The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #15944   Message #3588764
Posted By: Steve Gardham
03-Jan-14 - 03:37 PM
Thread Name: Lyr ADD: Winter / When the Trees Are All Bare
Subject: RE: Lyr Req/ADD: Winter / When the Trees Are All Bare
There are similar pieces on broadsides which might derive from this poem as they're not quite so high-flown. Check out 'Time to Remember the Poor' or just 'Remember the Poor', 'Cold winter is come' on the Bodleian. I used to sing a version so I must have got the tune from somewhere, probably one of the volumes from the first revival.

I'm with you, Artful, the writer was just acting in the capacity of a reporter, and there's a damn sight worse in today's papers. 'All her charms' simply means anything under her smock that is normally hidden from view which could be things we would today consider quite innocent. Plenty of our revered folksongs contain much worse, 'Firelock Stile' for instance.