happy? - June 4

Subject: happy? - June 4
From: Abby Sale
Date: 04 Jun 05 - 11:02 AM

          The George-Alow and the Sweepstake too,
             With hey, with ho, for and a nony no,
          Oh they were merchantmen and bound for Safee,
             And alongst the coast of Barbary. 

                "A Dittye of the fight uppon the seas of the 4 of June last [1590] in the Straytes of Jubraltare, betwene the George and the Thomas Bonaventure and eight Gailles with three ffregates," from Oxford Book of Sea Songs, Palmer. This is Child #285, Interesting song in that it completely dropped out of any recorded knowledge of tradition nor was any tune ever recorded until it suddenly reappeared in the early 1900's as "High Barbary."

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