The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #112611   Message #4033034
Posted By: Joe Offer
08-Feb-20 - 04:26 PM
Thread Name: Origins: Gently Johnny My Jingalo
Subject: RE: Origins: Gently Johnny My Jingalo
Here is the Traditional Ballad Index entry on this song:

Gently, Johnny, My Jingalo

DESCRIPTION: The speaker successively places his hands on various portions of his love's anatomy, all of them respectable. She tells him, "Come to me, quietly, do not do me injury/Gently, Johnny, my jingalo". They marry.
AUTHOR: To all intents and purposes, Cecil Sharp
EARLIEST DATE: 1907 (GreigDuncan7)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage sex derivative
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
GreigDuncan7 1412, "Johnny Jiggamy" (2 texts, 3 tunes)
Sharp-100E 65, "Gently, Johnny, My Jingalo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Reeves-Sharp 34, "Gently Johnny My Jingalo" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 158, "Gently Johnny, My Jingalo" (1 text)
DT, JJINGLO*

Roud #5586
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "A-Rovin'" (plot, theme)
cf. "Yo Ho, Yo Ho" (theme, floating lyrics)
cf. "Tickle My Toe" (theme)
NOTES [125 words]: [Sharp writes,] "The words were rather coarse, but I have, I think, managed to re-write the first and third lines of each verse without sacrificing the character of the original song." The second and fourth lines constitute a refrain, of course. With this in mind, I call this essentially a new song, written by CJS. Otherwise, it could well be listed under "A-Rovin'." -PJS
Ed Cray, following Reeves, notes that "Gently" was rewritten from "Yo Ho, Yo Ho," which follows the exact form of "A-Rovin'" although with even more explicit lyrics. Roud lumps the result with "Yo Ho." I say the amount of rewriting is so great to make them separate songs.
It is fascinating to find GreigDuncan having something similar before Sharp did his bowdlerizing. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.6
File: ShH65

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2019 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.



And the lyrics from the Digital Tradition:

GENTLY JOHNNY MY JINGALO (DT)

I put my hand all in her own
Fair maid is a lily oh
She said, "If you love me alone
Come to me quietly
Do me no injury
Gently, Johnny, my Jingalo"

I said, "You know I love you, dear"
Fair...
She whispered softly in my ear
Come...

I placed my arm around her waist
She laughed and turned away her face

I kissed her lips like roses red
She blushed, then tenderly she said
I slipped a ring all in her hand
She said, "The parson's near at hand"

I took her to the church next day
The birds did sing and she did say

See also AROVIN
@courtship
rewritten by Cecil Sharp, who objected to the original anatomical
progression. Printed in Cole
filename[ JJINGLO
TUNE FILE: JJINGLO
CLICK TO PLAY
SOF
The Digital Tradition lyrics are almost exactly what's printed in Cecil Sharp's 1916 One Hundred English Folksongs (pages 146-147 in the 1975 Dover edition). Here's my slightly corrected transcription from the Dover edition.

GENTLY JOHNNY MY JINGALO

I put my hand all in her own,
Fair maid is a lily, O!
She said: If you love me alone
Come to me quietly,
Do me no injury;
Gently, Johnny, my Jingalo.

I said: You know I love you, dear,
Fair maid...
She whisper'd softly in my ear:
Come to me quietly...

I placed my arm around her waist....
She laugh'd and turn'd away her face....

I kiss'd her lips like roses red....
She blush'd, then tenderly she said: ....

I slipp'd a ring all in her hand....
She said: The parson's near at hand....

I took her to the church next day....
The birds did sing and she did say: ....