Come write me down

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: GUEST,Liam
Date: 05 Aug 25 - 11:47 AM

Thanks, PMB

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 05 Aug 25 - 10:43 AM

"Come write me down, you powers above" - a fairly conventional poetic invocation of spiritual assistance in the task of recording the following fairly conventional tale.

"I've a diamond in my eye where all my joys and comforts lie" - sounds most uncomfortable, but a conventionally poetic way of saying he's looking at his (now) wife (see remainder of song).

For a really entertaining sketch of a later 19th century amateur poet, see Moggridge the customs officer in Arthur Quiller- Couch's Astonishing History of Troy Town. The rest of the book is worth a read too.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Aug 25 - 05:16 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: GUEST,Liam
Date: 04 Aug 25 - 05:47 AM

What exactly is meant by "Come write me down" and "I've a diamond in my eye"?

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: breezy
Date: 26 Mar 03 - 12:31 PM

for the singing ref

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: RoyH (Burl)
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 03:16 PM

Elaine and I had this sung to us by Louis Killen and Jerry Epstein on the occasion of our 25th wedding anniversary. It was at the Pinewoods Folk Week in 1982. We were quietly having diner when Jerry and Lou came up behind us and started to sing, the whole company taking up the refrain. Unforgettable. A treaasured memory.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: breezy
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 10:27 AM

cheers dave, takes me back to ....
no
lets move on

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 08:55 AM

Someone sang "I wish I was single again" at mine - rather prophetic !

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Benbow
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 08:06 AM

How many have had Come write me down, sung at their weddings....

Me too , It was sung at my wedding, and even at my parent's and my inlaw's golden weddings.


A wedding isn't a wedding without it in my family.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 04:44 AM

Breezy:

Next morning she said, "My sweet love John
- Come Start your play - we've scarce begun"

And John said "Sh******t !".

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: GUEST,arnie
Date: 25 Mar 03 - 04:06 AM

Looks like 'married by asking' wins the day then! I suspect the Bucks version I heard used 'married by Hoskins', which now almost certainly appears to be misheard. Many thanks for the debate - I've learned a lot about the about the history behind the song from the blue clickies.

Arnie

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: greg stephens
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 06:34 PM

Be interesting to know how many folkie couples have had this song at their wedding celebrations. Me for a start. anyone else?

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Little Robyn
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 06:28 PM

I've heard it as "married by Austin as I've heard say."
Maybe another mondegreen?
It was sung at our wedding - known as "The Wedding song" in this neck of the woods. I think we learnt it from Shirley Collins - Anthems in Eden.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: breezy
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 06:07 PM

so to bed they went that very same night
And went fifteen rounds if I've heard right
next ................................
come on now john we've scarce begun

can some one provide me with the missing line please or the verse I'm chasing.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 05:19 PM

I've come across "married by Hoskins" - but it's pretty clearly a mishearing.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: vectis
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 03:19 PM

'Haskin' or 'Hoskin' must be a misheard 'asking' I reckon. All the versions I've heard have had 'asking' as per The Coppers.
Mary

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 11:31 AM

Sounds like a rather nice mondegreen.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Dave Wynn
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 11:24 AM

I just made a quick call to mudcatter Crump about this song. He tells me that a bandmember of Redmayne called Barry Oates collected it for the band from an inknown source and the version they sing is "married by Hoskins as I've heard say". Crump also tells me they have heard other versions from people who when questioned say they sing Haskins.

Presumably this implies that the vicar's name was Hoskins or Haskins.

This information is in no way definitive just one variation of the meaning. They have been singing it this way since 1970.

Spot

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 11:11 AM

Broadside examples don't seem to use the expression, and the majority of sets found in tradition don't, either; but it isn't unique to the Copper Family version. Cecilia Costello of Birmingham also had it in her version of the song. As Dave has said, most people who sing it now have learned it at one or more removes from the Coppers, though.

The background of the song is examined in more detail in the Forum, at DTStudy: Come Write Me Down

And at folkinfo.org: Come Write Me Down

There was some discussion of "married by asking" there a little while ago, coming to a vague conclusion on much the same lines as here.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: nutty
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 11:02 AM

The verse about marriage does not appear in the earlier versions as shown on this broadside from the Bodleian Library printed between 1780 and 1812.

Come Write Me Down

The song was also known as Second Thoughts Are Best.

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: IanC
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 11:02 AM

Sorry

The asking was, of course, the asking by the priest of the question "Do you n take this ..."

:-)

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: IanC
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 10:56 AM

I believe that "Marriage by Asking" is marriage by verbal promise ... basically a cost-free option if the parish priest is willing to carry it out. This was made illegal in England and Wales by the "Marriage Act" of 1753, which required all marriages to be duly licensed and banns read in advance, as is now the practice.

:-)

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Zany Mouse
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 10:48 AM

Hi.

I'm not sure of my source on this one but I believe to be married by asking (the correct version of this song) means simply that bans were called. The expression is used in a considerable number of songs e.g. The Shepherd's Song.

I am sure some other Mudcatter will have a different answer!!!

Incidentally, in some areas Come Write Me Down is sung to newly married couples and, indeed, a 'folk couple' are not really married until they have it sung to them. I am certainly hoping that someone will sing it at our wedding.

ZM

Subject: RE: Come write me down
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 10:46 AM

All the versions which I have heard have the line 'married by asking as I've heard say'.

The usual source of the song is the Copper Family from Sussex. You can find their version HERE on their website.

Subject: Come write me down
From: GUEST,arnie
Date: 24 Mar 03 - 10:34 AM

I heard 'Come write me down' some time ago sung by a folk singer in Bucks. I recently heard it again in Kent and decided to get the lyrics to include it in my (somewhat limited) repertoire of unaccompanied songs. Now I see on the Mudcat database that the couple were 'married by asking as I've heard say'- which is the version the Kent singer has. I'm sure in the Bucks version the couple were married by someone who was named, possibly a famous vicar or bishop of the day, not by 'asking' - and anyway, what would 'married by asking' mean? I suspect this is a misheard lyric that has got onto the database version. Does anyone know who married this couple - or was it indeed by 'asking?' Any help appreciated.