Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill

Subject: Lyr Add: Ten Dollar Bill
From: Joe Offer
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 08:59 PM

In the thread about misogyny in folk music, Harpgirl mentioned "Ten Dollar Bill" as being a misogynist song, but she said she couldn't find it in the Digital Tradition. I asked her about it, and she described a song I knew from a Michael Cooney recording as the Brisk Young Butcher. I think that Steeleye Span recorded it under another name - can anybody locate that recording?
Harpgirl said "Ten Dollar Bill" on Folk-Legacy CD-62, The Barley Grain for Me, by Margaret Christl and Ian Robb. sure enough, there it is. Here are the lyrics:

THE TEN DOLLAR BILL

Way down in New York City,
Where the Cornstalks are the sign,
A place for the commercial men
To go and drink their wine;
a place for the commercial men,
They've always made their youth
To drink a glass of cherry wine
And pluck the Christmas goose.

Well, they drank their glass of cherry wine
And smoked a mild cigar,
While chatting with their comrades
And people at the bar.
And not a thought of amorousness
Did enter in his head,
Until the serving maid came 'round
To show him up to bed.

Then he got familiar
And he hugged her in the stairs.
He hugged her in his chambers
Before he said his prayers.
A ten dollar bill he handed her,
To keep her from getting vexed;
Turned out the lights, jumped into bed —
Well, you know what happened next.

It was early the next morning
He was charged a little bill,
And shook dice with the landlord
Before his parting gin.
And where he went just after that,
I cannot very well say,
But, so I heard, he turned up again
The very next Christmas day.

As he stepped in so gentle,
As gentle as could be,
While other travellers like himself
Were waiting on their tea,
He ordered up the very best
The landlord could produce.
"Send back the same young serving maid,
And don't forget the goose."

The edibles were brought to him
The edibles in store
All by the same young serving maid
He hugged twelve months before.
And on the table by his side,
Just where the grub was piled,
Instead of a goose, she's handed him
A handsome baby child.

And as he looked, twelve others laughed;
"And what is this?" cried he.
She said, "Kind sir, don't look so strange,
And I will tell to thee. "
She said, "My brave and generous man,
What makes you look so strange?
That ten dollar bill you've handed me,
So now, take back your change!"

Margaret Christl's source was from the singing of Cloanna Lavallee of Nicabean, Quebec - collected by Sheldon Posen

I think I prefer the story in the Brisk Butcher, when the guy double-deals the chambermaid by telling the landlord that he had paid the chambermaid for the room rent.

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Here's the Traditional Ballad Index entry for this song:

Brisk Young Butcher, The

DESCRIPTION: A (butcher) stays at an inn; he offers a serving girl money to lay with him. She does. Given his bill, he says he gave the girl the money and didn't get change. A year later, he comes back. She shows him her child and says it is his change
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Johnson Ballads 216)
KEYWORDS: money trick sex pregnancy travel
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Greig #152, p. 2, ("It's of a brisk young butcher"); Greig "Folk-Song in Buchan," p. 25, ("It was a brisk young butcher lad") (4 fragments)
GreigDuncan7 1466, "The Butcher and the Chambermaid" (12 texts, 8 tunes)
Ord, pp. 158-159, "The Butcher and Chamber Maid" (1 text)
Palmer-ECS, #38, "The Brisk Young Butcher" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, XMASGOOS XMASGOO2*
Roud #167
RECORDINGS:
A. L. Lloyd, "The Butcher and the Chambermaid" (on Lloyd5, Lloyd12)
Harvey Nicholson, "The Copshawholm Butcher" (on Voice10)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 216, "The Leicester Chambermaid" ("Its of a brisk young butcher as I have heard 'em say"), J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 11(2105), Firth b.28(25a) View 2 of 2[some words illegible], Harding B 11(2103), Firth c.18(304), Harding B 11(2104), Harding B 11(2654), "The Leicester Chambermaid"; 2806 c.17(232), "London Butcher"; 2806 c.17(68), "The Chambermaid"
Murray, Mu23-y1:040, "The Butcher and the Chamber Maid," unknown, 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Basket of Eggs" (plot) and references there
cf. "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (tune, per GreigDuncan7)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Christmas Goose
The Ten Dollar Bill
The Jolly Flesher
Aikey Fair
File: DTxmasgo

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The Ballad Index Copyright 2018 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: harpgirl
Date: 09 Dec 03 - 10:18 PM

Where did you find the lyrics, Joe? Did you have the liner notes from
The Folk Legacy Album?

I didn't mean it was misogynistic so much as the lot of women in life...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: Hrothgar
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 03:35 AM

A version of "The Brisk Butcher" was the first song I heard Judy Small sing, ooh, way back ...

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: Kevin Sheils
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 01:40 PM

Can't place a Steeleye version Joe but Tim Hart and Maddy Prior recorded it as the Brisk Butcher on their early, pre SS, first LP "Folk Songs of Olde England vol 1"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 02:40 PM

Hi, Harpgirl-
The Barley Grain For Me has a nice CD booklet, but, alas, no lyrics. However, there is a larger booklet with full lyrics, available from Folk-Legacy Records for a mere dollar. I ordered one copy of every CD Folk-Legacy has issued, and I've received most of them. It's folk-music heaven.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 06:11 PM

And if you look for "Christmas Goose" (or even just "goose") in Digitrad, you'll find it.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Dec 03 - 06:30 PM

Yeah, "Christmas Goose" and "Ten Dollar Bill" are definitely the same song. Margaret Christl said Sheldon Posen collected the song in Quebec, but she says:

I have, however, taken the liberty of changing some of the words, without changing the story of the song, simply because that's how I feel comfortable singing it.

I wondered how much Christl changed. I also wondered about that "cherry wine" they serve in New York City. Did the title "ten dollar bill" originate with Christl?
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: GUEST,AJ
Date: 15 Feb 12 - 08:19 PM

Can anyone tell me if the tune in the database is an arrangement by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior or if it is "traditional"?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: GUEST,madtom
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 04:39 PM

It's nice that these threads never really die.

This past weekend I had the privilege to attend the Finest Kind's annual Christmas concert in Wakefield, Quebec, where they performed "The Ten Dollar Bill" (as they usually do). If you don't know, this group is Ian Robb, who performed with Margaret Christl on the "The Barley Grain For Me" recording, Shelly Posen, who is credited for collecting this version, and Ann Downey. While researching this song as a possible addition for my caroling group, I found this obviously older set of words to the name of "The Christmas Goose".

http://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/Hymns_and_Carols/christmas_goose.htm

There's no source or attribution given, unfortunately, just the words.

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Note from Joe Offer: The text at Hymns and Carols of Christmas comes from our Digital Tradition Folk Song Database, this song provided by Lani Herrmann through Bob Pfeffer in about 1985. It always feels good to be able to say that.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Brisk Butcher / Ten Dollar Bill
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 05:40 PM

Probably dates from about 1850 and is found on broadsides by Bebbington of Manchester and his successor, Pearson. Also printed by Sanderson of Edinburgh. A Bebbington copy can be seen at Bodleian Broadside ballads site ref. Harding B16 (49c) but you would get it just by typing in the title in the search box.

There was another with this title printed by Disley and Fortey both of London and of about the same date. FL. Now Christmas has again arrived. Should be a copy of this on the VWML website (Kidson 10.361).