The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #57722   Message #909210
Posted By: Joe Offer
13-Mar-03 - 01:18 PM
Thread Name: Inflationary pressures on folk tradition-4 P a Day
Subject: Origins: Four Pence a Day
Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry for "Four Pence a Day." did MacColl write it?

Four Pence a Day

DESCRIPTION: "The ore is waiting in the tubs, the snow's upon the fell." The washer lads must be at work early in the day. The singer's poor parents could not send him to school, so he must work for four pence a day. He hopes his boss will develop a conscience
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1951 (recording, Ewan MacColl)
KEYWORDS: work worker poverty boss hardtimes
FOUND IN: Britain
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Silber-FSWB, p. 130, "Four Pence a Day" (1 text)
DT, FOURPENC*
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl, "Four Pence a Day" (on Lomax41, LomaxCD1741)
Pete Seeger, "The Washer Lad" (on PeteSeeger23, AmHist1)
File: FSWB130A