Lyr Req: Flower of France in England

Subject: Flower of France in England
From: I don't know
Date: 13 Jan 00 - 08:00 AM

I would like the lyric to the song I use to sing a few years ago.

Thanks KARI

Subject: Lyr Add: Flower of France and England
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Jan 00 - 12:28 PM

I couldn't find the song in the DT, so here goes:
------------------------------------

The Flower of France and England

One night in my parading between Dover and Carlisle,
The place being full of revels, their noise ye would have heard a mile.
I knocked at the porch to see what entertainment I could find;
And being brisk I ran the risk, and called for a pint of wine.

My heartsome, smiling, bonnie lass, the flower o' France and England O.

They sent to me a candle with the boy that rings the morning bell
?????
And next there came a charming dame, said, Come away and follow me;
It is not fit that you should sit among such roving companie.

The table then she covered, the dinner dishes she brought in,
She was not like an idle slut or ane that never was taught to spin.
She said, My lad, tak' up and eat, I can afford no better cheer,
And when ye want the table drawn just ring the bell and I'll appear.

I rang the bell, she heard the knell, and then to me she did appear,
My bonnie lass, the table's drawn, sit doon by me and take a cheer.
Had I the courts of Africa, or Grampian Hills so neat and keen,
Or had I all fair Scotland's isles there's none but you should be my queen.

Young man, said she, you are as bad as any in the house this night,
The rest are drunk and you are mad or than ye never had spoke so light.
You drink your wine, go to your bed, and there you take a pleasant sleep,
For gin ye dreamed ye had me wed to be sure ye wad sit up and weep.

When I went to my bed at night my thoughts were on that bonnie lass,
She spent the night in scouring among the pewter and the brass.
I rang the bell, she heard the knell, and then to me she did repair,
And then into St. Mary's Church, and there we ended all our care.

I spent a month in feasting among their friends and neighbors all,
The lassie thought them jesting when they did her a lady call.
Now he's made her a lady gay, she needs no more to toil and spin,
And she may ever bless the day that ever she let the laddie in.

-----------------------
From the Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection, Vol 4 (#719), from the singing of Miss Bell Robertson.
Archie Fisher sings this on "Man With A Rhyme," but I can't locate my tape at the moment to try to fill in the missing line - maybe someone else can help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Flower of France in England
From: Bruce O.
Date: 13 Jan 00 - 02:09 PM

Bell Robertson didn't sing (ever) and there's no tune for the other version in the Greig-Duncan collection either, but there's a version with music in Dean Christie's 'Traditional Ballad Airs' (which I don't have).

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Flower of France in England
From: Stewie
Date: 13 Jan 00 - 06:13 PM

Archie Fisher recorded this on 'Will Ye Gang Love' (Topic), not 'The Man with a Rhyme'. The text that Fisher sings is very different from that posted above. For example, the first 2 stanzas go:

As I was on my rambles, I came from Dover to Carlisle
The town was full of rebels and you might have heard them for a mile
I stepped in The Grapes (?) to see what entertainment I could find
Not being brisk, I ran the risk and I called for a pint of wine
And spied a handsome bonnie lass, the flower of France and England

I'd been in a hurry, I for a private room did call
They sent me to the caddie, the lad that rings the morning bell
But in there came this brisk young dame, she said kind sir come follow me
It is not fit for you to sit among such rovin' company
My handsome, bonnie, smilin' lad, the flower of France and England

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Flower of France in England
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 13 Jan 00 - 06:17 PM

In his notes to 'Will Ye Gang Love', Arthur Argo says the text is a slight abbreviation of the text given in Christie, in Greig's 'Folk Song of the North-East', and in John Ord's 'Bothy Songs and Ballads'. Are any of those collections accessible via the Net? - Susanne

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Flower of France in England
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Jan 00 - 06:44 PM

My mistake, Bruce - it was collected from Bell Robertson, but not from her singing of it.

In the notes to the song: "Christie states that his tune is "a set of the Irish Air 'Nancy Vernon.'" Nancy Varnon is in Greig-Duncan, and there is a tune, but I'm not positive it's the same one that Christie referred to. The tune isn't the one Archie Fisher sings.