The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #6346   Message #3932469
Posted By: GUEST,Kevin W.
21-Jun-18 - 03:06 PM
Thread Name: Help: The Unfortunate Rake
Subject: RE: Help: The Unfortunate Rake
Here's two more recordings I forgot to add.

I'll be honest, I don't like the Golden String Band recording at all, it gets on my nerves.
It is a cover of yet another traditional version of "The Bad Girls Lament" which also shows some likeness to the Irish version sung by Tom Lenihan, so I decided to add it for completeness sake.

I also added a version of the "Unfortunate Rake" jig, from a field recording of the superb Australian singer Sally Sloane.
I was never good with tunes, but I think it does somewhat resemble the tunes used for our "Unfortunate Lad" song family.

Perhaps someone with a better musical ear than me can provide his/her thoughts on this one.

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Wrapped In Red Flannel - The Golden Eagle String Band

From "Body, Boots And Britches: Folk Songs Of New York State" (1982)Folkways Records - FTS 32317.
Collected by Dr. Harold William Thompson from William Swackhamer in Troy, New York, and printed in Lippincott, "Body, Boots and Britches" (1939) p.386 under the title "Wrapped in Red Flannels".

Here's the Roud entry:
https://www.vwml.org/record/RoudFS/S226440

Another New York version of "The Bad Girls Lament" was sung by Ted Ashlaw on "Adirondack Woods Singer" (1976) Philo - 1022, I don't have that recording.

It begins with the opening line:
It was in the winter late in December

Here's it's Roud entry:
https://www.vwml.org/record/RoudFS/S136316

Liner Notes available here:
Body, Boots and Britches: Folk Songs of New York State

Here's the text as sung by Bill Hullfish and Larry Chechak of The Golden Eagle String Band:

When I was a-walking one bright summer's morning,
When I was a-walking one summer in May,
I stopped at the hospital to see my darling,
All wrapped in red flannel that hot summer's day.

Under her pillow these words she had written,
Under her pillow these words she did say,
"Never go courting or sporting or gambling;
It leads to destruction and leads you astray."

"When I am dying, send for my mother,
Send for my mother, don't let her delay."
"Woman, dear woman, your daughter is dying,
And I am the young man who has led her astray."

"When I am dead, lay me out in white satin,
Cover my coffin with flowers of May;
Six jolly sportsmen to carry my coffin,
And sing the dead march as they lay me away."

Now she is dead, and they all will leave her;
Now she is dead, and they laid her away.
Now she is dead and is highly forgotten,
By the hardy young man who has led her astray.

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The Unfortunate Rake (Jig) - Sally Sloane

Sally Sloane performs the jig "The Unfortunate Rake" (also called "Up Sligo") on the button accordion.
Recorded by John Meredith in Hunter Valley, New South Wales, Australia, in 1958.

The original tape is accessible here:
http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-214823752/listen/0-348~0-427

Here's the tune:
https://sallysloane.wordpress.com/tunes/up-sligo/