Lyr Add: American Stranger

Subject: Plains of America
From: Frankie
Date: 07 Nov 99 - 09:21 AM

I learned this song off Happy Traums' album American Stranger and I've heard a recordng of an Irish(?) group sing it with more and somewhat different lyrics. I'm looking for additional or alternate verses. It starts out:

I'm a stranger to your country from America I came* There's no one here that knows me or yet can speak my Name* I've traveled your country for to wander for a while* Far from from my bonnie darling I'm many a weary mile.

Thanks, Frankie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 07 Nov 99 - 11:07 AM

Brian Brooks (later of The House Band) and I sang this unaccompanied in harmony on The Flying Cloud: Traditional Music from Ireland, England and Scotland (Adelphi AD1029) in 1977. Let me know if you think that was the recording.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Bruce O.
Date: 07 Nov 99 - 03:16 PM

Ewan MacColl sang it on Riverside RLP 12-656 (English and Scottish Love Songs). It seems to have first appeared in Stokoe and Reay's 'Songs and Ballads of the North Country', 1892, and later in JFSS 13 (1909), and 18 (1914).

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From:
Date: 08 Nov 99 - 06:48 PM

Dan, that well could be the one. They use to play it occasionally on a trad music show on an NPR station in Miami. It was accapella and was sung in dialect "..Far frae my bonnie dearing (?), aye many a weary mile." A lovely version. It was the only other place I've heard that melody. That collection sounds interesting, wonder if it's still in print. Bruce, I'm a Ewan McColl fan and I'll try to track that down. Thanks a lot fellas, Frankie

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Bruce O.
Date: 08 Nov 99 - 07:18 PM

The one who could probably tell you if it's been reissued on CD is Wally MacNow at the CAMSCO site in Mudcat's Links (and on my homepage)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE AMERICAN STRANGER
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 08 Nov 99 - 08:16 PM

THE AMERICAN STRANGER

I'm a stranger in this country from America I came.
There's no one that knows me nor can tell my name.
I'm a stranger in this country and shall tarry here awhile
And I'll ramble from my darling for many a long mile.

Oh, some say I'm rakish and some say I'm wild,
Some say that I'm rakish my friends to beguile.
But to prove myself loyal you shall come along with me
And I'll take you to America my darling to be.

The moon shall be in darkness and the stars shall give no light
If ever I prove false to my own heart's delight.
In the midst of the ocean there shall grow a myrtle tree
If ever I prove false to the girl that loves me.

We are bound for America and our ship will soon sail.
May heaven protect us with a prosperous gale
And when that we are landed we'll dance and we'll sing
In a plentiful country where no dangers can bring.

first verse repeated


The words come from a broadside. Broadsides were not dated therefore there's no way to know the age, however, I would guess the song is at least from the first 50 years of the 19th century. The record, as far as I know has not been reissued. The company's address is...
Genes Compact Disc Company, PO Box 7778, Silver Spring, MD 20907.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: lamarca
Date: 10 Nov 99 - 12:56 PM

Julie Henigan, a fine singer from Missouri, does it as the title cut of her album, "American Stranger" - I'm pretty sure Wally of Camsco.com has it, too.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Graham Pirt
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 04:18 AM

Stokoe and Reay have another verse after V2

Give me love to me Polly
She's the girl I adore
Likewise to me Susy although she is poor
Give me love to me Betsy she's me joy and delight
I'll roll her in me arms on a cold winter's night.

This was from memory so the names might be in the wrong order - though I don't imagine the American Stranger would mind!

Graham

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Graham Pirt
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 04:21 AM

Also Stokoe and Reay have the last half of the last line of the last verse as "and God save the King"

Just for interest

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Bruce O.
Date: 11 Nov 99 - 11:27 AM

American Stranger: I hadn't known that the song was from a broadside ballad. There seems to be no copy on the Bodley Ballads website, nor have I seen it elsewhere, but Steve Roud's broadside ballad index lists over a dozen copies.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 05:04 PM

This other thread has another version, from Ord's Bothy Ballads, and from from Gavin Greig, Folk-Song of the North-East. The above looks like the one I recognize from Julie Henigan and from Waterson:Carthy (Common Tongue). (I have to admit that after hearing them both many times it's only yesterday that I said, "Oh my gosh, they're the same song!")

I'm curious about the tunes that might go with these differing versions. Anyone willing to transcribe them??

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 05:31 PM

The Bodleian Library has seventeen copies listed of various printings. The oldest date is 1789-1820 (call it 1820 to be on the safe side because the new-fangled S is used) and the latest about 1846.
Second line second verse. Substitute carell for rakish.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 06:04 PM

Tunes? (Can't get 'em from the Bodley broadsides, unfortunately.)

I'm working on transcribing the tune I'm familiar with (the one that goes with the words on this thread, presumably). Julie Henigan got it from Roy Palmer's Folksongs of the Midlands. Can anyone say anything about the tune for fairly different version (with a more complete sounding text) that's in the thread I referenced above, today?

~ B in T

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 06:32 PM

Post of 5:31 pm. Substitute "Careless" for rakish. Me be careless!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 10:15 PM

Here is the tune as given in Roy Palmer's Songs of the Midlands (EP Publishing Ltd., 1972). It was noted by Cecil Sharp, from Priscilla Cooper, Stafford Common, Devonshire, 2 September 1902; and has here been altered by Pam Bishop to fit the broadside text, which is almost exactly as quoted above by Dan, with the additional verse quoted by Graham (though as usual, the word is my, not me).

X:1
T:American Stranger
S:Tune from Mrs. Priscilla Cooper, Stafford Common, Sept. 1902.
N:Noted by Cecil Sharp.
B:Songs of the Midlands, Roy Palmer, 1972.
Z:Tune modified by Pam Bishop.
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
M:3/4
K:G
A A|d3 d c B|A2 G2 A A|B B G2 E2|D4
w:I'm a stran-ger in this coun-try from A-me-ri-ca I came.
A A|d2 e2 f2|e2 d2 (cB)|(AG) (EF) G2|A4
w:There is no-one that knows me nor_ can_ tell_ my name;
A A|d2 e2 f f|e2 d2 c B|A G (EF) G2|A4
w:I'm a stran-ger in this coun-try and shall tar-ry here_ a-while
A c|c2 A2 c B|(AG) E2 G2|A A G2 E2|D6|]
w:And I'll ram-ble from my dar-*ling for ma-ny a long mile.

Mrs. Cooper had what appeared to be an incomplete tune. Her text, rather different from the broadside given earlier (and muddled a bit with another song or two), was as follows:

I have been a-rambling by night and by day,
But to prove myself royals I will gang along with you;
I will take you to Amerikee, O my darling to be.

Some says I am ragged, some says I am poor,
But to prove myself royals I will gang along with you.

O in the middle of the ocean there shall grow a maypole tree
If ever I prove false to the girl that loves me.

Kind love to my Polly although she is poor,
Give my love to Betsy, she's the girl I adore.
I'll roll her in my arms on a cold winter's night.

And I wandered from my darling for many a long mile.
Now our ship it is ready, 'tis ready to set sail,
And I'll take you to Amerikee my darling to be.

But when we gets over to our own countree
We'll drink the good health to the Indian lass.


X:1
T:American Stranger
S:Mrs. Priscilla Cooper, Stafford Common, Sept. 1902.
N:Noted by Cecil Sharp.
B:Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs, ed. Maud Karpeles, OUP, 1974.
L:1/8
Q:1/4=100
M:3/4
K:G
A2|d4 c2 B2 |A2 G4 A2| B2 G2 E2|D4
w:I have been a-ram-bling by night and by day,
AA|d2 e2 f2|e2 d4 cB|AG (EF) G2|A4
w:But to prove my-self ro-yals I will gang a-long_ with you;
Ac|d3 A CB|AG E2 GG |A2 G2 E2| D4|]
w:I will take you to A-me-ri-kee, O my dar-ling to be.

Text and tune both quoted from Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs, ed. Maud Karpeles, OUP, 1974.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 11:01 PM

For my notes, I copied one of the Bodleian broadsides (Printed for Wm. Armstrong, Liverpool). I was wondering if there was an Irish version but there doesn't seem to be.
It has the "Polly" verse of the Sharp version, above, and would be verse 3 of the one posted by Liam's Brother. Very close to the one given by Graham Pirt.

Give my love to Polly, she's the girl I adore,
Likewise to my Susan, altho' she is poor.
Give my love to Betsy she's my joy and delight,
I'll clasp her in my arms on a cold frosty night.

The last verse is similar to the one in Liam's Brother post but nods to the king.

They are both bound to America and the ship has set sail,
Kind heaven protect them with a prosperous gale,
And when they are landed they'll dance and they'll sing,
In a plentiful country and God save the king.
Harding B 25(46) "1820-1824"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 15 Nov 02 - 11:38 PM

The Roud Index (no.1081) has added quite a few references to both versions from tradition and broadside prints since Bruce's post (nearly 4 years ago, now); they all seem to be English or Scottish. King George turns up a fair bit.

Beside the text from Ord that Becky mentions, a set noted by Baring Gould in 1891 was posted (with a translation into Cornish!) at Lyr/Tune Add: ESTREN/STRANGER.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Desert Dancer
Date: 16 Nov 02 - 01:15 AM

Julie Henigan's words (she was the one who cited Roy Palmer) match Liam's Brother's above, but it looks like Waterson:Carthy had their hands on Mrs. Cooper's text Malcolm gives here: they've got the Maypole tree verse, and it really does sound like "royals" rather than "loyal". (I find with their rendition I focus on the music more than the words, Julie Henigan's is simpler and more transparent, thus my delay in connecting them!).

So, thanks, that's three tunes now, and I'm saved from transcription. The two above are clearly relations of one another (but do you mean a "c" rather than a "C" in the last line of the second tune, Malcolm?). The Cornish one is rather different.

~ Becky in Tucson

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 16 Nov 02 - 10:53 AM

You're quite right; it should be a "c". Thanks for spotting my mistake!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: American Stranger
From: CelticMatt
Date: 17 Aug 12 - 12:16 PM

Does anybody happen to have the chords to this song? Not the tabs, but just the basic chords changes? Thanks so much!!