Lyr/Tune Add: Geordie

Subject: Lyr Add: GEORDIE^^^
From: Alan of Australia
Date: 18 Feb 00 - 05:00 PM

G'day,
From the Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs, Ed Pellow's rendition of the tune of GEORDIE
(Child #209) can be found here.

GEORDIE
Sung by Charles Neville, East Coker, Som. (C.J.S. 1908)

As I came over London Bridge
One misty morning early,
I overheard a fair pretty maid
Lamenting for her Geordie.

'Come bridle me my milk-white horse,
Come bridle me my pony,
That I may ride to London's court,
To plead for the life of Geordie.'

And when she entered in the hall,
There was lords and ladies plenty.
Down on her bended knee she fall,
To plead for the life of Geordie.

'Oh, Geordie stole no cow nor calf,
Nor sheep he never stole any,
But he stole sixteen of the king's wild deer,
And sold them in Bohenny.

'Oh, two brave children I've had by him,
And the third lies in my bosom;
And if you would spare my Geordie's life,
I'd freely part from them every one.'

The judge looked over his left shoulder,
And said: 'I'm sorry for thee.
My pretty fair maid, you come too late,
For he's condemned already.'

'Let Geordie hang in golden chains,
Such chains as never was any,
Because he came of the royal blood,
And courted a virtuous lady.

'I wish I was in yonder grove,
Where times I have been many,
With my broad sword and pistol too,
I'd fight for the life of Geordie.'

Other versions of Geordie can be found in the DT. Do a search for #209.

Previous song: The Gentleman Soldier.
Next Song: George Collins.

Cheers,
Alan

click
^^^

Subject: Lyr Add: GEORDIE (from Joan Baez; Child #209)
From: Sabra
Date: 02 Mar 00 - 02:25 AM

Hey! Finally something I sort of know the answer to! I'm not sure of the tune you are referring to, but I've only ever heard of one song called Geordie, so hopefully this is it?

I sing this song from memory, so I'm not sure of a couple of the place name spellings and I think there are many more verses, but if you can find a copy of the Joan Baez Songbook, that's where I found it when I was a wee lass!

As I walked out over London Bridge
One misty morning early
I overheard a fair pretty maid
Lamenting for her Geordie

Oh my Geordie will be hanged with a golden chain
Tis not the chain of many
He stole sixteen of the King's royal deer
And sold them in Bohenny

Go bridle me my milk white steed
Go bridle me my pony
I will ride to London town
To plead for the life of Geordie

Two pretty babies have I born
The third lies in my body
I'd gladly part with them one and all
To spare the life of Geordie

The judge looked over his left shoulder
He said fair maid I'm sorry
He said fair maid you must be gone
for I cannot pardon Geordie

(repeat first verse)

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 01:47 PM

From the notes to the Penguin Book (1959):

"This ballad...is well-known both in England and Scotland.  The Scottish sets differ considerably from the English ones, for in them the hero is not a thief but a nobleman, thought by some scholars to be George Gordon, Earl of Huntly, who suffered royal displeasure when he showed clemency towards a Highland robber in 1554.  In the English versions, which may be re-makes of the Scottish, the main character is always an outlaw.  An old black-letter ballad names him as George Stoole of Northumberland, who was executed in 1610; but even in its "robber" form (if that is the more recent) the song probably pre-dates the 17th. century.  Mr. Neville's tune is related to the well-known air of  Searching for Lambs.  Geordie has been found in oral tradition also in Sussex (FSJ vol.I [issue 4] p.164 and vol.II [issue 8] p.208), Cambridgeshire (FSJ vol.II [issue 6?] pp.47-9), Somerset (FSJ vol.II [issue 6] pp.27-8 and vol.IV [issue 17] p.333), Norfolk (FSJ vol.IV [issue 15] pp.89-90), Suffolk, Surrey and Dorset (FSJ vol.IV [issue 17] pp.332-3) and Yorkshire (Traditional Tunes, Frank Kidson, 1891)."  -R.V.W./A.L.L.

This version was collected by Cecil Sharp from Charles Neville of East Coker in Somerset, in 1908, and was first published in the Folk Song Journal, vol.IV [issue 17] p.333.

Other versions on the DT:

Gight's Ladye   Collected from William Walker, 1907.  Full text from Grieg MSS, with tune, transcribed from The Singing Tradition of Child's Popular Ballads (Bronson).  At the time of writing, the link to the midi file (GEORDI5) is not working.
Geordie   Robert Burns' version, with two tunes.  The second (GEORDI3) belongs with the Burns text; the first (GEORDI3.1) appears to be an English one.
Geordie   From Folk Songs of Canada (Fowkes), with tune.
Geordie   No source given; perhaps transcribed from a record.  No tune.
Georgey  American version, with tune.

Child #209
@outlaw @ransom @prison @love @animal @death

There is an entry at  The Traditional Ballad Index:
Geordie  

There is a version at Lesley Nelson's  Child Ballads  site:
Geordie  With historical notes.  Appears to be the version collected by Cecil Sharp from Mrs. Overd of Langport in Somerset, in 1904; with tune.

There some broadside versions at  Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads:

Maid's lamentation for her Georgy   Printed between 1819 and 1844 by Pitts, Wholesale Toy and Marble Warehouse, 6, St Andrew Street, Seven Dials, London.
Maiden's lamentation for her Georgy   Printed between 1828 and 1829 by T. Birt, 10, Great St. Andrew Street, Seven Dials, London.
Death of Georgy   Printed between 1820 and 1824 by W. Armstrong of Liverpool.

These are large images.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: Catrin
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 01:58 PM

I've nothing to add to this except to say that if i was really really forced to say which, of all the folk songs I have ever heard, was my favourite one, it would have to be this one.

There is so much contained in just a few verses. There's a hero who has done nothing worse than poach a few deer, there is a heroine who tries to bargain the highest price of all for the sake of her lover (her children), there's a bit of a 'robin hood' element to it and it is extermely sad (an important qualifier for me).

Most important of all, it makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck - even after all those years. (think I first heard it aged nine - quite a bit ago.)

Catrin - a 'geordie fan'

Oh yes, the tune is wonderful too.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: celticblues5
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:10 PM

This is terrific. Thanks for all the historical detail on the song, long one of my favorites.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:22 PM

The story of this "Geordie" is generally very similar to that of the "Geordie" by Robert Burns, found in Digitrad Lyrics search under Geordie, no. 15.

Since I've not heard the one referred to by Alan, I wonder how close the tunes are to being the same. I have only heard Robert Burns'"Geordie" done by Custer LaRue and Baltimore Consort.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: GUEST,Barry Finn
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:31 PM

Burn's Geordie as refered to above that starts off:

"There was a battle in the north"

has a different tune than the Geordie that's a deer poacher. The Silly Sisters recorded a hell of great Burn's version. Barry

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: Garry Gillard
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 06:23 AM

Thanks very much Alan and Malcolm!

Martin Carthy's choice of lyrics is here.

Garry

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 07:18 PM

Other threads with this song group (Child 209):
Peggy Seegar
Annathea-Laszlo
Three versions of Georgie-Geordie, Gight's Ladye, Anna Thea, in DT.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 07:22 PM

Odd! Forgot to close off but it works. But less confusing like this: Laszlo-Annathea

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 17 Mar 02 - 10:14 PM

I don't believe that Geordie and Laszlo are even remotely related, or can usefully be considered analogous; Child #95, The Maid Freed from the Gallows, has more significant elements in common with the Hungarian song, for what it's worth, including, in a Swedish analogue, a series of curses.  Tradition is full of thieves of cattle and horses, but the cumulative ransom motif of Laszlo and Child #95 is, I suspect, the clincher here; it does not occur in any variant of Geordie.

Subject: RE: Tune Add: & Lyr Add: Geordie
From: GUEST,robinia
Date: 18 Mar 02 - 05:05 AM

"not a thief but a nobleman" -- I gather that among some of the Scottish clans thieving was a way of life. Just look at the "The Baron of Brackley" ....

Subject: Lyr Add: Geordie - Joan Baez version
From: Genie
Date: 23 Jun 06 - 03:41 AM

Sabra, thanks for posting the lyrics that Joan Baez sings. One minor correction, though - at least based on the album I have on which she sings it.
(Perhaps the songbook doesn't exactly corresponds to what she recorded.)

The way Joan sings it on the album, the second verse is a little different from what you posted, there is a fourth verse which you did not post, and the last verse is a combination of the second and fourth verses. The first verse is not repeated. There are other minor lyric differences here and there.

GEORDIE - As recorded by Joan Baez ca. 1961

As I walked out over London Bridge
One misty morning early,
I overheard a fair pretty maid,
Was lamenting for her Geordie

Oh my Geordie will be hanged with a golden chain
'Tis not the chain of many,
He was born a king's royal breed
And lost to a virtuous lady.

Go bridle me my milk white steed,
Go bridle me my pony.
I will ride to London's town
To plead for the life of Geordie.

Oh, my Geordie never stole nor cow nor calf.
He never hurted any.
Stole sixteen of the king's royal deer
And he sold them in Bohenny.

Two pretty babies have I born,
The third lies in my body.
I would part with them ev'ry one
If you'd spare the life of Geordie.

The judge looked over his left shoulder
He said, "Fair maid, I'm sorry,"
Said, "Fair maid, you must be gone,
For I cannot pardon Geordie.

Ah, my Geordie will be hanged in a golden chain -
'Tis not the chain of many.
Stole sixteen of the King's royal deer
And he sold them in Bohenny.