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Sir Patrick Spence

05 Jan 99 - 03:51 PM (#52091)
Subject: Sir Patrick Spence tune?
From: reembar@hotmail.com

I am looking for the tune of the ballad:

Sir Patrick Spence

The King sits in Dumferling toune,
Drinking the blude-reide wine:
"O whar will I get guid sailor,
To sail this schip of mine?"

Up and spak an eldern knicht,
Sat at the kings richt kne:
"Sir Patrick Spence is the best sailor
That sails upon the se."

The king has written a braid letter,
And signd it wi his hand,
And sent it to Sir Patrick Spence,
Was walking on the sand.

The first line that Sir Patrick red,
A loud lauch lauched he;
The next line that Sir Patrick red,
The teir blinded his ee.

"O wha is this has don this deid
This ill deid don to me,
To send me out this time o' the year
To sail upon the se!

"Mak hast, mak haste, my mirry men all,
Our guid schip sails the morne:"
"I say na sae, my master deir,
For I feir a deadlie storme.

"Late late yestreen I saw the new moone,
Wi the auld moone in hir arme,
And I feir, I feir, my deir master,
That we will cum to harme."

O our Scots nobles wer richt laith
To weet their cor-heild schoone;
Bot lang owre a' the play wer playd,
Their hats they swam aboone.

O long, lang may their ladies sit,
Wi thair fans into their hand,
Or eir they se Sir Patrick Spence
Cum sailing to the land.

O lang, lang may the ladies stand,
Wi thair gold kems in their hair,
Wating for thair ain deir lords,
For they'll se thame na mair.

Haf owre, haf owre to Aberdour,
It's fiftie fadom deip.
And thair lies guid Sir Patrick Spence,
Wi the Scots lords at his feit.

05 Jan 99 - 04:01 PM (#52093)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From:

In DT file PATSPENS

05 Jan 99 - 06:01 PM (#52115)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Susan of DT

That's usually Sir Patrick SPENS, except in the modern, Coltman version, where it is Patrick SPENCER. Both are labeled #58 for the Child number and you can search for #58 to get both

05 Jan 99 - 06:11 PM (#52118)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Bill Sables

Nic Jones recorded this song in the early 70s. I'm not sure of the name of the album

05 Jan 99 - 07:24 PM (#52137)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: rick fielding

Just played a cut on my show this week by Martin Carthy. I'm afraid I've forgotten the title of the album but judging by the picture, it's a new one. Shouldn't be too hard to find.

05 Jan 99 - 07:28 PM (#52140)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Jo Taylor

Sir Patrick Spens was on Nic Jones' album 'Songs & Ballads'.

05 Jan 99 - 07:30 PM (#52143)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Alan of Australia

G'day,
And also on the Fairport Convention album Full House.

Like most Child ballads there are several different tunes. It also works as an epic poem.

Cheers,
Alan

06 Jan 99 - 02:20 AM (#52230)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: jrharper@earthlink.net

I like Fairport's version on "House Full" which is a live version. "Full House" is a seperate album that has a studio version by Fairport.

06 Jan 99 - 09:30 PM (#52399)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Susan A-R

I'm partial to Buffy St. Marie's version myself.

07 Jan 99 - 02:56 AM (#52468)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Brian Hoskin

Martin Carthy's version of Sir Patrick Spens is available on his latest album 'Signs of Life'

It's also available on a sampler CD which comes free with the latest copy of Folk Roots magazine (Jan/Feb 1999), check out there website:

http://www.froots.demon.co.uk/

Brian

22 May 00 - 06:08 PM (#232130)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: katlaughing

I have been working on learning this song and just wanted to note that Geoff Kaufman, of the Mystic Seaport (at least he was there a few years ago) did a really fine rendition of this song on his first tape called after the title track "Fair Stood the Wind." It is an excellent tape which came out in 1987.

kat

22 May 00 - 07:22 PM (#232173)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Snuffy

See "Folkie" in the Digitrad

In "Sir Patrick Spens" I clean forgot the forty-second verse
So I sang the twenty-seventh, twice as loud and in reverse
And no one noticed
I laughed for hours
The tears ran down my trousers, I thought I'd wet my drawers
La-la-la, la-la-la, la-la-la.

Wassail! V

22 May 00 - 09:19 PM (#232255)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: kendall

..with a Moosehead bottle stamped behind my ear, and a voice that yelled "Dont play that shit in here.."

22 May 00 - 11:02 PM (#232308)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Chocolate Pi

there's a wonderful children's/young adult book, whose title and author I've completely forgotten, which tells the story from the perspective of Spens's daughter-in-law (I think). I can remember the picture on the cover and scenes from the book - the first line is "When I was seven, I hid under a table and watched my sister kill a king." Any 'Catter librarians know what I'm talking about?


Chocolate Pi (spontaneous thermal isomerization of rhodopsin, whee!)

23 May 00 - 05:10 AM (#232379)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Brendy

There's a great line in it:-
"The lift grew dark and the wind blew loud
And gurly grew the sea."

"Wind", pronounced like to 'wind' up a string

I have an old recording of it somewhere here, but God knows where.

B.

23 May 00 - 09:23 AM (#232419)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Garry Gillard

I'm glad this has come up again. I have recently spent certain hours of my life wrestling with Martin Carthy's version of Sir Patrick Spens on Signs of Life, the results of which struggle I document

here.

There are still great gaps. I would be grateful for assistance. Very grateful.

thanks

Garry

23 May 00 - 09:47 AM (#232427)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Peter T.

Rick Fielding modestly avoids mentioning his stunning version of Patrick Spencer on "This One's The Dreamer". Do yourself a big, big favour and check it out.

yours, Peter T.

23 May 00 - 05:34 PM (#232708)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Lesley N.

I have a midi of one of the tunes from a songbook dated circa 1900. It's at Sir Patrick Spence (http://www.contemplator.com.com/child/spens.html). I don't think it's a very nice tune - but that's what was there!

24 May 00 - 01:28 PM (#233195)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Fiolar

Brian Peters did a cracking version. Its also to be found on the site www.mp3.com where there is a version by Glen William under the title "Sir Patrick Spens." Mike

02 Jan 02 - 08:38 PM (#620131)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: GUEST,Rachel B.

I am a high school senior and I am trying to find different versions of sir patrick spens for a project can u help me by telling where to find some I am having trouble

Thanks Rachel

02 Jan 02 - 09:14 PM (#620146)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: masato sakurai

All the versions in Child's collection are HERE.
~Masato

02 Jan 02 - 09:24 PM (#620158)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Malcolm Douglas

Ah, yes: typed out by me, as it happens, together with the background notes.  What you won't find is tunes for them, but I don't expect your teacher wants those.  If he or she does, let us know and we'll tell you as much as we can.

03 Jan 02 - 12:17 AM (#620240)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Melani

The book Chocolate Pi mentioned is "Quest for A Maid," by Frances Mary Hendry. The actual first line is "When I was nine years old, I hid under a table and heard my sister kill a king." Great book, suitable for adults or kids.

03 Jan 02 - 05:35 AM (#620279)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Steve Parkes

There's a very amusing parody called "A new ballad of Sir Patrick Spens" by "Q" (Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, 1863-1944). I can't remember all of it, and I can't find it on the 'Net, and Im in the throes of moving house, so my copy might be a long time in coming to light ... but it starts:

The king sits in Dunferline toun
Drinking the blude-red wine;
"Oh wha'll rear me up an equilateral triangle
Upon a gi'en straight line?"

Then up and spoke an auld, auld man,
Sat at the king's richt knee:
"O' a' the clerks by Grantaside,
Sir Patrick bears the 'gree.

'Twas he was taught by the Todhuntèr,
Though not at the tod-hunting;
But gif that he be gi'd a guid straight line,
He'll dae sae braw a thing!"

I'll have to post the rest when I can find it; although I can remember a lot more verses, I don't trust my memory.

Steve

03 Jan 02 - 06:45 AM (#620291)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: masato sakurai

"Sir Patrick Spens [or Spence]" with music is in Norman Luboff & Win Stracke's songbook Songs of Man (Prentice-Hall, 1965, pp. 196-197). The text is from Scott (abridged); the tune is from Campbell (Bronson, vol. 2, p. 33 [no. 10]). Versions with different tunes are in Albert Friedman, The Viking Book of Folk Ballads (1956, p. 298); James Kinsley, The Oxford Book of Ballads (1969, p. 311); and John Anthony Scott, The Ballad of America (Bantam, 1966, p. 25).
~Masato

03 Jan 02 - 04:27 PM (#620522)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Stilly River Sage

Ed McCurdy has a nice version of this on one of his albums.

03 Jan 02 - 09:38 PM (#620688)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: toadfrog

Am I missing something? Seems like the short answer would be CLICK HERE

03 Jan 02 - 10:32 PM (#620707)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: GUEST,Desdemona

The Nic Jones arrangement cited above is much the best tune; Martin Carthy (my darling!) most recently recorded it on "Signs of Life".

04 Jan 02 - 10:02 AM (#620863)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Garry Gillard

Martin Carthy's version is linked to above: it's here. And Malcolm Douglas's Child text is here.

Garry

(Thanks again, Malcolm.)

22 Jan 02 - 08:03 AM (#632878)
Subject: The New Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens
From: Steve Parkes

And here, as promised, is The New Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens by "Q" (Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch):

The New Ballad of Sir Patrick Spens

The king sits in Dunferline toun
Drinking the blude-red wine;
"Oh wha will rear me an equilateral triangle
Upon a given straight line?"

O up and spake an eldern knight
Sat at the king's richt knee--
"Of a' the clerks by Granta side,
Sir Patrick bears the gree.

'Twas he was taught by the Tod-huntère,
Tho' not at the tod-hunting;
But gif that he be given a line
He'll do as brave a thing."

The king has writen a braid letter
To Cambrigge or thereby,
And there it found Sir Patrick Spens
Evaluating π

He hadna warked his quotient
A point but barely three,
There stepped to him a little foot page
And louted on his knee.

The first word that Sir Patrick read
"Plus x" was a' he said:
The neist word that Sir Patrick read
'Twas "Plus expenses paid."

The last word that Sir Patrick read,
The tear blinded his e'e:
"The pound I most admire is not
In Scottish currency!"

Stately stepped he east the wa',
And stately stepped he north;
He took a compass frae his ha'
And stood beside the Forth.

Then gurly grew the waves o' Forth
And gurlier by and by;
"Oh never yet was sic a storm;
Yet it isna sic as I!"

Syne he has crossed the Firth o' Forth
Unitl Dunferline toun,
And though he came with a kittle wame,
Fu' low he louted doun.

"A line, a line, a gude straight line,
O king, purvey me quick!"
And see it be of thilka kind
That's neither braid or thick!"

"Nor thick nor braid?" king Jamie said,
"I'll eat my gude hatband
If arra a line as ye define
Be found in our Scotland."

"Though there be nane in a' thy rule,
It sall be ruled by me;"
And lichtly with his little pencil
He's ruled the line AB;

Stately stepped he east the wa',
And stately stepped he west;
"Ye touch trhe button," Sir Patrick said,
"And I sall do the rest."

And he has set his compass foot
Untill the centre A,
From A to B he's stretched it oot--
"Ye Scottish carles, give way!"

Syne he has moved his compass foot
Untill the centre B,
From B to A he's stretched it oot,
And drawn it viz-a-vee.

The ane circle was BCD,
And ACE the tither,
"I rede ye well," Sir Patrick said,
"They intersect ilk ither.

"See here, and where they interseck--
To wit with yon point C--
Ye'll just obsairve that I conneck
The twa points A and B.

"And there ye have a little triangle
A bonny as e'er was seen;
The whilk is not isosceles,
Nor yet it is scalene."

"The proof! The proof!" King Jamie cried:
"The how and eke the why!"
Sir Patrick laughed within his beard--
"'Tis ex hypothesi--

"When I ligg'd in my mither's airms
I learn'd it frae my mither,
That things was equal to the same
Was equal ane to t'ither.

"Sith in the circle first I drew
The lines BA, BC,
Be radii true, I wit to you
That both maun equal be.

"Likewise and in the second circle
Whilk I drew widdershins
It is nae skaith the radii baith
AB, AC be twins.

"And sith of three a pair agree
That ik suld equal ane,
By certes they maun equal be
Ilk unto ilk by-lane."

"Now by my faith!" King Jamie saith,
"What plane geometry!
If only Potts had written in Scots,
How loocid Potts would be!"

"Now, wow's my life!" saith Jamie the King,
And the Scots lords said the same,
For but it was that envious knicht
Sir Hughie o' the Graeme.

"Flim-flam, flim-flam!" and "Ho indeed?"
Quod Hughie o' the Graeme;
"'Tis I could better upon my heid
This prabblin prablem-game."

Sir Patrick Spens was nothing laith
When as he heard "flim-flam,"
But syne he's ta'en a silken claith
And wiped his diagram.

"Gif that my feat may bettered be,
Sir Hew, by thy big head,
What I hae done with an ABC
Do thou with XYZ."         [Note: zed, not zee]

Then sairly sairly swore Sir Hew,
And loudly laucht the King;
But Sir Patrick tuk the pipes and blew,
And played that eldritch thing!

He's play'd it reel, he's play'd it jig,
And the baith alternative;
And he's danced Sir Hew to the Asses' Brigg,
That's Proposeetion Five.

And there they've met and there they've fet,
Forenest the Asses' Brigg,
And waefu', waefu' was the fate
That gar'd them there to ligg.

For there Sir Patrick's slain Sir Hew,
And Sir Hew, Sir Patrick Spens.
Now was not that a fine to-do
For Euclid's Elemen's?

But let us sing Long live the King!
And his foes the Deil attend 'em:
For he has gotten his little triangle,
Qued erat faciendum!



Steve

22 Jan 02 - 10:18 AM (#632974)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the remarkable tune that Ewan MacColl sang Sir Patrick Spens to - in Am it spans from an E to two As down [ technical language was never my forte]. Precision pitching essential.

22 Jan 02 - 10:19 AM (#632975)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: GUEST,Ewan McVicar

I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the remarkable tune that Ewan MacColl sang Sir Patrick Spens to - in Am it spans from an E to two As down [ technical language was never my forte]. Precision pitching essential.

25 Mar 03 - 05:54 PM (#918322)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: GUEST,Reyesuela

Quest for a Maid by Frances Mary Hendry--the YA book. VERY good.

26 Mar 03 - 01:24 PM (#918889)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Shonagh

Also recorded by the great balladeer Jock Duncan, on his cd tae the green woods gang (i think its that one anyway!!) Fantastic song, should really learn it.......

Sho xx

27 Mar 03 - 03:09 AM (#919381)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: Wilfried Schaum

Poor reembar,

you got a lot of information, but only one list of songbooks where you can find the tune. I learned a fascinating archaic tune by heart out of a song book I can't remember any more, but I will ask a friend next weekend who owns it.

Wilfried

27 Mar 03 - 08:16 AM (#919512)
Subject: RE: Sir Patrick Spence
From: DonMeixner

The onliest version I have ever heard of this tune is Rick Fielding's which I have learned is Bob Coltman's. I strongly suggest you hear Rick do this tune if you haven't.

Don