Penguin: Oxford City

Subject: Penguin: Oxford City ^^
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 01 Jul 00 - 10:22 PM

G'day,
From the Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs, Ed Pellow's rendition of the tune of Oxford City can be found here.

Sung by Mr Harper, King's Lynn, Norfolk (R.V.W. 1905)

Previous song: T'Owd Yowe Wi' One Horn.
Next song: The Ploughman.

Cheers,
Alan ^^

Subject: RE: Penguin: Oxford City
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Jan 05 - 03:25 AM

Here are the notes from Penguin:

Oxford City (FSJ II 162)
Perhaps this song celebrated a real life tragedy. It often appeared on broadsides in the nineteenth century, published by Catnach and Such, of London, Harkness of Preston, and Jackson of Birmingham. Other versions have been found in oral tradition in Essex (JSJ II 157), Sussex (FSJ II 200), and Dor set (FSJ VII 41), 'with two further texts from Somerset and Dorset, collected by H.E.D. Hammond (FSJ VII 42—3). Our text is completed from these several versions.

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And the Traditional Ballad Index:

Oxford City [Laws P30]

DESCRIPTION: A servant asks a lady to wed; she put him off on the grounds that they are too young. When he sees her dancing with someone else, he poisons her wine. Feeling ill, she asks him to take her home. He reveals that both have drunk poison; they die together
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (JFSS)
KEYWORDS: courting death poison murder wine suicide
FOUND IN: US(MW,NE) Britain(Scotland,England(All)) Ireland
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Laws P30, "Oxford City"
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 83, "Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 212-213, "Poison in a Glass of Wine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 329, "Poison in a Glass of Wine" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 74, "Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 18, "Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 92-93, "In Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 508, OXFJEAL*
Roud #218
RECORDINGS:
Mary Doran, "Oxford City" (on FSB7)
Roscoe Holcomb, "True Love" (on Holcomb-Ward1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Little Glass of Wine" (on NLCR06)
Stanley Brothers, "The Little Glass of Wine" (Rich-R-Tone 423, rec. c. late 1947) (Columbia 20590, 1949) (Rich-R-Tone 1056 [as "Little Glass of Wine"], rec. 1952)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Jealous Lover
File: LP30

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Subject: RE: Penguin: Oxford City
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 13 Jan 05 - 12:57 PM

Malcolm Douglas added these further notes (part) to the revision:
"A popular song, still to be found in tradition; also known as "Worcester City," "Newport Street," "Jealousy," and "Poison in a Glass of Wine."
Malcolm also lists some of the Bodleian broadsheets, with the names "Oxford City" and "The Newport Street Damsel."

"Classic English Folk Songs," ed. Vaughan Williams and A. L. Lloyd, revised by Malcolm Douglas, English Folk Dance & Song Society, 2003.

Subject: RE: Penguin: Oxford City
From: GEST
Date: 25 May 05 - 06:55 PM

And a variant from GEST Songs Of Newfoundland And Labrador ....

Oxford City (Wexford Girl)

In Wexford city there lived a lady,
The truth to you I make known;
It was by her own servant and he was courting,
And he ofttimes told her that he loved her so.

He says, "My dear come and let us marry,
Come and let us marry my true love," said he;
"For I'm afraid, oh, that you will slight me,
Go with some other your fancy be."

She says, "My dear I'm too young to marry,
Too young to be your own marriage belle;
For when you're married you're bound forever,
All trials and sorrows you must apprehend."

A short time after this pretty fair one
Was invited out to a ball you know;
This jealous young man soon followed after,
And there prepared for her overthrow.

As she was dancing all with another,
Those jealous thoughts came in his mind;
For to take the life of his own true lover,
This jealous young man was well inclined.

A glass of liquor he then got ready,
And mixed it up in a glass of wine;
He gave it to his own true loved one,
Who drank it off in his health so fine.

Soon as she drank it soon then she felt it,
"Oh, carry me home my true love," said she;
"For that glass of liquor which you just gave me
Makes me as ill as ill can be."

As they were walking along together,
Those jealous words unto her did say:
"It was in your liquor I put strong poison,
To take your innocent sweet life away.

"I drank the same, oh, my dearest loved one,
Sure I must die, love, as well as thee."
In each other's arms they died together,
Young men beware of court jealousy.

####.... Variant of Laws P30, American Balladry From British Broadsides, p.263, G. Malcolm Laws (1957) ....####

Sung by Gerald Aylward (1917-1987) of Cape Broyle, NL, and published with the incorrect title of Wexford Girl in MacEdward Leach And The Songs Of Atlantic Canada © 2004 Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA).