You might as well have the earliest text I have. From Harold W Thompson's 'A Pioneer Songster' publishing the aforementioned ms. The Sailors Wives Lament (The Sailor's Wife's Lament) It was early spring the year was young The flowers they bloom the birds they sang They all seemed glad but none so glad as I For my love the sailor lad was nigh Scarce three months since we were wed Alas how swift the moments fled And we must part at the dawning of the day For the proud ship bears my love away The morning star was shining still And the twilight peaped oer the eastern hill The sailor and his early bride Sat weeping by the river side Long years have past he came no more To his weeping bride on the lonely shore And the ship went down at the howling of the storm And the waves engulfed my sailors form It is autumn now and I am a lone The flowers are dead the birds have flown And all is sad but none so sad as I For my love the sailor no more is nigh My sailor sleeps beneath the waves And the mermaids sing oer his ocean grave The mermaids are at the bottom of the sea Aweping there sad tears for me I wish i was a sleeping to beneath the waves of the ocean blue My soul to god and my body in the sea And the blue waves roling over me I must say this version has all the hallmarks of having passed through several hands. I have seen similar pieces that can be traced back to the 17th century, 'Ah my Love's Dead' for instance and 'The Butcher's Boy', 'Early early all in the Spring', etc.
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