Lyr Req: James Derry (from Deirdre Murtha)

Subject: Lyr Add: JAMES DERRY (from Deirdre Murtha)
From: Roberto
Date: 11 Sep 05 - 03:17 PM

It is a recording of the song also known as Derry Gaol, Streets of Derry, The Dreary Gallows, of which there is a beautiful recording by Sarah Makem.

I can't get three words in the last stanzas. Please, help. Thanks. R

James Derry
Deirdre Murtha, on Irish Songs from Old New England, Traditional Irish-American Songs from the Flanders Ballad Collection, Folk-Legacy CD-132, 2003.

My love is one of the finest young men
That e'er the sun has shined upon
And how to gain him, I do not know it
For he's got sentenced all to be hung

And when he walks the streets of Derry
I'm sure he walks most manfully
He looks more like a commander general
Than one to die on the gallows tree

The very first step he took of the ladder
His aged father was standing nigh -
Come here, come here, my aged father
Speak one word to me before I die

The very next step he took of the ladder
His aged mother was standing nigh -
Come here, come here, my aged mother
Speak one word to me before I die

The very next step he took of the ladder
His beloved sister was standing nigh -
Come here, come here, my beloved sister
Speak one word to me before I die

He took a ring from his foremost finger
And wrapped it up in a napkin fine
Take this, take this, my beloved sister
And bear me constant all in your mind

O, hang him high! – cried the bold High Sheriff
With a noble clergyman standing by
I'll have you know, you bold persecuter
That this young man is not fit to die

I'll have you know you cannot hang him
Till his confession to me is done
I'll have you know, you bold persecuter
There is fifteen minutes for the setting sun

The very next step he took of the ladder
His glowing colours began to fade
He woefully sighed and ...(???) he cried
Saying - There's no relief from Derry jail

O where, O where is my true lover
What's keeping her so long from me?
Or does she think it is some great disonour
To see me die on the gallows tree

He looked around, he saw her coming
Her steed was faster than the wynd
She then dismounted from that noble ...(???)
And was dressed up all in holland fine

Come down, come down, my own true lover
I've brought your pardon all from the Queen
I'll let them know they will not hang you
I'll crown you back in ... (Old Erin's???) green

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Derry (from Deirdre Murtha)
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 11:04 PM

Here's the search page for The Flanders Ballad Collection at Middlebury College, Vermont. Although I found that they have several field recordings of JAMES DERRY, none were by Dierdre Murtha. It's a puzzlement.

At any rate, it seems they only have their catalog data available online, not recordings or transcripts themselves.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Derry (from Deirdre Murtha)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 12 Sep 05 - 11:14 PM

No, it isn't puzzling; the songs on this cd are arrangements by current (mostly professional) performers, of material from the Helen Hartness Flanders collection, not recordings of the source singers. Some of the original material has been published, but much of it is still archival. It takes a great deal of money to make such things available online. The indexes are an important start.

Subject: RE: Lyr Req: James Derry (from Deirdre Murtha)
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 13 Sep 05 - 01:01 AM

A lot of the Flanders field recordings are in really rough shape sonically so, though we would have preferred a cd of field recordings (that was the original idea), the only real option was to have modern-day singers record the songs. Most of the songs on the cd, which is Irish Songs from Old New England, Folk-Legacy CD-132 are unchanged textually and melodically from the originals. Some singers altered their songs. To those who might say that they've heard plenty of field recordings and field recordings are good enough for them, I would only reply that these recordings were improperly stored and simply not suitable to be cleaned digitally and reissued.         

Back in 1982 when I was writing the introduction to my song book, The Bonnie Bunch of Roses, I noted, "Singers come in three categories: those who tell the tale precisely as they heard it, those who would only occasionally alter certain details to clarify the message, and those very individualistic singers who stamp much of their repertoire with their own trademark." I think those words rang true in the making of this cd. Most singers sang the song as they heard it. A few filled in missing words that the source singer simply forgot and one singer, an architect, did a remodeling job.

The index to the collection was issued as a book in 1983. Don't know whether there are any left. I was able to get one about five years ago. The Flanders Ballad Collection comprises more that 4,000 performances, which is to say including some retakes, fiddle tunes, etc.

Thanks for your interest Roberto. I'll give a listen tomorrow and check the words for you. I think you're very close.

All the best,
Dan Milner

Subject: Lyr Add: JAMES DERRY (from Deirdre Murtha)
From: Liam's Brother
Date: 14 Sep 05 - 02:43 PM

My love is one of the finest young men that e'er the sun has shined upon,
And how to gain him, I do not know it for he's got sentenced all to be hung.
And, when he walks the streets of Derry, I'm sure he walks most manfully.
He looks more like a commander-general than one to die on the gallows tree.

The very first step he took of the ladder, his aged father was standing nigh.
"Come here, come here, my aged father speak one word to me before I die."
The very next step he took of the ladder, his aged mother was standing nigh.
"Come here, come here, my aged mother, peak one word to me before I die."

The very next step he took of the ladder, his beloved sister was standing nigh.
"Come here, come here, my beloved sister, speak one word to me before I die."
He took a ring from his foremost finger and wrapped it up in a napkin fine.
"Take this, take this, my beloved sister and bear me constant all in your mind

"O, hang him high!" cried the bold High Sheriff with a noble clergyman standing by.
"I'll have you know, you bold persecutor that this young man is not fit to die.
I'll have you know you cannot hang him till his confession to me is done.
I'll have you know, you bold persecutor, there is fifteen minutes for the setting sun."

The very next step he took of the ladder his glowing colours began to fade.
He woefully sighed and most manly cried saying, "There's no relief from Derry's jail.
O where, O where is my true lover? What's keeping her so long from me?
Or does she think it is some great dishonour to see me die on the gallows tree?"

He looked around, he saw her coming. Her steed was faster than the wind.
She then dismounted from that noble gallant and was dressed up all in Holland fine.
"Come down, come down, my own true lover. I've brought your pardon all from the Queen.
I'll let them know they will not hang you. I'll crown you back in old Erin's green."