I always imagined that when something exciting happened, the songsters, be they broadside songwriters or illiterate troubadours, would scratch their heads (or whatever they scratched for inspiration) and then start creating a set of verses based on some older ballad that came to mind. The closer the "incident" to the older ballad, the easier the job was, as true then as it is today. The ballad that came down to us from that "incident" may well be a combination of the previous ballad and the "folk-processing" through the ages. Consider the broadside version of "The Benjamin Lamentations" (circa 1684) with the later "Bold Benjamin;" (1907) there may not have even been a historic incident but the story made the song interesting enough for people to re-work for over 250 years: Oxford Book of Sea Songs, pp. 44-46 THE BENJAMINS' LAMENTATION for their sad loss at Sea, by Storms and Tempests Captain Chilver's gone to sea Hey, boys, O, boys, With all his company, hey, Captain Chilver's gone to sea With all his company In the brave Benjamin, O. Thirty guns this ship did bear Hey, boys, O, boys, They were bound for Venice fair, hey, Thirty guns this ship did bear And a hundred men so clear In the brave Benjamin, O. But by ill storms at sea Hey, boys, O, boys, Which bred our misery, hey, But by ill storms at sea Were drove o' of th' way In the brave Benjamin, O. We had more wind than we could bear, Hey, boys, O, boys, Our ship it would not steer, hey, We had more wind than we could bear, Our masts and sails did tear In the poor Benjamin, O. The first harm that we had Hey, boys, O, boys, I makes my heart so sad, hey, The first harm that we had We lost our fore-mast-head O the poor Benjamin, O. The seas aloud did roar Hey, boys, O, boys, We being far from shore, hey, The seas no favour shows Unto friends nor foes O the poor Benjamin, O. The next harm that we spied, Hey, boys, O, boys, Then we to heaven cried, hey, Down fell our main-mast head Which struck our senses dead In the poor Benjamin, O. Then we with seas were crossed, Hey, boys, O, boys, And on the ocean tossed, hey, Then we with seas were tossed, Many a brave man was lost In the brave Benjamin, O. The next harm that we had, Hey, boys, O, boys, We had cause to be sad, hey, The next harm that we had We lost four men from the yard In the poor Benjamin, O. Disabled as I name, Hey, boys, O, boys, We were drove on the main, hey, So the next harm we had We lost our rudder's head In the poor Benjamin, O. Then we all fell to prayer, Hey, boys, O, boys, The Lord our lives would spare, hey, Then we fell all to prayer And at last he did hear Us in the Benjamin, O. Although we sailed in fear, Hey, boys, O, boys, The Lord our ship did steer, hey Our prayers so fervent were That we had passage clear Into brave Plymouth Sound, O. When we came in Plymouth Sound, Hey, boys, O, boys, Our hearts did then resound, hey, When we came in Plymouth Sound Our grief with joy was crowned In the poor Benjamin, O. When we came all on shore, Hey, boys, O, boys, Every man at his door, hey, When we came all on shore Our grief we did deplore In the brave Benjamin, O. You gallant young men all, Hey, boys, O, boys, 'Tis unto you I call, hey, Likewise brave seamen all Lament the loss and fall Of the poor Benjamin, O Come my noble hearts of gold, Ay boys, O boys That on Neptune's waves [have rolled], ay Come my noble hearts of gold Your ancient courage bold Like the brave Benjamin, oh. Then there's the 1907 version which I learned from the singing of Sarah Gray and Friends of Fiddler's Green back in 1968 which I'm still working on: From the singing of Owen McBride, Sarah Gray & The Friends of Fiddlers Green Circa 1968, East Lansing, MI BOLD BENJAMIN Now, Admiral Cole has gone to sea, Oh, me boys, ohh! Now, Admiral Cole has gone to sea-o! Brave Admiral Cole has gone to sea With all our good ship's company, On board the Bold Ben-ja-min, ohh! We set sail for France and Spain, Oh, me boys, ohh! We set sail for France and Spain-o! We set sail for France and Spain, Our gold and silver to regain, On board the Bold Benjamin, oh! We set sail five hundred men, Oh, me boys, ohh! We set sail five hundred men-o! We set sail five hundred men, And we've come back but fifty-one, They was lost on Bold Benjamin, oh! And as we drew near Blackwall, Oh, me boys, ohh! And as we drew near Blackwall-o! And as we drew near Blackwall, Admiral Cole, loud did call: "Here comes the Bold Benjamin, oh!" Hear the mothers weeping for their sons, Oh,me boys, ohh! Hear the mothers weeping for their sons-o! Hear the mothers weeping for their sons, And the widows for their husbands, They was lost on Bold Benjamin, oh! The more modern ballad has been pared down and re-structured but they're still clearly related. Too bad we're missing some of the intermediary steps. (If anyone has any clues to them, please share). Well, that's my mouthful for now!
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