Child Ballads about wars

Subject: Child Ballads about wars
From: GUEST,Hilary
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 05:59 PM

Can anyone name some Child Ballads about wars? Or having to do with war? Preferably on the shorter side (less than 15 verses although 10 would be ideal).

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Bill D
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 07:50 PM

Wars specifically...or battles? 157, 162, 163, 164, 168...and several others in the 180s & 190s refer to battles and conflicts...often about some specific hero's experiences.

You can go here and read some texts

If this is some school project, you need to be more specific. If you want to learn ballads, there are many recorded sources.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Kent Davis
Date: 15 Jun 11 - 10:31 PM

Here are a couple which were collected in the American South. The links are within Mudcat.

"James Campbell" (#210, "Bonnie George Campbell") tells of those left behind when James Campbell rides off to war, never to return. @displaysong.cfm?SongID=3144

"The Green Willow Tree" (#286, "The Golden Vanity) tells of a heroic act in a naval battle, followed by a betrayal of the hero.   @displaysong.cfm?SongID=6407

Kent

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Jun 11 - 07:44 PM

Can you tell us what you're working on?

SRS

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 05:39 AM

'Motif Index of the Child Corpus' lists the following under 'war':

92 B; 108; 148; 158; 159; 161; 162; 163; 163; 164; 166; 167; 168; 172; 175; 198; 202; 205; 206; 250; 266; 286; 287; 288; 305

Many of these deal with the protracted warfare between the Scots and the English in the Border regions, notably 161 (The Battle of Otterburn) and 162 (The Hunting of the Cheviot), which tell the tale of the same battle from opposite perspectives. 164 deals with war between England and France, and 288, between England and Germany.

The above list includes three ballads - 167 (Sir Andrew Barton), 250 (Henry Martin), and 287 (Captain Ward and the Rainbow) - generally considered pirate ballads, but in which an English / Scots agenda is discernable.

It has to be said that a lot of those ballads are pretty obscure -rare in tradition and seldom sung in the folk revival. The more familiar ones include 92 (Bonny Bee Hom = Lowlands of Holland) and 286 (Sweet Trinity = Golden Vanity).

Of course there is plenty of relevant material outside the Child Ballads.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: GUEST,Hilary
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 12:34 PM

No, it is not for a school project. I am thinking of participating in an informal sort of singing/storytelling competition in which the theme is war. The only child ballads I know which could possibly have anything to do with war are "The Golden Vanity," and certain versions of "Geordie." So I am trying to find ones which are a bit more obviously connected with wars. Nor is it necessary for me to be singing a child ballad. But I am quite fond of them.

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 01:03 PM

If they don't have to be Child ballads, then I should suggest starting with one of the variants of High Germany {"Oh cursed be these cruel wars..."}; or any of the myriad press gang and/or recruiting party songs ~~ Ratcliffe Highway, Arthur McBryde, On Board A 98; or any of the "Farewell, off to war" songs ~~ Banks of the Nile, Here's Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy, Pretty Nancy Of Yarmouth, Pleasant & Delightful {without unfunny silly noises, preferably!}... &c &c &c ad inf~~~

~Michael~

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: JWB
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 01:11 PM

Not as old as most Child ballads, but a good traditional song about the Irish in the American Civil War, is By The Hush, which is here in the DT: click here.

Jerry

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 01:39 PM

'High Germany', with that 'Cursed be those cruel wars' line would be good if you're not confining yourself to Child. It's in the DT here but NB the first line should be corrected to "Oh Polly love..." - "Colleen" is plain wrong. For a good-soaked naval ballad try 'Polly on the Shore', but treat the version in the DT with caution as again it's inaccurate and credited to Randy Newman (!!??).

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Brian Peters
Date: 17 Jun 11 - 01:41 PM

... and perhaps I should have explained that the string of numbers in my first post are Child Ballad #s......

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: The Sandman
Date: 18 Jun 11 - 12:48 PM

THE rebel soldier see dickmiles last fm

Subject: RE: Child Ballads about wars
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 11 - 04:17 PM

One of the first I learned as a child (not big C Child!) was Johnny I Hardly Knew Ye. My father was singing that a lot as one of the earliest songs he learned when he took up folk music. Follow the links to several related songs and more information.

SRS