CAROLINE AND THE YOUNG SAILOR BOLD

'Tis of a rich nobleman's daughter,
So handsome and comely we hear,
Whose father possessed a great fortune,
Full seventy-five thousand a year.
He had but this only one daughter,
Caroline is her name we are told,
One day from her drawing-room window
She admired a young sailor bold.

His cheeks were like two roses,
His hair was as black as the jet,
Young Caroline watched his departure,
Went round and young William she met.
She said, "I'm a nobleman's daughter,
Possessing ten thousand in gold,
I'll forsake both my father and mother
To wed with a young sailor bold."

Said William, "Young lady, remember,
Your parents you're bound for to mind,
On sailors there is no dependence,
When your true love is left far behind.
Go home to your father and mother
And do by them as you are told,
And never let anyone tempt you
To wed with a young sailor bold."

She said "There'll be no one persuade me
One moment for to alter my mind,
I'll ship and be wrecked with my true love
For he never shall leave me behind."
She dressed like a gallant young sailor,
Forsaking both parents and gold,
Four years and a half on the salt sea
She ploughed with her young sailor bold.

Three times with her love she was shipwrecked,
But she always proved constant and true,
Her duty she done like a sailor,
Went aloft in her jacket so blue.
Her father long wept and lamented
Down his cheeks tears in long torrents flowed.
Till at last they arrived in old England,
Caroline and her young sailor bold.

Caroline she went straight to her father
In her jacket and trousers so blue,
He received her and momently fainted
When first she appeared to his view.
She said, "My dear father, forgive me,
Deprive me for ever of gold,
Grant me one request uncontented
To wed with my young sailor bold."

Her father then admitted young William
And said that in sweet unity,
If life should them spare till the morning
Then together they married should be.
They were married and Caroline's portion
Was seventy-five thousand in gold.
And now they live happy and cheerful
Caroline and her young sailor bold.


From Songs sung in Suffolk, Vol 3. Veteran Tapes VT103. (Field recordings 1985-87 by John Howson). Sung by Tony Harvey of Tannington, Suffolk. The tune is fairly conventional, the main peculiarity being the lengthening of the penultimate syllable of line 7. Mr Harvey applies this to verses 1,2,4 and 5 only, while in verses 3, 6 and 7 this line is similar to the other odd-numbered lines. As the name Caroline is sometimes stressed on the first syllable but more often on the 3rd, I have marked the stress thus.
DT #448 Laws N17
@transvestite @sailor @love

There is a version in The Digital Tradition Database CAROLINE AND HER YOUNG SAILOR BOLD collected in Nova Scotia.

filename[ CAROSAIL

There is a version in the Forum posted by Dave (the ancient mariner) Help: What is a 'forebitter'? which was sung by Sarah Makem.

There is an entry at The Ballad Index Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold (Young Sailor Bold II) [Laws N17] which says it has been found in US(SE) Canada(Mar) Britain(Scotland). To which we can now presumably add Ireland and England.

The Bodleian Library Broadside Collection lists 6 examples:

• H Such, London. between 1863 and 1885.
• WS Fortey, London. between 1858 and 1885. with Shells of the Ocean
• H Such, London. between 1863 and 1885. with Take back those gems you gave me
• no name, no location, no date.
• W Birmingham, Dublin c1867.
• W Birmingham, Dublin c1867. with The bold deserter and John O'Dwyer-a-Glana

MIDI file: CAROSAIL.MID

Timebase: 96

TimeSig: 3/4 24 8
Key: C
Tempo: 144 (416666 microsec/crotchet)
Start
0192 1 55 064 0096 0 55 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 000 0000 1 67 064 0288 0 67 000 0096 1 55 064 0096 0 55 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 60 064 0384 0 60 000 0096 1 55 064 0096 0 55 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 000 0000 1 67 064 0288 0 67 000 0096 1 55 064 0096 0 55 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 60 064 0384 0 60 000 0096 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 72 064 0096 0 72 000 0000 1 74 064 0096 0 74 000 0000 1 72 064 0096 0 72 000 0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 000 0000 1 62 064 0288 0 62 000 0096 1 62 064 0048 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0048 0 64 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 000 0000 1 69 064 0096 0 69 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 59 064 0384 0 59 000 0096 1 55 064 0096 0 55 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 69 064 0288 0 69 000 0000 1 67 064 0192 0 67 000 0000 1 55 064 0048 0 55 000 0000 1 55 064 0048 0 55 000 0000 1 60 064 0096 0 60 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 67 064 0096 0 67 000 0000 1 62 064 0096 0 62 000 0000 1 65 064 0096 0 65 000 0000 1 64 064 0096 0 64 000 0000 1 60 064 0384 0 60 000
End

This program is worth the effort of learning it.

To download the March 10 MIDItext 98 software and get instructions on how to use it click here

ABC format:

X: 33
T:Caroline and the Young Sailor Bold
M:3/4
L:1/4
Q:100
S:Tony Harvey
A:Suffolk
N:Recorded at Tannington
D:Songs sung in Suffolk, Vol 3. Veteran Tapes VT103.
K:C
G,|
C E E | D E F | A G2- | G z G,|
C E G | D F E | C3- | C z G,|
C E E | D E F | A G2- | G z G,|
C E G | D F E | C3- | C z G |
G E G | c d c | A D2- | D z D/E/|
F G A | A G C | B,3- | B,z G,|
C E E | D E F | A3 | G2 G,/G,/|
C E G | D F E | C3- | C ||

Wassail! V