I have put a recording on sound lantern,the first one has hayden duet concertina and english concertina.http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPage.do?ToId=3894&Path=04justasthetideisflowing.mp3
I have also put a different version recorded JUNE212008 with just English Concertina
http://www.soundlantern.com/UpdatedSoundPa...thetidedick.mp3

the key that I play this in is Fmajor.all the notes are playable on a 48 key english.

I sing it in the same key Dick, and worked up an arrangement on C/G anglo loosely based on your version on the Boxing Clever compilation (I can't download the duet/english at the moment so I don't know if it's the same one). The song works nicely in F on the Jeffries Duet as well, although I've corrupted the harmony quite a lot in the last few years.

Not sure if you ask for critique, but I feel like the accompaniment could be a bit simpler.
At times it's rather unsupportive of the singing, takes over, and overall doesn't have definitive rhythm pattern, kind of mushy. Probably a bit more elaborate than it should be. But I'm biased, I personally don't like Concertina accompaniment to singing, I think it's voice doesn't make as good accompaniator, as accordion or guitar. May be short chords, played quietly, would be all it needs.
No?

this is one of my favourite songs I love singing/playing it,and havent tired of it in thirty years.
I believe it was Shirley Collins that I heard perform it first,though hers was a different version with a refrain, the tide comes in and the tide goes out,or something similiar,it was a long time ago.
probably early nineteenth century in origin,I like the flowing concertina accompaniment which reminds me of a river,but then in the words of the Immortal,Mandy Rice Davies,he would,wouldnt he.
ah Mandy Rice Davies,born 21 october 1944.next year she willl be an OAP,how time flies.

That's interesting, I've been wondering where Natalie Merchant got those lines from - they're in the 10,000 Maniacs version of the song. I did think they might be of her own creation, as she re-wrote much of the rest of the song, but now I wonder if she got them from hearing Shirley Collins.

m3838, I think if you're going to accompany a song like this rather than sing it unaccompanied, then the accompaniment needs to add to the character of the song, not simply sit in the background. The way I sing/play it these days gives a feel of uneven metre, but with a more regular pulse than Dick's version - which is all down to personal taste.

Dick, I agree completely - it's a wonderful song, and one that will support all sorts of different readings of it.