me
- In a fair ground - Sussex by the Sea!
- In a fair ground - Yea, Sussex by the Sea!
It became well known throughout Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and is regarded as a county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
anthem
Anthem
The term anthem means either a specific form of Anglican church music , or more generally, a song of celebration, usually acting as a symbol for a distinct group of people, as in the term "national anthem" or "sports anthem".-Etymology:The word is derived from the Greek via Old English , a word...
. It is regularly sung at celebrations throughout Sussex and can be heard during the Lewes
Lewes
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England and historically of all of Sussex. It is a civil parish and is the centre of the Lewes local government district. The settlement has a history as a bridging point and as a market town, and today as a communications hub and tourist-oriented town...
bonfire
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding...
celebrations and is played by marching bands and even Morris dancers
Morris dance
Morris dance is a form of English folk dance usually accompanied by music. It is based on rhythmic stepping and the execution of choreographed figures by a group of dancers. Implements such as sticks, swords, handkerchiefs and bells may also be wielded by the dancers...
throughout the county.
During the liberation of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1945, the Royal Marine band of the heavy cruiser HMS Sussex
HMS Sussex
Several ships of the Royal Navy have been named HMS Sussex:, a fourth rate launched with either 38 or 40 guns in 1652, later rearmed to 46 guns, and blew up in 1653., a third rate ship of the line that sank in the Mediterranean Sea in 1694., a London class cruiser, launched in 1928 and scrapped in...
played Sussex by the Sea as the ship entered harbour.
Sussex County Cricket Club
In 1957, Joe Haddon wrote a two verse version dedicated to Sussex cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
.
- Now is the time for playing
- Now let your hearts be gay
- List what your captain is saying
- While off the field of play
- So put your best leg forward, my lads
- And time each ball you see
- If you sing the old song
- Well you can’t go wrong
- Of Sussex By The Sea
Chorus:
- Good Old Sussex by the Sea, Good Old Sussex By the Sea
- You can tell them all that we stand or fall
- For Sussex by the Sea.
- Good Old Sussex By the Sea
- Their cricket is a pleasure to see
- They will give you a show
- For they don’t play slow
- And useful men are they
- So when you go to Sussex
- Six Martlets men to see
- They will delight you all
- With the bat and the ball
- In the County Ground by the Sea.
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. & Sussex County Cricket Club
The song has also become attached to Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
and Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club
Sussex County Cricket Club is the oldest of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Sussex. The club was founded as a successor to Brighton Cricket Club which was a representative of the county of Sussex as a...
. It is the clubs' official song, but with a changed chorus
Refrain
A refrain is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse; the "chorus" of a song...
(often sung on its own, without any verses) - or, more recently, just humming the verses.
Good old Sussex by the sea,
Good old Sussex by the sea
Oh we're going up
And we'll win the cup
For Sussex by the sea.