The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #19788   Message #205413
Posted By: Malcolm Douglas
01-Apr-00 - 09:20 PM
Thread Name: Help: Songs sung by Marina Russell of Upwey
Subject: RE: Help: Songs sung by Marina Russell of Upwey
Vindelis' post reminded me that Mrs. Russell of Upwey had some rather fine songs. Those printed in Frank Purslow's The Wanton Seed are:

The Bedmaking
Catch-Me-If-You-Can
The Crafty Maid's Policy
Farewell Dearest Nancy
John White
Madam, Madam I'm Come A-Courting
The Man Of Dover
Molly And William

Included in Purslow's The Constant Lovers are:

Poor Sally Sat A-Weeping
The True Lovers

Some of these, or versions of them, are already on the DT. CRAFTY MAID'S POLICY has the same text, and substantially the same tune, as Mrs. Russell's version.

BEDMAKING is the version from The Wanton Seed.

ALL I WANT IS A HANDSOME MAN or RIPEST APPLES is a (slightly different) version of Madam, Madam I'm Come A-Courting.

Poor Sally is the source for part of the text of AS SYLVIE WAS WALKING, published in the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. An incomplete version on the DT, ONCE I HAD A SWEETHEART, is credited to D. Adams and described as "a somewhat fragmentary rewrite of Green Grow the Lilacs". I think that unlikely (the two songs have perhaps 2 ½ lines in common), and Adams certainly didn't write the text given, unless by a very remarkable coincidence!

I'll be posting some of the songs not already available, in threads of their own, starting with Catch-Me-If-You-Can.

Malcolm