Lyr Req: Molehill? / Mohill / Handsome Polly-O

Subject: Lyr Req: Molehill
From: Tcherlach
Date: 28 Oct 09 - 07:09 PM

Does anyone know the lyrics to a song entitled "Molehill" sung by Martin Carthy way back when....? I can remember only a few of the lyrics, - "A regiment of soldiers come to Molehill O,A regiment of soldiers come to Molehill O,and the Captain on parade he fell in love with a pretty maid and the name that she was called was handsome Polly O"......"Will you list in the army handsome Polly O" .... "For I ne'er intend to roam into any foreign shore nor to marry any soldier in the army O"
That's all I can remember of the song which I think I heard back in the 70's but it's hard to tell these days.
Can anyone help?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 30 Oct 09 - 12:37 PM

The song apparently belongs to a family of related songs called
BONNIE LASS OF FENARIO
PRETTY PEGGY OF DERBY, O.
BONNIE LASS OF FYVIE, O
PRETTY PEGGY-O

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill
From: Matthew Edwards
Date: 30 Oct 09 - 01:29 PM

Thomas Moran of Mohill Co. Leitrim sang this for Seamus Ennis in 1954 and Martin Carthy subsequently recorded it on Shearwater. Malcolm Douglas posted the complete lyrics here: Handsome Polly-O.

Matthew Edwards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill? / Mohill / Handsome Polly-O
From: Tcherlach
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 04:29 PM

Thank you very much. That's the song, tnat's the one

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill? / Mohill / Handsome Polly-O
From: Tcherlach
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 04:32 PM

Thank you Jim Dixon. I'd always known of the assocation of Mohill with these other songs it just irritated me that I could not remember the exact lyrics - if such a thing as exact lyrics for folk song exists. Thank you

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill? / Mohill / Handsome Polly-O
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 04:41 PM

Thomas Moran recorded some wonderful stuff for Ennis. A few tracks were issued on vinyl and are well worth hearing.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill? / Mohill / Handsome Polly-O
From: Reinhard
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 05:03 PM

Thomas Moran's version is on the LP A Soldier's Life for Me, volume 8 of the Caedmon/Topic series The Folk Songs of Britain from the 1960s. The album notes say:

“Handsome Polly-O sung by Thomas Moran, Mohill, Co. Leitrim; recorded by Seamus Ennis (BBC Sound Archive)

This tale of the love-lorn captain still enjoys widespread popularity in the English-speaking world. It was published in Cecil Sharp's English Folk Song of the Southern Appalachians under the title of Pretty Katie-O and in Scotland it is generally sung as The Bonnie Lass of Fyvie to the air Kelvin Grove.”

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Molehill? / Mohill / Handsome Polly-O
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Nov 09 - 05:16 PM

Bit of thread drift, I know, but there's an MP3 of Moran singing "The Jolly Tinker" HERE, currently.