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Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)

DigiTrad:
BANKS OF GREEN WILLOW
BANKS OF GREEN WILLOW
BANKS OF YARROW (4)
BANKS OF YARROW (4)
BONNIE ANNIE
BONNIE ANNIE
THE BANKS OF GREEN WILLOW (2)
THE BANKS OF GREEN WILLOW (2)


Related threads:
(origins) Penguin: Banks Of Green Willow (67)
Banks of Green Willow - Cyril Tawney (12)
Lyr Req: The Green Willow (P Farrell) (5)
Chord Req: Banks of Green Willow (44)
Lyr Add: A Ballad of the Green Willow (Heywood) (3)
The Green Banks of Yarrow (7)
Lyr Req: Banks of Green Willow (from Butterworth) (3)
Banks of Green Willow (8)
What is 'Green Willow' (40)


Q (Frank Staplin) 23 Sep 05 - 06:27 PM
Roberto 24 Sep 05 - 02:07 AM
Joe Offer 25 Sep 05 - 02:19 AM
Q (Frank Staplin) 25 Sep 05 - 03:06 PM
Malcolm Douglas 25 Sep 05 - 03:57 PM
Q (Frank Staplin) 25 Sep 05 - 04:59 PM
Malcolm Douglas 25 Sep 05 - 06:03 PM
Richie 14 Jan 12 - 10:58 PM
MGM·Lion 15 Jan 12 - 12:03 AM
Richie 15 Jan 12 - 01:21 AM
Brian Peters 15 Jan 12 - 07:31 AM
Jim Carroll 15 Jan 12 - 08:36 AM
Mick Pearce (MCP) 15 Jan 12 - 08:52 AM
Brian Peters 15 Jan 12 - 09:03 AM
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Subject: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 23 Sep 05 - 06:27 PM

Lyr. Add: BONNIE ANNIE (2)
Child 24A

There was a rich lord, and he lived in Forfar,
He had a fair lady, and one only dochter.

O she was fair, O dear, she was bonnie:
A ship's captain courted her to be his honey.

'Ye'll steal your father's gowd, and your mother's money,
And I'll mak' ye a lady in Ireland bonny.'

She's stown her father's gowd, and her mother's money,
But she was never a lady in Ireland bonny.

'There's fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for me,
There's fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for me.'

They've casten bullets twice six and forty,
And aye the black bullet fell on Bonnie Annie.

'Ye'll tak' me in your arms twain, lo, lift me cannie.
Throw me out owre board, your ain dear Annie.'

He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her cannie,
He has laid her on a bed of down, his ain dear Annie.

'What can a woman do, love, I'll do for ye?'
'Muckle can a woman do, ye canna do for me.'

'Lay about, steer about, lay our ship cannie,
Do all ye can to save my dear Annie.'

'I've laid about, steered about, laid about cannie,
But all I can do, she winna steer for me.'

Ye'll tak' her in your arms two, lo, lift her cannie,
Ye'll throw her out owre board, your ain dear Annie.

He has tane her in his arms two, lo, he lifted her cannie,
He has thrown her out owre board, his ain dear Annie.

As the ship sailed, bonnie Annie she swam,
And she was in Ireland as soon as them.

He made his love a coffin of the gowd sae yellow,
And buried his bonnie love down in a sea valley.

This is Child no. 24, A, but taken from C. Fox Smith, 1927, "A Sea Chest, An Anthology of Ships and Sailormen," pp. 91-93, Methuen & Co., London.
She labels it an "Old Scots Ballad," and adds a comment "(Did Stevenson get his 'black spot' from this old ballad? By the way, it is strange to find here the phrase 'My Dear Annie', so popular with the shanty man in much later times; no doubt this was the source whence it was originally derived.- Editor.)"

Child indicates his version A was taken from Kinlock's "Ancient Scottish Ballads," p. 123.
Bronson has versions as "Banks of Green Willow." Other versions are titled "The Undutiful Daughter," etc. The Traditional Ballad Index also ties in Nicky Tams and it is suggested that the tune was the one used for "D'Ye Ken John Peel." Bronson notes, however, that Baring-Gould collected a tune, but failed to print it, thus our tunes are 20th century.
I am sure that there will be additions and corrections to these notes. Malcolm Douglas comments on "Banks of Green Willow," which seems to be the most possible group of variants, in thread 17058: Banks


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Subject: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE (from Ewan MacColl)
From: Roberto
Date: 24 Sep 05 - 02:07 AM

Two recordings of Bonnie Annie, the second one getting closer to the Banks of Green Willow's variant. R

Bonnie Annie
Ewan MacColl, Scottish Traditional Songs, Ossian OSS CD 105, first released on Folkways (FW8757, 1961)

There was a rich merchant who lived in Strathdinnah
And he had ae dochter who'se name it was Annie

There was a rich merchant who cam' fae Dunbarton
And he's got this bonnie lassie big, big wi' bairn

Ye'll tak' ship wii me and ye'll be my honey
Whatmore can a woman do than I can do for ye?

O, captain, tak gold, O captain tak' money
And sail to dry land for the sake of my honey

How can I tak' gold, how can I tak' money?
There's fey folk on my ship, she winna sail for me

Tak' me be the fingers and lift me up heely
And throw me ower board and hae nae pity on me

He's ta'en her be the fingers and did lift her up heely
And thrown her ower board, she was his ain dearie

Her goon it was wide and her petticoat narrow
And she swam afore them till they came to Yarrow

His love she was there when they ca'd to dry land
And her lying deid on the saut sea strand

The baby was born and lying at her feet
For the loss o' his bonnie love sore did he weep

He's caused mak' a kist o' the gowd sae yellow
And they a' three sleep i' the braes o' Yarrow



    Note: the above is almost the same as the version in the Digital Tradition, which comes from the Folk Songs and Ballads of Scotland songbook by MacColl. I checked the songbook - the DT has a near-perfect transcription from the songbook.
    -Joe Offer-


The Green Banks of Yarrow
Mrs. Maguire, on Sailormen and Servingmaids, The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 6, Topic 12T194

We hadn't sailed far nor we hadn't sailed any
We hadn't sailed far nor we hadn't sailed any
Till she cried out aloud for her baby
Love-lar-i-a, love-lily-love-lee

Up came the sea-captain, he spoke very bonny
Up came the sea-captain, he spoke very bonny
He said - Anything that you want, I will get it
Love-lar-i-a, love-lily-love-lee

Oh, get me a woman, and let her stay near me
Oh, get me a woman, and let her stay near me
Oh, get me a woman, and let her stay near me
Love-lar-i-a, love-lily-love-lee

Up came the sea-captain, he spoke very bonny
Up came the sea-captain, he spoke very bonny
Said - I can do for you, what a woman can't do any
Love-lar-i-a, love-lily-love-lee

Oh, hold your tongue, foolish man, hold your tongue, honey
Oh, hold your tongue, foolish man, hold your tongue, honey
Sure, you never knew what your mummy stood for you
Love-lar-i-a, love-lily-love-lee

Well, the nails they were scarce and the deals they were narrow
Well, the nails they were scarce and the deals they were narrow
And he buried his true-love on the green banks of Yarrow
Love-lar-i-a, love-lily-love-lee


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE (Child 24)
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 02:19 AM

This is the text of Child 24A. It's almost the same as what Q posted, but Q's version missed the third verse. There are a very few other differences - I marked them all with italics.
-Joe Offer-

BONNIE ANNIE
Child 24A

There was a rich lord, and he lived in Forfar,
He had a fair lady, and one only dochter.

O she was fair, O dear, she was bonnie:
A ship's captain courted her to be his honey.

Then cam a ship's captain out owre the sea sailing,
He courted this young thing till he got her wi bairn.


'Ye'll steal your father's gowd, and your mother's money,
And I'll mak' ye a lady in Ireland bonnie.'

She's stown her father's gowd, and her mother's money,
But she was never a lady in Ireland bonnie.

'There's fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for me,
There's fey fowk in our ship, she winna sail for me.'

They've casten black bullets twice six and forty,
And aye the black bullet fell on bonnie Annie.

'Ye'll tak' me in your arms twa, lo, lift me cannie.
Throw me out owre board, your ain dear Annie.'

He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, lifted her cannie,
He has laid her on a bed of down, his ain dear Annie.

'What can a woman do, love, I'll do for ye?'
'Muckle can a woman do, ye canna do for me.'

'Lay about, steer about, lay our ship cannie,
Do all ye can to save my dear Annie.'

'I've laid about, steered about, laid about cannie,
But all I can do, she winna sail for me.'

'Ye'll tak' her in your arms twa, lo, lift her cannie,
And throw her out owre board, your ain dear Annie.

He has tane her in his arms twa, lo, he lifted her cannie,
He has thrown her out owre board, his ain dear Annie.

As the ship sailed, bonnie Annie she swam,
And she was in Ireland as soon as them.

He made his love a coffin of the gowd sae yellow,
And buried his bonnie love doun in a sea valley.


from The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Child (Loomis House)
Childs version 24A is from Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads
Here's the entry from the Traditional Ballad Index:

Bonnie Annie [Child 24]

DESCRIPTION: A ship's captain seduces (Annie) and takes her to sea with him. The ship they are sailing is caught in a storm which will not die down. (The crew) decides that Annie is the guilty party and throws her overboard. (The captain may order her rescue)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1827 (reported by Lloyd)
KEYWORDS: seduction sea death storm childbirth pregnancy bastard
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland) US(NE)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Child 24, "Bonnie Annie" (3 texts)
Bronson 24, "Bonnie Annie" (18 versions)
OBB 20, "Bonnie Annie" (1 text)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 15, "The Banks of Green Willow" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #2}
DBuchan 45, "Bonnie Annie" (1 text)
DT 24, GREWILLO* BONNYANN*

Roud #172
Notes: In the Vaughan Williams/Lloyd version, the sailor Johnny has persuaded the girl to steal her mother's money and run away to sea with him. When she has his baby, he (not the crew) throws her overboard, along with her baby. - PJS
File: C024

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions

The Ballad Index Copyright 2005 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE (Child 24)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 03:06 PM

The version I posted is from C. Fox Smith, "A Sea Chest." I should have noted that there were slight variances from 24A as published by Child.

The title "Bonnie Annie" is listed for the Read Ms., 1798, and the Huntington Ms., 1817; earlier dates than the 1827 (Lloyd) noted in The Traditional Ballad Index.
www.colonialdancing.org/Easmes/Indexes/IdxiLKN.html


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE (Child 24)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 03:57 PM

The Baring-Gould tunes are in Bronson. Almost all the known tune examples are from English sources, Baring-Gould's being the earliest recorded.

The TSI reference would be from Penguin, where Lloyd mentioned the date but not the source (an omission rectified in the revised edition).

Whether or not the Bonnie Annie references at EASMES have anything to do with this song, I don't know. I suspect that they are more likely to be examples of the dance tune(s) of that name, one of which (The Red House) was later used in mutated forms for the Scottish Where wad bonnie Annie ly and the English John Peel. No relation at all to the ballad, so far as can be told.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE (Child 24)
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 04:59 PM

Child mentioned that 24A was taken from Kinloch's Ancient Scottish Ballads, but did not give the date, 1827. The Traditional Ballad Index gives the date but not the title. The new edition of the Penguin book, "Classic English Folk Songs" revised by Malcolm, puts the two together in the revised Lloyd note (Am I the only one not bright enough to put the date and title together?).

Bronson's Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads is out of sight- part sets $400 approx. for 1-2 of the 4 volumes and $875 for 3 vols. of the 4. Some 18 versions of "Bonnie Annie" in this set, acc. to the Trad. Ballad Index.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: BONNIE ANNIE (Child 24)
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 25 Sep 05 - 06:03 PM

Date and title are in Child's bibliography, but unfortunately he arranged it chronologically rather than alphabetically, which makes it a pain to find things.

Yes, 18 tune examples in Bronson; a few more have emerged since. Original copies are indeed beyond the pocket of normal humans; over the space of a couple of years I photocopied all four volumes. That wasn't cheap either, but it was affordable done, so to speak, on the instalment plan. Perhaps, one day, Heritage Muse will deliver the digital edition they've been promising for several years now.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: Richie
Date: 14 Jan 12 - 10:58 PM

Hi,

Here's Child C a. with correct title, date and informant:

http://bluegrassmessengers.com/undutiful-daughter--masters-devon-1888-child-c-a.aspx

See original text above. Verse 5 was added by Baring Gould, which improves the ballad.



The Undutiful Daughter; Baring-Gould A (Devon) 1888; Bonnie Annie-Child C a; Taken down from a man of above eighty years at Bradstone. [John Masters, Devon; Bradstone in 1888.]

1   'T was of a sea-captain came oer the salt billow,
He courted a maiden down by the green willow:
'O take of your father his gold and his treasure,
take of your mother her fee without measure.'

2   'I'll take of my father his gold and his treasure,
I'll take of my mother her fee without measure:'
She has come with the captain unto the seaside, O,
'We'll sail to lands foreign upon the blue tide, O!'

3   And when she had sailed today and tomorrow,
She was beating her hands, she was crying in sorrow;
And when she had sailed the days were not many,
The sails were outspread, but of miles made not any.

4   And when she had sailed today and tomorrow,
She was beating her hands, she was crying in sorrow;
And when she had sailed not many a mile, O,
The maid was delivered of a beautiful child, O.

5   [They cast the black bullets as they sailed on the water;
The black bullet fell on the undutiful daughter.
Now who in the ship must go over the side, O!
O none save the maiden, the fair captain's bride O!]

6   'O take a white napkin, about my head bind it!
O take a white napkin, about my feet wind it!
Alack! I must sink, both me and my baby,
Alack! I must sink in the deep salten water.

7   'O captain, O captain, here's fifty gold crown, O,
I pray thee to bear me and turn the ship round, O;
O captain, O captain, here's fifty gold pound, O,
If thou wilt but set me upon the green ground, O.'

8   'O never, O never! the wind it blows stronger,
O never, O never! the time it grows longer;
And better it were that thy baby and thou, O,
Should drown than the crew of the vessel, I vow, O.'

9   'O get me a boat that is narrow and thin, O,
And set me and my little baby therein, O:'
'O no, it were better that thy baby and thou, O,
Should drown than the crew of the vessel, I vow, O.'

10   They got a white napkin, about her head bound it,
They got a white napkin, about her feet wound it;
They cast her then overboard, baby and she, O,
Together to sink in the cruel salt sea, O.

11   The moon it was shining, the tide it was running;
O what in the wake of the vessel was swimming?
'O see, boys! O see how she floats on the water!
O see, boys! O see! the undutiful daughter!

12   'Why swim in the moonlight, upon the sea swaying?
what art thou seeking? for what art thou praying?'
'O captain, O captain, I float on the water;
For the sea giveth up the undutiful daughter.

13   'O take of my father the gold and the treasure,
O take of my mother her fee without measure;
O make me a coffin of gold that is yellow,
And bury me under the banks of green willow!'

14   'I will make thee a coffin of gold that is yellow,
I'll bury thee under the banks of green willow;
I'll bury thee there as becometh a lady,
I'll bury thee there, both thou and thy baby.'

15   The sails they were spread, and the wind it was blowing,
The sea was so salt, and the tide it was flowing;
They steered for the land, and they reachd the shore, O,
But the corpse of the maiden had reachd there before, O.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 12:03 AM

Good recorded versionsfrom Nic Jones & Tony Rose on vinyl, I recall; which formed basis of collated version on my youtube channel

http://www.youtube.com/user/mgmyer


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: Richie
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 01:21 AM

Hi

The text of Child C a., sent to Child by Baring-Gould, is a combined version, taken down in 1888 from J Masters, Bradstone and in 1889 from H. Smith, Two Bridges.

I posted the text above. Verse 5. supplied by Baring-Gould is from the earlier texts of Child A and B.

Richie


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 07:31 AM

The man to ask is Martin Graebe, who has made a study of Baring-Gould's various versions and revisions of this ballad. He sent me some of his findings a few years ago, when I was working on my own collation. The text posted above is indeed a collation, probably with lines added by Baring-Gould himself. Some of the lines have a suspiciously 'poetic' feel to them. Having looked at Martin's transcriptions of different drafts of the ballad from B-G's notebooks, I wasn't convinced that any one of them represented the original lyric as notated from the source.

Baring-Gould also collected fragmentary versions from Sam Fone and Roger Hannaford.

I'll see if I can get hold of Martin and put him in touch with you, Richie.


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 08:36 AM

Banks of Green Willow provided composer George Butterworth with the inspiration for one of the most exquisite pieces of English orchestral music bearing the same name
Jim Carroll


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: Mick Pearce (MCP)
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 08:52 AM

Take6 has 10 versions he collected Jim; no wonder it stuck in his mind!

Mick


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Subject: RE: Lyr Add: Bonnie Annie (Child 24)
From: Brian Peters
Date: 15 Jan 12 - 09:03 AM

I did a bit of analysis of Butterworth's sources on another thread. He seems to have incorporated the tune from David Clements (coll. Vaughan Williams) with the tune he'd collected himself from Mr. and Mrs. Cranstone of Billingshurst (see Take 6), plus a bit of 'Green Bushes'.


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