Lyr Req: Sovay / Sylvie

Subject: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: danl
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 01:10 PM

ok, for those of you who like a challenge there has been a song ive wanted the words for for at least two years now but unfortuanatly i only know about two lines of it. i COULD sing you the tune but thats a bit hard really. i can tell you however thats its a very irregular tune and i great one so obviously im a bit desperate to get the words so i can sing it rather than just humming randomly. the lines i do know are:-

'sal-vay, sal-vay, sal-ver-ray / she dressed herself up in man's array / dum de dumdum dumdedum dum dum / dum dumde dumdedum dum dum. '

obviously the dum de dum bits arnt the words but more my vauge attempt to describe the rather distinctive rhythem. i'm not even sure if the first line words are spelt like that but thats what they look like if you spell out phonetically what they sound like.

i know this is a bit of a challenge but perhaps there is someone out there who knows what im talking about.... anyone...???

love ivy b*

Subject: Sovay
From: Philippa
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 01:16 PM

take a look at SOVAY in the Digital Tradition database at Mudcat.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: danl
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 01:36 PM

wow! thanks!

im not sure why but though i tried to find it several times on the database i couldnt.

im think thats the one though. thank you very much, ill try harded next time.

love ivy b*

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: Indy Lass
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 02:06 PM

I think the song you've heard is called "Sylvie." It's here in my "A Bonnie Buch of Roses" songs of England Ireland and Scotland--a songbook with 150 songs from the Britsh Isles by Dan Milner and Paul Kaplan. It Goes: Sylvie, Sylvie, when none could see, Dressed in mens's clothing and gear so free, With a sword and pistol all by her side, To meet here true love, to meet her true love Sylvie did ride...The melody is the same as The Wild and Wicked Youth. The band Solas does a version of the "Wild and Wicked Youth" they call "Newry Town."

Subject: Sovay or Sylvie, highwaywoman
From: Philippa
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 04:16 PM

Thanks, annieglenn, for the info. on another version of "Sovay". Indeed the DT notes do say that the name "Sovay" could be a corruption of the name "Sylvie".
Ivy B, I got it for you so quickly because I already knew the song and under the same name that's in the DT; I simply looked for "Sovay". You didn't have a lot to go on, though as it happens [in man's array]finds the song okay and there's a category @transvestite! It's quite nice for me that you couldn't find it because I was reminded of the song and sang it to myself for the first time in a while. I am going to scold you, however, for using the sort of non-specific thread title which might encourage too many people to add their own "Very long shot" queries for different songs.
The comment on the "distinctive rhythm" makes me think you make have heard the Martin Carthy rendition (or someone following his style)as he made it a bit more upbeat than the source recordings.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 14 Jun 99 - 07:08 PM

Cliff Haslam recorded it for Folk-Legacy.

Sandy

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: alison
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 04:34 AM

hi Ivy,

Here's a previous thread... with the Sylvie lyrics...

Time signature????

Slainte

alison

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: The_one_and_only_Dai
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 05:21 AM

Versions also exist by Martin Carthy and Pentangle.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: Graham Pirt
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 05:41 AM

I was always led to believe that Sovay was to be sung in 5/4 time.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: danl
Date: 15 Jun 99 - 06:40 AM

this is great! ive got loads of versions now so i can practice singing them all. i too am no good at working out time signitures and just tend to sing them without thinking about it too much. i do like the more unusual ones though. while on the subject, does anyone know what the time signiture is for Fairport's version of Tam Lin? thats had me puzzled for ages.

ivy b*

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: GUEST,Katlinel
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 03:19 PM

I don't know how often this thread is looked at, but I have been looking for a version of Sovay that is performed on the Putmayo Music Celtic Women of the World II anthology. I've been looking for lyrics, but also for other recordings by the artist (whose name escapes me right now) and have had no luck so far.

Katlinel_fropvd @ hotmail.com (spaces to try and defeat spam-bots)

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: greg stephens
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 04:16 PM

I've been told(I dont know if its true) that puttting spaces in doesnt fool the spammers but writing "at" instead of @ does the trick.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 04:31 PM

The recording was by Touchstone; I'm not familiar with their work, but I gather that they are (or were) popular in Canada. The very short sound-clip I've heard sounds like an arrangement of Bert Lloyd's set of the song, but it was too short to be sure.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics
From: Bill D
Date: 12 Sep 02 - 06:13 PM

spam bots VERY seldom get to the Mudcat, because of the transient nature of the forum...but greg stephens is correct..the @ sign is what they look for. You can also add some sort of garbage before the @ sign and get something like [e-mail] ...then you post a cute message to 'remove YOUR CLOTHES' before replying.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics - Sovay/Sylvie
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 07:03 AM

As previously mentioned, it was on Martin Carthy's first LP - it was released in 1965 - so it's probably one of the first recordings. He sings it in 5/4 time and to me it's still the definitive version.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics - Sovay/Sylvie
From: GUEST,Katlinel
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 09:43 AM

*lol* I like the suggestion about YOURCLOTHES...I'm going to incorporate it. *grin*

Around here (Vermont)the traditional version of that song is called Jennie. I'm not sure how Silvy or Sophie changed into Jennie, but the arrangement is quite different from the Touchwood version. (I looked up the CD after posting and got the group name.) I haven't been able to locate any other recordings by them, which is a shame, because I really like their harmonization and would like to learn some it.

Subject: RE: a very long shot i know for lyrics - Sovay/Sylvie
From: Herga Kitty
Date: 13 Sep 02 - 03:47 PM

Dave Bryant - I think you're right about Martin Carthy, which is probably why I've never sung it.