The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #22870 Message #994146
Posted By: Malcolm Douglas
31-Jul-03 - 10:03 AM
Thread Name: Penguin: A Sailor's Life
Subject: RE: Penguin: A Sailor's Life
Both Martin Carthy and A.L. Lloyd recorded arrangements of Henry Hills' set, as published in Penguin and already quoted. They are not traditional variants in their own right. The set recorded by Ewan MacColl was collected by him from Betsy Henry of Auchterarder, Perthshire (n.d.) and published in MacColl and Seeger, The Singing Island, 1960, p. 28. A final verse is omitted on the record:
"O, dig my grave both wide and deep, And lay a rose at my head and feet, And on my breast a turtle dove, To show the world that I died of love."
The set recorded by Cran will be one from Irish tradition (the opening lines seem to be typical of Irish variants, and appeared on Brereton of Dublin's broadside editions of the song; perhaps borrowed from The Croppy Boy). I gather that Cran are generally good about acknowledging their sources, so probably the liner notes will say where they got the above text; could you perhaps quote the relevant bit?
The Sharp set is a collation; the tune, and verse 2, were noted from Mr Gordge at Bridgwater, Somerset, 2 January 1906. Verse 1 (and perhaps 3 and 5, altered) is from Tom Sprachlan, Hambridge, Somerset, September 1903. Some modifications appear to have been made with reference to Mr Hills' set (notably in verses 3 and 4; verse 4 may have been taken directly from his version), and the final verse is a mystery.