I'm A Little Orphan Girl (two versions)
a. Peggy MacGillivray:
I'm a little orphan girl,
My mother she is dead.
My father is a drunkard
And won't buy me my bread.
I sit upon the window sill
To hear the organ play,
And think of my dear mother,
Who's dead and far away.
Ding-dong, my castle bell,
Farewell to my mother.
Bury me in the old churchyard
Beside my eldest brother.*
My coffin shall be white,
Six little angels by my side,
Two to sing and two to play
And two to carry my soul away.
I'm a little orphan girl,
My mother she is dead.
My father is a drunkard
And won't buy me my bread.
I sit upon the window sill
To hear the organ play,
And think of my dear mother,
Who's dead and far away.
Ding-dong, my castle bell,
Farewell to my mother.
Bury me in the old churchyard
Beside my eldest brother.
My coffin shall be white,
Six little angels by my side,
Two to sing and two to [pray, play]
And two to carry my soul away.
Used as a lyric ballad and for German Ropes. A tear jerker, sure to catch "guising" pennies. In his BBC radio program in November 1957, Lomax commented that this song reflected "a child's view of the tragedies which shape the ballads of their parents. . . A modern version of a medieval custom — the new springing out of the old — new songs are foreverspilling out of this ever-flowing fountain of children's fantasy." Lomax had some difficulty transcribing this lyric. In his notes for the Scotland volume of the World Library series [Rounder CD 1743], he renders the line about bread as, "And goes right in my bed"!
*Perhaps this should be "Farewell to my brother" and
"Beside my dearest mother."
-
Various Artists
-
Singing in the Streets: Scottish Children's Songs
- London Bridge Time: 0:17
- My Girl's A Corker Time: 1:26
- I've A Sweetheart in America Time: 0:51
- There Are Hundreds Of These Time: 1:08
- The Night Was Dark Time: 0:23
- Harry Lauder and Mussolini Are Dead Time: 0:25
- As I Went Down To Windsor Time: 0:32
- Chinese Government / Interview Time: 1:21
- The Wind, The Wind Time: 1:59
- Poor Mary Sat A-Weeping Time: 0:59
- Here's A Poor Widow Time: 0:17
- Little Sally Walker Time: 0:28
- On The Mountain Time: 0:17
- All The Boys In London Time: 0:34
- The Big Ship Sails Time: 0:23
- In And Out The Windows Time: 1:12
- Up Against The Wall Time: 0:42
- I Paula Tay Paula Taska / Interview Time: 0:41
- Here Comes A Bluebird Time: 0:32
- My Father Bought The Little Coat Time: 0:15
- A Tisket A Tasket Time: 0:30
- In and Out The Dusty Bluebells Time: 0:31
- He's A Navvy Time: 1:24
- Mother, Mother, I Am Ill Time: 0:28
- PK Penny Packet / Mrs Mopp / Chicka Tony Time: 0:25
- One Two Three Alairy Time: 0:22
- Eevy Ivy Over / Interview Time: 0:34
- All The Way To London Town / Interview Time: 1:13
- Queen Elizabeth Lost Her Shoe Time: 0:23
- It Has To Come Out Quite Unconsciously Time: 0:38
- Down In The Valley Time: 0:49
- There's Usually An Argument Which One's Which Time: 1:14
- Jelly On The Plate Time: 0:36
- Cowboy Joe / Ippetty Soopitty Time: 0:13
- My Mother / My Little House Time: 0:51
- Eetle Ottle, Black Bottle Time: 0:17
- Flip Flop Time: 0:36
- One Two Three Four Five Time: 0:20
- My Name Is Sweet Jenny Time: 0:51
- I'm A Little Orphan Girl Time: 0:58
- Broken Hearted, I Wander Time: 0:58
- The Bonny Sailor Boy / Interview Time: 1:21
- When I Was Single Time: 1:10
- An Angel Said To Me Time: 0:15
- All That Shivers / Canaa's Shore / The Burning Deck Time: 0:45
- The World Must Be Coming To An End Time: 1:02
- Robert Burns Time: 0:12
- Put Him In The Bathtub Time: 0:28
- I'm Goin' Awa In The Train Time: 0:19
- Paddy Knight Time: 0:21
- When I Was Young Time: 0:31
- Chairlie / The Cotton Spinners / The 42nd Time: 2:02
- Goose, Ducks, Stones, Fires And Rain Time: 1:08
- Aunty Mary Had A Canary / Woe O'Hara Time: 0:46
- The Donkey / The Croft / The Policeman Time: 0:54
- Oh Dear, What Can The Matter Be? Time: 0:11
-
