The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #31678   Message #1277270
Posted By: pavane
21-Sep-04 - 09:21 AM
Thread Name: Origins of The Wild Rover
Subject: RE: Origins of The Wild Rover
Has anyone commented on 'The Alewives invitation' in the Bodley collection. (Between 1672 and 1696)

It seems to have many resemblences to the Wild Rover, both in story line and words. The words would also fit to the Wild Rover tune.
See the first verse:

Good fellows come hither, tis to you I speak
Good counsel here's for you if you it would take
In thy pockets may save thee many a crown
Where ever thou walkest in city or town
It's known a good fellow I've been many a year
And much have I spend in wine and strong beer
For so long as I had money, my kind hostess she
Would cry come when thou wilt boy, thou art welcome to me

In that excerpt, we have the phrases 'many a year' 'Wine & strong beer', and elsewhere in the text there are references to alehouses, credit (or refusal of), store (of money), all of which are found in Wild Rover.