Origins: Valiant Soldier

Subject: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 03:23 PM

This fragment comes from the Fanning Manuscript c1779. It is the last 3 verses of what appears to be a traditional ballad. It certainly is familiar but I can't pinpoint the actual ballad. Any suggestions welcome. I've looked through obvious sources such as Palmer's 'Rambling Soldier' and 'Songs of the Redcoats' and it doesn't appear under 'Valiant Soldier' in my broadside indexes. The title above is editorial as it jumps out of the middle of the 3 verses.

Text to follow.

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 03:24 PM

Fanning Manuscript, p26, stanzas 8-10 of a Valiant Soldier ballad

O hold your tongue Dear mamy and don’t you run them Down
For they are not to be compared with every durty clown
It is for your dirty tradesmen with them I can’t abide
The tanner stinks so damnably of every dirty hide.

My love is a valliant soldier a valliant man is he
He is gone into the Wars my Boys to fight for liberty
And since I can’t go with him tis for him I will pray
That the Angels may surround my love and gard him Night and Day.

And when the war is over and we return Home
The pretty Girls will all rejoice to see the soldiers come
They will laugh to hear the Musick the beating of tatoo
So let them all say what they will my Dear I’ll follow you.

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: GUEST,Wm
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 04:42 PM

Steve, is there a reason you're not considering the seven preceding verses? Do you suspect that 8–10 are grafted onto the main from another source?

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 04:50 PM

Sorry, I should have mentioned, the previous page containing the 7 verses is missing in the ms.

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: GUEST,Wm
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 05:10 PM

Is this a different document than what I linked? Unless I'm misunderstanding, the previous two pages (with additional seven verses) appear to be there, under the heading "A new song."

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Mar 21 - 06:22 PM

Will have another look. Thanks for checking.

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 05 Mar 21 - 09:26 AM

Thanks for that Wm! All I can think is the previous ballad is so much alike I must have overlooked that page. The search is still on to identify the ballad. The first 4 stanzas are almost a companion piece to the previous ballad, both on the virtues of military drumming, but the remainder still looks like it could have come from a British broadside. About half a dozen of the ballads are obviously American Revolutionary pieces glorifying battle and scorning the British. They contain quite poetic language above the level of the usual broadside
doggerel, but the rest of this ballad is quite different in subject matter and style. I'll post the full ballad when I've typed it up. I have a few ideas as to what it might be and where I might find it. It actually makes for a decent ballad well worth putting a tune to.

Subject: RE: Origins: Valiant Soldier
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 05 Mar 21 - 09:44 AM

Fanning Manuscript, p24, Valiant Soldier ballad

The drums are beting now and to perfection come,
There is no music in this world compared with a drum
Tis o the lofty sound there of that soundeth in the are
There is no musick in this world can with the drum compare.

Tis for your Violeen that soundeth in the Room
A playing of a minuwit or of a ragadon
But what is that to our Revally at the dawning of the Day
That lovely warlike instrument that soldiers must obey.

It is for your squeaking fidlers and for your fifers to
They often times get into the Barn amongst the ragged crue
There often times kick’d out of Dores when gentlemen do come
There is nither King nor Emperor can march without a Drum.

And when we come to battle Boys or the besieging of a town
The Devil of a fiddler or a fifer to be found
The fiddle strings are Broke my Boys the fife it will not home
So loud like claps of thunder Boys so dareing goes the Drum.

So happy was the Day when soldiers come to town,
For they are men of honour Boys and Men of hy renown
Tis they go Drest in scarlet with their jack boots and their Belts
All mounted on a galliant steed with black cockades and felts.

There is one amongst the rest that is proper neat and tall,
Far as the Moon exceeds the stars he doth exceed them all
His cheaks are of a ruby Read his lips of lilly die
I’ll pawn my life, I’ll be his wife or ells for him I’ll dye.

O hold your tong dear daughter and don’t you talk so strange
For I would not for all the world with a Soldier you should range
Soldiers are Deceitful Besides you know their pay
Although they dres so neat and trim but sixteen pence a day.

O hold your tongue Dear mamy and don’t you run them Down
For they are not to be compared with every durty clown
It is for your dirty tradesmen with them I can’t abide
The tanner stinks so damnably of every dirty hide.

My love is a valliant soldier a valliant man is he
He is gone into the Wars my Boys to fight for liberty
And since I can’t go with him tis for him I will pray
That the Angels may surround my love and gard him Night and Day.

And when the war is over and we return Home
The pretty Girls will all rejoice to see the soldiers come
They will laugh to hear the Musick the beating of tatoo
So let them all say what they will my Dear I’ll follow you.