Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy

Subject: Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy
From: GUEST,James H. Silver
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 10:30 AM

would like to add these lyrics to the DT but do not know the procedure. Perhaps someone can do this.

A SOLDIER BOY

(D) A SOLDIER BOY ONCE BRAVE WAS (A7) HE
WAS COURTING IN (D) SOCIETY
AND THIS YOUNG (D7) SOLDIER SO THEY (G) SAY
(D) ONCE LED A PRETTY (A7) GIRL (D) ASTRAY

(D) IT WAS WHEN HER APRON STRINGS HUNG (A7) LOW
HE COURTED HER THROUGH RAIN AND (D) SNOW
AND WHEN HER STRINGS (D7) THEY WOULD NOT (G) MEET
HE USED TO (D) PASS (A7) HER ON THE (D) STREET

(D) HER FATHER CAME HOME LATE ONE (A7)
AND FOUND HIS HOME WITHOUT A (D) LIGHT
HE WENT (D7) INTO HIS DAUGHTER'S (G) ROOM
HE FOUND HER (D7) HAN (A7) ING BY A (D) ROPE

(D) HE TOOK HIS KNIFE AND CUT HER (A7) DOWN
PINNED ON HER BREAST THIS NOTE HE (D) FOUND
I WISH MY (D7) BABY HAD BEEN (G) BORN
(D) BEFORE THIS (A7) TROUBLE HAD (D) BEGUN

(D) SO DIG MY GRAVE AND DIG IT (A7) DEEP
AND PLACE WHITE LILIES AT MY (D) FEET
NOW ALL YOU (A7) SOLDIERS BEAR IN (G) MIND
(D) THAT A GIRL'S TRUE LOVE (A7) IS HARD TO FIND

(D) BUT WHEN YOU FIND ONE GOOD AND (A7) TRUE
NEVER CHANGE THE OLD ONE FOR THE (D) NEW
(D)WHEN YOU (D7) FIND (A7) ONE GOOD AND (D) TRUE

(D) NO NEVER (D7) CHANGE THE OLD ONE FOR THE (G) NEW
(D) WHEN YOU FIND (A7) ONE GOOD AND (D) TRUE.

Set to melody "Banks Of The Ohio" Chords in Brackets arranged by James H.
Silver. Lyrics from memory of world war II veteran "Walter Lowe" as composed and sung by a comrade
serving in the army with him at that time.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy
From: MMario
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 10:37 AM

Hi James! Lyrics are "harvested" from forum threads by a team of people; usual procedure is to start a Lyric Add: thread with the title - as you have done, - or if you have a series of related songs - post them in a thread - each song a seperate post.

Your format is pretty good - except that All caps is hard for many to read. Usual format for the DT is Title in all caps - normal punctuation on the remainder of the lyrics.

thanks for including a tune direction!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 11:02 AM

It's a set of The Butcher Boy, also found under such titles as The Brisk Young Sailor (sometimes Soldier) and so on, so it wasn't composed, as such, by anybody in WWII; but it's interesting to know that it was current in the forces at that time; thanks for posting it. Which country's army was that, incidentally? I expect you mean the US army, but it's as well to be sure.

The song family is large and complicated; for instance, in the version above, some of the Butcher Boy narrative has been lost. In some, indeed, like Died for Love, hardly any story remains at all in many cases. There's a list of links to related material here and elsewhere in the thread  I Wish, I Wish, which you may find interesting. Links there to DT files no longer work since the site re-vamp, though.

There are three 19th century broadside examples at  Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads:

The Butcher Boy

Compare also

A Brisk Young Sailor Courted Me

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 08:55 PM

BUTCHER'S BOY (Laws P24) is in the DT.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy
From: GUEST,James H. Silver
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 08:58 PM

Lyrics was sung to me by a verteran of the Canadian Army at a veterans home where I occasionally entertained.   He has since been deceased for several months.   Apparently was sung by one of his comrades while spending time in the trenches. He believed the fellow composed it. I thought it should be remembered and so wished to post it. Nice to receive additional information. Anyone may feel free to correct lyrics or give credit to the composer.
looking forward to any additional messages on the subject.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: A Soldier Boy
From: masato sakurai
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 11:00 PM

Several recordings of "The Butcher Boy" and "The Butcher's Boy" can be heard at The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection and at The Wolf Foklore Collection.