Lyr Req: Kilmarnock Town / Coleraine Town

Subject: Kilmarnock town
From: GUEST,Wullie
Date: 21 Jul 00 - 05:05 PM

Can anyone help with the words of this song. In Kilmarnock Town there lived a maid She was handsom young and fair She was courted by a false young man Who brought her to despair. Many Thanks. Wullie

Subject: Lyr Add: COLERAINE TOWN
From: Nynia
Date: 22 Jul 00 - 04:25 PM

Hi Wullie, I think you may well have the town and country wrong here. The brilliant Newry band "Cran" sing what appears to be the song you're thinking of on their 1998 album "Black, Black, Black" (Available from Claddagh Records - CC63CD). They perform it as Coleraine Town. The reason I think that this may be the correct title is that Kilmarnock has had a great folk club for the last 30 odd years with fine singers such as Heather Heywood and even our own contributer "Diva" at times. I can't believe that with ALL their fine singers that no-one uneathed such a fine song as this. Anyway I hope this helps.

COLERAINE TOWN.

Oh in Coleraine town there lived a girl, she was handsome young and fair
She was courted by a false young man who drove her to despair
And for six long months he courted her, from her he knew no scorn
She said Willie won't you marry me if ever you return
Oh to marry you, to marry you, that's a thing I'll never do
For in Bushmills town there lives a girl that I love more than you
Oh so go home to your parents and do the best you can
And It's tell them that your Willie dear has proved a false young man
Oh to go home to my parents and to bring to them disgrace
Well I'd rather go and drown myself in some dark lonesome place
So she dressed herself in her lily white gown, her body to destroy
All for the lad who jilted her, her darling sailor boy

INSTRUMENTAL

And as Willie he went walking, down by the riverside
Well he spied the body of a girl that might have been his bride
And on her breast he found a note and this is what it read
Well a curse upon this false young man and every word he said
So farewell unto my aged parents, I'll bid them both adieu
For It's now I'm asleep in the sunny, sunny deep, where troubles they are few

INSTRUMENTAL

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock town
From: GUEST,Wullie
Date: 23 Jul 00 - 03:14 PM

Thanks Nynia. This is perfect Wullie

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock town
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 09:02 AM

A little more light on an old thread...

In Kilmarnock Town there lived a lass
She was handsome young and fair
She was courted by a miner lad
Who left her in despair.

For seven long years he courted her
Till a babe was to be born
Will oh will you marry me
Before my child is born

To marry you to marry you
That's a thing I will not do
So go home and tell your parents now
These words I spoke to you

To go home and tell my parents
It would bring to them disgrace
No I'd rather go and drown myself
In a lonely quarry place

Then one day as he was walking
Aye a-walking by the Clyde
Why he chanced to see a body there
Come floating with the tide

He lifted up its lily-white hand
And he pressed it to his side
Crying god forgive me for what I've done
She should have been my bride

...heard from a woman in Whitby N.Yorkshire 1973 'learned from a
soldier during the war [W.W.2]'.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock town
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 09:05 AM

Name 3 fish with names starting and ending with 'k'















1. Killer shark






















2. Kwiksave haddock
















3. Kilmarnock













what do you mean it's not a fish - it's a 'plaice' in Scotland



(sorry!)

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock town
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 10:09 AM

Any other contributions?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock town
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Dec 06 - 11:24 AM

sounds like a broadside to me

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock Town / Coleraine Town
From: GUEST
Date: 21 Dec 06 - 01:00 PM

Any other versions of this song featuring other towns?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock Town / Coleraine Town
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 22 Dec 06 - 02:10 AM

Number 1414 in the Roud Folk Song Index. Localisations found in oral currency include Camden, Coleraine, Brighton, Cambridge, Charlottetown, Marno, Dumbarton, Kilmarnock, Charlestown, London, and Scotland.

It may very well have its origin in the broadside press, but so far as I can tell no examples are known.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Kilmarnock Town / Coleraine Town
From: GUEST
Date: 22 Dec 06 - 03:27 AM

Try a traditional version from Traveller Mary Delaney.

Jim Carroll
In Charlestown there dwelled a lass,
She was as constant as she was true,
When the young man fell in courting her
And drew her in despair.
               
He courted her oh, for six long months
And to him she proved unkind,
He courted her for six long months
And by him she proved a child.

Go home; go home to your dwelling place
And don't bring your parients in disgrace.
Oh go home to your dwelling place
And you proved with a false young man.   
                  
Now I will not go home to my dwelling place
For to bring my parients in disgrace,
I'd sooner go and drown myself
In a dark and a lonely place.

Now he catch her by the yellow locks
And he drew her along the ground,
Till he brung her to the river
Where her body cannot be found.

Oh down she goes on her bended knees,
Oh, for mercy she loudly cried,
Saying, Willie dear, don't murder me,
And I am not fit to die.

Now as Willie went out walking,
He went out to take fresh air
And he seen his own love Mary
In the waves of the silvery tide.
                  
Oh, he strips off his fine clothing,
To the river brim he swum
And he brung his own love Mary
From the waves of the silvery tide.

Mary, darling Mary,
Is this what you have done
And the last words I have said to you
I just said it for fun

The usual story to this song is that Mary is courted by Willie, but is seduced and made pregnant by a rich nobleman who then murders her and throws her into the river.
The body is found by Willie, the murderer is discovered and hanged.
Somewhere in its development, Mary Delaney's version has lost the third character, the seducer, and Willie is given as the murderer.
The song has not turned up very often in published collections in Britain or Ireland and it has been said to be fairly rare in the U.S. having been included in only a few works there.   It seems to have been known by seamen including those working in the whaling trade as it appears in two collections of sailors' songs.
Reference.
Shanty Men And Shanty Boys    William Main Doerflinger
Songs The Whalemen Sang            Gale Huntington