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I came across this song on a recording by Emily Smith, and it turns out the song is in the Digital Tradition.
Here are the DT lyrics:
CALEDONIA
Twa Scottish women sat down to sigh and mourn,
By cam' a troop o' their ain countrymen,
Says, "Rise ye up, my bonnie lass, mak' haste and come awa'
There's a vessel lying and bound for Caledonia
Oh, says the sailor, are ye willing for to pay,
Five hundred guineas before on board ye go,
But ye must pay them plack and farthin' before on board ye go,
And we'll take ye to yer bonnie Caledonia.
Oh, says the lassie, I'm willing for to pay,
Five hundred guineas before on board I go,
I'II pay them plack and farthin' before on board I go,
If ye take me to my pretty Caledonia.
Oh, said the sailor, her money we will take,
And when she's on seas we'll throw her over deck,
Or We'll sell her for a slave lang or she win there ava,
And she'll never see her pretty Caledonia.
Oh, says the captain, that would never do,
There are no slaves sold intil our country noo,
They wad kill us every man, they wad hang us ane and a'
If we offered a slave for sale in Caledonia.
They've sailed east and they've sailed west,
And they've sailed past many a seaport town,
The seas they did beat and the winds they did blaw,
And it's caused them a' to weep for Caledonia.
One night as the captain he lay upon his bed,
He dreamed a dream that something to him said-,
Tak' care o' yon bonnie lass that ye brocht awa
For she's caused ye a' to weep for Caledonia.
The captain away to the sailor he's gone,
Says, Where is yon bonnie lass that ye brought far fae home?
Where is yon bonnie lass that ye brought far awa?
For she's caused us a' to weep for Caledonia.
O, says the sailor, she's lying very low,
She lies bound hand and foot ready over deck to throw,
She lies bound hand and foot ready over deck to throw,
And she'll never see her pretty Caledonia.
O The captain away to this fair maid is gone,
Says, What is the reason that ye lie here so long?
For what is the reason that ye lie here ava?
For ye've paid your passage dear for Caledonia.
Oh, says the lassie, ah wae's me,
'It ever I wis born sic hardships for to see,
But he'll hae got a sweetheart he likes better far than me,
And it causes me to weep for Caledonia.
Oh, says the captain, if a promise ye will make,
That when we go to land then upon me you will wait,
If I wad spare your life and let naebody know,
Ye'll maybe see your pretty Caledonia.
Oh, says the lassie, a promise I will make,
That when we go to land then upon you I will wait,
If ye will spare my life and let naebody know,
And we'll maybe see oor pretty Caledonia.
The captain away to the sailor he's gone
He's ta'en him by the neck and 'im overdeck he's thrown
Says, Tak' this cup of caul watter, though the liquor be but sma'
And drink your lassie's health in Caledonia.
They've sailed east and they've sailed west,
They've sailed past many a seaport town,
The seas they did beat and the win's they did blaw,
And they've a' safe arrived at Caledonia.
They hidna been there but three-quarters O' a year,
When in fine silks and satins he's made her for to wear,
When in fine silks and satins he's made her for to go,
And she lives the captain's lady in Caledonia.
From The
DT #378
@Scottish @sailor @trick
filename[ CALDONIA
TUNE FILE: CALDONIA
CLICK TO PLAY
TUNE FILE: CALDONIA.2
CLICK TO PLAY
RG
It's clear this song is tied to at least one of the songs titled Canadee-i-o:
| CANADEE-I-O It's of a gallant lady, just in the prime of youth. She dearly loved a sailor; in fact, she loved to wed, And how to get to sea with him the way she did not know, All for to see this pretty place called Canadee-I-O. She bargained with a sailor all for a purse of gold, And straightway he had taken her right down into the hold, 'I'll dress you up in sailor suit; your colors shall be blue And you soon will see that pretty place, called Canada When our mate had heard this, he fell into a rage, Likewise our ship's company was willing to engage: 'I'll tie your hands and feet, my love, and overboard you'll go, And you'll never see the pretty place called Canadee-I-O.' And when the captain heard this: "This thing shall never be, For if you drown that fair maid, hanged sure you'll be; I'll take her to my cabin, her colors shall be blue, And she soon will see that pretty place called Canadee-I-O.' They had not arrived in Canada more than the space of half a year, Before the Captain married her, and called her his very dear. She can dress in silk or satin; she caught a gallant show; She was one of the fairest ladies in Canadee-I-0. Come all ye, young ladies, whoever you may be, To be sure and follow your true love, if ever he goes to sea, And if your mate, he do prove false, you're captain he'll prove true, And you'll see the honor I have gained by wearing of the blue DT #378 @sailor @transvestite Printed in Leach Folk Ballads & Songs of the Lower Labrador Coast filename[ CANADIO3 TUNE FILE: CANADIO3 CLICK TO PLAY RG apr96
|
Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:
Canada-I-O (The Wearing of the Blue; Caledonia)
DESCRIPTION: When her love goes to sea, a lady dresses as a sailor and joins (his or another's) ship's crew. When she is discovered, (the crew/her lover) determine to drown her. The captain saves her; they marryAUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(1982))
KEYWORDS: love separation betrayal disguise cross-dressing sailor rescue reprieve marriage
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf) Ireland Britain(England(South),Scotland(Aber)) US(MA)
REFERENCES (10 citations):
SHenry H162, pp. 333-334, "Canada[,] Hi! Ho!" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig #77, pp. 1-2, "Caledonia" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 227, "Pretty Caledonia" (11 texts [including 3 verses on p. 537], 8 tunes)
Ord, pp. 117-118, "Caledonia" (1 text)
Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 437, "Canada-i-o" (1 text)
Leach-Labrador 90, "Canadee-I-O" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 48, "Wearing of the Blue" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 109, "She Bargained with a Captain" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Thompson-Pioneer 19, "Canada-I-O" (1 text)
DT, CANADIO3* CALEDONIA*
Roud #309 and 5543
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "Canadie-I-O" (on IRRCinnamond03)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(1982), "Kennady I-o," J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Firth c.12(329), Harding B 11(2039), "Lady's Trip to Kennedy"; Harding B 25(1045), "The Lady's Trip to Kennady"; Firth c.12(330), "Canada Heigho"; Firth c.13(240), Firth c.12(331), Harding B 11(2920), 2806 c.16(72), "Canada I, O"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Canada Heigho!!
Kennady I-o
Lady's Trip to Kennady
The Isles of Daniel
NOTES: Based on similarity of title, some connect this song with "Canaday-I-O, Michigan-I-O, Colley's Run I-O" [Laws C17]. There is no connection in plot, however, and any common lyrics are probably the result of cross-fertilization. (Leach-Labrador has a report that "Canaday-I-O" was written in 1854 by Ephraim Braley using this song as a pattern.)
The Scottish song "Caledonia" is quite different in detail -- so much so that I'm tempted to separate it from the "Canada-I-O" texts (Roud, surprisingly, does split it; "Canaday-I-O" is his #309; "Caledonia" is #5543). But the plot is too close to allow us to distinguish.
There is a curious anachronism in most of the "Canada-I-O" texts, in that the girl concludes by saying something like "You see the honor that I have gained By the wearing of the blue." However, the British navy did not adopt a uniform for ordinary sailors until 1857 -- this being, of course, the familiar blue serge and white duck (see Arthur Herman, To Rule the Waves, p. 455). This being after the date of the earliest broadsides, it presumably is an intrusive element. - RBW
I don't believe anyone else has said that Creighton-SNewBrunswick fragment belongs here (it is Roud #2782). Here is all of Creighton-SNewBrunswick: "She bargained with a captain Her passage to go free, That she might be his comrade To cross the raging sea"
The usual arrangement in Canada-I-O is "She bargained with a sailor [or the sailors], All for a purse of gold." However, broadside Bodleian Firth c.12(330) has the following wording:
[...]
She was courted by a sailor
Twas true she loved him dear,
And how to get to sea with him
The way she did not know.
[...]
She bargained with a captain
All for a purse of gold
And soon they did convey the lady
Down into the hold.
[...]
The plot continues as usual, with the captain coming to her rescue. - BS
Last updated in version 2.8
File: HHH162
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