Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)

Subject: Buffy St. Marie
From:
Date: 21 Aug 97 - 02:19 PM

Folks -

I'm looking for the lyrics to a song that Buffy St. Marie recorded some years back called "Must I Go Bound?" If anyone knows these lyrics I'd appreciate you e-mailing them to me at [e-mail]

all best -

Paul Piper

Subject: RE: Buffy St. Marie
From: Susan of DT
Date: 21 Aug 97 - 06:33 PM

Piper - look up "Water is wide" in the DT. Buffy used the "Must I go bound..." verse as the chorus and used a different tune, but otherwise it is the same song.

Subject: ADD: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: macaddict01
Date: 29 Sep 09 - 03:16 AM

MUST I GO BOUND
(Traditional)
© Arr. Buffy Sainte-Marie
^^
Must I go bound and you so free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love a one would break my heart

I put my finger into the bush
I thought I found a lovely flower
The thorn it pierced me to a touch
And so I left the rose behind

I leaned my back up against some oak
I thought it was a trusty tree
But first it bended and then it broke
And so did my false love to me

Must I go bound and you so free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love a one would break my heart

There is a ship that's sails the sea
It's loaded down as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
I know not there if I sink or swim

Oh love be gentle and love be kind
Gay as a jewel when first it is new
But love grows old and than grows cold
And fades away like the morning dew

Must I go bound and you so free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love a one would break my heart

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 29 Sep 09 - 04:07 PM

Even as early as the 18th century these floating verses were in a state of flux turning up in garlands in all sorts of combinations. Most versions even then were, like Buffy's version, obviously from separate origins. The rhyming pattern in the verses ranges from abcb to aabb to abab. Obviously verse 2 has gone a step further and doesn't rhyme at all here.

Subject: Lyr Add: MUST I BE BOUND (from June Tabor)
From: cetmst
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 07:27 AM

In the versions I've seen the third line in the first verse reads "Must I enact such a childish part" or "Must I then act the (a) childish part".
June Tabor on her A Quiet Eye Album titles it "Must I Be Bound" and sings other verses.
^^
MUST I BE BOUND

Must I be bound while you go free
Must I love one who never loved me
Must I enact such a childish part
And follow one who will break my heart?

The first thing that my love gave me
It was a cap well lined with lead
And the longer that I wore that cap
It grew the heavier on my head.

You gave me a mantle for to wear
Lined with grief and stitched with care
And the drink you gave me was bitter gall
And the blows you gave me were worse than all.

And the last thing that my love gave me
It was a belt with colours three
And the first was pain and the next was sorrow
And the last was sda misery.

But I will climb up that high tree
And I will rob that wild bird's nest
And I will fall without a fear
And find me one that loves me best.

Must I be bound while you go free
Must I love a one who never loved me
Must I enact such a childish part
And follow one who will break my heart?

Obviously not 18th century sentiments. I seem to recall a thread seeking songs about the abuse of women and think this belongs there. - Charles

Subject: Lyr Add: MUST I GO BOUND (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Little Hawk
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 10:22 AM

The version I know by Buffy has some minor differences from the one posted above. It's like this:

MUST I GO BOUND
(Traditional)
© Arr. Buffy Sainte-Marie

Must I go bound and you so free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love the one who would break my heart

I put my finger into a bush
I thought I'd found a lovely flower
The thorn it pierced me to a touch
And so I left the rose behind

I leaned my back up against some oak
I thought it was a trusty tree
But first it bended and then it broke
And so did my false love to me

Must I go bound and you so free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love the one who would break my heart

There is a ship that sails the sea
It's loaded down as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I am in
I know not e'er I sink or swim

Oh love be gentle and love be kind
Gay as a jewel when first it's new
But love grows old and then grows cold
And fades away like the morning dew

Must I go bound and you so free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I be born with so little art
As to love the one who would break my heart

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Howard Jones
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 12:23 PM

June Tabor's version is similar to one which John Kirkpatrick and Sue Harris used to perform. They said it came from the Shropshire gipsy singer May Bradley.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Bill D
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 03:39 PM

Interesting....as I read those lyrics, memories of how I learned it 40 years ago kinda flooded in..

I do not remember exactly where I got these words, but they differ in a number of ways...mostly just for 'fitting' the tune, but having a different feeling in a couple places.


MUST I GO BOUND

Must I go bound and you go free
Must I love one who don't love me
Must I then play the foolish part
To love a one who'd break my heart

I touched my finger to the bush
For, oh, it was of fairest kind
The thorn it pricked me at the touch
And so I left that rose behind

I leaned my back against some oak
I thought it was a trusty tree
But first it bent and then it broke
Just as my love had done to me

Must I go bound and you go free
Must I love one who don't love me
Must I then play the foolish part
To love a girl/one who'd break my heart

There is a ship that's sails the sea
It's loaded down as deep can be
But not so deep as the love I'm in
I know not there if I sink or swim

Oh love is gentle and love is kind
Gay(like) as a jewel when first it's new
But love grows old and waxes cold
And fades away like morning dew

Must I go bound and you go free
Must I love one who doesn't love me
Must I then play the foolish part
To love a one would break my heart

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 30 Sep 09 - 05:22 PM

cetmst
'Obviously not 18thc sentiments.'
I presume you mean they are earlier. Yes I agree, at least 17thc, possibly earlier.

Your 5th verse is an interloper from another lament which also has become a floater so will attach itself to almost any lament, like any of these verses is like to do.

Subject: Lyr Add: PICKING LILIES
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 10:18 PM

Lyrics and notes copied from A Pedlar's Pack of Ballads and Songs by William Hugh Logan (Edinburgh: William Paterson, 1869), page 336:


PICKING LILIES

From a chap copy of "Four excellent new songs, 1. The Captain's Frolic; 2. Picking Lilies; 3. The distressed Sailors on the rocks of Scylla; 4. The Generous Gentleman." Circa 1782.

This is a good specimen of a peculiar kind of ballad, which, some years ago, used to fascinate the minds of sentimental damsels whose notions of poetry were rather limited.

Down in yon meadow fresh and gay,
Picking lilies fresh and gay,
Picking lilies red and blue,
I little thought what love could do.

Where love is planted there it grows,
It buds and blossoms like any rose,
It has such a sweet and pleasant smell,
No flower on earth can it excel.

There is thousands, thousands in a room,
My love she carries the brightest bloom,
She surely is some chosen one,
I will have her or I'll have none.

I saw a ship sailing on the sea,
As deeply loaded as she could be,
But not so deep as in love I am,
I care not whether I sink or swim.

Must I go bound, shall she go free?
Must I love one that loves not me?
Why should I act such a childish part,
As to love one that would break my heart?

I put my hand into a bush,
Thinking the sweetest rose to find,
But I pricked my finger to the bone,
And left the sweetest rose behind.

If roses be such a prickly flower,
They should be gathered when they are green,
For he that weds with an unkind love,
I'm sure he strives against the stream.

If my love were dead and gone to rest,
I'd think on her that I love best,
I'd wrap her up in the linen strong.
And I'd think on her when she's dead and gone.

*

Several songs in the DT contain the phrase "must I go bound":

WATER IS WIDE

GREEN VALLEY

BLUE-EYED BOY

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Alice
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 10:22 PM

Must I go bound and you go free
Must I love a lad who wouldn't love me
Was 'ere I taught so poor a wit
As to love a lad who would break my heart.

(Above what I sing from a fragment - there is
an older thread on this where I posted more).

Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Alice
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 10:23 PM

I should have noted I'm not referring to the Buffy Sainte-Maire recording. I cannot now remember where I learned it, but it is probably in the older thread. Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Alice
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 10:29 PM

the other thread

The tune I sing was collected by Herbert Hughes in County Derry, published in 1909.


Alice

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Alice
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 10:46 PM

jeez, I just noticed this thread is from back in '97, the year I joined Mcat.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Must I Go Bound (Buffy Sainte-Marie)
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 04:04 PM

Note that Logan's c1782 version has 5 verses of aabb then 2 of abcb before reverting back to aabb to finish. A sure sign of a concoction.
Some related lyrics and ballads as early as the 17thc have the mixed patterns as well. I came across an 18thc version recently that is unusual in that the pattern is consistent.