The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #126390 Message #2807668
Posted By: Q (Frank Staplin)
09-Jan-10 - 03:06 PM
Thread Name: How many miles to Dublin?
Subject: RE: How many miles to Dublin?
A little more: 1805, Songs from the Nursery, is the oldest known.
"Sam Henry was of the opinion that the original text...referred to "Babyland," with Babylon as a corruption. Gomme, however, has nineteen texts .... and seven refer to Babylon, three to Banbury, a couple of others to variants on Bethlehem, a few to London, and none to Babyland." Traditional Ballads Index. There is one referring to Glasgow.