Here's the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index.
-Joe Offer-

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Keys of Canterbury, The

DESCRIPTION: The young man comes to the girl and offers her his love or other gifts if she will marry him. She scornfully refuses. After several similar exchanges, he typically offers his MONEY. She accepts. He withdraws the offer: "You love my money but... not me"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1849 (Halliwell)
KEYWORDS: bargaining courting rejection money dialog
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So) Britain(England(All),Scotland)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Randolph 354, "The Paper of Pins" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Eddy 39, "The Keys of Heaven" (4 texts, 3 tunes)
Sharp-100E 66, "The Keys of Canterbury"; 67, "My Man John" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Scott-BoA, pp. 11-13, "The Keys of Canterbury" (1 text, 1 tune)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 262-263, "The Silver Pin" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 323-324, "Paper of Pins" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 135, "Madam, Will You Walk" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 111, pp. 226-228, "Paper of Pins" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 346, "Paper of Pins" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, p. 294, "I'll Give to You a Paper of Pins"
DT, PAPERPIN*
RECORDINGS:
Bradley Kincaid, "A Paper of Pins" (Supertone 9402, 1929; on CrowTold02)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "No, John, No" (plot)
cf. "Wheel of Fortune (Dublin City, Spanish Lady)"
cf. "The Courting Case" (theme)
cf. "The Lover's Quarrel" (plot, lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Madam I Present You With Six Rows of Pins
Blue Muslin
I Will Give You The Keys of Heaven
If You Will Walk With Me
O Madam I Will Give to Thee
The Little Row of Pins
Notes: [In both of Sharp's versions], the lady accepts something and that's that. In "Keys of Canterbury" after rejecting various riches, she accepts a "broidered silken gownd," presumably a wedding gown, and the song ends there. In "My Man John", which also includes a servant who advises his master on how best to court the lady, she rejects all material things but accepts "the keys of my heart." - PJS
File: R354

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2002 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.