Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter

Subject: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: bill\sables
Date: 11 May 02 - 06:29 AM

I am loking for the words of "A Sailor Courted a Farmers Daughter" It is not the one in the DT. Something about the town of Strabanne and a silver tea pot which she threw into the ocean. Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: nutty
Date: 11 May 02 - 07:21 AM

I have it on an LP of Robin Hall and Jimmy McGregor ..... I'll see if I can find it Bill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: bill\sables
Date: 11 May 02 - 03:18 PM

I'll look foreward to you posting Nutty. Will you be at the Yorkshire Gathering next weekend? Cheers Bill

Subject: Lyr Add: A SAILOR COURTED A FARMER'S DAUGHTER
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 11 May 02 - 04:38 PM

Oh a sailor courted a farmer's daughter,
That lived contageous to the town of Strabane.
With loving melodies he besought her,
That she'd marry him before she married any other kind, or type, or classification of a man.

Now the farmer's daughter had proud possesions,
A silver teapot, and two pound ten in gold.
Would you marry me, my bold salt water sailor.
If I wrapped it all up in a bundle, and threw in the bottom of the ocean, so deep and so dark and so cold?

Oh I'd marry you, my heart's conchantment,
If you'd nothing better than your old woman's curse.
So she wrapped it all up in bundle and threw it in the bottom of the ocean.
That ends that verse.

Now the sailor lad he could swim like a duckling,
So he jumped in the ocean so deep, and so dark, and so cold.
He swam to the bottom and he came up chuckling,
Thinking of the fun he'd have in the house on the hill on the side of Ballinaslone.

Now the farmer's daughter near killed herself laughing,
For there was nothing in the bundle but a wee poteen all of a stone.
Oh, a sailor courted a farmer's daughter
And now he wishes he'd left the old bitch alone.

To be sung with the appropriate Irish accent, and I always speak the last line.
Failte.....Giok

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: Charley Noble
Date: 11 May 02 - 06:08 PM

Thanks, Giok. That's a good un. Any clues to the tune?

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 12 May 02 - 06:00 AM

Sorry don't know anything about midi files or how to make one...Giok

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: bill\sables
Date: 12 May 02 - 06:22 AM

Thanks Giok, Last time I heard that was in the 60's but I still remember the tune. Cheers Bill

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 12 May 02 - 07:36 AM

Mike Harding used to do a passable version as well - possibly on the Mrs Hardin's kid album. Lots of Nyyyyaaaarrggghhhhs if I remember rightly.

Cheers

DtG

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: GUEST
Date: 12 May 02 - 05:10 PM

There are many copies of the song on the Bodleian Ballads website (Mudcat's Links). The tune is in Bunting's 3rd collection, 1840.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: GUEST,ciarili at work
Date: 13 May 02 - 04:33 PM

Um, wouldn't that word in the first verse likely be convenient? I live convenient to the shore, the place I get my hair cut, a drug store, and a variety of restaurants.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 May 02 - 07:43 PM

It's a parody of the traditional song, the original of which often had convenient to the Isle of Man (though the earlier broadsides have wilds of Kent); "contagious" would be a deliberate "mis"quote here, though I think that at least one traditional set has been found with "contagious" as a genuine mondegreen.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: nutty
Date: 14 May 02 - 03:50 PM

Glad you got the words Bill ....... we'll sing it together at the Yorkshire Gathering

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: greg stephens
Date: 14 May 02 - 04:05 PM

Surprised McGrath of Harlow hasnt visited this thread. Unless my memory fails me, he used to sing a mean version of this in his green and golden days.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 15 May 02 - 03:23 PM

I think there is a sort of "stage Irishness" to this word contagious, sort of malapropism crossed with intentional slip. What it really means is contiguous, but it's saying that the word is too high falutin for a simple sailor to use. It reeks of the music hall to me.
Giok

Subject: Lyr Add: A SAILOR COURTED A FARMER'S DAUGHTER
From: GUEST,irs
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 02:49 PM

Some slightly different lyrics:

Oh, a sailor courted a farmer's daughter,
What lived contagious to the town of Strabane.
With loving melodies he did besought her.
That she'd marry him before, she married any other type, sort, kind or classification of a man.

Now the farmer's daughter had proud possesions,
A silver teapot, and two pound ten in gold.
Would you still marry me, my bold salt water sailor,
If I had but nothing, no nothing at all in the world?

Oh I'd marry you, my heart's conchantment,
If you'd nothing, only a father's curse.
So she made up a bundle of all her proud possessions, and threw it down into the deep, cold sea.
That ends that verse.

Now the sailor he could swim like a duckling,
So he jumped down into the water deep and cold,
Grabbed the old bundle and swam away chuckling,
Thinking of the fun he'd be having when he got back down to Ballymalone.

Now the farmer's daughter near killed herself laughing,
For what was in the bundle - only an old poteen of a stone.
Oh, a sailor courted a farmer's daughter
And now he wishes he'd left her completely and utterly and entirely, alone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: Sailor Courted a farmers daughter
From: MartinRyan
Date: 02 Oct 02 - 03:34 PM

Giok

That use of "contagious" is a not uncommon malapropism in Ireland - particularly in Dublin. Seems a pity to blame it on musichall!

Regards

Subject: Lyr Add: THE CONSTANT LOVERS / A Sailor courted...
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 04 Oct 02 - 04:09 PM

This song seems like the ancestor of the one above; in fact, the one above may be a parody of this one. They have the same first line, a similar second line, and they both concern a mismatched couple with respect to money.

The Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads has about 20 copies of this song. I read several of them and, where the words varied, I selected the ones I liked best. I also modernized the punctuation.

THE CONSTANT LOVERS
c. 1820's

A sailor courted a farmer's daughter
That lived convenient to the Isle of Man,
But mark, good people, what followed after:
A long time courting and nothing done--
A long time courting and still discoursing
All things concerning the ocean wide.
He said, "My darling, at our next meeting,
If you will consent, I'll make you my bride."

"Why, as for sailors, I don't admire,
Because they sail in so many parts.
The more we love them, the more they slight us,
Then leave us behind them with broken hearts."
"Do not say so, my dearest jewel.
I ne'er intend to serve you so.
I have once more to cross the ocean.
You know, my darling, that I must go."

This news was carried unto his mother,
Before he set his foot on board,
That he was courting a farmer's daughter,
Whose friends and parents could not afford
One penny portion bound to the ocean.
Like one distracted his mother run.
"If you don't forsake her, but your bride make her,
I will disown you to be my son."

"My mother," he said, "you're in a passion.
I'm very sorry for what you've said.
Don't you remember, when young and tender,
My father married you, a servant maid?
Do not despise her. I mean to rise her,
As my own father by you has done.
So I will take her, and my bride I'll make her,
Though you disown me to be your son.

O when his true love she heard the story,
Away to the ocean she straight did run,
Saying in a passion, "You need not mind her,
For I might have money and you have none."
[or, "For we shall have money when they have none."]
"Money or not, you are my lot.
You have my heart and affections still,
So I will take you, and my bride I'll make you,
Let my scolding mother say what she will."

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
From: GUEST,The Oh-Aissieux
Date: 17 Apr 10 - 07:38 PM

There's nothing wrong with the word "contagious" in this context except that it ought to be spelt "contiguous" and pronounced accordingly.

con·tig·u·ous
â€"adjective
1. touching; in contact.
2. in close proximity without actually touching; near.
3. adjacent in time: contiguous events.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/contiguous

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
From: Jim McLean
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 05:14 AM

The melody reminds me of the Banks of the Ohio.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
From: Paul Reade
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 05:24 AM

The version I remember is:-

A sailor courted a farmer's daughter
Who lived contagious to the town of Strabane
With fine words and promises sure he did besought her
Before she'd marry any other type or classification of a man

Now this farmer's daughter she had proud possessions
A silver taypot and two hundred pounds in gold
She said to him "Would you still marry me
"If I was to wrap 'em up in a bundle and throw 'em down to the bottom of the deep dark ocean cold?"

"Sure I'd marry you my heart's conchantlement
"If you'd nothing better than your old one's curse"
So she made a bundle of her proud possessions
And threw it down to the bottom of the deep dark ocean cold … that ends that verse.

Now this saucy sailior he could swim like a duckeen
Which roughly translated means like a small duck
So diving down to the bottom of the deep dark ocean
He swam off with the bundle and could hardly believe his luck!

Now the farmer's daughter near weed herself laughing
'Cos all that was in the bundle was a small lumpeen of a stone.
A sailor courted a farmer's daughter
And now he wishes he'd left the silly young bugger alone.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
From: MartinRyan
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 05:29 AM

The other well known song-occurrence of "contagious" is, of course, in the first line of "The Finding of Moses" where it rhymes with Egypt!

Regards

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
From: Gurney
Date: 18 Apr 10 - 06:40 PM

As for the tune, it used to be a standard of Sean Cannon when he was solo. He added some adjectives,- "Before she'd marry any other sort, kind, specification, species, or classification, of a man. Nyahhh."
You could request it at a Dubliners gig.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: A Sailor Courted a Farmer's Daughter
From: GUEST
Date: 19 Apr 10 - 05:03 PM

Curious this song should surface on a thread at this time. It was written by Percy French as a parody on the older traditional song "The Penny Portion". However, it seems to have been Dominic Behan who elongated the last line fo each verse. The reason I say curious is that the Cle Club in Dublin are doing a night of Percy French songs next Wednesday, and no doubt it will get an airing.