The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #100972   Message #3255477
Posted By: Mick Pearce (MCP)
12-Nov-11 - 07:52 AM
Thread Name: Lyr Req: Cheapside / George Barnwell / Georgy...
Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Cheapside / George Barnwell / Georgy...
If the version in William's Folk Songs of the Upper Thames was the ultimate source for their version, he did have With her enervating pipes in the version he printed as Georgie Barnell. There are also several other differences, which may or may not have been deliberate (eg "Naughty woman", "let loose his Uncle Tripes") and the last verse is not present in FSUT. I'll post the FSUT version below for comparison.

Mick




GEORGIE BARNELL

Near Cheapside there lived a merchant,
And he was a man of very great fame;
A youth was bound apprentice to him,
And Georgie Barnell was his name.

Now Georgie was a very good servant,
And dutiful, beyond all doubt;
He always kept within the door, sir,
Because his master would not let him go out.

A naughty woman of the town, sir,
Upon him cast a vigorous eye;
She came into the shop one morning
A flannel petticoat to buy.

When that she paid down the money
She gave his hand a very hard squeeze;
So that pleased poor Georgie Barnell,
And together he knocked his knees.

And soon this woman did persuade him,
With her enervating pipes,
To go down into the country
And there let loose his Uncle Tripes.

He saw his uncle in the grove, sir,
Studying over his good books,
And Georgie Barnell went and shot him
All among the crows and rooks.


Source: Alfred Williams: Folk Songs of the Upper Thames

He notes: "Georgie Barnell" was well known around the Cotswolds and Thames generally. The copy was supplied by "Wassail" Harvey, Cricklade.