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Question about English Folk songs

19 Apr 04 - 05:36 PM (#1165633)
Subject: Question about English Folk songs
From: Georgiansilver

Having enjoyed many years of English Folk music...some of which is very traditional. I have noticed that there were a lot of women through the years that only had one breast...."And on her breast he found"" in the Sailors Lament for example...also there seem to have been a profusion of boys and men called "Willy". "It was willy what got drownded in the deep blue sea"....Buzzer's blowin willy lad" etc etc. Can anyone please explain these phenomenoms.


19 Apr 04 - 10:06 PM (#1165648)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: masato sakurai

"Willie" has been discussed at Why so many Willies?.


19 Apr 04 - 10:12 PM (#1165653)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: MMario

Breast (in the singular) can refer to the bosom in general - not just a single teat.


20 Apr 04 - 02:35 AM (#1165777)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST, Mikefule

I'm reminded of the Kipper Family's lyric, "She had a dark and a roving eye, and another one quite similar."

I think "breast" referring to a single fleshy thoracic protrusion is a fairly modern idea. Breast used to be singular, referring to the chest of a man or woman.

There are many good old fashioned English words for what we now call "breasts", but they are deemed to be less dignified terms. (Tits, dugs, paps, etc.)

Willy probably became a euphemism for penis long after the folk songs were written. Again, I'm reminded of a literary allusion: if Jane Austen had her time again, the protagonist of Mansfield Park would probably not have been called Fanny.


20 Apr 04 - 04:27 AM (#1165826)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Dave Hanson

According to the late Hamish Imlach the hero/villain was often a buthchers boy, sometimes a butchers boy called Willie.
eric


20 Apr 04 - 04:46 AM (#1165842)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Gurney

As Vin Garbutt has pointed out, sailors were often sad, on account of their sweetheart's left behind.
must have been a lot of buttockectomies in those days.


20 Apr 04 - 04:52 AM (#1165846)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Dave Bryant

Her long dark hair hung round her breast - lowlands, lowlands away my John.
The hair was false, so was the rest - lowlands away.



Once when the late Stan Hugill was a bit tipsy, we got quite a few verses like that from him.


20 Apr 04 - 07:39 AM (#1165956)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Lighter

Dave Bryant, can you recall any of those extra verses?


20 Apr 04 - 08:13 AM (#1165980)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: McGrath of Harlow

if Jane Austen had her time again, the protagonist of Mansfield Park would probably not have been called Fanny.

I can't see Jane Austen changing a name just to hand over a perfectly good name to the giggly bunch. Too much like surrender. After all her brother was a sailor.


20 Apr 04 - 10:19 PM (#1166721)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: JennieG

"After all her brother was a sailor."
Probably called Willy.

Cheers
JennieG


20 Apr 04 - 10:48 PM (#1166734)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Malcolm Douglas

At least two: Francis and Charles. Francis made Admiral, and Charles was involved in the suppression of the slave trade, I gather. There is some suggestion that the young Charles was the model for Fanny Price's sailor bother William, so there is a connection of a sort.


02 May 04 - 03:54 PM (#1176463)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST,confused school girl

well good stuff but i cant really write that in my music book can i !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


02 May 04 - 03:56 PM (#1176466)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST,con fused school girl

me again what songs did they not talk about dicks and tits in?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


02 May 04 - 04:08 PM (#1176470)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)

Confused, see thread 62913, "The Queen's Ass." Queen's Ass


02 May 04 - 04:14 PM (#1176474)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Ed.

You can write anything you wish in your music book.

To avoid annoying others, I'd suggest that not placing 30 punctuation marks after each message, might help. Defining your question more clearly wouldn't go amiss.


02 May 04 - 04:19 PM (#1176479)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST

Ooh, touchy, touchy. Lighten up, Ed. (correctly punctuated you will note).


02 May 04 - 04:23 PM (#1176483)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Ed.

I'm hardly being 'touchy' Whatever. I have better things to do


02 May 04 - 04:29 PM (#1176488)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Megan L

fishings good in here then.


03 May 04 - 04:29 AM (#1176743)
Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Dave Hanson

Ed, did you really count those punctuation marks ? very sad.
eric