Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'

Subject: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Folkie Frank
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 04:33 PM

I need some help with lyrics, please.

The song is The Cabin Boy by The Furrow Collective

It is based on this song The Little Cabin Boy, but the lyrics differ somewhat.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

They seem to throw in the occasional Scottish dialect word. This is what I've managed to transcribe:

[Verse]
It's of a lady gay
And a lady fair and bright
She’s fallen in love with a little cabin boy
And slighted Lord and Knight

[Verse]
“Will you tarry on shore with me, my boy
Will you tarry on shore with me__?”
“??? ??? ???
My mind is by the sea”

[Verse]
“Gin your love for me is great
Mine is greater still
But ye mon tae the captain gae
And spiel for his goodwill”

[Verse]
So, she’s to the captain gae
“Grant me my Will, said she
Gie to me your little cabin boy
To tarry on shore with me”

[Verse]
“And you a lady gay
And you ask me for a boy
Better it be some Lord or Knight
Your sweet body to enjoy”

[Instrumental]


[Verse]
So, she’s to her true love gane
“Oh, ??? ???”, said she
“The nearest and dearest of lovers we mon part
And sae mon you and I”

[Verse]
Young Billy is on the sea
And the waves tossed to-and-fro
Crying like a little sea bird
From east to west to go home

[Verse]
But they ??? ??? on the sea
??? ???
‘Til the gallant ship and her men were lost
And the galley were never seen more

[Verse]
It was in her garden green
On green and grassy ground
Early when her father he arose
This lady’s body he found

[Verse]
Six maids dressed all in black
And six dressed all in green
Her ??? ???
For she died for her cabin boy sae young

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 05:39 PM

There are a couple of Scottish versions of Roud 1168, one in Christie and the other much earlier in the Crawfurd Collection. This version most likely from Christie. I'll check.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 05:49 PM

No, it's much closer to the Crawfurd version, but I'd guess it's been rewritten using this version as the Crawfurd version is a little disordered. PM me your email and I'll scan it for you.

BTW this is one of those oral tradition songs of which we're still searching for a printed source, very likely late 18th century or earlier.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Reinhard
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 06:12 PM

This is what I hear:

The Cabin Boy
sung by Alasdair Roberts on The Furrow Collective: Fathoms

It's of a Lady gay
And a Lady fair and bright
She's fallen in love with a little cabin boy
And slighted Lord and Knight.

"Will you tarry on shore wi me, my boy?
Will you tarry on shore wi me?
I dinnae want any Lord or Knight,
My mind is bound to thee."

"Gin your love for me is great,
Mine is greater still.
But ye maun to my captain gae
And speir for his goodwill."

So she's to the captain gane,
"Grant me my Will," said she,
"Gie to me your little cabin boy
To tarry on shore wi me."

"And you a lady gay
And you ask me for a boy?
Better it be some Lord or Knight
Your sweet body to enjoy."

So she's to her true love gane,
"Oh Billy [coo?]," said she,
"The nearest and dearest of lovers we maun part
And sae maun you and I."

[Then?] Billy is on the sea
And the waves toss to and fro,
Crying like a little sea bird
From East to West to go home.

But they hadn't sailed a week on the sea
A week but barely four
Till the gallant ship and her men were lost
And Billy was never seen more.

It was in yon gairden green,
On green and grassy ground,
Early when her faither he arose
This lady's body he found.

Six maids dressed all in black
And six dressed all in green,
Her faither and [mother?] are mourning deep
For she died for her cabin boy sae young.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Folkie Frank
Date: 19 Oct 20 - 09:38 PM

Thank you, Reinhard, that looks about right.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 02:03 PM

The sleeve notes give Crawfurd's collection and also a North American variant from the singing of Peggy Seeger as sources. I suppose it's a kind of amalgam of those?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 20 Oct 20 - 04:59 PM

Crawfurd dispatched.

Subject: Re: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics for 'The Cabin Boy'
From: GUEST
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 08:56 AM

An improved version, as corrected by The Furrow Collective's Rachel Newton:

The Cabin Boy
sung by Alasdair Roberts on The Furrow Collective: Fathoms

It's of a lady gay
And a lady fair and bright
She's fallen in love with a little cabin boy
And slighted lord and knight.

“Will you tarry on shore wi me, my boy?
Will you tarry on shore wi me?
I dinnae want any lord or knight,
My mind is bound to thee.”

“Gin your love for me is great,
Mine is greater still.
But ye maun to my captain gae
And speir for his goodwill.”

So she's to the captain gane,
“Grant me my Will,” said she,
“Gie to me your little cabin boy
To tarry on shore wi me.”

“And you a lady gay
And you ask me for a boy?
Better it be some lord or knight
Your sweet body to enjoy.”

So she's to her true love gane,
“Oh Billy, coo,” said she,
“The nearest and dearest of lovers we maun part
And sae maun you and I.”

Now Billy is on the sea
And the waves toss to and fro,
Crying like a little sea bird
From East to West he goes.

But they hadn't sailed a league on the sea
A league but barely four
Till the gallant ship and her men were lost
And Billy was never seen more.

It was in yon gairden green,
On green and grassy ground,
Early when her faither he arose
This lady's body he found.

Six maids dressed all in black
And six dressed all in green,
Her faither and mother a-mourning gaed
For she died for her cabin boy sae young.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Need Lyrics For 'The Cabin Boy'
From: Reinhard
Date: 27 Oct 20 - 08:58 AM

Sorry, the last one was me, I lost my cookies.

And here is Peggy Seeger's version, one of the sources for Alasdair Roberts:

The Little Cabin Boy
Peggy Seeger on Blood&Roses Volume 4

Twas of a lady gay
A lady of beauty bright
All for the love of a little cabin boy
She forsake both lord and knight.

Away to Billy she go,
“Billy, coo,” says she;
“I don't want no lord or knight
My mind is bound to thee.”

“If I your bed may gain, love,
If you my arms would fill:
You must go to the cap'n of the ship
And gain his right good will.”

Away to the cap'n she go,
“Cap'n, coo,“ says she;
“Pretty little Billy, your little cabin boy,
Can he tarry on shore with me?”

“What, and you a lady so gay,
And you ask me for a boy?
More fitting you be for a lord or knight
Your sweet body for to enjoy.”

“No matter for that,” says she,
“Billy do please me well;
Were his body down deep in the sea,
It's I would love him still.”

“Away with this talk of love,
Come no more to me.
Poor little Billy, my little cabin boy,
Can’t tarry on shore with thee.”

It was in yon garden green,
On green and grassy ground,
Early, early when the men arose,
This lady’s body they found.

Now Billy is on the/etc/sudoers.d/sp sea,
And the waves toss to and fro,
Cryin' like a little sea-bird,
From east to west he go.

Till the winter wind di blow,
And the stormy sea did roar;
Then little Billy, her little cabin boy,
Was heard and seen no more.