Origins:Yorkshire Damsel/Damosel [Foggy Foggy Dew]

Subject: Lyr Add: YORKSHIRE DAMOSEL [FOGGY FOGGY DEW]
From: Bruce O.
Date: 12 Jan 98 - 11:12 PM

[Foggy, Foggy Dew.]

The Fright'ned Yorkshire Damosel, Or, Fear Dispears'd by Pleasure.

To the tune of, I met with a Country Lass, &c. [unidentified]

When first I beqan to court,
and pretty young maids to wooe
I could not win the virgin fort,
but by the Bogulmaroo.

I kiss'd her in the summer time,
and in the cold winter too;
At last I took her in the prime,
but by the Bogulmaroo.

My love she was going one Night
to bed as she us'd to do,
When on the stairs whe saw a Spright
it was the Bogulmaroo.

She came to my chamber-door,
and could not tell what to do;
But straight began to weep full sore,
for fear of the Bogulmaroo.

At last she came boldly in,
tho' still her poor heart did rue
For looking back the Spright did grin
O cruel Bogulmaroo.

She started and run in haste,
and close to my bed-side drew;
Her eyes she durst not backward cast,
for fear of Bogulmaroo.

But into my bed she crept,
and did her sorrows renew,
She wrung her hands, and sadly wept,
for fear of Bogulmaroo.

I turn'd about to the maid,
as lovers are wont to do;
And bid her be no more afraid
of th' ugly Bogulmaroo.

I kiss'd and embrac'd her then,
our pleasures they were not few;
We lay abed next day till ten,
for fear of Bogulmaroo.

My love she was all dismay'd,
to think of what she had done,
Arise, said I, be not afraid,
the Bogulmaroo is gone.

I marry'd her the next day,
and did her pleasures renew;
Each night we spend in charming play,
for all the Bogulmaroo.

I ne'r said a word of the thing,
nor never intend to do;
But ev'ry time she smiles on me,
I think of Bogulmaroo.

Printed and Sold by J. Millet, ... 1689.

Bogulmaroo = Buggle Bow, or now, Buggabo, was a big black devil that played tricks on travelers at night. This superstition goes back at least to the early 17th century. A chapbook published in 1660 was 'The Meickle Black Diel, or the Boggle Bo'. "Bugle Bow" was also the name of a lost tune, c 1615.

Subject: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: John M.
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 01:35 PM

Hello everyone,

Here is the earliest date for "The Foggy, Foggy Dew". This is from a broadside dated 1689 and is found on page 250 of vol.5 in Pepys Ballad Collection Facsimile according to John Wardroper's Lovers, Rakes and Rouges. The modernized text below is found in Wardroper's Lovers on pgs. 87-88.

Can anyone confirm the song is in the Pepys Facsmile?

John Mehlberg
~
My website: www.immortalia.com
~

The Firghtened Yorkshire Damsel
or Fears Dispersed by Pleasure

When first I began to court
And pretty young maidens to woo,
I could not win the virgin fort
But by the Bogulmaroo.

I kissed her in the summer time
And in the cold winter too;
At last I took her in the prime,
But by the Bogulmaroo.

My love she was going on night
To bed as she used to do
When on the stairs she saw a spright:
It was the Bogulmaroo.

She came to my chamber-door
And could not tell what to do,
But straight began to weep full sore
For fear of Bogulmaroo.

At last she came boldly in,
Though still her poor heart did rue,
For looking back, the spright did grin.
O cruel Bogulmaroo!

She started and run in haste
And close to my bedside dre3w.
Her eyes she durst not backward cast
For fear of Bogulmaroo.

But into my bed she crept,
And did her sorrows renew:
She wrung her hands and sadly wept
For fear of Bogulmaroo.

I turned about to the maid,
As lovers are wont to do,
And bid her be no more afraid
Of th'ugly Bogulmaroo.

I kissed and embraced her then.
Our pleasures they were not few.
We lay abed next day till ten
For fear of the Bogulmaroo.

My love she was all dismayed
To think of what she had done.
Arise, said I, be not afraid,
The Bogulmaroo is gone.

I married her the next day
And did her pleasure renew.
Each night we spend in charming play,
For all the Bogulmaroo.

I ne'er said a word of the thing
Nor never intended to do,
But every time she smiles on me
I think of Bogulmaroo.

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: GUEST,thurg
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 06:04 PM

If this is the progenitor of the version recorded by Liam Clancy (or was it Tommy Makem? or both?), then it goes to show the wonderful refining and improving faculties of the folk-process ("th"ugly Bugalmaroo" - jeesh!).

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 07:19 PM

Posted here long ago by the late Bruce Olson.

Foggy, Foggy Dew (Bogulmaroo)  (original thread).

The Fright'ned Yorkshire Damosel, Or, Fear Dispears'd by Pleasure  (DT file, with collapsed formatting).

Which 'Pepys Ballad Collection Facsimile' is that? You don't give any publication details. I can confirm, though, that a facsimile can be seen online at  The Pepys Ballads (University of California-Santa Barbara, prepared from photographic images of the collection held at the Pepys Library, Magdalene College, Cambridge):

THE/ Fright'ned York-shire Damosel,/ OR,/ Fears Dispers'd by Pleasure.

I'm not sure why Wardroper felt the need to change the way a few words were spelled (the original is perfectly easy to understand); equally, "thurg" misses the point that applying modern, subjective aesthetic judgements to historical material is anachronistic and irrelevant.

For a detailed discussion of the song-family and its origins, see Robert S Thomson, 'The Frightful Foggy Dew' in Folk Music Journal, London: EFDSS, Volume 4 Number 1 (1980).

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: Amos
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 07:22 PM

I find the original quite charming, and am glad to have been exposed to it!

A

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 07:35 PM

It also was in Olson's Scarce Songs 1, now excluded by Robots.txt.

Who are these ........?

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: GUEST,thurg
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 08:19 PM

"equally, "thurg" misses the point that applying modern, subjective aesthetic judgements to historical material is anachronistic and irrelevant."

Hunh? Irrelevant to what? Irrelevant to my modern and subjective opinion as to which version has more aesthetic merit? No. Irrelevant to the question of whether anyone can confirm the song is in Pepys' Facsimile? Absolutely.

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 12 Sep 06 - 09:14 PM

Is there discrimination if not downright bigotry here? Just because bogulmaroo (bogle bo, buggle bow, bugaboo, etc.) is black (usually) is no reason to call him ugly and 'refine' him out of a song in which he has an important part.

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1689
From: Lighter
Date: 13 Sep 06 - 12:57 PM

Roy Palmer published a photo of the broadside as the frontispiece to his book "The Sounds of History" in 1988.

Subject: RE: Origins: Antedating The Foggy, Foggy Dew ==> 1
From: John M.
Date: 14 Sep 06 - 10:21 PM

Malcolm Douglas, thanks!   I didn't know of the online Pepys Ballads.

I have other items from Wardroper's book which will not be as easy to verify.

Always Yours,

John Mehlberg