Hi,

I'm currently working on North American version of Died for Love/Butcher Boy http://www.bluegrassmessengers.com/us--canada-versions-7-died-for-lovebutcher-boy.aspx

I've put over 150 versions on and am finishing up "Died for Love" since the UK versions are already done. You can access everything from my site from the link above.

I'll be posting some conclusion from North America:

[I'm missing the complete text to She Died in Love- Mrs. Walters (NL) c.1958 Peacock. Anyone have that text or access to the recording?]

The Butcher Boy by Region

Canada: The following versions are from Canada. Many Maritime versions were brought by early settlers and remained isolated in remote fishing villages for many years and are quite old.

Butcher Boy- Mrs. N. C. Waugh (ON) 1918 Waugh [5 1/2 stanzas: Dublin City; an inn; extra stanza (there is a bird)]
Butcher Boy- Ellen Bigney (NS) 1919 Mackenzie A [10 stanzas; London City; an inn; extra stanza (Frost and snow)]
Butcher Boy- Thompson (NS) 1928 Mackenzie B [10 stanzas; Dublin city; a house; extra stanza (rain and snow)]
Butcher Boy- Edward Hartley (NS) 1929 Creighton [7 stanzas; Jersey City; a place; no extra]
Butcher's Boy- Rosie Oikle (NS) 1931 Fauset A [7 1/2 stanzas; Jersey City; an inn; no extra]
Must I Go Bound- Peter Dyer (NS) 1931 Fauset B [3 stanzas (non-conforming); London Town; extra stanzas (Must I Go) (Deep blue sea/ orphan)
Butcher Boy- Bert Fitzgerald (NL) 1951 Leach [8 stanzas; Jersey City a place; no extra]
She Died in Love- Mrs. Walters (NL) c.1958 Peacock [1 stanza; (apron stanza) missing full text]
Butcher Boy- Amelia Kinslow (NL) 1959 Peacock [6 stanzas; Jersey city; a girl; no extra]
She Died In Love - Mrs. Ghaney (NL) 1959 Peacock [8 stanzas first missing; an ale-house extra stanzas (Apron Low) (Grows a flower) (Apron full) (Fond of me)]
Butcher Boy- LaRena Clark (ON) 1965 Fowke [11 stanzas; London City; a house; extra stanza (Frost and snow) unusual ending stanza- two new lines]

Of the 11 versions from Canada, 10 are conforming to standard Butcher Boy form and one is a variant (see Appendices), Must I Go Bond (Bound) with only one stanza in common. Of the 10 versions 4 have Jersey city; 2 have London city and 2 have Dublin City- an obvious Irish connection. In 3 versions her false lover, the Butcher Boy, goes to "an inn" to meet another girl (as in print versions) and the location is also "a house" or "a place"- in one archaic version it is "an alehouse" as in many UK versions. The most common extra stanza is "frost and snow" however, the apron itself is not mentioned:

I mind the time, not long ago,
He'd follow me through frost and snow.
But now he's changed his mind again.
He'll pass my door and he won't come in.

One version has the extra stanza "There is a bird" found rarely in North America (mostly in New England) and the UK. She Died In Love from Mrs. Ghaney in Newfoundland is closely aligned with the broadside "Constant Lady" having borrowed 3 extra stanzas from that 1686 broadside.

Richie