If I Had a Boat

James Vincent McMorrow recorded the song himself for his debut album Early in the Morning, working over several months at a cottage near the sea in County Louth. The session centered on his voice and sparse multi-tracked arrangements, with Mike Cave handling mixing. The track opened Early in the Morning and helped define the album’s hushed, intimate sound. It drew early critical attention as a standout example of McMorrow’s stark bedroom-folk style and the record’s Bon Iver comparisons. The song became one of McMorrow’s signature early recordings and was remixed by Star Slinger in 2011. It has also continued to circulate through covers and samples, keeping it visible beyond the original album run.