17 Jun 06 - 02:29 PM (#1762326)
Subject: RE: who wrote I've got sixpence jolly jolly
From: Joe Offer
I'da sworn it was traditional, but Iona and Peter Opie's Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes says words and music were by Box, Cox, and Hall - in 1941:I've got sixpence, I've got six pence,
I've got sixpence to last me all my life.
I've got tuppence to spend and to lend.
And tuppence to send unto my wife. Other sources say that the 1941 copyrighted version was by Elton Box and Desmond Cox - but is the Cox-Box song the version we all know?.
That's not the whole story, of course. The Opies say this is an old song, given new life by Tin Pan Alley - but the Opies trace printed versions back to 1810.
The primary version in the Opie book is this:
I love sixpence, jolly little sixpence,
I love sixpence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I lent a penny of it,
And I took fourpence home to my wife.
Oh, my little fourpence, jolly little fourpence,
I love fourpence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I lent a penny of it,
And I took twopence home to my wife.
Oh, my little twopence, jolly little twopence,
I love twopence better than my life;
I spent a penny of it, I lent a penny of it,
And I took nothing home to my wife.
Oh, my little nothing, jolly little nothing,
What will nothing buy for my wife?
I have nothing, I spend nothing,
I love nothing better than my wife.
Aw, that's sweet.....
Then there's a version that starts with twelvepence:
O dear twelvepence, I've got twelvepence,
I love twelvepence as I love my life;
I'll grind a penny on't, I'll spend another,
And I'll carry tenpence home to my wife.
Then the Opies cite "Jolly Shilling" (from Williams, Folk Songs of the Upper Thames, 1923):
I have a jolly shilling, a lovely jolly shilling,
I love my jolly shilling as I do love my life;
I've a penny to spend, another to lend,
And jolly, jolly tenpence to carry home home to my wife.
CHORUS:
There's neither pins nor quarts shall grieve me,
Nor this wide world shall deceive me,
But bring me the girl that will keep me,
While I go fambling about.
The version I learned in 1950's Detroit is what's in the Digital Tradition, except that I think those were "saucy little girls" that were deceiving me. Now, is the DT version a copyrighted version? The Opie book doesn't give enough information to determine that. Here's the first part of the DT version:I've got sixpence
Jolly. jolly sixpence
I've got sixpence to last me all my life
I've got twopence to spend
And twopence to lend
And twopence to send home to my wife-poor wife.
CHORUS: No cares have I to grieve me
No pretty little girls to deceive me
I'm happy as a lark believe me
As we go rolling, rolling home
Rolling home (rolling home)
Rolling home (rolling home)
By the light of the silvery moo-oo-on
Happy is the day when we line up for our pay
As we go rolling, rolling home.
Here's what's in the Traditional Ballad Index:I Love Sixpence DESCRIPTION: "I love sixpence," spend a penny, lend a penny, and take fourpence home to the wife. The singer repeats the process with fourpence and twopence. With nothing left he says "I have nothing, I spend nothing, I love nothing better than my wife"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1810 (Ritson)
KEYWORDS: poverty humorous nonballad wife
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North,South),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Williams-Thames, p. 90, "The Jolly Shilling" (2 texts) (also Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 405)
Opie-Oxford2 480, "I love sixpence, jolly little sixpence" (1 text)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #113, pp. 93-95, "(I love sixpence, a jolly, jolly sixpence)"
GreigDuncan3 572, "I've Got a Shilling" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Kidson-Tunes, pp. 158-159, "The Jolly Shilling" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Joseph Ritson, Gammer Gurton's Garland (London, 1810 ("Digitized by Google")), p. 40, "The Jolly Tester" ("I love sixpence, a jolly, jolly sixpence") (1 text)
Roud #1116
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Jolly Tester
The Shilling
NOTES: The Wiltshire-WSRO text consolidates the two Williams-Thames texts, adds three verses but shows only one of the two choruses. - BS
Last updated in version 3.0
File: OO2480
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There's quite a bit of information at folktrax.org:JOLLY SHILLING, THE - "I've got sixpence" or "I love sixpence" or "I got a shilling" - jolly jolly shilling" - ROUD#1116 - CHAPPELL PMOT 1858 2 p737-8 "O dear twelve pence" - MASON NRCS 1877 p28 - LONG DIOW pp150- 151 (w/o) "The Song of Sixpence" - GREIG-DUNCAN 3 1987 #572 3var - KIDSON TT 1891 pp158-9 Washington Teasdale, Yorksh - SHARP Cf 2 p117 - SHARP-KARPELES CSC 1974 #344 pp433-4 Mr Mayle, Barrington, Som 1904/ Mrs Hezeltine, Camborne, Cornwall 1913 - WILLIAMS FSUT 1923 p90 #405 Elijah Iles, Inglesham, Wiltsh (w/o) - JFSS 8:34 1930 pp233-5 H H Albino: Thomas Lanchbury, Wyck Rissington, Gloucestersh 1928/ Gilchrist: Mrs Bowker, Sunderland Point, Lancash 1909 - DUNSTAN CDFS 1932 p41 Jim Thomas, Camborne, Cornwall 1931 - OPIE ODNR 1951 #480 - HUGILL SSS 1961 p180 "Rolling Home by the Silvery Moon"-- Live performance by 2 accs, 2 tambourines, dancing & voices rec near Listowel, Co Kerry (Doc Rowe collection): TOPIC TSCD-666 1998 "By the light of the silvery moon" bef "Highland Fling" (Love will you marry me?)
Can anybody find the Hugill version and post it? My copy of Shanties From the Seven Seas is the edition from Mystic Seaport Museum, and doesn't seem to have it - is the Mystic edition abridged?
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