|
|||||||
|
Origins: John Riley DigiTrad: FAIR MAID WALKING GEORGE REILLY (6) JOHN RALLY JOHN REILLY JOHN RILEY THE YOUNG AND SINGLE SAILOR Related threads: Lyr/Chords Req: John Riley (Tim O'Brien) (10) Chords Req: John Riley (O'Brien/Clark) (4) John Riley (13) |
Share Thread
|
||||||
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: GUEST,Julia L Date: 17 Feb 22 - 09:41 PM Julia Lane here- Here is a version collected by Eloise Linscott in Maine from Hiram Virgin, Mexico, ME 11/13/941. I've included it in my book "Bygone Ballads of Maine Volume 1- Songs of Ships & Sailors" George Reily On a bright summer's morning the weather being clear I strolled for recreation down by a river clear Where I overheard a damsel most grievously complain All for an absent lover that ploughs the raging main. I being unperceived did unto her draw near Where I lay down in ambush the better for to hear Her doleful lamentations and melancholy cries Whilst sparkling tears like crystal were streaming from her eyes Crying, “O cruel fortune to me has proved unkind As my true love has left me no comfort can I find!” While she was thus lamenting and grieving for her dear I saw a gallant sailor who unto her drew near. With eloquence most complaisant he did address the fair Crying, “Sweet and lovely fair one, why do you mourn here?” “All for an absent lover,” the fair one did reply, “Which causes me to wonder for to lament and cry. Its three long years and more that his absence I have mourn'd And now the war is ended he has not yet returned.” “Why should you grieve for him alone?” the sailor he did say “Perhaps his mind is alter'd or chang'd some other way. If you will but forget him and fix your mind on me Till death doth demand me to you I'll faithful prove!” To which this fair maid answered, “Sir that can never be! I never can admire any other man but he He is the darling of my heart none else can I adore So, take this as an answer and trouble me no more.” Then said the gallant sailor, “What is your true love's name? Both that and his description I wish to know the same.” “George Reily was his name sir, he was a man both neat and trim So manly in proportion that few could equal him With the ringlets down his shoulders, the fairest yellow hair And his skin for whiteness exceeds the lily fair.” “Fair maid, I had a messmate; George Reily was his name I'm sure from your description that he must be the same. It is really most surprising that he was so unkind As to leave so fair a creature in sorrow here behind Three years we spent together on board the old Belflew And such a gallant comrade before I never knew It was on the twelfth of April near to Port Royal Bay We had a tight engagement before the break of day Between Rodney and DeGrasse where many a man did fall Your true love he fell by a French cannon ball Whilst weltering in his blood your generous lover lay With fault'ring voice and broken sighs these words I heard him say- “Farewell, my dearest Nancy were you but standing by To gaze your last upon me contented would I die!” This melancholy story it wounded her so deep She wrung her hands in anguish and bitterly did weep Crying, “My joys are ended if what you say be true Instead of having pleasure I've naught but grief in view!” On hearing which his person no longer he conceal'd He flew into her arms and his person did reveal. Now these constant lovers did each other embrace He kiss'd the bright tears from her cheeks and wiped her lovely face Crying, “My dearest Nancy with you I'll ever stay I'll never more depart till my mainmast's cut away!" The lyrics here are as noted by Eloise Linscott in her unpublished manuscript for A Yankee Pedlar's Pack. Her recording of Mr. Virgin only includes verse 8 (italics) and is quite different from what she apparently intended to publish. It appears that her transcription may be adapted from the Forget-me-not Songster (1840). She has, however, combined several verses perhaps for clarity of the story. The action in verses 10 and 11 describes the Battle of the Saintes, April 12, 1782 in the West Indies where the British and French forces were vying for control of the islands there. The French Rear-Admiral Comte DeGrasse, who had helped George Washington to prevail at Yorktown in the Battle of the Chesapeake, September, 1781, was soundly defeated and taken prisoner by the British Admiral Sir George B. Rodney. Another song, "Rodney’s Glory", tells the story in full. An English ship-of-the-line called Barfleur (Belflew?) is mentioned in descriptions of naval military action in the Caribbean during this time. |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: GUEST,Frank Hamilton Date: 17 Feb 22 - 07:49 AM When I visited the Field Museum in Chicago I found a diorama of a scene described of a sailor quizzing a maiden as to her fidelity to her husband dating back to ancient China. Don't remember the dynasty. The light bulb went on. |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: RunrigFan Date: 16 Feb 22 - 06:33 PM Thats a different song. |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: RTim Date: 15 Feb 22 - 09:47 PM The original Lomax recording.....Riley! Tim Radford https://archive.culturalequity.org/node/55531 |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: RTim Date: 15 Feb 22 - 09:39 PM Riley, Riley, Where are you....? Oh Riley Oh Man Riley, Riley, Where are you....? Bye bye my Riley, Oh Man. From the Georgia Sea Islands collected by Alan Lomax https://archive.culturalequity.org/node/54952 Tim Radford |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: RunrigFan Date: 15 Feb 22 - 06:09 PM Lyrics "John Riley" Fair young maid all in a garden Stange young man, passerby He said, "Fair maid, will you marry me?" This then, sir, was her reply: Oh, no, kind sir, I cannot marry thee For I've a love who sails all on the sea. He's been gone for seven years Still no man shall marry me What if he's in some battle slain Or if he's drowned in the deep salt sea What if he's found another love And he and his love both married be? Well, if he's in some battle slain I will die when the moon doth wane And if he's drowned in the deep salt sea I'll be true to his memory And if he's found another love And he and his love both married be I'll wish them health and happiness Where they dwell across the sea He picked her up all in his arms Kisses gave her: One, two, three Said, weep no more, my own true love I am your long-lost John Riley! Niteworks — John Riley (feat. Beth Malcolm) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zhlMukuSA0 Cant get all the lyrics of this version |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: SuperDave Date: 08 Nov 18 - 12:56 PM I have a sheet music page for the Baez "John Riley" that has the notation: "By Bob Gibson and Ricky Neff, © 1961, 1966 by Sanga Music Inc. and Harvard Music Inc. All rights reserved." The Gibson/Neff credit appears on the Byrds album, The Notorious Byrd Brothers. Bob Gibson introduced a then-unknown Joan Baez at the Newport Folk Festival of 1959. |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: GUEST,Martin Ryan Date: 26 Feb 04 - 05:07 AM MG of H ... or even two brothers - John and Willy! 'Course when he ran away to sea, he changed it to Billy... Regards |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 25 Feb 04 - 05:02 PM It really does seem strange the way the name Riley or Reilly crops up in any number of songs which are only remotely related. I sometimes wonder if there's a real fella at the back of them all. Sort of early "Kilroy was here". Or maybe it's just that it's a name that seems to roll off the tongue in a peculiarly satisfying way. Names like Murphy or Kelly just wouldn;'t work the same way. That would tie up with the way the name turns up also in songs like Ol' Riley, as well as in the broken token songs. |
|
Subject: RE: Origins: John Riley From: John MacKenzie Date: 25 Feb 04 - 04:12 PM Yep that's the one Joe, I've known it for years, and recently decided to revive it for my repertoire, [I say that as if I sung for a living!] anyway I've always loved the chord progression on it, and the little instrumental run between verses. It reminds me of The Bleacher Lass o' Kelvinhaugh, which is another one of the 'tears off false whiskers, and reveals himself as long lost lover' songs.' John |
|
Subject: ADD: John Riley From: Joe Offer Date: 25 Feb 04 - 03:41 PM Here's the song Giok was referring to in the thread called John Riley's Always Dry. I don't see a thread on it, although there are several Digital Tradition songs that may or may not be related to it. I found it in the blue Sing Out Collected Reprints book, transcribed from the singing of Joan Baez. Susanne (skw) has a slightly different version posted here (click) John Riley Fair young maid all in the garden Strange young man pass her by Said, "Fair maid will you marry me?" This then, sir, was her reply "Oh no, kind sir, I cannot marry thee For I've a love who sails all on the seas He's been gone for seven years Still no man shall marry me." "What if he's in some battle slain Or drownded in the deep salt sea? What if he's found another love And he and his love both married be?" "If he's in some battle slain I will die when the moon doth wane If he's drowned in the deep salt sea I'll be true to his memory. And if he's found another love And he and his love both married be I wish them health and happiness Where they dwell across the sea." He picked her up all in his arms And kisses gave her one two three Saying, "Weep no more, my own true love I'm your long lost John Riley!" (as sung by Joan Baez) Notes (from Sing Out! Reprints): This tale of constant lovers with its denouement of "recognitin" is a favorite American traditional ballad. Collectors have found it in many parts of the United States and it is believed that the original is from a British broadside of the late 18th century. There are several "John Riley" entries in the Traditional Ballad Index, and there is some crossover from one song to another. These entries seem to fit this song best. John (George) Riley (I) [Laws N36]DESCRIPTION: A stranger urges a girl to forget her lover; she will not. He tells her that Riley had been aboard his ship, and that Riley had been killed in battle with the French. She is distressed; he reveals that he is Riley and will never again leave herAUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1845 (Shield's _Songs and Ballads in use in the Province of Ulster...1845_, according to Moylan) +1818 (William Garret, _Right Choyse and Merrie Book of Garlands_) KEYWORDS: love courting separation marriage disguise reunion HISTORICAL REFERENCES: Apr 12, 1782 - The Battle of Port Royal FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,Ro,SE) Britain(Scotland(Aber)) REFERENCES (11 citations): Laws N36, "John (George) Riley I" Greig #138, pp. 2-3, "George Rylie"; Greig #148, p. 2, "George Rylie" (1 text plus 1 fragment) GreigDuncan5 1039, "George Riley" (3 texts, 2 tunes) SharpAp 82, "George Reilly" (8 texts, 8 tunes) Thompson-Pioneer 15, "George Reily" (1 text) Brewster 39, "George Reilly" (1 text) Eddy 37, "George Riley" (2 texts, although Laws assigns only the A text to this ballad; the B text, which is fairly short, might go with this or N37) JHCox 95, "George Reilly" (1 text plus mention of 2 more; Laws's citations are far from clear, since he cites the same page reference under both N36 and N37, but Cox's printed text is clearly this piece; presumably he thinks one of the unprinted texts to be N37) Hubbard, #37, "John Riley II" (1 text, which Hubbard thinks is "The Banks of Claudy" but which features this plot and the name of Riley) Moylan 9, "George Reilly Who Fought at Port Royal Bay" (1 text, 1 tune) DT 592, JREILLY6 Roud #267 CROSS-REFERENCES: cf. "The New-Slain Knight" [Child 263] cf. "The Banks of Brandywine" [Laws H28] cf. "The Blooming Bright Star of Belle Isle" [Laws H29] cf. "Willie and Mary (Mary and Willie; Little Mary; The Sailor's Bride)" [Laws N28] cf. "A Seaman and His Love (The Welcome Sailor)" [Laws N29] cf. "William Hall (The Brisk Young Farmer)" [Laws N30] cf. "The Plains of Waterloo (I)" [Laws N32] cf. "Lovely Nancy (I)" [Laws N33] cf. "Janie of the Moore" [Laws N34] cf. "The Dark-Eyed Sailor (Fair Phoebe and her Dark-Eyed Sailor)" [Laws N35] cf. "John (George) Riley (II)" [Laws N37] cf. "The Mantle So Green" [Laws N38] cf. "MacDonald's Return to Glencoe (The Pride of Glencoe)" [Laws N39] cf. "The Banks of Claudy" [Laws N40] cf. "The Lady of the Lake (The Banks of Clyde II)" [Laws N41] cf. "Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token)" [Laws N42] (one of the most common of the ballads of this sort, often known as "John Riley") cf. "Blackbirds and Thrushes (I)" cf. "As Broad as I was Walking" cf. "Come All Ye False Lovers" cf. "Skerry's Blue-Eyed Jane" cf. "The Banks of the Clyde" cf. "The Banks of the Dee (II)" cf. "Lurgan Town (I)" cf. "The Banks of the Inverness" cf. "Cairn-o'-Mount" cf. "Drumallachie" cf. "Down by the Seaside" (part of plot, lyrics) cf. "Yon Green Valley" (lyrics) cf. "Bleacher Lassie o' Kelvinhaugh" cf. "The Lass of Swansea Town (Swansea Barracks)" cf. "The Soldier's Return" cf. "Billy Ma Hone" cf. "Mary of Sweet Belfast Town" cf. "As I Was Walking Down In Yon Valley" (plot) cf. "The Plains of Waterloo" (tune, per GreigDuncan5) ALTERNATE TITLES: George Riley John Riley Johnnie Riley NOTES: The theme of a lover coming in disguise and testing his love is ancient; there is a version in Ovid's Metamorphoses (VII.685 and following). Cephalus doubts Procris, and (disguised by the goddess Diana) comes to her and tries to get her to be unfaithful to him. She utterly rejects his advances. In that case, however, the ending is not happy. Although they are reunited, and happy for a time, she eventually starts to doubt him (prompted perhaps by his earlier doubts?). She follows him as he goes hunting, and he -- hearing a rustling in the leaves -- kills her with a cast of his javelin. Even older, of course, is the version in the Odyssey. - RBW See the notes to "The Plains of Waterloo (I)" [Laws N32] for Mackenzie's discussion of Laws N36 as source for "The Mantle So Green" [Laws N38] and "The Plains of Waterloo (I)" [Laws N32]. [On April 12, 1782], Admiral George Brydges Rodney defeated the French Admiral the Count De Grasse at the Battle of the Saintes in the Caribbean and brought the captured French ships into Fort Royal. (source} Moylan; George Brydges Rodney, 1st Baron Rodney at the Wikipedia site). [See also Arthur Herman, To Rule the Waves, pp. 316-318; Herman notes that Rodney pioneered the attack from the leeward side, assuring that the French could not escape him by running; Herman also considers the battle to have re-established British naval dominance, which was not broken even in the Napoleonic Wars. - RBW] Both Laws and Moylan make fight the battle between Rodney and De Grasse. Laws has Reiley serving on Belflew; Moylan makes it Balflour. Moylan notes "The Formidable was Admiral Rodney's own vessel. The Barfleur was the ship which captured de Grasse's flagship, the Ville de Paris." - BS Brewster's version also mentions the Rodney/De Grasse battle; the ship in his text is the Belle Flower, though the date is April 10. Eddy has the date right; the ship is the Belflew. Cox also lists the Belflew (and has the April 12 date); presumably their agreement was the basis for the name in Laws. For more on Rodney, see the notes to "Rodney's Glory." - RBW Thompson-Pioneer and GreigDuncan5 1039B also refer to the Battle of Port Royal. Greig, who has the same text as GreigDuncan 1039A, refers to an April Battle of Port Said against the French, with the captains's names lost, but I don't find any record of such a battle; Wikipedia has Port Said not being founded until 1859 in connection with the beginning of construction of the Suez Canal ("Port Said" according to Wikipedia, accessed August 12, 2012). - BS Last updated in version 3.8 File: LN36 Go to the Ballad Search form Go to the Ballad Index Instructions The Ballad Index Copyright 2015 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.
Then again, it could be this one: Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token) [Laws N42]DESCRIPTION: A girl refuses to be courted by a stranger, saying she will wait for her love. The stranger counters that he may be slain, drowned, or unfaithful; she says she will be faithful anyway. He pulls out his locket, revealing him as her lost, and now rich, loveAUTHOR: unknown EARLIEST DATE: 1822 KEYWORDS: courting separation brokentoken FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE,So,SW) Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(England,Scotland(Aber)) Ireland Bahamas REFERENCES (55 citations): Laws N42, "Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token)" Belden, pp. 148-151, "A Sweetheart in the Army" (3 texts plus references to 2 more, 1 tube) Randolph 55, "The Maiden in the Garden" (3 texts plus 1 fragment and 1 excerpt, 2 tunes) Randolph/Cohen, pp. 97-99, "The Maiden in the Garden" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 55A) Bronner-Eskin1 11, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (2 texts, 2 tunes) Eddy 51, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text, 1 tune) Peters, pp. 165-166, "The Broken Ring" (1 text, 1 tune) BrownII 92, "A Pretty Fair Maid in the Garden" (1 text) BrownIII 12, "Madam, I Have Gold and Silver" (1 text, starting with "Wheel of Fortune" but ending with a "Ripest of Apples" verse and ending with a Riley stanza, from this or some other ballad of this type) BrownSchinhanIV 92, "A Pretty Fair Maid Down in the Garden" (2 texts plus 12 excerpt, 14 tunes) Chappell-FSRA 68, "Betty Fair Miss" (1 text, 1 tune) Morris, #186, "Pretty Fair Maid" (2 texts, 1 tune); #201, "Sailor's Return" (1 text, which opens with a "No, John, No" stanza) Hudson 36, pp. 160-151, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text); also 37, pp. 151-152, "Annie Girl" (1 text, which conflates 2 verses of "The Drowsy Sleeper" [Laws M4], 2 or 3 of "Wheel of Fortune (Dublin City, Spanish Lady)" or "No, John, No: or similar, and 3 verses probably of this) Boswell/Wolfe 72, pp. 118-119, "Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text, 1 tune) Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 260-264, "The True Sweetheart," "Pretty Fair Maid," "A Pretty Fair Damsel," "A Lily Fair Damsel," The True Sweetheart" (5 texts, mostly rather short; 4 tunes on pp.423-425); in addition, p. 265, "A Soldier Boy," opens with stanzas from this song, but the conclusion is "William Hall (The Brisk Young Farmer)" [Laws N30] SharpAp 98, "The Broken Token" (6 texts, 6 tunes) Creighton/Senior, pp. 134-139, "Broken Ring Song" (5 texts, 2 tunes) Creighton-NovaScotia 28, "Broken Ring" (1 text, 1 tune) Creighton-Maritime, p. 59, "Broken Ring Song" (1 text, 1 tune) Creighton-SNewBrunswick 24, "Broken Ring Song" (1 text, 1 tune) Peacock, pp. 584-589, "Seven Years I Loved a Sailor" (3 texts, 3 tunes; the "C" text, "Flowery Garden," grafts the "Poison in a Glass of Wine" theme (cf. "Oxford City" [Laws P30]) as the ending) Fowke/MacMillan 65, "The Sailor's Return" (1 text, 1 tune) Mackenzie 63, "The Single Sailor" (2 texts) Leach, pp. 701-703, "A Sweetheart in the Army" (2 texts) Reeves-Circle 15, "The Broken Token" (1 text) OLochlainn 2, "A Lady Fair" (1 text, 1 tune) McBride 47, "The Lady Fair" (1 text, 1 tune) OBoyle, p. 34, "A Lady Fair" (1 fragment, 1 tune) OCroinin-Cronin 184, "There Was a Lady In Her Father's Garden" (3 texts, 1 tune) Graham/Holmes 45, "A Maid in a Floewery Garden" (1 text, 1 tune) OShaughnessy-Grainger 7, "A Fair Maid Walking All in Her Garden" (1 text, 1 tune) Wyman-Brockway I, p. 88, "The Sweetheart in the Army" (1 text, 1 tune) Fuson, pp. 77-78, "Soldier, Won't You Marry Me?" (1 text, in which, despite the title, the soldier asks the girl to marry, not the reverse) Cambiaire, pp. 64-65, "The Soldier's Return (A Pretty Fair Maid)" (1 text) Moore-Southwest 83, "The Cowboy's Return" (1 text, 1 tune) Owens-1ed, pp. 91-92, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text, 1 tune) Owens-2ed, pp. 46-48, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (2 texts, 2 tunes) FSCatskills 22, "Johnny Riley" (1 text, 1 tune) McNeil-SFB1, pp. 80-81, "Miss Mary Belle" (1 text, 1 tune) Sandburg, pp. 68-69, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text, 1 tune) Ord, pp. 326-327, "The Brisk Young Sailor" (1 text) Greig #23, p. 1, "The Sailor" (1 text) GreigDuncan5 1038, "The Single Sailor" (26 texts plus a single verse on p. 617, 16 tunes) GreigDuncan6 1201, "She Put Her Hand into Her Bosom" (1 fragment) Lyle-Crawfurd2 89, "Mary and Willie" (1 text) Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 104-105, "The Young and Single Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune) Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 625, "Maid and the Sailor"; Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 307, "Maid and the Sailor" (2 texts) Abrahams/Foss, pp. 117-118, "A Pretty Fair Miss All in a Garden" (1 text, 1 tune); also pp. 222-223 (1 tune, partial text) JHCox 92, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (2 texts plus mention of 4 more; the "B" text includes stanzas from "Wheel of Fortune (Dublin City, Spanish Lady)") SHenry H471, p. 317, "The Broken Ring" (1 text, 1 tune); also probably H818, pp. 317-318, "Green Garden" (1 text, 1 tune) MacSeegTrav 27, "The Sailor's Return" (3 texts, 3 tunes) DT 462, JREILLY* JREILLY3* JREILLY5 ADDITIONAL: W. Christie, editor, Traditional Ballad Airs (Edinburgh, 1876 (downloadable pdf by University of Edinburgh, 2007)), Vol I, pp. 264-265, "The Poor and Single Sailor" (1 tune) James P. Leary, Compiler and Annotator, _Wisconsin Folklore_ University of Wisconsin Press, 2009, article "Kentucky Folksong in Northern Wisconsin" by Asher E. Treat, p. 227, "A Fair Damsel in a Garden" (1 text, 1 tune, sung by Pearl Jacobs Borusky) Elsie Clews Parsons, "Spirituals and Other Folklore from the Bahamas" in _The Journal of American Folklore_, Vol. 41, No. 162 (Oct-Dec 1928 (made available online by JSTOR)), Toasts and other verses: Abaco p. 467, ("One day I was walkin' along the street") (1 text) Roud #264 RECORDINGS: Clarence Ashley, "Pretty Fair Damsel" (on CloseHomeMS) Mary Cash, "Lady in Her Father's Garden" (on IRTravellers01) Elizabeth Cronin, "There Was a Lady In Her Father's Garden" (on IRECronin01) Cousin Emmy [Cynthia May Carver], "Pretty Fair Miss Out In the Garden" (Decca 24213, 1947; on ConstSor1) Louise Foreacre, "Down in Grandma's Garden" (on Stonemans01) Warde & Pat Ford, "The Soldier's Sweetheart" (AFS 4204 B1, 1938; tr.; in AMMEM/Cowell) Sarah Hawkes, "Returning Sweetheart" (on Persis1) Roscoe Holcomb, "Fair Miss in the Garden" (on Holcomb1) (on FOTM) Maggie Murphy, "Seven Years Since I Had a Sweetheart" (on IRHardySons) New Lost City Ramblers, "Pretty Fair Miss Out in the Garden" (on NLCR06) Dellie Norton, "Pretty Fair Miss in Her Garden" (on DarkHoll) Sarah Anne O'Neill, "Standing in Yon Flowery Garden" (on Voice10) Mrs. Clara Stevens, "Seven Years I Loved a Sailor" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only] Mrs. William Towns, "A Fair Maid Walked in her Father's Garden" (on Ontario1) Doug Wallin, "Pretty Fair Miss in a Garden" (on Wallins1) Martin Young & Corbett Grigsby, "Pretty Fair Miss in the Garden" (on MMOKCD) BROADSIDES: Bodleian, Harding B 17(180a), "The Loyal Sailor," J. Ferraby (Hull), 1803-1838; also Harding B 11(4354), Firth c.12(335), "Young and Single Sailor" CROSS-REFERENCES: cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there cf. "The Bleacher Lassie" (tune, per GreigDuncan5) ALTERNATE TITLES: The Sailor's Return The Single Soldier John Riley (III) Flowery Garden The Sailor Boy The Sailor's Return Seven Years I Loved a Sailor A Lady in Her Garden Walking A Fair Maid A Lady Walking NOTES: Eddy's version of this piece may be the only one of these disguised love songs in which the man admits what he is: A creep who sneaks up on his faithful true love. The second Sam Henry version, "Green Garden," is marked as Laws N42 but with a question mark. I understand the editors' hesitation, but there are enough links to other texts of the song that I think we can list it here. It's not as if we need another Broken Token ballad.... Paul Stamler suggested filing Art Thieme's song "That's the Ticket" here. Since this index occasionally pretends to something resembling scholarship, I couldn't bring myself to do it. But if you want to see the essence of Broken Token absurdity, that song (on Thieme03) probably sums it up as well as is humanly possible. - RBW The last three verses of Mary Cash's version on IRTravellers01 are the "Phoenix Island" verses from "O'Reilly from the County Leitrim": as a result, the suitor is finally rejected. Jim Carroll's notes to IRTravellers01 cite another version from Mary Delaney who "had the suitor even more fimly rejected: For it's seven years brings an alteration, And seven more brings a big change to me, Oh, go home young man, choose another sweetheart, Your serving maid I'm not here to be." Mary Delaney's "Phoenix Island" on IRTravellers01 is even more extreme (see notes to "O'Reilly from the County Leitrim," which generally ends unfavorably for the suitor). GreigDuncan6 seems a poorly remembered fragment of the Laws N42 broken ring verse with sexes reversed: "She put her hand into her bosom With fingers neat and small And pulled out the gay gold ring I gave her at the ball" instead of "He put his hand into his pocket, His fingers they being long and small, Pulled out the ring that was broke between them; And when she saw it she down did fall." If there had been another verse there might have been a reason to assign it somewhere else. - BS The motif of a virtuous girl in a garden is an ancient one. A source that would have been well-known in medieval times is that of Susanna, found in the apocryphal/deuterocanonical additions to the book of Daniel. This story invited elaboration -- and, indeed, we find such elaboration in the Middle English alliterative poem "A Pistel of Susan." This was popular enough to survive in five manuscripts (which is a substantial number), with the earliest being from the late fourteenth century (see Thorlac Turville-Petre, Alliterative Poetry of the Later Middle Ages: An Anthology, Routledge, 1989, p. 120). On p. 121, Turville-Petre adds, "Susan is based on the story of Susan and the Elders.... The poet makes two notable alterations. In place of the account of how the Elders secretly burned with lust for Susan.... (Daniel xiii.10-14), the poet substitutes an extended description of Susan's garden (ll. 66-117). He also adds a moving stanza describing Susan's farewell-meeting with her husband Joachim after her condemnation (ll. 248-60). The effect of both alterations is to focus attention and sympathy on Susan." On p. 122, Turville-Petre declares that the story in the Pistel makes Susan a romance heroine, from which it is only one step to a ballad. He also compares the story of Emily in Chaucer's Knight's Tale, lines 1034-1055. - RBW Last updated in version 3.8 File: LN42
|
| Share Thread: |
