G'day all,

It's worth remembering that Wild Rover is one of a family of related 'Rover's Return' (or 'Ruin' songs. I posted an interesting one back in June last year.It has been 'harvested' but is not yet in the DigiTrad.

This is collected in the 1950s from Sally Sloane, a lovely old singer in New South Wales, Australia and, although a lot of Sally's songs came through her Irish grandmother, Sarah Alexander, this is clearly an English, indeed a London song.

Regards,

Bob Bolton

I Have Been A Wild Boy

Oh, my father he died and he left me his estate,
I married a lady whose fortune was great,
And through keeping bad company, I've spent all my store,
I have been a wild boy but I'll be so no more.

Oh, there was Bill, Tom and Harry, and Betsy and Sue,
And two or three others belonged to our crew.
We sat up till midnight and made the town roar,
Oh, I've been a wild boy but I'll be so no more.

I was always too fond of treating ladies to wine,
Till my pockets rew empty, too soon I would find;
Twenty pounds in one night, oh, I've spent them and more,
Oh, I've been a wild boy but I'll be so no more.

Oh, it's first down to Newgate, a prisoner I stand,
I had on cold irons, I had to lament,
And I had to find comfort as I lay on the floor,
Oh, I've been a wild boy but I'll be so no more.

Oh, the next, down to Newgate a prisoner I stand,
And what I have longed for, is now out of hand,
And if ever I gain my liberty, as I've had before,
I will be a good boy as I have been before.

Oh, bad luck to all married men who visit strange doors,
I have done so myself, but I'll do so no more,
I'll go home to my family, I'll go home to my wife,
And I'll be a good boy all the rest of my life.

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Click to play

To play or display ABC tunes, try concertina.net

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ABC format:

X:1
T:
M:3/4
Q:1/4=120
K:C
F5G|A3GA2|F2D2C2|D2F2G2|F4c2|d2d2c^A|^A2c2d2|
A3GF2|G4c2|d2d2c^A|^A2c2d2|A3GF2|G4FG|A3GA2|
F4DC|D2F3G|F5/2||