02 Jul 00 - 10:35 AM (#250567) Subject: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Alan of Australia G'day, From the Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs, Ed Pellow's rendition of the tune of The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime can be found here.
THE YOUNG GIRL CUT DOWN IN HER PRIME
As I was a-walking one midsummer morning,
'O mother, dear mother, come set you down by me.
'O mother, dear mother, come send for the clergyman,
'And when I am dead to the churchyard they'll bear me,
'So rattle your drums and play your fife over me,
Sung by an unnamed singer, East Meon, Hants (F.J. 1909) There are many versions and similar songs in the DT. Search by typing "young AND [cut down] AND prime" into the search box (omitting the quotes).
Previous song: Young Edwin In The Lowlands Low.
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07 Jul 00 - 03:46 PM (#253617) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her From: Malcolm Douglas Here are the notes from the Penguin Book (1959): "At the end of the eighteenth century a homilectic street ballad spread in England concerning the death and ceremonial funeral of a soldier "disordered" by a woman. It was called The Unfortunate Rake (in Ireland) or The Unfortunate Lad (on the broadside printed by Such). Many singers know it as St. James's Hospital. It is still a common song in the British Army, though printed versions are few. English sets have been reported from Yorkshire (FSJ I p.254) and Hampshire (FSJ III p.292). Our song represents a later development, in which the sexes are reversed, but the ceremonial funeral is retained. Versions of this form have been recorded from Oxfordshire and Somerset as well as the present Hampshire version. In America, the song has been adapted to the cattle range (The Cowboy's Lament or The Streets of Laredo) and the gambling hall (St. James' Infirmary). The motif of the ceremonial funeral remains constant, despite all the transformations of the chief character." -R.V.W./A.L.L. This version of the song was first published in The Folk Song Journal volume IV page 325. DT #350 Laws Q26 @death @sex @funeral @illness There is an entry at the Traditional Ballad Index: The Bad Girl's Lament, (St. James' Hospital; The Young Girl Cut Down in her Prime) There is a copy of the Such broadside at Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads printed between 1863 and 1885: The Unfortunate Lad (Large image). Other versions of the Unfortunate Lass/ Bad Girl's Lament family on the DT: THE BAD GIRL'S LAMENT BRIGHT SUMMER MORNING THE GIRL IN THE DILGER CASE ONE MORNING IN MAY UNFORTUNATE LASS Versions of The Unfortunate Rake/ St. James's Hospital family on the DT: LOCKE HOSPITAL NOO I'M A YOUNG MAN CUT DOWN IN MY PRIME PILLS OF WHITE MERCURY ST. JAMES HOSPITAL THE TROOPER CUT DOWN IN HIS PRIME THE UNFORTUNATE RAKE WHEN I WAS ON HORSEBACK In the Forum: The Buck's Elegy St. James' Hospital There are also numerous versions of The Streets of Laredo (including a number of parodies and re-writes) and St. James' Infirmary on the DT; a search for #350 will locate them. Also in the Forum: The Dying Outfit (parody) Streets Of Laredo (parody) Ballad Of Sherman Wu (parody) Tom Sherman's Barroom Malcolm |
23 Sep 04 - 01:24 AM (#1278868) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Q (Frank Staplin) Lyr. Add: ANNIE FRANKLIN (The Bad Girls Lament) As I was walking one fine summer's morning, As I was a-walking one morning in May I spied a fair damsel rolled up in red flannel, Rolled up in red flannel as cold as the clay. "Mother, dear mother, come sit down beside me, Sit down beside me, a story I'll tell, My poor head is aching, my sad heart is breaking, Oh mother, dear mother, I know I've done wrong. "Mother, dear mother, take care of the baby, Teach her and guide her along the right way, When she gets sixteen please tell her my story, 'Twas of her young mother, who was led astray. "Mother, dear mother, please send for the doctor, Send for the priest to pray over me, Send for that young man who stands on the corner, For he was the young man who led me astray." He stands on the corner, he sees the corpse passing, "There goes the girl whom I led astray." First to the barroom and next to the dance hall, Up to the hospital and down to her grave. "Here lies the form of a girl who was handsome, Here lies the form of a girl who was gay, Here lies the form of sweet Annie Franklin, And she was the young girl whom I led astray." Mrs. Wallace Kingsley, Isle aux Morts, Nfld., 1959. Kenneth Peacock, 1965, "Songs of the Newfoundland Outports," vol. 2, pp. 420-421. |
23 Sep 04 - 10:21 AM (#1279104) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: GUEST,songsmith not sure of the air, but sings well to 'The Recruited Collier' cheers songsmith |
23 Sep 04 - 01:55 PM (#1279253) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Dead Horse It was also a sea shanty. (substitute 'sailor' for 'soldier') |
23 Sep 04 - 01:59 PM (#1279255) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Nerd I never heard it as a shanty, Dead Horse, though I've heard plenty of sailors' versions. Do you have details of shanty versions? |
23 Sep 04 - 02:18 PM (#1279267) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Q (Frank Staplin) I should have mentioned that "Annie Franklin" was printed with music. I will send it to Joe if there is any interest, but it is essentially "Streets of Laredo." |
05 Sep 08 - 10:04 AM (#2431800) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: EBarnacle It's been used as a forebitter. The melody might be usable as a capstan chantey but there are not enough emphatic points or frequent enough points of emphasis for it to be a proper chantey. |
05 Sep 08 - 04:44 PM (#2432185) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Steve Gardham Surely 'The Dead Horse' was sung aboard to accompany the 'Dead Horse' custom. |
05 Sep 08 - 10:13 PM (#2432339) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Malcolm Douglas A 'forebitter' is merely a song sung at sea that wasn't a work song. I'm not at all sure why people bother with the term, unless it's to insist on a nautical connection for songs that everybody knew, including sailors. |
18 Feb 10 - 10:27 PM (#2843813) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: GUEST Im looking for annie Franklin for a friend and the word he gave me differ from this one here are some of the words he gave me his mother use to sing it to him when he was young. Mother dear mother take care of my baby take care of my baby ------- when she is 16 tell her my story i was her mother who was let astray I went to the hospital to visit my daughter therer on her pillow a few lines were wrote never go walking --------- alone |
16 Nov 10 - 06:48 PM (#3033911) Subject: RE: Penguin: The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime From: Joe Offer On Jon Boden's A Folk Song a Day, the song for 17 November is Unfortunate Lass, yet another version of this song. -Joe- |