Ahoy matey, weigh anchor and cast off! We're taking a voyage into the eye of 19th century nautical military sap with Roger Whittaker's paean to a sailor's wife (or love interest). You have to love the brass-and-harp "sea swell" theme. One does wonder why the singer tries to describe his love when by his own admission it is "more dearly than the spoken words can tell." Well, he's off to war, so he's got to make the effort. The result: a man's man's sap.
-- SAPster Half
Compared to some of the gooey treacle presented on the SAP list, inclusion of "The Last Farewell," Roger Whittler's vignette of nautical parting, may seem unjust.
The tune itself seems "mostly harmless" -- even likeable -- and the lyrics never reach the heights of self-indulgence evident in (for example) "Seasons In the Sun."
Nevertheless, "The Last Farewell" posses pedigree elements of classic sap: Passion, parting, peril and (probable) death, all emoted a bit too much.
In 3 verses of 6 lines each (plus chorus), unnamed sailor, whose ship "lies rigged and ready in the harbor" laments taking leave of unnamed lover whom he has loved "More dearly than the spoken word can tell" (as he tells us repeatedly in the chorus).
"Tomorrow for old England" unnamed sailor leaves unnamed lover's "land of endless sunshine" and passes into harm's way ("there's a wicked war a-blazing," don'tcha know).
All very well, and poignant enough, but it is sap, dear reader, and we must face it as such. Consider the elements of our little drama:
-- SAPster Kevin