Lyr Req: Captain Grant

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Jan 26 - 03:06 PM

I might add that at least one of the broadsdes, probably the Poet's Box, gives the tune as 'The Maid of Tyrone'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 04 Jan 26 - 09:00 AM

CG was quite widely printed in the early 19th century. Both Pitts and Catnach had 11 double stanzas though later printings were reduced to 8 or 9 single stanzas. The Glasgow Poets Box printed a 12 stanza version with chorus in 1857. The Pitts/Catnach version both in the Madden Collection. I can post one of these versions if you wish. I'm not aware of any Irish printed versions but there may be some. The title doesn't appear in Catnach's 1832 catalogue but it is in Pitts 1836 catalogue, so the earliest printing I have of it is between those 2 dates, although Ford of Chesterfield also printed the same version as theirs.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: Reinhard
Date: 04 Jan 26 - 07:43 AM

"Natty Take-up" seems to be a mis-transcription. I had quoted Charles Benfield from Sam Richards and Tish Stubbs: The English Folksinger. But on the GlosTrad website for Captain Grant, Gwilym Davies transcribed the line as "To the m.......s young hero called the Man taker-up" (GlosTrad however gave the song the wrong Roud number 1415).

Cecil Sharp's own handwriting is on the VWML page CJS2/9/2132.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: Reinhard
Date: 04 Jan 26 - 04:51 AM

The Halliard recorded Bold Captain Grant in a 1968 demo for their Saga record label. The project was shelved, however, and it took until 2006 for their album The Last Goodnight! to be released. Dave Moran noted:

"We think this is probably from the Harkness Collection. Nic [Jones]’s tune sometimes gets wonderfully stretched to fit in the different length of lines in different verses. We are certain that the late Tony Capstick sang it very often and that it was a ‘tour de force’ version when he did! I believe Ewan MacColl collected a song of the same name with only three verses and one of the verses has some of the same lines."

Tony Capstick sang Captain Grant in 1971 on his Rubber album with Hedgehog Pie, His Round. He noted:

"Captain Grant was put to music from a broadside by the Halliard."

Jack the Lad (with bassist Phil Murray who played on Tony Capstick’s album) sang Captain Grant in 1975 on their Charisma album Rough Diamonds.

Both Tony Capstick and Jack the Lad sang "Lord Natty Take-up" but the Halliard's version and Charles Benfield who sang Captain Grant to Cecil Sharp in 1909, sang "To that noted hero called Natty Take-up" without the "Lord" title.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: GUEST,Alex Davies
Date: 04 Jan 26 - 03:37 AM

Thanks for the steer on Jeremiah Grant. This changes things quite a bit. A quick search reveals a bar called "Jeremiah Grant" in Portlaoise in Ireland. Their website has the following story of the "legend" of Captain Grant: https://www.jeremiahgrant.ie/the-story

It seems that Edinburgh may be a miss translation of Maryborough (Grant being the last man to be hanged in Maryborough gaol in Portlaoise).

"Sheltering McKay or MacKay, or Mackie" seems a reasonable although I can't find any reference to a villain of that name in the Portlaoise area in the early 1800s.

Still no thoughts on Lord Natty Takeup but some progress at least.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: cnd
Date: 03 Jan 26 - 09:27 PM

Listen here (6:20 into the video) and here.

As Robert has already pointed out, this is a modern cover of Roud 1286. The inimitable Traditional Ballad Index has good notes on the song; of particular interest is one note which reads:

Captain Grant, an admitted robber, escapes from Edinburgh jail where he was sentenced to be hanged "For sheltering M'Kay (emphasis mine) Although I had no hand in that robbery

Based on this, I'd ament the line to read "I was sentenced to be hanged for sheltering M'Lay" --likely a misheard version of this M'Kay line.

The line on "hungry and dry" is definitely a reference to drinking -- one version of the text (link) follows that line with "You take them to some public house [ie, pub] and there their wants supply," while a second (link) sees Captain Grant take his unfortunate friends to an alehouse.

I haven't been able to find out who "Lord Natty" is meant to be. While the story of Captain Grant is based on the execution of Jeremiah Grant in 1816, he was arrested specifically for the robbery of Thom Cambie, Esq. -- I haven't found any lords involved, and after skimming through a book of notable English criminals of the period, I never saw a "Lord" whose name fit the bill. Other versions I linked previously have the line before Grant's final return to jail as "To the valiant bold hero called the Man taker up" or "To a valiant young hero a man ..taken.. up" (link). Possibly it's another corruption of oral tradition, like the M'Kay / M'Lay line.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: Robert B. Waltz
Date: 03 Jan 26 - 08:31 PM

It's too late at night for me to pull out the books and type up texts, but "Captain Grant" is Roud #1286, and there are dozens of versions known. Here is the one from the Alfred Williams collection:

My name is Captain Grant, as I am able to say,
I am one of those bold champions who go on the highway.
With my metal bullet and ball I knocked the sentry down,
And I made my escape out of Edinburgh town.

Verse 2

Out of Edinburgh Gaol, where I made my way good,
I took my night's lodging in the shelter of a wood;
'Twas of some wicked woman, she did me betray,
And she had me surrounded as sleeping I lay.

Verse 3

I fell upon my arms - my bullet and ball -
But my powder was damp and I could not fire at all;
It was my sad misfortune then my calling for to stop,
But out of you young gallants there may be one to stop.

Verse 4

Oh 'tis here now I must lie till Assizes do come round,
My heart is filled with sorrow for my life is almost gone;
God bless my wife and family, and I hope they'll never want,
And the Lord have mercy on my soul, said bold Captain Grant.


Or here is one from the Gardiner collection: https://archives.vwml.org/records/GG/1/21/1332

The Roud Index links to several more.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jan 26 - 06:50 PM

For reference (in case that site isn't durable) here are those lyrics:

Oh me name is Captain Grant and I am bound to say
I'm one of them bold heroes found on the highway
With a brace of pistols and me bright long sword
Stand and deliver was always my word

Well doing the dirty act I always did scorn
But taking from the rich, well I thought it no harm
So I went collecting, had me cash secured
One half I spent and the other I gave to the poor

Oh when I saw poor people starve hungry or dry
Well I quickly sought out fair ones and I did them supply
In cheerful company, I spent me store
And when it's gone, I go boldly collecting more

Brought to Edinburgh jail, then I was passed along
And th?re I was confined till me trial, it cam? on
I was sentenced to be hanged for sheltering my lay
Although I had no hand in that robbery

Ah, but before the day had dawned that I was to be hung
I burst through the prison doors and away I did run
And I escaped through the castle gates
And it was not safe there for me long to wait

Out of Edinburgh jail, then I made my way good
And I took up my lodgings that night in a wood
But there was a woman who did me betray
And I was surprised as asleep there I lay

I was surrounded, away I could not get
They seized me pistols for me powder was wet
And in me ill fortune, I gave meself up
To that noted hero Lord Natty Take-up

Well back to Edinburgh jail, then I was passed along
And there I was confined till me trial, it came on
I was sentenced to be hanged for sheltering my lay
Although I had no hand in that robbery

Oh men, now do forgive me, I pardon receive
I've took from the rich for the poor to relieve
God bless me wife and child, may they never want
Lord have mercy on the soul of poor Captain Grant
You know me name is Captain Grant


They do look identical.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: GUEST,Alex Davies
Date: 03 Jan 26 - 06:12 PM

The lyrics on Genius.com are, unfortunately, the same ones I have included in my post, with the same ambiguities.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jan 26 - 05:34 PM

https://genius.com/Jack-the-lad-uk-captain-grant-lyrics

Subject: Lyr Req: Captain Grant
From: GUEST,Alex Davies
Date: 03 Jan 26 - 04:35 PM

I have recently been reacquainting myself with the song "Captain Grant" as performed by Jack the Lad on their Rough Diamonds album (and, before that, by some members of the band under their previous guise of Hedgehog Pie).

This is a different version of the song to the one already posted on this site. The following lyrics are transcribed in the comments of a YouTube video:

Oh, me name is Captain Grant and I am bound to say
I'm one of them bold heroes found on the highway
With a brace of pistols and me bright long sword
Stand and deliver was always my word

Well doing the dirty act I always did scorn
But taking from the rich, well I thought it no harm
So I went collecting, had me cash secured
One half I spent and the other I gave to the poor

Oh when I saw poor people starve hungry or dry
Well I quickly sought out their want and I did them supply
In cheerful company I spent me store
And when it's gone, I go boldly collecting more

Went to Edinburgh jail then I was passed along
And there I was confined till me trial it came on
I was sentenced to be hanged for sheltering
Although I had no hand in that robbery

Ah, but before the day had dawned that I was to be hung
I bursted the prison doors and away I did run
And I escaped through the castle gates
And it was not safe there for me along the way

Out of Edinburgh jail then I made my way good
And I took up my lodgings that night in a wood
But there was a woman who did me betray
And I was surprised as asleep there I lay

I was surrounded, away I could not get
They seized me pistols for me powder was wet
And in me ill fortune I gave meself up
To that noted hero Lord Natty Take-up

Well back to Edinburgh jail then I was passed along
And there I was confined till me trial it came on
I was sentenced to be hanged for sheltering
Although I had no hand in that robbery

Oh men, now do forgive me, I pardon receive
I've took from the rich for the poor to relieve
God bless me wife and child, may they never want
Lord have mercy on the soul of poor Captain Grant
You know me name is Captain Grant

Most are quite clear but three lines have got me flummoxed:

"Oh when I saw poor people starve hungry or dry" - why "hungry or dry"? Does the "dry" relate to drink?

"I was sentenced to be hanged for sheltering my lay although I had no hand in that robbery" - what does "sheltering my lay" mean, I assume it should be a reference to a holdup of some kind.

"And in me ill fortune I gave myself up to that noted hero Lord Natty Take-up" - who is "Lord Natty Take-up"?

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.