More on "earlye," etc.

The New York magazine Vanity Fair (not the modern mag of the same name), in its issue of Feb. 16, 1861, includes a story in which an old man, singing "Peggy Gordon," pronounces "brandy" as "brand-eye" and very as "ver-eye."

This supports the idea that "earlye," "Rye-o," and so on represent a very old-fashioned folk mannerism that was not always restricted to sea songs.