The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #54663 Message #847476
Posted By: mack/misophist
14-Dec-02 - 05:43 PM
Thread Name: Origins: The Bows of London
Subject: Origins: Whence 'The Bows of London'?
Would anyone be kind enough to tell me the origin of the murder ballad Bows of London? It's not in the Digitrad or the forum history. A Google search yields nada. Mostly, I'd like to know what the hell a 'bow' is. My best guess is that it had something to do with St Mary le Beau Church, as in "born within the sound of Bow bells" to describe a Cockney. That doesn't fit the sense of the song, though. Any one out there know?