Lyr/Tune Add: Banks of Sweet Primroses

Subject: Lyr Add: THE BANKS OF SWEET PRIMROSES ^^
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 14 Jan 00 - 06:30 AM

G'day,
From the Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs, Ed Pellow's submission of the tune of The Banks Of Sweet Primroses can be found here.

The Banks Of Sweet Primroses

As I walked out one midsummer's morning,
To view the fields and to take the air,
Down by the banks of the sweet primroses,
There I beheld a most lovely fair.

I said: 'Fair maid, where can you be a-going,
And what's the occasion of all your grief?
I'll make you as happy as any lady,
If you will grant me one small relief.'

'Stand otf, stand off, thou false deceiver!
'You're a false deceitful man, 'tis plain.
'Tis you that is causing my poor heart to wander,
And to give me comfort is all in vain.

'Now I'll go down to some lonesome valley,
Where no man on earth there shall me find,
Where the pretty small birds do change their voices,
And every moment blows blusterous wind.'

The DT has a different version here.

Previous song: The Banks of Newfoundland.
Next Song: The Basket Of Eggs.

Cheers,
Alan ^^

Subject: RE: Lyr & Tune add: Banks of Sweet Primroses
From: Tim Salt
Date: 15 Jan 00 - 03:43 PM

Alan

Thanks for this posting. I've been intending to transcribe this off Tony Roses's most recent CD "Bare Bones" for months (which is brilliant by the way and has a great version of Banks of Green Willow on it) so this will save me a bit of time.

How did you get hold of the Penguin Book of Folksongs? I've been trying to get a copy for ages without success so assumed it's out of print. In the meantime thanks for all the truely great songs you have been posting from it.

Tim

Subject: RE: Lyr & Tune add: Banks of Sweet Primroses
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 15 Jan 00 - 06:05 PM

G'day Tim,
I bought mine new from a Sydney shop called 'Folkways' years ago. It's a 1980 reprinting. It looks a lot older now though.

Cheers,
Alan

Subject: RE: Lyr/Tune Add: Banks of Sweet Primroses
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 May 10 - 03:40 PM

From England Not Dead; And, Turk and Briton; also containing Scenes of Cumberland By John Malone Dagnall (London: published by the author, 1878), page 60:

[These lines are quoted in a much longer poem, "Scenes of Cumberland."]

As I walk'd out one summer's morning,
To view the fields and take the air,
Down by the banks of the sweet primroses,
There I beheld a most lovely fair.

Three long steps I took up to her,
Not knowing her as she passed by.
I stepped up to her, thinking to view her.
She appeared to me so modest, shy.

I said, "Fair maid, where are you going?
Oh, tell me dear the cause of your grief.
'Twill make you as happy as any lady.
Afford your heart no small relief."

"Stand off! Stand off! You are deceitful.
You are deceitful, it is plain.
The cause enough to make me wander.
You can no comfort give. 'tis all in vain.

"I'll go down in some lonely valley.
No man on earth shall e'er me find,
Where pretty birds shall change their voices,
And zephyrs turn to boisterous wind.

"Come all you maidens who go a-courting,
Pray give your attention to what I say,
For there's many a dark and cloudy morning,
Turns out to be a sunshiny day."

Subject: Lyr Add: THE BANKS OF THE SWEET PRIMROSES
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 10 May 10 - 03:48 PM

From A Dictionary of the Isle of Wight Dialect by William Henry Long (London: Reeves & Turner, 1886), page 127:


THE BANKS OF THE SWEET PRIMROSES.

As I walked out one Midsummer morning
To view the fields and to take the air,
Down by the banks of the sweet primroses,
There I beheld a most lovely fair.

"Twas three long steps I took up to her,
Not knowing her as she passed me by;
I stepped up to her, thinking to view her,
She seemed to me like some virtuous bride.

Said I, "Fair maid, where are you going?
And what is the reason of all your grief?
I will make you as happy as any lady,
If you will let me give you relief."

"Stand off! Stand off! You are deceivers,
You are a false and deluding man;
'Twas you that caused my poor heart to wander,
And to give me comfort is all in vain.

"I will go down in some lonesome valley,
Where no man on earth shall there me find,
Where the pretty little small birds do hush their voices;
And drown my sighs in the blustering wind."