|
04 Sep 99 - 04:28 AM (#111373) Subject: Banks of Green Willow From: Tim Salt In the song, Banks of Green Willow, the mother and child are thrown overboard from the ship and "she will swim until she reaches the Banks of Green Willow". I assume that the Banks of Green Willow is a mythical haven where sailors and others lost at sea go when they die - but am I right? Any ideas? Tim |
|
04 Sep 99 - 06:46 AM (#111382) Subject: RE: Banks of Green Willow From: John Moulden No, just a place to which a body might drift. Longer versions of this story are given under Child Ballad 24, "Bonnie Annie" - There are many different ways of this song, several are in the Journal of the Folk Song Society. Some were altered by the collectors. The one most people sing is, I think, the version printed by Cecil Sharp in JFS - it seems not to be exactly what he hard from Mrs Overd - some of that is given by Bronson in "The Traditional Yunes of the Child Ballads" (vol 1) |
|
11 Mar 05 - 06:12 AM (#1432124) Subject: Banks of Green Willow From: Davetnova In the Martin Carthy version I have when he thows the girl of the ship she tumbles then she "tavers". What does tavers mean? I've only ever come across the word as an adjective meaning belonging in a tavern. |
|
11 Mar 05 - 06:28 AM (#1432131) Subject: RE: Banks of Green Willow From: IanC Seems to come from the Penguin version (QV). See how my love do tumble, See how my love do taver, See how my love do try to swim, That makes my heart quaver. The version I sing has Can't you see how she swims, my boys, Can't you see how her body quivers, She'll swim till she comes to The Banks of Green Willow. Could be an indication. :-) |
|
11 Mar 05 - 08:26 AM (#1432181) Subject: RE: Banks of Green Willow From: Nerd OED: To wander vaguely or aimlessly, But it is derived from "tave" which means "to toil ineffectually"; "to move the limbs ineffectually." So I guess in this case, it could either mean "drift" or "flail about, as though drowning" |
|
11 Mar 05 - 10:25 AM (#1432215) Subject: RE: Banks of Green Willow From: Davetnova Thanks Nerd. IanC - I was thinking similarly, it has that look of misheard words but Nerd's explanation fits perfectly. |
|
11 Mar 05 - 10:54 AM (#1432232) Subject: RE: Banks of Green Willow From: GUEST,Dictionary freak Having checked Chambers, they give the word as of Scots derivation, alternative spelling taiver, meaning "to wander: to rave - adj: tavert (or taivert) muddles, fuddled, stupid. (cf Norwegian tava, to foil, to fumble) Seems to me wandering/flailing or even tumbling fits the bill (which is what I always assumed it to be before I looked it up) |
|
11 Mar 05 - 10:57 AM (#1432234) Subject: RE: Banks of Green Willow From: GUEST,Dictionary freak Whoops - dodgy digit work there! Should have read adj: tavert muddled fuddled, stupid cf Norwegian tava, to toil, to fumble Sorry! |