Lyr Req: Pitman's Love Song 'I wish my love...'

Subject: Help: 'I wish my love ...' lyrics
From: GUEST,Chris T.
Date: 08 Feb 01 - 07:58 AM

Hi there,

I'm only an occasional lurker on this list, so please excuse any breaches of etiquette.

With Valentines Day around the corner I was searching my depleted memory banks for a few choice words. Around 20 years ago I recall reading some text in a folk song book. It was a repetitive "I wish my love were..." poem, but only the memorable final verse has stuck. Any ideas about where I might locate the rest of it? The final verse is as follows. I assure you that the preceeding verses are completely innocent, so please don't take offence.

"I wish my love were a ripe turd smoking on yon dyke side, And if I were a shitten flea, I'd sook her up before she was dry"

Leads appreciated. Thanks,

Chris T. Hants, UK.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Help: 'I wish my love ...' lyrics
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Feb 01 - 10:16 AM

It's The Pitman's Lovesong; A.L. Lloyd printed it in his "Folksong in England" (1967, without a tune) and Karl Dallas included it in "100 Songs of Toil" (1974, set to a Lord Bateman melody.)  It doesn't seem to be in the Database or Forum, so I'll post it later today if nobody else does first.

Malcolm

Subject: Lyr Add: I WISH MY LOVE / PITMAN'S LOVESONG^^
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 08 Feb 01 - 10:03 PM

THE PITMAN'S LOVESONG

Aw wish my lover she was a cherry
Growing upon yon cherry tree,
And aw mysel a bonny blackbird;
How aw would peck that cherry cherree.

Aw wish my lover she was a red rose
Growing on yon garden wa'
And aw mysel was a butterflee;
O on that red rosie aw wad fa'.

Aw wish my lover she was a fish
Sooming doon in the saut sea,
And aw mysel was a fisher lad;
O aw wad catch her reet cunningly.

Aw wish my love was in a kist
And aw mysel to carry the key.
Then aw wad I gan tin her when aw had list,
And bear my hinny good company.

Aw wish my love she was an grey ewe
Grazing by yonder riverside,
And aw mysel a bonny black tup;
O on that ewie how aw wad I ride.

O she's bonny, she wondrous canny,
O she's well far'd to see,
For the mair aw think on, my love's on upon her,
And under her apron fain would aw be.

I wish my love was a bee skep,
And aw mysel a bumble bee,
That aw might be a lodger within her;
She's sweeter than honey or honeycombe tea.

I wish my love was a ripe turd,
Smoking down in yon dyke side,
And aw myself was a shitten flea;
Aw'd sook her all up before she was dried.

O my hinny, my bonny hinny,
O my hinny, my bonny hinnee;
The mair aw think on her, my heart's set upon her.
She's fairer than ever she used to be.

These lyrics are from the collection of John Bell of Newcastle, who was born in 1783 and who first published such songs as "Buy Broom Buzzems" and "Bonny At Morn".  The paper on which he noted the text is watermarked 1811.  -Information and text from Folk Song in England (A.L. Lloyd, 1967).

Karl Dallas printed a set of lyrics in One Hundred Years of Toil (1974) which he admitted were "changed even more than usual in the process of singing by me."  Dallas set the words to a version of the Lord Bateman tune that came from Joseph Taylor (recorded by Percy Grainger); Lloyd recorded the song himself (as I Wish My Love, on Topic 12T118, First Person, 1966, to a different tune), though without verse 8, of which he remarked "Rather to my own surprise I find myself too prudish to sing it, though I'm impressed by its intensity."

Dallas also gives an additional verse:

My love she's fair, she's very fair, She's from Newcastle born and bred. Her skin it is a lily white, Her cheeks they are such a rosy red.

He doesn't say where he got it, though.  I'll include a midi of the melody as given by Dallas in my next consignment of midis to the  Mudcat Midi Pages


Malcolm ^^

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Help: 'I wish my love ...' lyrics
From: GUEST,Chris T.
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 09:07 AM

Malcolm,

Brilliant! Thanks very much indeed for your time & knowledge. Very much appreciated.

Chris T. (Delighted & amazed!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Help: 'I wish my love ...' lyrics
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 09 Feb 01 - 09:22 AM

Glad to be of help; it didn't take much time -that verse, once heard, is never forgotten, so I knew just where to find it!

Malcolm