Lyr Req: False Young Man

Subject: Lyr Req: False Young Man
From: folkwaller
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 02:21 PM

Lyr Req. False Young Man. The version by Kieran Means and Sara Gray would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: False Young Man
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 03:13 PM

Their arrangement is recorded on Fellside FECD195, 2005. The precise source is identified in the sleeve notes. Sara learned the song from Shirley Collins, and a transcription from Shirley's own recording is in the DT: False True Love.

The DT does not credit Shirley's source, and mis-classifies the song as a version of Child 68. She got it from Maud Karpeles (ed), English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians Collected by Cecil J Sharp, II, 51: Sharp noted it from Mr T Jeff Stockton at Flag Pond, Tennessee, on 3 September 1916. Shirley's arrangement involved some small changes of wording.

I'm not sure why Sara (and evidently others) have thought it related to 'House Carpenter' and/or 'Young Hunting'; perhaps because of a vague similarity in the opening lines, which are a ballad commonplace and occur in many unrelated songs. The song family is classed at number 419 in the Roud Folk Song Index: because most of the verses 'float' between songs, this is quite a large group at present, though in time it may be broken down into sub-categories.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: False Young Man
From: Susan of DT
Date: 15 Oct 07 - 04:13 PM

You are right, Malcolm (as usual). There is not a lot of Child #68 in this. I think the confusion was with Sheila Kay Adams version of the ballad. I'll change it on the master copy of the DT.