NAME: Old Cloak, The
DESCRIPTION: In winter, the old wife urges the old man to go out and bring the cow in from the cold. He protests; his cloak is too old and thin. She reminds him of their history, and of the dangers of pride. At last he, to end the strife, goes out to care for the cow
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1765 (Percy)
KEYWORDS: dialog husband wife
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Percy/Wheatley I, pp. 195-198, "Take Thy Old Cloak About Thee" (1 text)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 188-189, "The Old Cloak" (1 text)
OBB 170, "The Old Cloak" (1 text)
ST OBB170 (Partial)
Roud #8207
NOTES: One of Percy's stanzas, beginning "King Stephen was a worthy peer," is quoted in Shakespeare's Othello (II.iii.80). But this stanza has nothing to do with the general plot of this song; I can't help but wonder if it is not some broadside-maker's insertion. - RBW
File: OBB170
===
NAME: Old Colony Times: see In Good Old Colony Times (File: R112)
===
NAME: Old Coon Dog: see Way Down in Rackensack (Old Coon Dog) (File: R350)
===
NAME: Old Corn Licker: see Cripple Creek (I) (?) (File: San320)
===
NAME: Old Country Party, The
DESCRIPTION: "Say, did ye iver go till an ould country party." The singer describes his first. He describes the food and punch, music and dancing until "the bottle was dry." Now he's away from home and "the tears rushes into me eyes" when he thinks of those days. 
AUTHOR: Harry M Palmer
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1865 (broadside, LOCSinging sb30374b)
KEYWORDS: homesickness dancing drink music party nonballad moniker
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 95, "The Old Country Party" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, sb30374b, "The Old Country Party", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864; also as202780, "The Old Country Party" 
Bodleian, Harding B 18(380), "The Old Country Party", H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Irishman's Shanty" (tune)
NOTES: Broadsides LOCSinging sb30374b and Bodleian Harding B 18(380): H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: OCon095
===
NAME: Old Cow: see All the Pretty Little Horses (File: LxU002)
===
NAME: Old Cow Died, The (Little Girl)
DESCRIPTION: Dialog/game: "'Little girl, little girl,' 'Yes, ma'am," "Did you go over the river?" "The old cow died, sail around." "Did you give her hot water? Yes, ma'am." "Did you send for the doctor?" "Did she die of the cholera?" "Did the buzzards eat her?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: animal death dialog playparty food
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 396, "The Old Cow Died" (1 text)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 141-142, "Little Girl" (1 text)
Roud #11598
NOTES: The Scarborough and Silber texts are noticeably distinct, Silber's being about the death of the cow while Scarborough's is intent upon the dialog and an adult asking a child about her activities (harvesting an egg, making corn pone, eating it, etc.) But the form is close enough that I've lumped them; the details of such songs are easily remade. - RBW
File: FSWB396A
===
NAME: Old Cowboy, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls the hardships of his life as a cowboy "I've drunk water from the cow tracks, boys, when you bet it tasted good"; "I've starved and ate of the prickly pear"; "Been tortured by the Apaches." But now new cowboys are replacing him.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: cowboy work hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fife-Cowboy/West 110, "The Old Cowboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11088
File: FCW110
===
NAME: Old Daddy Fox: see The Fox (File: R103)
===
NAME: Old Dan Tucker
DESCRIPTION: Vignettes: Old Dan Tucker arrives to court the girls, sell his produce, and/or get drunk. Example: "Old Dan went down to the mill / To get some meal to put in the swill. / The miller swore by the point of his knife / He never seen such a man in his life."
AUTHOR: attributed to Daniel Decatur Emmett
EARLIEST_DATE: 1841
KEYWORDS: bawdy playparty talltale
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So) Australia
REFERENCES: (15 citations)
Randolph 521, "Old Dan Tucker" (3 texts plus 2 excerpts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 431-433, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 tune, 3 texts)
BrownIII 509, "Nigger in the Woodpile" (1 two-line fragment, probably this though the vulgar idiom of the title  is obviously common to many songs)
BrownIII 82, "Old Dan Tucker" (6 texts)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 188, (no title) (2 fragments, one clearly this and the other a Dan Tucker stanza but with "Ole Aunt Dinah" in Dan's place); also p. 199, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text, with a verse from this song though it has a chorus about "Sambo")
Brewster 86, "Old Dan Tucker" (4 short text)
Fuson, p. 163, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text)
Meredith/Anderson, p. 263, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 160-162, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 27, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 258-262, "Old Dan Tucker" (2 texts, 1 tune)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 52, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 240, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 81, "Old Dan Tucker" (1 text)
DT, DANTUCKR
ST R521 (Full)
Roud #390
RECORDINGS:
Bentley Ball, "Old Dan Tucker" (Columbia A3087, 1920)
Harry C. Browne "Old Dan Tucker" (Columbia A1999, 1916)
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Old Dan Tucker" (OKeh 40263, 1925; rec. 1924)
Pat Ford, "Old Dan Tucker" [fragment] (AFS A 4211 B2, 1939; in AMMEM/Cowell)
Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters, "Old Dan Tucker" (Brunswick 295, 1929; rec. 1928)
Uncle Dave Macon, "Old Dan Tucker" (Vocalion 15033, 1925)
Pete Seeger, "Old Dan Tucker" (on PeteSeeger17)
Judge Sturdy's Orchestra "Old Dan Tucker" (Victor 20102, 1926;  rec. 1925)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Old Dan Tucker" (Columbia 15382-D, 1929; rec. 1928)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Clear the Track" (tune)
cf. "Johnny, Get Your Gun (II)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The End of Big Bill Snyder" (tune)
SAME_TUNE:
Clear the Track (I) (File: SCW48)
The End of Big Bill Snyder (Greenway-AFP, pp. 30-31)
The Workingman's Train (Greenway-AFP, pp. 87-88)
Henry Clay (Hudson, p. 211; cf. "Henry Clay Songs," File: SRW039)
NOTES: Randolph-Legman I offers a few bawdy verses to this otherwise immaculate dance tune. - EC
This was originally published as by "Dan Tucker Jr.," but it is generally believe that it was by Dan Emmett -- his first significant work. - RBW
File: R521
===
NAME: Old Darling
DESCRIPTION: Singer, a mule-driver, describes driving his team at a fast pace when Old Darling (the boss) reproaches him for breaking the rules. The singer offers to break Mr. Darling; then tells listeners not to tow to Slocum, because the food is rotten.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
KEYWORDS: warning work boss animal
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 31, "Old Darling" (1 text)
Roud #8855
NOTES: In the early days, the teamsters in the pinewoods drove oxen, later horses and (less often) mules.
The last verse is almost certainly tacked on from a completely different song. - PJS
File: Be031
===
NAME: Old David Ward
DESCRIPTION: Singer describes working in a lumber camp for David Ward, including a thieving foreman, an unpleasant employer, and a crooked scaler. The singer vows to leave and not return.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1932 (Gardner/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: work lumbering logger nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Gardner/Chickering 115, "David Ward" (1 text)
Beck 14, "Old David Ward" (1 text)
Roud #6498
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lumber Camp Song" and references there
cf. "The Rigs of the Times" (lyrics)
NOTES: David E. Ward lumbered much territory north of Cadillac, Michigan; a small island village in the Manistee River, "Deward," is named for him. - PJS
File: Be014
===
NAME: Old Doc Jones: see Doctor Jones (File: Br3090)
===
NAME: Old Dog Blue: see Old Blue (File: R295)
===
NAME: Old Dog Tray
DESCRIPTION: "The morning of life is past, And evening comes at last, It brings me dreams of a once happy day... Sporting with my old dog Tray." The singer notes that people come and go, but dogs stay faithful. He concludes he will never have a better friend
AUTHOR: Stephen C. Foster
EARLIEST_DATE: 1853
KEYWORDS: dog age nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Silber-FSWB, p. 396, "Old Dog Tray" (1 text)
Roud #2667
File: FSWB396B
===
NAME: Old Doorstep, The: see Goodbye to My Stepstone (File: R853)
===
NAME: Old Dumpty Moore
DESCRIPTION: (Old Dumpty/Darby) rides his mare everywhere, until it grows too (old/stubborn) to ride. The mare goes down into the swamp and dies. The neighbours cook it, and "From the top of her head to the end of her tail Old Dumpty ate his way!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: animal horse death food
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 427, "Old Dumpty Moore" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #7633
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse)" (plot elements)
File: R427
===
NAME: Old Dun Cow, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes the home of Dolly, "the girl I would like to make my spouse." He is bemused by the sight of her "milking her old dun cow." He hopes to win her love; "I'll get married very soon, tomorrow afternoon, for I feel in the humour now."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage animal
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H492, p. 238, "The Old Dun Cow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9473
File: HHH492
===
NAME: Old Dyer, The: see The Dog in the Closet (The Old Dyer) [Laws Q11] (File: LQ11)
===
NAME: Old Early Camped at Fisher's Hill: see Battle of Fisher's Hill (File: ThBa058)
===
NAME: Old Elm Tree, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls old elm tree by the mill where he courted Laura. They become engaged, he goes to sea. In his absence, others convince her he was untrue. She dies for love and is buried beneath the old elm tree
AUTHOR: Words: Sarah S. Bolton/Music: Joseph Philbrick Webster
EARLIEST_DATE: 1871
KEYWORDS: courting sea death burial
FOUND_IN: US(MW,NE,So) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Belden, p. 221, "The Old Elm Tree" (1 text)
Randolph 708, "The Old Elm Tree" (1 text)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 174-176, "The Old Elm Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 47, "The Old Elm Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OLDELM*
Roud #2795
RECORDINGS:
Eugene Jemison, "The Old Elm Tree" (on Jem01)
File: R708
===
NAME: Old England's Gained the Day: see Sebastopol (Old England's Gained the Day; Capture and Destruction of Sebastopol; Cheer, Boys, Cheer) (File: SmHa041)
===
NAME: Old English Chantey: see The Sailor's Alphabet (File: RcTSAlp)
===
NAME: Old Erin Far Away: see The Dying Soldier (I) (Erin Far Away II) [Laws J7] (File: LJ07)
===
NAME: Old Farm Gate, The
DESCRIPTION: "The old farm gate hangs sagging down"; it is old, rusty, and almost useless. Once children played on it, lovers courted by it, funerals passed through it. But all this was long ago, and "Time passes so quickly away"
AUTHOR: L. C. Wegefarth ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1942 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: nonballad home
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 852, "The Old Farm Gate" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 476-478, "The Old Farm Gate" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 852)
Roud #7452
File: R852
===
NAME: Old Fat Buck, The: see The Nottinghamshire Poacher (File: E053)
===
NAME: Old Father Gray
DESCRIPTION: "You've all heard of old Father Gray, Traveled over land and traveled over sea. (Chorus:) Wheel around and drive the Yankees back And make them know their places." The Yankees are driven back, and the girls encouraged to give their seats to gentlemen
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: courting battle playparty
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 567, "Old Father Gray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7660
File: R567
===
NAME: Old Father Grimes: see Bohunkus (Old Father Grimes, Old Grimes Is Dead) (File: R428)
===
NAME: Old Fish Song, The
DESCRIPTION: Humorous retelling of the Jonah myth. Jonah is ordered by God to preach repentance to Nineveh. Not wanting the job, he goes to sea. God raises a storm; the sailors throw Jonah overboard. He is swallowed by a whale. Children are warned to obey
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (field recording, Blind James Howard)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: God sees that the people of Nineveh are wicked, and sends Jonah to preach to them. Jonah says he's a hard-shell Baptist and refuses to go, being against foreign missions. He gets on a ship, but God, angered, raises a storm and the sailors throw Jonah overboard, where he's swallowed by a whale. The whale has indigestion, and vomits Jonah back out; Jonah heads for Nineveh and preaches and prophesies until the population repents. The moral is that one should be obedient: "When you disobey mammy, remember this tale/When you run off from home, bud, look out for a whale/There's varmints to get you on sea and on land/And a boy can be swallowed lots easier than a man."
KEYWORDS: captivity travel prophecy Bible humorous religious whale gods 
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 124-125, "The Old Fish Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OLDFISH
RECORDINGS:
Blind James Howard, "The Old Fish Song" (LC 74A, 1933)
New Lost City Ramblers, "The Old Fish Song" (on NLCR01, NLCRCD1)
NOTES: This hilarious song almost certainly began its life as a printed "ballot." - PJS
Book of Jonah, ch. 1-3. In the Bible, of course, it's a great fish rather than a whale. - PJS
Interestingly, the story leaves out most of chapter 4 of Jonah, in which the repentance of Nineveh causes Jonah to get mad at God again. Perhaps it's the author who's the hard-shell Baptist. - RBW
File: CSW124
===
NAME: Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)
DESCRIPTION: The "darky" remembers the "old folks at home" on "de Swanee ribber." Now forced to wander, he still longs "for de old plantation." He recalls growing up on the plantation, playing with his brother, and listening to the banjo. He hopes to go home.
AUTHOR: Stephen C. Foster
EARLIEST_DATE: 1851
KEYWORDS: home exile family slave
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 163-166, "Old Folks at Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hill-CivWar, p. 218, "Old Folks at Home" (1 text)
Krythe 5, pp. 74-99, "Old Folks at Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 407-408, "Old Folks at Home"
PSeeger-AFB, p. 83, "Swanee River" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 268-269, "Old Folks at Home" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 258, "Old Folks At Home" (1 text)
DT, OLDFOLK
ST RJ19163 (Full)
Roud #13880
RECORDINGS:
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Swanee River" (OKeh 45139, 1927; on TimesAint02)
Monroe Quartet, "Old Folks at Home" (OKeh 45133, 1927)
Riley Puckett, "Swanee River" (Columbia 15003-D, c. 1924)
Virginia Rea & Elias Breeskin, "Old Folks at Home" (Brunswick 10013, 1920)
Paul Robeson, "Old Folks at Home" (HMV [UK] B-3664, 1930)
Pete Seeger, "Swanee River" (on PeteSeeger24)
Unidentified quartette, "Old Folks at Home" (Imperial [UK] 44961, c. 1906)
Bob Wills & his Texas Playboys, "Way Down Upon the Swanee River" (Vocalion 04387, 1938)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(1232), "The Old Folks at Home!," J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1855-1858; also Firth b.26(85), Firth b.26(240), Firth b.26(339), Harding B 20(268), Firth b.27(171), Firth c.16(291), Firth c.12(366), Firth b.26(378), Harding B 11(2797), "The Old Folks at Home[!]"
LOCSheet, rpbaasm 0473, "Old Folks at Home," Firth, Pond & Co. (New York), n.d. ["written and composed by E.P. Christy"]; also sm1875 03964, sm1885 23541, "Old Folks at Home" ["by S. C. Foster"] (tune)
LOCSinging, sb30401b, "Old Folks at Home," H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864; also as110190, "Old Folks at Home"
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Way Down upon the Swanee River
NOTES: The first sheet music version of this piece credits it to E.P. Christy. This was with Foster's consent; he sold Christy the right to claim authorship for $5. (Fortunately, Foster at least got the royalties on the song.) It finally appeared under his name in 1879 when the copyright was renewed.
In Foster's first draft, the river was the "Pedee," but he concluded that that didn't sound right. So he and his brother Morrison scouted an atlas for a better name, finally distorting "Suwanee" (a river in south Georgia and northern Florida) into "Swanee."
Phillips Barry posits that this tune is derived from "Annie Laurie." If so, there was a lot of reworking done along the way. - RBW
Broadside LOCSinging sb30401b: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site.
LOCSheet, sm1853 700590, "Old Folks at Home," Firth, Pond & Co. (New York), 1853 does not include words and has the attribution "Composed by Stephen C. Foster"
Another warning about relying on broadsides for anything: Bodleian, Firth b.27(171), "The Old Folks at Home!," unknown, n.d. has the note "AIR -- 'Old house at home'" - BS
File: RJ19163
===
NAME: Old Geezer, The: see The Old Tobacco Box (File: FSC143)
===
NAME: Old Geezers, The: see The Old Tobacco Box (File: FSC143)
===
NAME: Old General Lane
DESCRIPTION: "Here sits a young lady all down to mourn, She's mourning the loss of her own true love, It has been said that he was slain In the service of old General Lane (or "was shot A-fighting for old General Scott") Oh no.... He'll come back and be my beau"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: war battle death love separation
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 560, "Old General Lane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #940?
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bonnie Light Horseman"
NOTES: This piece instantly makes me think of the Napoleonic War-era piece "My Bonnie Light Horseman," but the link is tenuous.
If the soldier was shot in the army of General Scott, the war is presumably the Mexican War.
If instead we refer the song to "General Lane," it probably refers to General Walter Payne Lane, who fought in the Mexican War and served in the Confederate cavalry in the west (Wilson's Creek, Pea Ridge) and was commissioned Brigadier General in 1865. There were, however, several other Generals Lane in the Civil War: James Lane (brigadier in Lee's army), and John Lane (brevet Brigadier in the Army of the Cumberland). There was also Senator James Lane, who had been Major General of the (Unionist) Kansas Militia. - RBW
File: R560
===
NAME: Old General Price
DESCRIPTION: "Old General Price is a mighty fine man, From women an' children he steals all he can, It's damn any man that will follow his trade... These hard times"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: hardtimes Civilwar thief
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 224, "Old General Price" (1 fragmentary text, 1 tune)
Roud #7828
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Sterling Price" (subject)
NOTES: Sterling Price (1809-1867), a former governor of Missouri and Confederate commander of Missouri troops, was almost certainly not a thief. His troops, however, were undisciplined and therefore even more likely to loot than the average soldier. Their depredations may account for the attitude toward Price shown in this fragment.
I have the strange feeling that "Old General Price" and "Sterling Price" are a single piece, one being adapted from the other -- but since we don't have a single complete stanza of either, and only one tune, this is beyond proof. - RBW
File: R224
===
NAME: Old Girder Bill
DESCRIPTION: "I'll write you a poem of an old mountaineer, Who spent his life hunting for raccoon and deer." Girder Bill goes hunting and sees a buck and doe; he shoots the buck and goes home, "A buck on his shoulder, a doe left for seed."
AUTHOR: Lije Littleton?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: hunting
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Thomas-Makin', p. 124, "Old Girder Bill" (1 text)
File: ThBa124
===
NAME: Old Glory
DESCRIPTION: "Say, have you heard the joyful news of Burnside's expedition...?" "The other day at Roanoke... The boys, to play a Union joke, ran up the flag of glory." The singer praises the Union soldiers, taunts the Confederates, and calls for their hanging
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb. 7, 1862 - Burnside's North Carolina expedition approaches Roanoke Island
Feb. 8, 1862 - Burnside defeats Henry Wise's local troops to capture Roanoke Island
Mar. 14, 1862 - Burnside takes New Bern
Apr. 26, 1862 - Burnside captures Beaufort
July 3, 1862 - Burnside and some 7500 of his troops are transferred to the Army of the Potomac
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
JHCox 71, "Old Glory" (1 text)
Roud #5461
NOTES: Burnside's expedition against the North Carolina coast was one of the first Union amphibious expeditions, and was quite successful (almost the only Union success in the war to this time). A large strip of North Carolina coast stayed in Union hands, which helped tighten the Union blockade.
This song was almost certainly composed in the early months of 1862 -- probably before the Battle of Antietam (Sept. 17, 1862), where Burnside had a chance to win the war, and muffed it. Certainly it must have been composed before the Battle of Fredericksburg that winter, when Burnside lost the last shreds of his reputation. The North Carolina campaign had been a pushover, requiring little but energy (which Burnside had). Defeating Robert E. Lee took brains (which Burnside didn't have). - RBW
File: JHCox072
===
NAME: Old Gospel Ship, The
DESCRIPTION: "I have good news to bring and that is why I sing... I'm gonna take a trip on that old gospel ship And go sailin' through the air." The singer advises others not to be ashamed of him/her, and admits to an inability to wait
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (recording, Carter Family)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 351, "The Old Gospel Ship" (1 text)
DT, GOSPSHIP GSPLSHIP
Roud #7383
RECORDINGS:
Carter Family, "Gospel Ship"  (Melotone 6-07-56/Conqueror 8692, 1936; rec. 1935)
Leverett Bros. "Old Gospel Ship" (Country Church CC3/4, n.d.)
Monroe Brothers, "On That Old Gospel Ship" (Bluebird B-7273/Montogmery Ward M-7312, 1937)
Speer Family, "Old Gospel Ship" (Columbia 20418/Columbia 38155, 1948; rec. 1947)
Ruby Vass, "The Old Gospel Ship" (on LomaxCD1704)
File: FSWB351B
===
NAME: Old Grampus: see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Old Granddaddy's Dead: see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Old Grandma
DESCRIPTION: In praise of Grandma, who raised 21 kids right and lived the good life. "Old Grandma when ... infants came and times got bad, She stuck right on to old Grand-dad." "But young girls now are the other way: They're up all night and sleep all day"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: mother children family
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf,West)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Peacock, pp. 81-82, "Old Grandma" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 94-95, "Old Grandma" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, GRTGRNMA*
Roud #4543
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Great Grand-dad"
File: FJ094
===
NAME: Old Grandma Hones
DESCRIPTION: The Liza leaves Sydney for Halifax and "Missus Hone's." Grandpa Hones tells tales. The girls welcome the sailors home. Grandma goes to bed and "leaves us all night with her daughters to sport"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1961 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: sex ship shore humorous whore sailor
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 83-84, "Old Grandma Hones" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9952
File: Pea083
===
NAME: Old Granite State, The
DESCRIPTION: "We have come from the mountains (x3) From the Old Granite State; With a band of music (x3) We are passing 'round the world." The song introduces the singers, their state of New Hampshire, and their progressive ideas
AUTHOR: Elaborated, and probably written, by the Hutchinson Family
EARLIEST_DATE: 1843 (broadside, LOCSheet sm1843 391270)
KEYWORDS: nonballad home family drink
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, GRANITST*
BROADSIDES:
LOCSheet, sm1843 391270, "The Old Granite State," Firth and Hall (New York), 1843 (tune)
NOTES: The Hutchinson Family, according to Spaeth (_A History of Popular Music in America_, p. 95) used this song to introduce their act and their family.
The Digital Tradition says that the verse, "Yes, we're friends of Emancipation And we'll sing the Proclamation" is "an obvious later addition." This is not as clear as it sounds. It was Lincoln who put the two words together -- but the Hutchinsons were campaigning for emancipation (and other liberal causes such as temperance) well before the Civil War. The exact wording may date from 1862, but the family certainly was proclaiming abolition by the 1840s -- and would have felt Lincoln's half-emancipation completely inadequate.
The family's own history, by Joshua Hutchinson, credits the song to Jesse Hutchinson (the ninth child of Jesse Sr. and Mary Hutchinson), though the sheet music lists the whole family and is copyrighted by John (child #13; all told, the parents had 19 children, 16 of whom survived infancy).  - RBW
File: DTgranit
===
NAME: Old Gray Goose (I), The (Lookit Yonder)
DESCRIPTION: Concerning a man's dead wife, whose return he fears: "On Saturday night my good wife died, On Sunday she was buried, But Monday was my courting day, And Tuesday I got married. Now, lookit here, and lookit there, and look way over yonder..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939
KEYWORDS: wife husband death marriage humorous floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
FSCatskills 147, "Lookit Yonder" (1 text, 1 tune)
Eddy 153 (last of several "fragments of Irish songs" - 1 text, which could be this or "My Wife Died on Saturday Night")
DT, LOOKYOND*
Roud #3619
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Turkey Hen" (plot, lyrics; the two may be slightly modified forms of the same song)
cf. "I Had a Wife"
cf. "John Styles and Susan Cutter" (tune)
cf. "Way Down the Old Plank Road" (words)
cf. "My Wife Died on Saturday Night" (floating verse)
NOTES: The first verse quoted here is the same as "My Wife Died on Saturday Night"; they are distinguished mostly by the chorus.
To add to the confusion, there is a nursery rhyme (Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #131, p. 106):
I married a wife on Sunday,
She began to scold on Monday,
Bad was she on Tuesday,
Middling was she on Wednesday,
Worse she was on Thursday,
Dead was she on Friday,
Glad was I on Saturday night,
To bury my wife on Sunday.
The Baring-Goulds also compare the well-known poem of "Solomon Grundy." - RBW
File: FSC147
===
NAME: Old Gray Goose (II), The: see Go Tell Aunt Rhody (File: R270)
===
NAME: Old Gray Goose Is Dead, The: see Go Tell Aunt Rhody (File: R270)
===
NAME: Old Gray Horse Come Tearin' Out o' De Wilderness: see The Old Gray Mare (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull) (File: R271)
===
NAME: Old Gray Horse, The: see The Old Gray Mare (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull) (File: R271)
===
NAME: Old Gray Mare (I), The (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)
DESCRIPTION: Concerning an old gray mare (old gray horse, little black bull) that came out of the wilderness (down the meadow, etc.) in Alabam/Arkansas/A long time ago/On to Galilee. Other animals may also be involved. May be used as a playparty
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1858 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: horse animal nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Randolph 271, "The Old Gray Horse" (1 text plus 2 fragments, 1 tune); 559, "Out of the Wilderness" (1 short text, 1 tune); also possibly 429, "John the Boy, Hello!" (1 text, 1 tune, so short that one cannot tell whether it is the same piece or a different one)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 231-232, "The Old Gray Horse" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 271A)
BrownIII 174, "The Old Grey Horse Came Tearing Through the Wilderness" (3 short texts; "A" adds an unusual chorus, "Roll, Riley, roll (x3), Oh, Lord, I'm bound to go")
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 13-14, "Old Gray Horse Come Tearin' Out o' De Wilderness" (1 text plus bits of others, 1 tune); p. 183, (no title) (1 short text)
Sandburg, pp. 102-103, "Old Gray Mare"; 164-165, "Hoosen Johnny" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 65-68, "Down in Alabam' or Ain't I Glad I Got Out de Wilderness"" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 45, "In the Wilderness" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 336-338, "Tearin' Out-a Wilderness" (2 texts plus a fragment, 2 tunes)
Silber-FSWB, p. 397, "Hoosen Johnny"; p. 398, "The Old Gray Mare" (2 texts)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 63, "The Old Grey Mare" (1 text, tune referenced)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 408-409, "The Old Gray Mare -- (Get Out of the Wilderness)"
Roud #751
RECORDINGS:
Gene Autry, "The Old Grey Mare" (Conqueror 8686, 1936)
Al Bernard, "The Old Grey Mare" (Vocalion 15643, 1927)
Milton Brown & his Brownies, "The Old Grey Mare" (Decca 5260, 1936)
Fiddlin' John Carson & Moonshine Kate, "The Old Gray Horse Ain't What He Used to Be" (OKeh 45471, 1930)
Lew Childre, "The Old Grey Mare" (Champion 16093, 1930)
[Arthur] Collins & [Byron] Harlan "Old Grey Mare" (Victor 18387, 1917) (Emerson 7298, c. 1917) (Columbia A2382, 1917) (Little Wonder 780, 1918) 
Vernon Dalhart, "The Old Grey Mare" (Perfect 12421/Conqueror 7071, 1928) (Banner 2180/Jewel 5187/Perfect 12421/Regal 8469/Conqueror 7071/Conqueror 7169, 1928; rec. 1927)
Earl Fuller's Famous Jazz Band, "The Old Grey Mare" (Victor 18369, 1917)
Earl Johnson & his Dixie Entertainers[/Clodhoppers], "Old Gray Mare Kicking Out of the Wilderness" (OKeh 45183, 1928; rec. 1927)
[Billy] Jones & [Ernest] Hare, "The Old Grey Mare" (Edison 51618, 1925)
Elmo Newcomer, "Old Grey Mare" (Cromart 101, n.d. but prob. mid-1930s)
Land Norris, "Old Grey Mare" (OKeh 45047, 1926)
Obed Pickard, "The Old Gray Horse" (Columbia 15246-D, 1928; rec. 1927)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "The Old Gray Mare" (Columbia 15170-D, 1927)
University Quartet, "The Old Gray Mare" (Pathe 20267, 1917)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness" (tune)
cf. "Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts" (tune)
cf. "The Big Black Bull"
cf. I Ain't a-Scared of Your Jail (tune, structure)
cf. "Horsie, Keep Your Tail Up" (lyrics)
cf. "Go in the Wilderness" (tune, structure)
cf. "Old Virginny Never Tire"
SAME_TUNE:
Old Abe Lincoln Came Out of the Wilderness (File: San168)
Greasy Grimy Gopher Guts (File: PHCFS133)
Flaotin' Down the Delaware (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 157)
I Don't Give a Darn for the Whole State of Iowa (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 251)
I Ain't A-Scared of Your Jail (on PeteSeeger35)
Aren't You Glad You Joined the Republicans? (Republican campaign song, c. 1860; cf. e.g. Allan Nevins, _The Emergence of Lincoln: Prologue to Civil War 1859-1861_ [volume IV of _The Ordeal of the Union_] (Scribners, 1950, p. 315))
NOTES: The 1858 sheet music credits this to "J. Warner," but no information about Warner has been recovered, and there are indications that the song was in the Black traditional repertoire before the 1850s.
A common bit of folklore claims that this is based on the exploits (?) of an animal that took fright during the Second Battle of Bull Run in 1862. The date of the sheet music, of course, proves this false. - RBW
Sam Hinton traces this to an African-American spiritual, "I Wait Upon the Lord" ("If you want to get to heaven go in the wilderness... and wait upon the Lord"). - PJS  [See now the Index entry for "Go Into the Wilderness." - RBW]
Are you sure this is the same ballad as "Little black bull come down the meadow/Hoosen Johnny, Hoosen Johnny"? I think they're part of the same family, but maybe we should split them. By the way, there's a great bawdy version of "Hoosen Johnny" called "Houston, Sam Houston", with sound effects. - PJS
It's another case of the extremes being different but the intermediate versions being too mixed to clearly distinguish. Easier to lump the whole family here. If we don't, we *will* mess up. Or, at least, I will. The versions of this song are so diverse that it gets to the point of parodying itself.... - RBW
File: R271
===
NAME: Old Gray Mule, The (Johnson's Mule)
DESCRIPTION: "Mr. Thomas had an old gray mule, And he drove him to a cart, And he loved that mule and the mule loved him." The song describes how Thomas mistreats the mule (currying it with a rake, feeding it on boot tops). The mule kicks and eventually dies
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917 (Pound)
KEYWORDS: animal death work
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
LPound-ABS, 103, pp. 213-214, "The Old Gray Mule" (1 text)
Gardner/Chickering 186, "Johnson's Mule" (1 text)
BrownIII 512, "Johnson's Mule" (1 short text)
Roud #3704
NOTES: Reading Pound's text, I can't help but believe that parts of it were originally about a goat, not a mule. But I can't locate similar "goat" stanzas. In any case, many of the same lines appear in Gardner and Chickering.
Brown's text is also about a mule, but the few lines it contains are all goat-applicable. - RBW
File: LPns213
===
NAME: Old Grey Beard: see Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings) (File: R066)
===
NAME: Old Grey Goose, The: see Go Tell Aunt Rhody (File: R270)
===
NAME: Old Grey Horse Came Tearing Through the Wilderness, The: see The Old Gray Mare (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull) (File: R271)
===
NAME: Old Grey Mare (II), The
DESCRIPTION: "Once I had an old grey mare (x3), Saddled her and rode her there." "When I got there she got tired, She laid down in an old courtyard." The singers in the yard scare her, and she flees; she singer finds her "in a mud hole flat on her back."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Cecil Sharp collection); +1913 (JAFL26)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: "Once I had an old grey mare (x3), Saddled her and rode her there." "When I got there she got tired, She laid down in an old courtyard." The singers in the yard scare her, and she flees; she singer finds her "in a mud hole flat on her back." In other versions, the singer tells that the gray mare  was blind and deaf; he takes her out to plow, but she doesn't know how; she runs away, he follows her and finds her on her back in a mudhole. She may get that good old-time religion
KEYWORDS: horse travel disability escape farming humorous animal
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
BrownIII 175, "The Old Grey Mare" (1 text)
SharpAp 223, "The Old Grey Mare" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Roud #3442
RECORDINGS:
Buell Kazee, "Old Grey Mare" (on Kazee01)
Maude Thacker, "Once I Had an Old Grey Mare" (on FolkVisions1)
NOTES: This should not be confused with "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)"; in that song the horse comes out of the wilderness.
Buell Kazee allegedly recorded this in the 1920s, but I can't find it in the catalogs. And Sharp is said to have printed a version, but I haven't seen it yet. So, for the moment, the earliest date stands. - PJS
File: Br3175
===
NAME: Old Grey Mare (III), The
DESCRIPTION: .".. of traitors now beware There's none but men would glory win can ride my old Grey Mare. In Erin's Isle in ancient times She was rode by Brian Boru" and other heroes and others "not long ago" and "Brave Bonaparte" as well.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (OLochlainn); first half 19C (Zimmermann) 
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad patriotic talltale horse Napoleon
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1014 - Battle of Clontarf; Brian Boru defeats a mixed force of Vikings and their Irish allies (but is killed in the battle)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
OLochlainn 35, "The Old Grey Mare" (1 text, 1 tune)
Zimmermann 44B, "The Sporting Old Grey Mare" (1 text)
Moylan 164, "The Old Grey Mare" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3039
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wonderful Grey Horse" (theme)
NOTES: Zimmermann: "The song probably has no emblematic meaning."
For a broadside with the same theme but different ballad see NLScotland, RB.m.169(243), "The Wonderful Grey Horse," unknown, c.1840. The similarity extends even to leading up to support of the Irish Home Rule Movement. - BS
File: OLoc035
===
NAME: Old Grimes (II): see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Old Grimes Is Dead: see Bohunkus (Old Father Grimes, Old Grimes Is Dead) (File: R428)
===
NAME: Old Grumbler: see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Old Gum Boots and Leggings: see Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings) (File: R066)
===
NAME: Old Hal o' the West: see Henry Clay Songs (File: SRW039)
===
NAME: Old Hannah: see Go Down, Old Hannah (File: LoF286)
===
NAME: Old Hen Cackled and the Rooster's Going to Crow: see Hen Cackle (File: RcOHCRGC)
===
NAME: Old Hewson the Cobbler: see The Cobbler (File: R102)
===
NAME: Old Holly, Crab, and I
DESCRIPTION: "We work for Hay and Company; we try to do what's right. We start at six in the morning and quit at six at night." The three workers, "old Holly, Crab, and me," work hard, then relax in the evening
AUTHOR: Ron Sisson ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (Fowke)
KEYWORDS: logger work lumbering
FOUND_IN: Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke-Lumbering #25, "Old Holly, Crab, and I" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4465
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "We Work for Hay and Company" (subject)
File: FowL25
===
NAME: Old Honest Abe
DESCRIPTION: "Old honest Abe, you are a babe In military glory. An iron fool, a party tool, A traitor, and a Tory." The singer challenges Lincoln to "whup us if you're able." Scott and Wool cannot win his battles; Scott can never defeat his mother
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1863 (Songs of the South)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar political
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, pp. 356-357, "Old Honest Abe" (1 text)
Roud #7767
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Abe's Elected" (subject)
NOTES: Belden says this song was published in _Songs of the South_ in 1863. Internal evidence implies that it was written rather earlier -- my guess would be around September or October of 1861, after the Confederates had won Wilson's Creek (August 10) and first Bull Run (July 21), making possible the claim of beating the Federals in every battle, but before Winfield Scott gave up the Commander in Chief's post in November of that year.
The "Scott" of the song was of course Winfield Scott (1786-1866), the original commander in chief of the Federal armies, who was a Virginian (hence the gibe about his inability to defeat his mother). Although Scott was soon pushed aside, we might note that his "anaconda plan" was the basic scheme by which the Union won the war.
"Wool" is John E. Wool (1789-1869), like Scott a veteran of the War of 1812, and considered the #2 Federal officer starting the war. He would serve until he retired in 1863, but he didn't really do much in the War; at no point did he command an important army. - RBW
File: Beld356
===
NAME: Old Horse (II): see The Salt Horse Song (File: FO226)
===
NAME: Old Horse, Old Horse: see The Salt Horse Song (File: FO226)
===
NAME: Old Hoss: see The Salt Horse Song (File: FO226)
===
NAME: Old Hoss Kick, The
DESCRIPTION: "De old hoss kick And a hippy-doodle. De old hoss kick And a hippy-doodle. The old hoss kick hard in the stable, And he couldn't git his foot out Because he wasn't able!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: animal
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 185, (no title) (1 fragment)
File: ScNF185A
===
NAME: Old Hoss, Old Hoss: see The Salt Horse Song (File: FO226)
===
NAME: Old Hulk, The
DESCRIPTION: "When age has rendered some old hulk Unfit for merchant use, She's sold at auction, bought in bulk, Just for a whaling cruise." The singer described the dreadful conditions on a whaling ship, and laments that after all the toil he is still poor
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1854 (Journal from the Governor Carver)
KEYWORDS: whaler work hardtimes
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 32-33, "The Old Hulk" (1 text)
Roud #2007
File: SWMS032
===
NAME: Old Hundred
DESCRIPTION: "All people that on earth do dwell, Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice." Alternately, "Make ye a joyful sounding noise, Unto Jehovah, all the earth." The listener is reminded that Jehovah is God, and is advised to enter "his courts with thankfulness."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1560
KEYWORDS: religious Bible nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(England) US(NE)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Scott-BoA, pp. 28-29, "Psalm 100 (A Psalm of Praise)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 366, "Old Hundred" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 409-410, "Old Hundred"
DT, (OLDHUND*)
ADDITIONAL: Charles Johnson, One Hundred and One Famous Hymns (Hallberg, 1982), pp. 26-27, "All People That On Earth Do Dwell" (1 text, 1 tune)
SAME_TUNE:
Hymn for Syttende Mai (Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 18-19 -- though the words have to be squeezed pretty hard to fit)
The Dogsology (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 156)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Old Hundredth
NOTES: This tune is now better known as "The Doxology," but those words are relatively recent. The source and age of the original words are subject to slight debate. Fuld reports that the music is said to have been provided by Louis Bourgeois for Psalm 134 in the 1551 Genevan Psalter. However, no copies of this book survive, and the 1553 edition lacks the song.
The first certain printing, the 1560 edition "Psalms of David in English," has the piece with words credited to William Kethe. (The "doxology" stanza is from Thomas Ken, and is later.) According to Johnson, William Kethe was a Scotsman, but apparently he ended up in England, because he "fled before the persecution of Mary 1555-1558 [presumably, by the dates, Mary Tudor of England, not Mary Stuart of Scotland] and found refuge in Geneva."
Johnson also reports that this song "was suggested to us by the McCormick Theological Seminary as expressing Calvin's and Presbuterian/Reformedhymn concepts in much the same way as _A Mighty Fortress Is Our God_ could be said to represent Luther's."
The version printed by Scott (from the Bay Psalm Book of 1640) has the curious trait of using the name "Jehovah" rather than the theologically correct "the LORD" or the phonologically correct "YAHWEH." This version does have the advantage of being noticeably closer to the Hebrew in meaning.
The Missouri Harmony has a song, "Old Hundred" (as well as a "New Hundred") which doesn't seem to match any version of this I've ever seen in either text or tune.- RBW
File: SBoA028
===
NAME: Old Hundredth: see Old Hundred (File: SBoA028)
===
NAME: Old Indian, An (The Indian Song)
DESCRIPTION: "An old Indian sat in his little canoe, / A-floating along o'er the water so blue. / He sang of the days when these lands were his own, / Before the palefaces among them were known." A lament for the loss of the Indians' land and culture
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1932 (Creighton-NovaScotia)
KEYWORDS: Indians(Am.) lament
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Warner 30, "An Old Indian" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 86-88, "The Indian's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 81, "The Indian's Lament" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 157-158, "The Indian's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 121, "Indian Song" (1 text plus a fragment, 2 tunes)
ST Wa030 (Partial)
Roud #1846
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Tom Sullivan, "The Indian's Lament" (on Ontario1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Steals of the White Man" (theme)
cf. "Logan's Lament" (theme)
cf. "The Fair Captive" (plot elements)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Poor Indian
File: Wa030
===
NAME: Old Inishowen
DESCRIPTION: The singer says there is no place in the country to match Inishowen's beauty. He lists the places nearby: Tyrconnell, the castle of Cahir. He laments that O'Donnell (of Tyrconnell) and O'Doherty (of Inishowen) are dead. He blesses his home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H824, p. 166, "Old Inishowen" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13477
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Meeting of the Waters" (tune)
NOTES: For O'Donell of Tyrconnell, see the notes on "O'Donnell Aboo (The Clanconnell War Song)." - RBW
File: HHH824
===
NAME: Old Ireland
DESCRIPTION: "In the northwest of Europe there lies a green isle" land of majestic hills and fertile fields. The singer came from Columbia to view Ireland, and now praises Saint Patrick for a land without snakes. The singer bids farewell but says his heart will stay
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home travel nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H658, pp. 175-176, "Old Ireland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13536
File: HHH658
===
NAME: Old Ireland Far Away: see The Dying Soldier (I) (Erin Far Away II) [Laws J7] (File: LJ07)
===
NAME: Old Ireland I Adore
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, Erin's Isle, my heart's delight, I long to see thee free." O'Connell fought to make Ireland free. "If you were free as once we were How happy would we be! No foreign landlord then would dare To lord it over thee"
AUTHOR: James Walsh
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1867 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 12(242))
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1775-1847 - Life of Daniel O'Connell
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 113, "Old Ireland I Adore" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 12(242), "The Exile's Lament", J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866; also 2806 b.10(82), Harding B 11(2918), 2806 c.15(287), Firth c.26(235), "The Exile's Lament"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Harp That Once Through Tara's Halls" (tune)
cf. "Daniel O'Connell (I)"  (subject: Daniel O'Connell) and references there
File: OCon113
===
NAME: Old Jack
DESCRIPTION: Charles thinks his horse Old Jack should win a silver cup. Old Jack is a bag of bones, always hungry to eat anything. Nevertheless, he wins a trotting match race.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: racing humorous horse food
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 85-86, "Old Jack" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9953
File: Pea085
===
NAME: Old Jesse
DESCRIPTION: "One cold and frosty mornin' Just as the sun did rise, The possum roared, the raccoon howled, 'Cause he'd begun to freeze... Old Jesse was a gentleman among the olden times." Remaining verses are floating stanzas about a Black's learning and life
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: religious Bible humorous animal
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 71-72, "Old Jesse" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST ScaNF071 (Partial)
Roud #3439
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "On a Cold Frosty Morning" (lyrics)
cf. "Walkin' in the Parlor" (lyrics)
NOTES: This is one of those impossible items. Roud lumps Scarborough's text with "On a Cold Frosty Morning," presumably on the basis of the first line. But the next two verses ("Nigger never went to free school Nor any odder college..." and "Nigger used to pick de banjo, He play so berry strong...") are typical of "Walkin' in the Parlor."
The chorus, about Old Jesse (the father of David) is unique.
What's more, I have a recording of George and Gerry Armstrong, with the first verse and the Old Jesse chorus, combined with "Bye and Bye."
I really don't know what to make of the result. Separate song, or just a conflation? When in doubt, we split. If I had to file it somewhere, I would probably go against Roud and file it with "Walkin' in the Parlor" rather than "On a Cold Frosty Morning." - RBW
File: ScaNF071
===
NAME: Old Jig-Jog, The: see The Castlereagh River (File: MA045)
===
NAME: Old Jimmy Sutton
DESCRIPTION: Bill took the gun, Bill went a-huntin'/Bang went the gun, down went the mutton, baa!" and similar verses about an inept farmer. Cho: "Can't dance that, can't dance nothin'/I wouldn't give a blank for the old Jimmy Sutton, baa!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Grayson & Whitter)
KEYWORDS: hunting dancing food dancetune animal horse sheep farming
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #7878
RECORDINGS:
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "Old Jimmy Sutton" (Gennett 6436, 1928, on GraysonWhitter01)
Vester Jones, "The Old Jimmy Sutton" (on GraysonCarroll1)
Glenn Smith, "Old Jimmy Sutton" [instrumental] (GraysonCarroll1)
NOTES: Just enough plot to avoid the nonballad keyword by a whisker. - PJS
File: RcOJiSu
===
NAME: Old Joe Camp
DESCRIPTION: "Old Joe Camp when he came to town, He enlisted under Captain Brown, Brown swore him on the very first slap, And sent him off to Manassas Gap." Brown rides Joe, who vows to desert, is captured (?), and is "fired back" to Brown
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: soldier Civilwar desertion
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
JHCox 79, "Old Joe Camp" (1 text)
ST JHCox079 (Full)
Roud #5463
NOTES: Despite the title, the stanza form implies that this is not a version of Old Joe Clark.
Cox's version is badly defective, and there don't seem to be other versions, so it's hard to tell what this is really about, except that it seems to involve an "old soldier" of the Civil War who does his best to avoid work -- and, when that fails, attempts to desert.
The only specific in the song is the reference to Manassas Gap; this is not enough even to allow speculation about the source of the song.
It was quite common, in the Civil War, for a well-to-do or well-connected man to volunteer to raise a company (or even a regiment), and become its commander as a result. It would seem that Brown was just such a company commander. - RBW
File: JHCox079
===
NAME: Old Joe Clark
DESCRIPTION: Old Joe Clark, a "fine old man" and a "preacher's son," lives an improbable life of courting, gambling, drinking, and sundry accidents. Versions range from the thoroughly clean (often involving animals) to the significantly bawdy
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1842
KEYWORDS: humorous talltale nonballad animal playparty floatingverses bawdy dancetune
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (15 citations)
Randolph 533, "Old Joe Clark" (10 texts plus 2 excerpts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 399-401, "Old Joe Clark" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 533A)
BrownIII 86, "Old Joe Clark" (5 texts); also 111, "Wish I Had a Needle and Thread" (7 text, of which only "E" is really substantial; it is certainly the "Italy" version of "Going Across the Sea." The other fragments contain verses typical of "Shady Grove," "Old Joe Clark," and others)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 428-430, "Old Joe Clark" (5 texts, 1 tune)
SharpAp 183, "Old Joe Clarke" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 25, "Old Joe Clark" (1 text, 1 tune -- plus the modern adaption "Round and Round Hitler's Grave")
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 277-279, "Old Joe Clark" (1 text, 1 tune, composite)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 814-818, "Old Joe Clark" (1 collated text, 1 tune)
JHCox 174, "Old Joe Clog" (1 text, partly from "Old Joe Clark" and partly floating verses, several of them from "Shady Grove")
Abrahams/Foss, p. 89, "Old Joe Clark" (1 partial text)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 35, "Old Joe Clark" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 249-250, "Old Joe Clark" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 206, "Old Joe Clark" (1 text)
DT, JOECLARK*
ADDITIONAL: Fred W. Allsopp, Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Volume II (1931), p. 209, "(Old Joe Clark)" (1 text)
Roud #3594
RECORDINGS:
James "Iron Head" Baker, "Old Joe Clark" (AFS 200 A3, 1933)
H. M. Barnes & his Blue Ridge Ramblers, "Old Joe Clark" (Brunswick 313, 1929)
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Fare You Well Old Joe Clark" (OKeh 40038, 1924; rec. 1923) (OKeh 45198 [as "Old Joe Clark"], 1928, rec. 1927)
James Crase, "Old Joe Clark" (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
Da Costa Woltz's Southern Broadcasters, "Old Joe Clark" (Gennett 6223/Challenge 333/Herwin 75565, 1927; on GoingDown)
The Hillbillies, "Old Joe Clark" (OKeh 40376, 1925) (Vocalion 15369, 1926)
Vester Jones, "Old Joe Clark" (on GraysonCarroll1)
Bradley Kincaid, "Old Joe Clark" (Brunswick 485, c. 1930; Conqueror 8090, 1933)
Clayton McMichen & his Georgia Wildcats, "Old Joe Clark" (Varsity 5029, 1942)
John D. Mounce et al, "Old Joe Clark" (on MusOzarks01)
Glen Neaves & band, "Old Joe Clark" (on HalfCen1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Old Joe Clark" (on NLCR05, NLCR11)
W. Lee O'Daniel & the Light Crust Doughboys, "Old Joe Clark" (Vocalion 02975, 1935)
Mose "Clear Rock" Platt, "Old Joe Clark" (AFS 197 A1, 1933)
Fiddlin' Powers and Family, "Old Joe Clark" (Victor 19434, 1924) (Edison 51662, 1925)
Riley Puckett, "Old Joe Clark" (Columbia 15033-D, c. 1925)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "Old Joe Clark" (Victor 20302, 1926); Ernest V. Stoneman Trio, "Old Joe Clark" (OKeh, unissued, 1927)
Pete Seeger, "Joe Clark" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07b)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Old Joe Clark" (Columbia 15108-D, 1926)
Wade Ward, "Old Joe Clark" [instrumental] (on LomaxCD1702)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Cuckoo Waltz" (floating lyrics)
SAME_TUNE:
Fare You Well, Old Ely Branch (by Aunt Molly Jackson) (Greenway-AFP, pp. 268-269; on PeteSeeger13)
NOTES: Randolph-Legman I offers some of the rarely printed bawdy verses to this familiar square dance and quatrain ballad. - EC
Since this piece is often played as a fiddle tune, and since the verses are usually improbable, often come from other songs, and rarely show any connection to each other, this song has been suspected of having begun life as an instrumental. - RBW
Seeger states that Joe Clark was "an actual person, a veteran of the War of 1812." - PJS
I'd love to know what evidence there is to prove that this soldier inspired the song.... - RBW
This shouldn't be confused with the fiddle tune "Old Joe," which is separate. "Old Joe" is reported to have been a nickname for syphilis. - PJS
File: R533
===
NAME: Old Joe Clog: see Old Joe Clark (File: R533)
===
NAME: Old Joe's Barroom: see Saint James Infirmary (File: San228)
===
NAME: Old John Booker
DESCRIPTION: "Old John Booker, call that gone!" (repeated frequently, usually in groups of three). "I'm goin' down to telephone!" "Old John Booker, he feel like this!" "I'm goin' down -- on the farm!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1963
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 187-188, "(Old John Booker)" (1 text); p. 287, "Old John Booker" (1 tune, partial text)
File: CNFM187
===
NAME: Old John Wallis
DESCRIPTION: John Brown had an old mare. He wasn't bid one farthing for her at Caister fair. He had a cow that gave only enough milk for his sow. His hens got in his corn; he shot at them but killed his mare. He killed another mare running her head into a tree
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1967 (recording, Bob Brader)
KEYWORDS: farming humorous nonballad nonsense chickens horse floatingverses
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #294
RECORDINGS:
Bob Brader, "Old John Wallis" (on Voice14)
NOTES: John Wallis's part in this song is only to ask John Brown "do you think this mare will die?" The rest of the song has to do with John Brown's misadventures. I list only a few of those in the description. He has others that I don't begin to understand. For example,
Old John Brown he went to plough,
And when he got there he didn't know how.
At every end he gave meows
He said he could plough from light to dark.
and
Old John Brown he had two fools
And he said he would make them lead his winter cows.
And if they didn't get back by noon,
He would eat the treacle and swallow the spoon.
I hope this is not supposed to make sense. - BS
I wonder if it isn't some sort of "song of all nonsense songs," with some garbling as the various elements came together. Roud lumps it with "Brian O'Lynn (Tom Boleyn)." I'm reminded of versions of "The Swapping Boy." Mix in a little of "Little Brown Dog" and a dead horse song, and voila! - RBW
File: RcOlJoWa
===
NAME: Old Johnny Booger
DESCRIPTION: Johnny Booger takes a wife. Doctor tells Johnny to rub her bad leg with gin. He thinks that a sin so he drinks the gin and rubs her leg with the bottle. Johnny falls in the river and there is no one to pull him out. He dies but can't get in heaven.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960s (recording, Jack Elliott)
KEYWORDS: drink humorous wife death river drowning
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North,South))
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #1329
RECORDINGS:
Jack Elliott, "Old Johnny Booger" (on Voice14)
NOTES: Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 14" - 8.9.02: "When I first came across this song, from a singer in Oxfordshire, the title was 'Old Johnny Bigger', the final word rhyming with the now unacceptable word 'nigger'. I presume that the song comes from the American Minstrel stage of the mid-19th century."
Jack Elliott's chorus on Voice14 is "Singing I do believe; I will believe. That old Johnny Booger was a gay old bugger And a gay old bugger was he." 
It is tempting to lump this [Roud #1329] with "Johnny Booker" [Roud #3441] but the verses and tune here have nothing in common with what I've read and heard. Yet another complication is the relationship of this song to "Johnny Boker" (I) [Roud #353]; for tune, text and structure's sake, I would keep it separate as well. - BS
File: RcOlJoBo
===
NAME: Old Johnny Booker Won't Do: see Johnny Booker (Mister Booger) (File: R268)
===
NAME: Old Johnston Thought It Rather Hard
DESCRIPTION: "Old Johnston thought it rather hard To ride over Beauregard; Old Johnston proved the deuce of a battle, And it's clear beyond a doubt That he didn't like the rout, And the second time he thought he'd try another." The Great Galena is also mentioned
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar soldier battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: July 21, 1861 - First battle of Bull Run/Manasses fought between the Union army of McDowell and the Confederates under Johnston and Beauregard
April 6-7, 1862 - Battle of Shiloh. The army of U.S. Grant is forced back but, reinforced by Buell, beats off the army of A.S. Johnston. Johnston is killed. Both sides suffer heavy casualties (Shiloh was the first battle to show how bloody the Civil War would be)
May 15, 1862 - Battle of Drewry's Bluff
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownII 224, "Old Johnston Thought It Rather Hard" (1 fragment)
Roud #6618
NOTES: The editors of Brown conjecture that the first verse of this song, at least, refers to the Battle of Shiloh. Given the fragmentary state of the text, this is possible -- but I wonder.
There were two battles in the Civil War in which a southern general named Johnston was in command over Beauregard: At Bull Run/Manasses, where the Johnston involved was Joseph E. Johnston, and at Shiloh, where the Johnston was Albert Sydney Johnston.
To me, the song seems slightly more likely to refer to Bull Run. J. E. Johnston, arriving on the field with reinforcements, could have taken command over Beauregard, but generally deferred to his junior as Beauregard knew the ground. In addition, the Confederates at Bull Run were wavering when Johnston's troops arrived; there was no such rout at Shiloh. (There, it was the Union troops which ran.)
I hasten to add that this is pure conjecture. If true, however, the song may link vaguely with the "Bull Run" song of Cox; there are some metrical similarities.
If the song refers to the eastern campaigns, it would also explain the references to the _Galena_, a Union ironclad launched in 1862. She operated on the James River during the Peninsular Campaign, and she and the _Monitor_ (either of which, though probably the latter, could be the "Naval Wonder" of the song) tried to ascend the river to attack Richmond after the destruction of the Merrimac/Virginia on May 9.
The attack on Drewry's Bluff failed; the Union vessels could not elevate their guns high enough to attack the Confederate works. The _Monitor_ suffered little damage (except that her crew was driven inside by sharpshooters, leaving them breathing foul and very hot air; see Harold Holzer and Tim Mulligan, Editors, _The Battle of Hampton Roads_, Fordham/Mariner's Museum, 2006, p. 48), but the _Galena_ proved so unreliable that she was converted to an unarmored gunboat. - RBW
File: BrII224
===
NAME: Old Jones: see Put the Traffic Down (File: R334)
===
NAME: Old Judge Duffy
DESCRIPTION: Judge Duffy "knew nothing about rules of the law," but "of judges he was one of the best." When the town's only blacksmith is clearly guilty of murder, Duffy orders a Chinese laborer hanged instead, because the blacksmith is needed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1978
KEYWORDS: execution reprieve foreigner lie
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 51-52, "Old Judge Duffy" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, JDGEDFFY*
Roud #4780
File: MN2051
===
NAME: Old Kentucky
DESCRIPTION: "You may go east, you may go west And sighs so grand you'll see. But after all, Kentucky is The place you'll wish to be." The singer describes the scenery, the "women always fair," the hospitality, the farming, etc. and hopes to be buried in Kentucky
AUTHOR: Billie Menshouse?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 174-175, "Old Kentucky" (1 text)
File: ThBa174
===
NAME: Old King and His Three Sons, The: see In Good Old Colony Times (File: R112)
===
NAME: Old King Buzzard
DESCRIPTION: "Old King Buzzard floating high, 'Sho do wish old cow would die.' Old cow died, old calf cried, 'Oh mourner, you shall be free.'"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: food bird animal
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 193, (no title) (1 fragment)
File: ScNF193A
===
NAME: Old King Cole (I)
DESCRIPTION: Cumulative: "Old King Cole was a merry old soul, and a merry old soul was he. He called for his pipe and he called for his bowl and he called for his --- three." Sundry (soldiers/courtiers) are called in, make suitable remarks, and wait for the next rank
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1776 (Herd); the nursery rhyme form is quoted in William King's "Useful Transactions in Philosophy" (1708/9)
KEYWORDS: cumulative soldier drink humorous bawdy
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So) Britain(England(North,South),Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES: (10 citations)
Kennedy 302, "Old King Cole" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 151-153, "Old King Coul" (1 text)
Chappell-FSRA 107, "Old King Jimmy" (1 text, in which the same first stanza is repeated several times: "Old King Jimmy called for his wine And called for his fiddlers three," "Old Farmer Jimmy called for his wine..." "Old Preacher Jimmy..." "Old Sailor Jimmy...")
Randolph-Legman I, p. 158, "Old King Cole" (1 fragmentary text, 1 tune)
Chappell/Wooldridge II, pp. 171-173, "Old King Cole" (1 tune, which may or may not be related as no text is given)
Creighton-NovaScotia 91, "Old King Coul" (1 text, 1 tune)
Opie-Oxford2 112, "Old King Cole" (2 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #206, p. 143, "(Old King Cole)"
Silber-FSWB, p. 278, "Old King Cole" (1 text)
DT, KNGCOLE* KNGCOLE2*
Roud #1164
RECORDINGS:
Martin Gorman, "Old King Cole" (on Voice07)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 20(269), "Old King Cole," J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866 ; also Harding B 11(2808), "Old King Cole"
SAME_TUNE:
Old King Cotton (Fred W. Allsopp, Folklore of Romantic Arkansas, Volume II, p. 199)
NOTES: Randolph-Legman I has a bawdy version of the drinking song and nursery rhyme. - EC
Various explanations have been offered for "King Cole." Colchester is said to have been named after a third century kinglet named Cole (Geoffrey of Monmouth's history, v.6, describes a "Coel Duke of Kaercolun/Colchester" as living in the time of Constantius the father of Constantine the Great -- but Geoffrey made up most of his history. He also gave us King Lear and much of the basic story of King Arthur).
Scotland had a King Colin (967-971). Various merchants and minor noblemen have also been suggested. Needless to say, none of these identifications is convincing. - RBW
Parody: Bodleian, Harding B 11(2809), "Old King Cole," J. Sharp (London), c.1845 - BS
File: K302
===
NAME: Old King Cole (II)
DESCRIPTION: "Old King Cole was a jolly old soul And this you may tell by his larnin', He eat corn bread till his head turn red And his old yellow cap needs darnin" Other verses are floaters: "My pretty little pink," "Coffee grows," "I'll take my knapsack on my back"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (Ritchie)
KEYWORDS: nonballad royalty floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ritchie-SingFam, pp. 42-43, "[Old King Cole]" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 81, "Old King Cole" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1164
NOTES: Roud lumps this with the standard "Old King Cole." But while the theme is similar, the lyrics and the meter are different. It's really more a floating verse collection than anything else; of Ritchie's 20 lines (five stanazas of four lines each), I would consider *at least* fourteen to be from other songs -- and I suspect in fact that the original was a composite song from which the singer forgot a few lines and patched in replacements. - RBW
File: JRSF042
===
NAME: Old King Coul: see Old King Cole (I) (File: K302)
===
NAME: Old King Jimmy: see Old King Cole (I) (File: K302)
===
NAME: Old Kingston Jail
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes the conditions in Kingston Jail. The inmates talk of their desire to leave. Most of the song is devoted to the varied characters found in the prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1945 (Flanders/Olney)
KEYWORDS: nonballad prison moniker
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 25-27, "Old Kingston Jail" (1 text)
ST FO025 (Partial)
Roud #4675
File: FO025
===
NAME: Old Kitarden
DESCRIPTION: Singer, a restless logger, leaves "Kitarden" (Katahdin), Maine. Arriving in Michigan, he is set to cooking instead of logging; he reminisces; when he and his friends arrive in Saginaw they will "make the taverns roar" with toasts to Kitarden and the girls
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer, a logger, leaves "Kitarden" (Katahdin), Maine, because he is restless. He arrives in Michigan, but his cohorts put him to cooking rather than logging; he reminisces about Maine, and vows that when he and his friends arrive in Saginaw they will "make the taverns roar" with toasts to Kitarden and the "girls that we adore."
KEYWORDS: lumbering emigration logger work home cook
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 44, "Old Kitarden" (1 text)
Roud #8876
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Adieu Sweet Lovely Nancy" (lyrics)
NOTES: Maine, New Brunswick, and Ontario lumberjacks commonly came to Michigan for the season, or sometimes permanently. - PJS
File: Be044
===
NAME: Old Lady Sally Wants to Jump
DESCRIPTION: "Old Lady Sally wants to jumpty-jump, Jumpty-jump, jumpty-jump... And Old Lady Sally wants to bow." The singer says to throw in a hook to catch a girl, notes there are "many fishes in the brook," and describes a preacher trying to preach his way to heaven
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1950 (recording, children of Lilly's Chapel School)
KEYWORDS: playparty nonballad courting
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 153-154, "(Old Lady Sally Wants to Jumpty-Jump)" (1 text); pp. 275-276, "Old Lady Sally Wants to Jump" (1 tune, partial text)
Roud #11003
RECORDINGS:
Children of Lilly's Chapel School, "Old Lady Sally Wants to Jump" (on NFMAla6, RingGames1)
File: CNFM153
===
NAME: Old Lady Sittin' in the Dining Room
DESCRIPTION: A ring-skipping song. "Choose the one the ring go round, Choose the one the morning, Choose the one with the coal black hair, And kiss and call her honey."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939
KEYWORDS: playparty
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 705, "Old Lady Sittin' in the Dining Room" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Another "Weevily Wheat" variant? - RBW
File: BSoF705B
===
NAME: Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
DESCRIPTION: Singer says he knows an old lady who swallowed a fly; "I don't know why she swallowed that fly/Perhaps she'll die." She swallows a succession of animals, each to catch the last. At the end, "I know an old lady who swallowed a horse/She's dead, of course."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (recording, Pete Seeger)
KEYWORDS: death cumulative humorous animal bird bug horse
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, SWALLFLY*
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "I Know an Old Lady (Who Swallowed a Fly)" (on PeteSeeger08, PeteSeegerCD02)
Pete Seeger & Sonny Terry, "Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" (on SeegerTerry)
SAME_TUNE:
Pete Seeger, "Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie" [feminist parody] (DT, SWALLLIE; on PeteSeeger45; on PeteSeeger47)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly
File: RcIKAOLW
===
NAME: Old Lead (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John II)
DESCRIPTION: "Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, Killed Old Lead and home he run, Old Lead was eat, and John was beat, And Mary ran bawling down the street." How a drifter named John killed a tree dog named "Old Lead" and was punished for it
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: animal death
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 76, (no title) (1 fragment)
cf. Baring-Gould-MotherGoose p. 221, note 74 "(Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John)"
File: ScaNF076
===
NAME: Old Leather Bonnet, The: see Come All You Virginia Girls (Arkansas Boys; Texian Boys; Cousin Emmy's Blues; etc.) (File: R342)
===
NAME: Old Leather Breeches, The
DESCRIPTION: "At the sign of the bell, on the road to Clonmel, Paddy Hegarty kept a night shaybeen."  When a party arrives demanding food and drink, Paddy supplies liquor, but for food can only cut up his leather breeches. When the trick is discovered, a riot ensues
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (OConor); 19C (broadside, LOCSinging as110230)
KEYWORDS: drink clothes party
FOUND_IN: Ireland Australia Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 232-233, "The Old Leather Breeches" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 75, "The Old Leather Breeches" (1 text)
OLochlainn 67A, "The Old Leather Breeches" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 71-72, "Leather Britches" (1 text, 1 tune)
Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), pp. 14-15, "The Ould Leather Breeches" (text, music and reference to Decca F-2266 recorded Feb 6, 1931)
Roud #923
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as110230, "Old Leather Breeches!," unknown, 19C
NOTES: The date and master id (GB-2648-1/2) for Hayward's record is provided by Bill Dean-Myatt, MPhil. compiler of the Scottish National Discography. - BS
File: MCB232
===
NAME: Old Lord by the Northern Sea, The: see The Twa Sisters [Child 10] (File: C010)
===
NAME: Old Lover's Wedding, An: see The Nobleman's Wedding (The Faultless Bride; The Love Token) [Laws P31] (File: LP31)
===
NAME: Old Lyda Zip Coon: see Hallelujah (File: R421)
===
NAME: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
DESCRIPTION: (Old MacDonald's) farm features a wide variety of livestock, described cumulatively, e.g. with the pig making an oink here and an oink there, the cow a moo-moo here and there, etc. until the entire farm is sounding off
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917 (Tommy's Tunes)
KEYWORDS: animal farming cumulative nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Randolph 457, "The Merry Green Fields of the Lowland" (1 text); 458, "Old Missouri" (1 text)
BrownIII 125, "McDonald's Farm" (5 text)
Kennedy 310, "When I Was a Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, p. 83, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 389, "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" (1 text)
LPound-ABS, 120, pp. 238-240, "Sweet Fields of Violo" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 410-412, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm"
Roud #745
RECORDINGS:
Warren Caplinger's Cumberland Mountain Entertainers, "McDonald's Farm" (Brunswick 224, 1928)
Englewood Four, "Old McDonald Had a Farm" (Champion 15451/Challenge 396, 1928 [as Henry County Four]; rec. 1927)
Sam Patterson Trio, "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" (Edison 51644, 1925)
Dan Russo's Orioles, "Old MacDonald Had A Farm" (Columbia 2647-D, 1932)
Gid Tanner & His Skillet Lickers, "Old McDonald Had A Farm" (Columbia 15204-D, 1927)
SAME_TUNE:
Golly, Ain't That Queer (Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 171-172)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Farmyard Song
NOTES: Are the pieces listed here really one song? It's not immediately obvious. The British and American versions are often very distinct, but there are intermediate versions, e.g. Randolph's.
Neither of Randolph's texts conforms to the common version of "Old MacDonald," and "The Merry Green Fields of the Lowland," in particular, looks older (It probably derives from the George Christy version "In the Merry Green Fields of Oland," from 1865; compare Sharp's "Merry Green Fields of Ireland" and Pound's "Sweet Fields of Violo"). But the cumulative pattern is the same (indeed, something very like it is quoted in _Pills to Purge Melancholy_ in 1707), so I assume the family is a unity.
Gilbert claims the piece (in which "My Grandfather," rather than "Old MacDonald, is the farmer) comes from a busker of the 1870s called "the Country Fiddler," but gives no details to verify this.
I use the "Old MacDonald" title because it is the best-known, though Fuld reports that this version did not appear until 1917 (and even then, it was "Old MacDougal"). - RBW
File: R457
===
NAME: Old Maid and the Burglar, The [Laws H23]
DESCRIPTION: The old maid prepares for bed by removing her teeth, wig, and glass eye. She then discovers the burglar hiding under her bed. She threatens to shoot him if he will not marry her. He answers, "Woman, for the Lord's sake, shoot!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c. 1925 (recording, Riley Puckett)
KEYWORDS: oldmaid robbery humorous
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws H23, "The Old Maid and the Burglar"
BrownII 192, "The Burglar Man" (1 text)
Hudson 110, pp. 249-250, "The Old Maid and the Burglar" (1 text)
DT 780, OLMDBURG
Roud #658
RECORDINGS:
Reubin [Reuben?] Burns, "The Burglar Man" (Champion 15376, 1928; rec. 1927)
Bob Carpenter, "The Burglar Man" (on LomaxCD1702)
Fiddlin' John Carson, "The Burglar and the Old Maid" (OKeh 45259, 1928)
Bill Clifton, "Burglar Man" (Blue Ridge 403, n.d.)
Frank Hutchison, "The Burglar Man" (OKeh 45313, 1929; rec. 1928)
Riley Puckett, "Burglar Man" (Columbia 15015-D, 1925; rec. 1924)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "The Old Maid and the Burglar" (Edison 52369, 1928) (CYL: Edison [BA] 5531, 1928)
Arthur Tanner, "Burglar Man" (Silvertone 3514, 1926)
Henry Whitter, "The Burglar Man" (OKeh 45063, 1926); Henry Whitter & Fiddler Joe [Samuels], "The Burglar Man" (OKeh, unissued, 1926)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Warranty Deed" (theme)
File: LH23
===
NAME: Old Maid Song (IV): see I Wonder When I Shall Be Married (File: CoxII16)
===
NAME: Old Maid's Lament for a Husband, The: see The Old Maid's Song (File: R364)
===
NAME: Old Maid's Song (I), The
DESCRIPTION: An old maid laments her state, noting that her (two) sister(s were) popular, but she's been ignored all her life. She says she'd accept almost any man, and lists the good things she'd do for him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1636 (broadside)
KEYWORDS: loneliness marriage nonballad family oldmaid
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,NE,So) Ireland Britain(Scotland) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 65, "The Old Maid's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H138, p. 256, "The Black Chimney Sweeper" (1 text, 1 tune, in which a "black chimney sweeper" finally marries her)
Flanders/Brown, p. 102, "Sisters Susan" (1 text)
Logan, pp. 353-355, "The Old Maid's Lament for a Husband" (1 text, which is not lyrically similar to the usual versions of this song but has all the same plot elements)
Kennedy 210, "The Poor Auld Maid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, p. 461, "I Long to be Wedding" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 21, "Black Chimney Sweeper" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 186, "Old Maid's Song" (1 text)
DT, OLDMAID1 (OLDMAID2) OLDMAID6*
Roud #802
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2011), "Chimney Sweep's Wedding," J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1858-1861; also Firth c.20(31), "Chimney Sweeper's Wedding"; 2806 c.7(10), "Chimney Sweepers Weding"[sic]
LOCSinging, as102060, "The Chimney Sweepers Weding"[sic], P. Brereton (Dublin), n.d. 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Betsy Bell" (theme)
cf. "I'll Not Marry at All"
cf. "Time to be Made a Wife"
cf. "The Old Maid's Song" (II)
cf. "A'body's Like to be Married but Me"
cf. "No to be Married Ava" (theme)
cf. "I Wonder When I Shall Be Married" (theme)
cf. "O Gin That I Were Mairrit" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Take Her Out of Pity
The Old Maid's Lament
NOTES: Broadsides LOCSinging as102060 and Bodleian Harding B 11(2011) are duplicates. - BS
File: R364
===
NAME: Old Maid's Song (II), The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, Father, I'm sixteen years of age; I'm weary of my life.... I think it's almost time for me to be made a wife." Her father calls men liars; she points out that her mother married younger and her sister also. She says, "Don't let me die a maid"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Karpeles-Newfoundland)
KEYWORDS: marriage oldmaid
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 162-163, "Time to be Made a Wife" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 79, "Young Men, Come Marry Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OLDMAID5
Roud #2304
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Maid's Song (I)" and references there
File: FJ162
===
NAME: Old Maid's Song (III), The: see I'll Not Marry at All (File: E072)
===
NAME: Old Man and a Young Man, An: see I Wouldn't Have an Old Man (File: R401)
===
NAME: Old Man and the Door, The: see Get Up and Bar the Door [Child 275] (File: C275)
===
NAME: Old Man and the Oak, The: see Says the Old Man to the Oak Tree (File: BGMG071)
===
NAME: Old Man at the Mill, The
DESCRIPTION: "Same old man, sitting at the mill/Mill turns around of its own free will...ladies go forward and the gents fall back." This is followed by floating verses, many taken from "The Birds' Courting Song (Leatherwing Bat)"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1962 (recording, Clint Howard et al)
KEYWORDS: courting floatingverses nonballad playparty
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #733
RECORDINGS:
Clint Howard et al, "The Old Man at the Mill" (on Ashley02, WatsonAshley01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bird's Courting Song (The Hawk and the Crow; Leatherwing Bat)" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This certainly shares a good deal with "The Birds' Courting Song (Leatherwing Bat)," but there are enough differences that I have split them. - PJS
Roud, interestingly, lumps it not with that song but with "The Miller Boy (Jolly is the Miller I)," presumably on the basis of the first verse. The result may well be a complex composite of the two. - RBW
File: RctOMatM
===
NAME: Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings)
DESCRIPTION: The singer's mother tells her to open the door to an old man. He is come to court her; she will not have him; he is too old. The girl's mother makes her to offer him various attentions; she does, and the old man spoils each. (At last he is sent home)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1724 (Ramsey)
KEYWORDS: age courting rejection humorous
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE,So) Britain(England(All),Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (18 citations)
Belden, p. 264, "The Old Man's Courtship" (1 text)
Randolph 66, "The Old Black Booger" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 129-131, "The Old Black Booger" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 66C)
Eddy 42, "An Old Man Who Came Over the Moor" (3 texts plus a fragment, 4 tunes)
Gardner/Chickering 171, "The Old Man" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
BrownIII 9, "The Old Man's Courtship" (5 texts)
Brewster 48, "The Old Man Who Vame Over the Moor" (2 texts)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 128-129, "The Carle He Cam' Ower the Craft"; p. 130, "The Dottered Auld Carle" (2 texts)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 152-154, "The Old Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 165, "Old Grey Beard" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 131, "Old Shoes and Leggings" (1 text)
JHCox 169, "The Old Man Who Came Over the Moor" (1 text)
SharpAp 108, "My Mother Bid Me" (5 texts, 5 tunes)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 87, "Mama Told Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 190-191, "The Old Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 76-77, "The Old Man from Lee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 139, "Old Grey Beard" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OLDSHOE*
ST R066 (Full)
Roud #362
RECORDINGS:
Frankie Armstrong, "The Old Man from Over the Sea" (on BirdBush1, BirdBush2)
Burnett Bros., "Old Shoes a-Draggin'" (Victor 23727, 1932)
[The Stoneman Family and] Uncle Eck Dunford, "Old Shoes and Leggins" (Victor V-40060, 1928; on AAFM1)
Betty Garland, "Old Gum Boots and Leggings" (on BGarland01)
Otis High, "Old Gray Beard A-Flappin'" (on HandMeDown2)
Lawrence Older,  "Old Shoes and Leggings" (on LOlder01)
Jeannie Robertson, "Old Grey Beard Newly Shaven" (on FSB1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man"
cf. "I Wouldn't Have an Old Man"
cf. "The Brisk Young Lad" (plot)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
An Old Man Came Courting Me
The Young Lass contra Old Man
The Carle He Came o'er the Croft
The Auld carle
I'll Not Have Him
The Old Man from Over the Sea
His Old Grey Beard Kept Waggin'
Overshoes and Leggin's
File: R066
===
NAME: Old Man Fox: see The Fox (File: R103)
===
NAME: Old Man from Lee, The: see Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings) (File: R066)
===
NAME: Old Man from Over the Sea, The
DESCRIPTION: An old man courts a young woman, whose mother advises her what to do when they are married -- all to no sexual avail.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy marriage age
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 336-339, "The Old Man from Over the Sea" (2 texts, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man"
cf. "Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings)"
cf. "I Wouldn't Marry an Old Man"
cf. "I Wouldn't Have an Old Man"
cf. "My Husband's Got No Courage in Him"
NOTES: Legman provides significant notes on, and references to, ballads about May-December marriages in Randolph-Legman I. - EC
File: RL336
===
NAME: Old Man in the North Countree, The: see The Twa Sisters [Child 10] (File: C010)
===
NAME: Old Man Kangaroo, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer and Bill Chippen are out of food when they spot a kangaroo. Chippen attacks the beast, which seizes him. The singer shoves his tucker-bag over the 'roo, then cuts off its tail. The animal drops dead; the two feed on its tail
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1954
KEYWORDS: animal fight Australia
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 40-41, "The Old Man Kangaroo" (1 text, 2 tunes)
File: MA040
===
NAME: Old Man Rocking the Cradle: see Rocking the Cradle (and the Child Not His Own) (File: R393)
===
NAME: Old Man under the Hill, The: see The Farmer's Curst Wife [Child 278] (File: C278)
===
NAME: Old Man Who Lived in the Woods, The: see Father Grumble [Laws Q1] (File: LQ01)
===
NAME: Old Man, The: see Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings) (File: R066)
===
NAME: Old Man's Courtship, The: see Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings) (File: R066)
===
NAME: Old Man's Lament, The: see Rocking the Cradle (and the Child Not His Own) (File: R393)
===
NAME: Old Man's Three Sons (Jeffery, James, and John)
DESCRIPTION: "There was an old (wo)man had three sons, (Jerry) and James and John. Jerry was hung, and James was drowned, John was lost and never found, And there was the end of (her) three sons, Jerry and James and John."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1815 (according to Baring-Gould-MotherGoose)
KEYWORDS: mother father children death drowning
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #262, p. 160, "(There as an old woman had three sons)"
Roud #4661
File: BGNG262
===
NAME: Old Marse John
DESCRIPTION: Lyrics about a slave promised freedom by his mistress -- but the freedom does not arrive as scheduled. Many floating verses about southern life. Chorus: "O mourner, you shall be free... When the good Lord sets you free."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925
KEYWORDS: slave freedom animal food clergy floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 271, "Old Marse John" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 471, "Jigger, Rigger, Bumbo" (1 fragment)
Roud #6707
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Raise a Ruckus" (lyrics)
cf. "My Ole Mistus Promised Me" (lyrics)
cf. "Mourner, You Shall Be Free (Moanish Lady)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Hard Time in Old Virginnie"
cf. "Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse)" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: About half of this song, as found in Lomax, is identical to "Raise a Ruckus." But the chorus is different, and the similarities could be due to the Alan Lomax's "improvements." So I've classified them separately.
The Brown fragments "Jigger, Rigger, Bumbo" is another mystery unto itself. It has the "Raise a Ruckus"/"My old marster promised me" opening, and a chorus, and that's it. At some point, there comes a limit on separating songs based on nonsense choruses. So I tossed it here. Roud appears to have a whole category (#11723) of fragments around the "My old master/mistress promised me." - RBW
File: LoF271
===
NAME: Old Massa He Come Dancin' Out: see Ol' Gen'ral Bragg's a-Mowin' Down de Yankees (File: BrII233)
===
NAME: Old Mayflower, The
DESCRIPTION: Mayflower runs ashore with its cargo of dry fish and ale. After the cargo is stolen we take the pail, jars, kettle, and, finally, the wood. "And that was the end of the old Mayflower"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: ship wreck humorous theft
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 87-88, "The Old Mayflower" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9954
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Mariposa" (theme)
cf. "The Teapots at the Fire" (theme)
cf. "The Middlesex Flora" (theme)
cf. "The Irrawaddy" (theme)
NOTES: I find myself wondering if Stan Rogers didn't have this or one of the other songs in the cross-references somewhere in the back of his mind when he wrote "The Wreck of the Athens Queen." It's interesting to see how many songs on the theme of, shall we say, extremely rapid and perhaps premature salvage come from Newfoundland. - RBW
"The Hoban Boys" mentions the looting of a ship _Mayflower_. Whether they are the same ship I do not know. - RBW
File: Pea087
===
NAME: Old Miller, The: see The Miller's Will (The Miller's Three Sons) [Laws Q21] (File: LQ21)
===
NAME: Old Missouri: see Old MacDonald Had a Farm (File: R457)
===
NAME: Old Moke Pickin' on the Banjo (Song of the Pinewoods)
DESCRIPTION: Singer lands in America in 1844 and works in the pinewoods. An Irish girl offers him whiskey and looks him over. He describes the teamsters with whom he works. Song may have many floating verses and a nonsense chorus.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
KEYWORDS: lumbering work emigration floatingverses music
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Beck 22, "Song of the Pinewoods" (1 text)
Hugill, pp. 340-341, "The Old Moke Pickin' on the Banjo"  (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, p. 255]
Sharp-EFC, IV, pp. 4-5, "He-Back, She-Back" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OLDMOKE*
Roud #862
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Whoa Back, Buck" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Shule Agra (Shool Aroo[n], Buttermilk Hill, Johnny's Gone for a Soldier)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "I'm a Rowdy Soul" (floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
He-bang, She-bang
Tapiocum
NOTES: Clearly we have a muddle here. Beck notes that this song can have a huge number of verses, but he lists only four, and the song makes little sense as a result. The chorus, meanwhile, is a reworking of "Shule Agra", with a last line close to "Tighten on the Backband (Whoa Back Buck)." Ah, the folk process! - PJS
A muddle indeed, and one with bounds very hard to define. Beck's refrain for this piece runs
Shu-li, shu-li, shula-racka-ru
Hacka-racka, shacka-racka, shula-bobba-lu
I'm right from the pinewoods. So are you
Johnny, can't you pick it on your banjo?
The more common chorus to this seems to be something like
Hooraw! What the hell's the row?
We're all from the railroad, too-rer-loo,
We're all from the railroad, too-rer-loo,
Oooh! The ol' moke pickin' on the banjo!
This chorus occurs, with variations, in Hugill and Sharp. - RBW
Hugill cites a Negro shanty titled "Tapiocum" found in v.3 of the _Folk Song Journal_. He only quotes one verse but believes that it is a variant of "Old Moke." - SL
File: Be022
===
NAME: Old Molly Hair (sic): see Old Molly Hare (File: R277)
===
NAME: Old Molly Hare
DESCRIPTION: Fiddle tune with words, often of the form, "Old Molly Hare, What('r) you doin' there?" followed by a reply, e.g. "Sitting in the briarpatch, combing out my hair."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1881 (Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings)
KEYWORDS: animal fiddle nonballad dancetune
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Randolph 277, "Old Molly Hare" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 238-239, "Old Molly Hare" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 277)
BrownIII 167, "Old Molly Hare (Mr. Rabbit)" (2 texts plus 4 fragments, 1 excerpt, and mention of 2 more; the "C," "D," and "E" fragments, plus probably "B," are "Old Molly Hare," "I" is "Mister Rabbit"; "A" and "G" mix the two)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 283-284, "Old Mother Hare" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 108-109, "Old Molly Hair" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, MOLLHARE
Roud #7781
RECORDINGS:
Clayton McMichen & Riley Puckett, "Old Molly Hare" (Columbia 15295-D, 1928; on CrowTold01)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Old Molly Hair" (on NLCR05)
Fiddlin' Powers & Family, "Old Molly Hare" (Okeh 45268, 1928; rec. 1927; on Cornshuckers2)
Riley Puckett, "Old Molly Hair" (Columbia 15295-D, 1928)
NOTES: Joel Chandler Harris quoted the first stanza of this song in "Mr. Rabbit Gorssly Decieves Mr. Fox," published in 1881 in Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings:
Ole Molly Har'.
W'at you doin' dar,
Settin' in de cornder
Smokin' yo seegyar? - RBW
File: R277
===
NAME: Old Moses Smote de Waters: see Old Moses Smote the Waters (File: R290)
===
NAME: Old Moses Smote the Waters
DESCRIPTION: "Old Moses smote the waters, Hallelujah! Old Moses smote the waters, huh!..." "The waters they divided...." "The children passed over...." "Old Pharaoh's host got drownded...." "I see that ship a-coming...." "She'll take us on to glory...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: Bible religious travel freedom
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 290, "Old Moses Smote de Waters" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII [612], "Moses Smote the Waters" (1 fragment, printed in the notes to Brown #610)
Roud #7822
File: R290
===
NAME: Old Mother Hare: see Old Molly Hare (File: R277)
===
NAME: Old Mother Head's
DESCRIPTION: Adventures of staff and guests at Mother Head's. "Nobody knows what the sailors eat; Cast no remarks about your meat; But eat your pie, and close your mouth, In the hungry starving boarding house"
AUTHOR: Joe Broadfield
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (Smith/Hatt)
KEYWORDS: food hardtimes humorous nonballad sailor
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Smith/Hatt, p. 11, "Old Mother Head's" (1 text)
Roud #9414
File: SmHa011
===
NAME: Old Mother Hubbard
DESCRIPTION: "Old Mother Hubbard Went to the cupboard To get her poor dog a bone, But when she got there The cupboard was bare And so the poor dog had none." Additional verses tell of Mother Hubbard's efforts for the dog and how almost all fail
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1797 (cf. Baring-Gould-MotherGoose)
KEYWORDS: dog death food humorous home commerce clothes
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #134, pp. 111-113, "(Old Mother Hubbard)"
cf. DT, MERRYLND
NOTES: This is probably only a nursery *rhyme*, and not a nursery *song*, and so properly does not belong in the Index. But Tony and Irene Saletan recorded it as part of their version of "Hail to Britannia" (which includes many nursery rhymes), so it does have a musical tradition of sorts.
In addition, though most of us hear only one verse of this, the Baring-Gould text is 14 stanzas long, though many of the stanzas are silly:
She went to the tailors
To buy him a coat,
But when she came back
He [the dog, note] was riding a goat.
Still, there is a plot in the early stanzas. The whole looks like a song, if a silly one. - RBW
File: BGMG134
===
NAME: Old Mountain Dew
DESCRIPTION: The praises of mountain dew are sung. "Oh, they call it that good old mountain dew, And those who refuse it are few...." Doctor, preacher, conductor, lawyer (and, in some versions, Uncle Nort, Aunt June, Brother Bill) derive various benefits from it.
AUTHOR: Bascom Lamar Lunsford
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Bascom Lamar Lunsford)
KEYWORDS: drink family 
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 736, "Good Old Mountain Dew" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, p. 289, "Good Old Mountain Dew" (1 text, filed with "Real Old Mountain Dew"="Good Old Mountain Dew")
Silber-FSWB, p. 236, "Mountain Dew" (1 text)
DT, MTDEW3*
Roud #9133
RECORDINGS:
Delmore Brothers, "Old Mountain Dew" (Decca 5890, 1940)
John Griffin, "Real Old Mountain Dew" (Columbia 33145-F, n.d.)
Grandpa Jones, "Mountain Dew" (King 624, 1947)
Lulu Belle & Scotty, "Mountain Dew" (Conqueror 9249, 1939) (on CrowTold02; this may be the reissue of the Conqueror recording, but it's not certain)
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "Mountain Dew" (Brunswick 219, 1928); "Old Mountain Dew" (on BLLunsford01)
NOTES: Botkin's text is from a 1949 field recording. He says Lunsford composed and recorded it in the twenties, but that it has already changed substantially in oral tradition. - NR
Some have thought that Lunsford took a traditional song and made it his own. His recording, however, remains the first known version -- and there is no evidence that Lunsford did this with any other song. - RBW
Lunsford himself said he wrote it in the early years of this century, and that it was made up out of whole cloth, not adapted. It should not be confused with the traditional Irish song usually called "Real Old Mountain Dew" [or "Good Old Mountain Dew"]. - PJS
File: BSoF736
===
NAME: Old Nantucket Whaling Song
DESCRIPTION: Description of a whaling voyage. Crew faces months of cold and storms. Upon spotting a whale they give chase, harpoon and fight with the whale, trying to avoid being swamped or crushed. Gives detailed descriptions and is written in future tense.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1945 (Harlow)
KEYWORDS: whaler ship sea work hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Harlow, pp. 216-219, "Old Nantucket Whaling Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9153
File: Harl216
===
NAME: Old Napper: see Old Tyler (File: JRSF069)
===
NAME: Old Noah: see De Fust Banjo (The Banjo Song; The Possum and the Banjo; Old Noah) (File: R253)
===
NAME: Old Noah Built an Ark
DESCRIPTION: "Good old Noah built an ark, To save the soul of man; A vessel built of gopher wood, By God, the father, planned. Noah preached for years and years To change their awful ways." The flood comes; Noah is saved; listeners are advised to turn to Jesus
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: Bible ship flood Jesus religious
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 101-105, (no title) (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Uncle Noah" (subject) and references there
NOTES: For background on the Noah story, see the notes to "Old Uncle Noah."
This song has enough points of contact with that that I suspect common ancestry. But that song is humorous and this so brutally "straight" that I can't see any option but to split them.
Incidentally, "gopher wood" is not a reference to the small mammal. We don't know what sort of wood it is; the word occurs only in Genesis 6:14, and no cognates are known in related languages. So translations tend to just transliterate the word rather than guess at a translation. - RBW
File: ThBa101
===
NAME: Old Oak Tree, The [Laws P37]
DESCRIPTION: (Betsy) sets out from home to meet her love and never returns. Her widowed mother, after a long search, dies of grief. The girl's body is found during a hunt with the murderer's knife still there. He confesses the crime and (dies/kills himself)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1921 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: murder suicide gallows-confession
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Laws P37, "The Old Oak Tree"
Doerflinger, pp. 283-285, "The Old Oak Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H207, pp. 417-418, "The Old Oak Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 11, "The Old Oak Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 33, "The Old Oak Tree" (1 text plus mention of 1 more, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 55, "Squire Nathaniel and Betsy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 628-629, "The Old Oak Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 12, "The Old Oak Tree" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 80-81, "The Old Oak Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 66, "Eliza Long (The Old Oak Tree)" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 514, OLDOAKTR
Roud #569
RECORDINGS:
Warde Ford, "Beneath the Old Oak Tree" (AFS 4195 A1; tr.; in AMMEM/Cowell)
Tom Lenihan, "The Old Oak Tree" (on IRTLenihan01)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Squire
NOTES: Bodleian Library site Ballads Catalogue appears to have two broadsides for this ballad
Bodleian, Harding B 40(5), "The Old Oak Tree" ("The night was dark, cold blew the wind"), J.F. Nugent and Co.? (Dublin?), 1850-1899; also Harding B 26(481), "The Old Oak Three," P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867
However, I was unable to read either of them. - BS
File: LP37
===
NAME: Old Oaken Bucket, The
DESCRIPTION: "How dear to this heart are the scenes of my childhood, When fond recollection presents them to view...: The old oaken bucket, the iron-bound bucket, The moss-covered bucket That hung in the well." The singer recalls being refreshed by its water
AUTHOR: Words: Samuel Woodworth
EARLIEST_DATE: 1818
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 167-170, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 256, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 413-414, "The Old Oaken Bucket"
DT, OAKBUCK
ST RJ19167 (Full)
RECORDINGS:
David Bangs, "Old Oaken Bucket" (Berliner 0600, rec. 1895)
Columbia Stellar Quartet, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (Columbia A-1820, 1915)
Jimmie Tarlton [Darby & Tarlton] "By the Old Oaken Bucket" (Columbia 15763-D, 1932; rec. 1930)
Edison Male Quartet, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (CYL: Edison 2216, 1897)
Haydn Quartet, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (Berliner 023-N, 1899)
Haydn Quartet w. S. Dudley, "Old Oaken Bucket" (Berliner 0873, 1898)
Honolulu Strollers, "Ole Oaken Bucket" (OKeh 45226, 1928)
Peerless Quartette, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (Zonophone 696, 1907) (Pathe 40032, 1916)
Standard Quartette, "The Old Oaken Bucket" (CYL: Columbia 2239, rec. c. 1895)
SAME_TUNE:
The Old Family Toothbrush (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 160)
Nat Wills, "Parody on 'Old Oaken Bucket'" (Victor 16661/Victor 5659 [as "Old Oaken Bucket (parody)"], 1909)
The Old Oaken Bucket (As censored by the Board of Health) (Hazel Felleman, _The Best Loved Poems of the American People_, p. 386)
NOTES: Samuel Woodworth's only other noteworthy composition was "The Hunters of Kentucky." His novels and plays are mercifully forgotten.
Woodworth originally published this poem under the title "The Bucket." It soon acquired several (rather feeble) tunes and the title "The Old Oaken Bucket." Around 1850, it was fitted to the tune "Araby's Daughter" by George Kiallmark; that somehow rescued it from the dustbin of nostalgia and made it into a highly popular song. - RBW
File: RJ19167
===
NAME: Old Orange Flute, The
DESCRIPTION: A Protestant man marries a Catholic woman, but his flute refuses to convert, and continues to play Orange songs. Ultimately it is burnt at the stake as a heretic.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1912
KEYWORDS: marriage music fire
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Hodgart, p. 216, "The Old Orange Flute" (1 text)
OLochlainn 50, "The Old Orange Flute" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 318, "The Old Orange Flute" (1 text)
DT, OLDFLUTE*
Roud #3013
NOTES: OLochlainn: "Learnt in Belfast about 1912; the tune is another version of Villikens." - BS
File: Hodg216
===
NAME: Old Paint (I): see I Ride an Old Paint (File: LxU063B)
===
NAME: Old Paint (II): see Goodbye, Old Paint (File: LxU063A)
===
NAME: Old Palmer Song, The
DESCRIPTION: "The wind is fair and free, my boys... The steamer's course is north, my boys, And the palmer we will see." The singer encourages his listeners to come with him to the gold fields; by working together, they can prosper
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964
KEYWORDS: river gold travel
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1875 - Discovery of gold in the Palmer River in Queensland. The influx of people from all over the world meant that few grew rich -- and many starved in the inhospitable terrain
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 38-39, "The Old Palmer Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: PASB038
===
NAME: Old Pete Bateese
DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. Pete Bateese is chased by wolves. He climbs a tree. The wolves fetch beavers to gnaw it down. Pete pours out some "hooch"; the beavers get drunk and chew up the wolves instead. Pete comes down and cries for the wasted hooch
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. Pete Bateese is chased by wolves one night; he climbs a tree, so the wolves fetch beavers to gnaw it down. Pete pours out some "hooch"; the beavers get drunk and chew up the wolves instead. Pete comes down and "cry and cry to t'ink for where/His one-quart hooch she go."
KEYWORDS: humorous talltale drink animal
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 75, "Old Pete Bateese" (1 text)
Roud #8851
File: Be075
===
NAME: Old Petticoat, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer sees "an old petticoat hanging high" and hangs his trousers near to "keep that old petticoat warm" He says "'Old trousers, I hope you're on form!'" "The night of the wedding ... the father he's dead; he was shot with a gun"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1975 (recording, Paddy Tunney)
KEYWORDS: sex clothes humorous
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 54-55, "As I Was Going into the Fair of Athy" (1 text)
Roud #12940
RECORDINGS:
Paddy Tunney, The, "The Old Petticoat" (on Voice10)
File: RcOldPet
===
NAME: Old Plaid Shawl, The: see The Red Plaid Shawl (File: OCon084)
===
NAME: Old Polina, The
DESCRIPTION: "There's a noble fleet of whalers a-sailing from Dundee... There's not another whaler that sails the Arctic Sea Can beat the old Polina, you need not try, my sons." The singer describes all the various ships which failed to outrace the Polina
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (Doyle)
KEYWORDS: ship whaler racing bragging
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: March 1884 - Loss of the Polynia (believed to be the model for this song) in the Straits of Belle Isle
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 165-166, "The Old 'Polina'" (1 text, tune referenced)
Fowke/MacMillan 15, "The Old 'Polina'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, pp. 22-23, "The Old Polina" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle3, pp. 44-45, "Old Polina" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FMB165 (Partial)
Roud #285
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "A Noble Fleet of Sealers" (tune)
cf. "Save Our Swilers" (tune)
NOTES: GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador site claims the song was written in the 1880s.
The notes to A.L. Lloyd's _Leviathan!_ for "The Balaena" makes this whaler R. Kinnes's _Balaena_, the "largest and fastest" of the 1873 Dundee whaling fleet. According to the Dundee City Council site, it "sailed its last voyage in 1892 under Captain Alexander Fairweather." That's a different explanation than the sinking of the Polynia proposed by the GEST site. - BS
It's worth noting that Lloyd's seems to be the only one calling the ship the _Balena_ or anything similar. One suspects either an error of hearing as the song transferred to Britain or a Canadian adaption. The notes in Fowke/Mills/Blume also associate the song with the _Polynia_, lost in the Straits of Belle Isle in 1884. . - RBW
File: FMB165
===
NAME: Old Ponto Is Dead: see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Old Port Rockwell
DESCRIPTION: "Old Port Rockwell has work to do, So he saddles his sorrel and rides away... the waiting wife... shrinks in terror as down the night Comes the wailing of Port's dread war cry, 'Wheat!'" Rockwell's cry means that a wife and children will be orphaned
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder mother orphan
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Burt, pp. 114-115, "(Old Port Rockwell)" (1 text)
Roud #10880
NOTES: Burt lists Orrin Porter Rockwell as a bodyguard to both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young, but he was evidently a dangerous tough also. His cry "Wheat!" is derived from the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:24-30): The wheat was to be kept, the tares (weeds) to be burned
According to Wallace Stegner, _The Gathering of Zion: The Story of the Mormon Trail_, pp. 37-38, "Rockwell had been promised by Joseph [Smith] that no bullet would ever touch him. He wore his hair long in remembrance of that prophecy, an in a long lide that his enemies said included upwards of a hundred holy murders (his most scrupulous biographer guesses twenty) the promise held good. He was illiterate, nerveless, tireless, dedicated, an utterly dependable zealot." - RBW
File: Burt114
===
NAME: Old Prospector's Crime, The
DESCRIPTION: "Gather round me, people, While I speak this last one word, I am on the gallows And I'll ne'er again be heard." The singer and Hard Rock Jim are miners; the singer finds a claim, tricks Hard Rock Jim into a fight with a bear, kills him, and is executed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder animal mining gold execution
FOUND_IN: US(Ro)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Burt, pp. 90-91, "(The Old Prospector's Crime)" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Burt090
===
NAME: Old Rattler
DESCRIPTION: Chorus: "Here, Rattler, Here." Rattler is a great tracking dog. When (Old Riley) escapes from prison, Rattler is put on his trail, and finds the man despite many distractions and even (the Brazos River) in the way
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (recording, George Reneau)
KEYWORDS: dog manhunt prison escape captivity worksong chaingang floatingverses prisoner
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 104-105, "(Here, Rattler, Here)" (1 text, perhaps composite, plus apparently a portion of another version)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 66-67, "Ol' Rattler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 66, "Old Reilly (In Dem Long Hot Summer Days" (1 text); p. 395, "Old Rattler" (1 text, with the chorus of this song though the verses are those of "Old Tyler")
Roud #6381
RECORDINGS:
Elizabeth Cotten, "Here Old Rattler Here" (on Cotten01)
Mose "Clear Rock" Platt & James "Iron Head" Baker, "Old Rattler" (AFS 208 B1, 1934; on LC8)
Mose "Clear Rock" Platt, "Old Rattler" (AFS 205 B2) [this is a solo recording, as opposed to the duet with James "Iron Head" Baker]
George Reneau, "Here Rattler, Here" (Vocalion 14814, 1924)
Texas state farm prisoners, "Here Rattler Here" (on NPCWork)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Take This Hammer" (lyrics)
cf. "Long John (Long Gone)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Poor Lazarus (Bad Man Lazarus)" (plot)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Long Hot Summer Days
Here, Rattler, Here
NOTES: The "Old Reilly" version is officially credited to Huddle Ledbetter. This looks to me like Lead Belly's adaption of "Long John" -- but of course there is Lomax influence. Given that "Long John" is also derived primarily from the Lomaxes, it's hard to have any confidence about the relationship between the songs, or even their folk status. - RBW
Seeger reports that the Texas state farm prisoners from whom he collected a version of the song believed it described the escape of the prisoner Riley from Clements State Farm. - PJS
File: CNFM104
===
NAME: Old Rattler (II): see Old Tyler (File: JRSF069)
===
NAME: Old Reilly: see CNFM104 (File: CNFM104)
===
NAME: Old Reuben: see Reuben's Train (File: Wa133)
===
NAME: Old Riley: see Old Rattler (File: CNFM104)
===
NAME: Old Robin Gray : see Auld Robin Gray  (File: Pea482)
===
NAME: Old Robin of Portingale [Child 80]
DESCRIPTION: Old Robin's young wife arranges with her lover Sir Gyles for 24 men to kill Robin. Warned by a page, he kills Gyles, then cuts off his wife's breasts and ears. He makes the page his heir, burns a cross into his shoulder and goes to the holy land.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1765 (Percy)
KEYWORDS: betrayal husband wife injury death fight travel lastwill
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Child 80, "Old Robin of Portingale" (1 text)
Percy/Wheatley III, pp. 50-58, "Old Robin of Portingale" (2 texts, the second being that of the folio manuscript and the first being Percy's rewrite)
OBB 53, "Old Robin of Portingale" (1 text)
Roud #3971
NOTES: This ballad is so thoroughly nasty, I'm surprised it isn't more popular. - PJS
The likely explanation is that it is literary; there is no evidence that it ever entered oral tradition. And the moral, that young women should not marry old men, is adequately taught in other songs. - RBW
File: C080
===
NAME: Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey)
DESCRIPTION: (Old Bumpy) is dead and buried. An apple tree grows from his grave. An old woman comes to gather apples. Bumpy arises from his grave and kicks the woman for her temerity
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1876 (sheet music); some similar text from 1849 (Halliwell)
KEYWORDS: burial humorous supernatural playparty
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,NE,SE,So) Britain(England(All))
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Belden, pp. 509-511, "Old Grumbler" (3 texts plus mention of 1 more, 1 tune)
Randolph 569, "Old Bumpy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 411-413, "Old Bumpy" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's #569)
Hudson 138, pp. 284-285, "Old Grampus" (1 text plus mention of 4 more)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 136-137, "Old Ponto Is Dead" (1 text plus a fragment which might be part of this, 1 tune)
Eddy 65, "Old Granddaddy's Dead" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 182-183, "The Tommy Song or Apples are Ripe" (1 text)
Fuson, p. 186, "Old Grumbler" (1 text)
SharpAp 259, "Old Roger" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Botkin-NEFolklr, p. 585, "Pompey" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 114, pp. 232-233, "Poor Robin" (1 text)
ST R569 (Full)
Roud #797
RECORDINGS:
Dora Richards, "Pompey is Dead" (AFS, 1940; on LC55)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Old Limpy
Old Grimes
NOTES: Eddy quotes John Powell as writing, "This is not a song but a singing game, 'Old Roger is Dead.' It is a relic of an ancient pagan ritual...." Randolph gives details on how the game is played.
Botkin believes this originated with "Pompey! A Famous End Song," with words credited to "Mrs. K. B." and music by W. R. Dehnoff. This is possible, as I know of no collections prior to the 1876 publication of that song. But the degree of variation makes me suspect it is older.
This should not be confused with "Bohunkus (Old Father Grimes, Old Grimes Is Dead)," which also goes by the title "Old Grimes"; the forms are different, and "Bohunkus" has a plot about two competing brothers. - RBW
File: R569
===
NAME: Old Rosin the Beau (Bow): see Rosin the Beau (File: R846)
===
NAME: Old Rustic Bridge by the Mill, The
DESCRIPTION: "I'm thinking tonight of the old rustic bridge... 'Twas there, Maggie dear, with our hearts full of cheer, We strayed 'neath the moon's gentle gleam." The singer recalls their happy meeting by the bridge, and all the joys they had there
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 124, "The Old Rustic Bridge by the Mill" (1 text)
Roud #3792
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" (theme)
NOTES: This feels so much like "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" (right down to the name of the girl) that I have to suspect dependence. But they aren't the same song, though they're about equally sloppy. - RBW
File: Ord124
===
NAME: Old Sailor's Song
DESCRIPTION: No tune given, basically a poem recounting the various travails of sailors. Nine stanzas; begins "Come listen unto me a while and I will tell you then, the hardships and the misery of life on a merchantman..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938
KEYWORDS: sailor work hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Colcord, pp. 138-140, "Old Sailor's Song" (1 text)
ST Colc138 (Partial)
Roud #4705
NOTES: Colcord says this was secured from Fannie Hardy Eckstorm, co-author of _Minstrelsy of Maine_ (though it is not in that collection), which would date it to around 1927. - SL
Curiously, the song does not appear in Jean Patten Whitten's description of the Eckstorm folk song collection (_Fannie Hardy Eckstorn: A Descriptive Bibliography_), at least not under this title or filed under Colcord's first line.
The lyrics fit "Bold Jack Donahoe"/"Jim Jones at Botany Bay," and there are enough similarities that I think that may have been the tune intended. - RBW
File: Colc138
===
NAME: Old Sally Walker: see Little Sally Walker (File: CNFM157)
===
NAME: Old Sam Fanny: see There Was an Old Woman and She Had a Little Pig (File: E068)
===
NAME: Old Satan's Mad: see Free at Last AND Down by the Riverside (Study War No More) (File: FSWB368A)
===
NAME: Old Scout's Lament
DESCRIPTION: "Come all of you, my brother scouts, And join me in a song." The singer notes that "but few" old scouts  are left alive. But the elk and buffalo are gone, and the Indians driven away: "We won great homes for gentle ones, And now, our West, goodbye."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1910
KEYWORDS: age Indians(Am.) animal cowboy work farewell
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ohrlin-HBT 18, "The Old Scout's Lament" (1 text)
DT, OLDSCOUT
Roud #4631
File: Ohr018
===
NAME: Old Section Boss, The: see Jerry, Go and Ile that Car [Laws H30] (File: LH30)
===
NAME: Old Settler's Song,The: see Acres of Clams (The Old Settler's Song) (File: LxU055)
===
NAME: Old Settoo, The
DESCRIPTION: A rich farmer's daughter courts a beggar wearing an old settoo. Her father tries unsuccessfully to dissuade her. She joins the beggar begging. They get married. "The cold of winter she never knew, For every night I rolled her in my old set-too"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage clothes begging father
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 26A, "The Old Settoo" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The White Cockade" (tune)
cf. "A-Begging I Will Go" (theme and some lines)
NOTES: OLochlainn 26A: "Settoo = Surtout, Overcoat."
OLochlainn-More 26A shares lines with "A-Begging I Will Go": "Above all trades going sure begging is the best, When a man is tired he may sit down and rest," "When night comes on for lodgings we seek, They will put us in the barn us both to sleep" - BS
File: OLcM026A
===
NAME: Old Shawnee, The: see Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5]
 (File: LF05)
===
NAME: Old Sheep Went to Sleep
DESCRIPTION: "Old sheep went to sleep And left the lambs a-feeding, Little mouse jumped over the house And set his nose a-bleeding." Other verses also tell of off moments in animal life: A mare kicks a bear, a goat jumps into a boat, a goose breaks loose
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Gardner/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: animal sheep humorous
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 191, "Old Sheep Went to Sleep" (1 text)
ST GC191 (Partial)
Roud #3709
File: GC191
===
NAME: Old Ship of Zion (I), The
DESCRIPTION: Following the form of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain": "The old ship of Zion, when she comes, when she comes." "She rocks so steady any level when she comes." "Have your lamps trimmed and burning." "Have oil in your vessels."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 623, "The Old Ship of Zion" (3 texts, but only the "A" text is certain to be this piece)
Roud #4204
RECORDINGS:
Uncle Dave Macon, "Old Ship of Zion" (Vocalion 15033, 1925)
Ernest Phipps & his Holiness Singers, "Old Ship of Zion" (Victor 20927, 1927)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" (form, tune, lyrics)
NOTES: The references to a trimmed lamp and having oil in one's vessels are clearly an allusion to Jesus's parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins, Matt. 25:1-13. - RBW
File: Br3623
===
NAME: Old Ship of Zion (II): see The Ship of Zion (I, II, etc.) (File: FSC083)
===
NAME: Old Shoes and Leggings: see Old Man Came Over the Moor, An (Old Gum Boots and Leggings) (File: R066)
===
NAME: Old Smite, The: see The Wreck of the Semmity (Yosemite) (File: Pea983)
===
NAME: Old Smokey: see On Top of Old Smokey (File: BSoF740)
===
NAME: Old Smoky: see On Top of Old Smokey (File: BSoF740)
===
NAME: Old Soap-Gourd, The
DESCRIPTION: "Here we go round the old soap-gourd, theold soap-gourd, the old soap-gourd, Here we go round the old soap-gourd, Earlye in the morning." "The old soap-gourd likes sugar in his tea" as he finds a girl: "Rise and give me your lily-white hands."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (copyrighted by Jean Ritchie)
KEYWORDS: playparty courting drink
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 62, "The Old Soap-Gourd" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7387
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" (form)
cf. "This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes" (form)
NOTES: This appears to be another variation of the "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush"/"This Is the Way We Wash Our Clothes" tune group and game. But the lyrics are entirely different, so I split them. - RBW
File: RitS082
===
NAME: Old Soldier, The: see The Old Tobacco Box (File: FSC143)
===
NAME: Old Soldiers Never Die (I)
DESCRIPTION: "There is an old cookhouse not far away Where we get sweet damn all three times a day. Ham and eggs we never see, damn all sugar in our tea, As we are gradually fading away. Old soldiers never die... They just fade away."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951
KEYWORDS: soldier army age
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 277, "Old Soldiers Never Die" (1 text)
DT, OLDSOLDR*
Roud #10521
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "There Is a Happy Land Far Away" (tune)
NOTES: The verse quoted above seems to be the only item truly characteristic of this piece. But other verses exist, often bawdy and/or scatological, describing the difficulties of army life or veterans' affairs. - RBW
File: FSWB277A
===
NAME: Old Southwester: see My Father's Old Sou'wester (File: Doyl3042)
===
NAME: Old Sow Song, The: see The Sow Took the Measles (File: LoF015)
===
NAME: Old Sow, The
DESCRIPTION: "And the old sow went to the barn to pig, (whistling) barn to pig, And the old sow went to the barn to pig, But never cry di dry do cry da. For old Susanna is a pretty woman." The sow and piglets may try to escape, but are stopped by the wall.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: animal
FOUND_IN: US(SE) Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
BrownIII 178, "The Old Sow" (1 fragment)
DT, OLDSOW
Roud #1737
RECORDINGS:
Albert Richardson, "The Old Sow" (on Voice07)
Cyril Smith, "The Old Sow Song" (Castle [UK?] 1259, n.d.)
Rudy Vallee & his Connecticut Yankees w. Cyril Smith, "The Old Sow Song" (Bluebird B-7078, 1937)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Susannah's a Funny Old Man
NOTES: The Brown text and that from the Digital Tradition have little in common, but they both mention Susanna, are about sows, and contain a lot of nonsense; it seems pointless to separate them.
The editors of Brown seemed helpless to expain their text (quoted in full in the description, though they note that several lines are apparently missing), notably the verb "to pig." I wonder if it isn't an error for "to dig." Alternately, presumably, it means "to live as a pig" or "to have piglets." - RBW
The latter, according to the Random House Dictionary. - PJS
File: Br3178
===
NAME: Old Spencer Rifle,The
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of Johnny's visit, and his "shooting" her with his gun, no less than seven times. John does the mother too and goes off with his gun-barrel bent.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy sex
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 128-129, "The Old Spencer Rifle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11499
NOTES: Annotator Legman in Randolph-Legman I asserts that the melody of this apparently unique ballad is "unmistakably" similar to "Yankee Doodle." In fact, it directly quotes "Cotton-Eyed Joe." - EC
File: RL128
===
NAME: Old Spotted Cow, The: see The Crafty Farmer [Child 283; Laws L1] (File: C283)
===
NAME: Old Stable (Sable) Jacket, The: see Wrap Me Up in my Tarpaulin Jacket (File: FR439)
===
NAME: Old Stepstone, The: see Goodbye to My Stepstone (File: R853)
===
NAME: Old Stone Wall, The
DESCRIPTION: "Outside Casey's cabin there is an old stone wall." The singer recalls the sights the wall has seen: Friends meeting, youths singing, pipers playing, lovers meeting. He wishes he could live on the wall; not even a throne would be better
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H83, pp. 156-157, "The Old Stone Wall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13453
File: HHH083
===
NAME: Old Stormey: see Stormalong (File: Doe082)
===
NAME: Old Stormy: see Stormalong (File: Doe082)
===
NAME: Old Stumper
DESCRIPTION: Leo B MacCormack and his brother Archie agree to dig Uncle Stones's well in exchange for "skin and bones" nag Stumper. When title is questioned Stumper asks "did you get a clear receipt?" At the trial title is settled in MacCormack's favor.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (Dibblee/Dibblee)
KEYWORDS: bargaining trial work humorous horse
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 17-18, "Old Stumper" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12481
NOTES: The song dates delivery of the summons March 17, 1892. - BS
File: Dib017
===
NAME: Old Swansea Town Once More: see Swansea Town (The Holy Ground) (File: Doe152)
===
NAME: Old Tamarack Dam, The: see The Wild Mustard River (Johnny Stile) [Laws C5] (File: LC05)
===
NAME: Old Testament in Verse (The Books of the Bible)
DESCRIPTION: "In Genesis the world was made, In Exodus the march is told, Leviticus contains the law, In Numbers are the tribes enrolled." And so on to "...And Malachi of John his sign, The Prophets number seventeen And all the books are thirty-nine."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1923 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: Bible nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 875, "The Books of the Bible" (1 fragment)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 204, "Books of the Old Testament"; p. 205, "Books of the New Testament" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #7540
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(073), "The Books of the Bible: A Literary Curiosity" ("In Genesis the world was made by God's creative hand"), Poet's Box (Dundee), n.d.
NOTES: In general the summaries in this song are accurate, though it is very clearly Protestant Christian -- the Catholics, e.g., add assorted deuterocanonical books to the Old Testament.
The Jewish canon contains the same books as the Protestant, but organize them differently. The number of books is not 39, but 24 (or 22): 5 books of the Law (Genesis-Deuteronomy), eight of the Prophets (Former Prophets=Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings; Later Prophets=Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve), and the rest, with some reorganization, form the Writings (note that Daniel is not one of the Prophets).
The texts in Pankake are NOT the same song as in Randolph, but they are so thematically close (and so unlikely to be looked up separately) that I just decided to lump them in here. Their two texts simply list the books of the Bible in order -- both in the Protestant order of the King James Bible (a traditional Greek Bible would put the "Catholic Epistles" of James through Jude with Acts, and might place Hebrews after 2 Thessalonians rather than Philemon).
A third anonymous poem on this general theme, "Names and Orders of the Books of the Old Testament," is found on pp. 602-603 of Hazel Felleman's _The Best Loved Poems of the American People_.
The greatest myster of all may be the relationship between the Randolph text and the NLScotland broadside. They have very many common lyrics, but the Randolph text is in short lines and the Scottish version in long. A rewrite seems likely, but how it proceeded is unclear at best.- RBW
File: R875
===
NAME: Old Texas: see Going to Leave Old Texas (Old Texas, Texas Song, The Cowman's Lament) (File: FCW066E)
===
NAME: Old Timbrook Blue
DESCRIPTION: Race between Timbrook & Molly; Timbrook races "like a bullet from a gun", while Molly creeps along "like a criminal to be hung." Singer addresses jockey Johnny Walker. Timbrook beats Molly "to the hole in the wall." Singer says old mistress lost her "mon"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (recording, John Byrd)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Race between Timbrook & Molly; Timbrook races "like a bullet from a gun", while Molly creeps along "like a criminal to be hung." Singer addresses jockey Johnny Walker, telling him to hold Timbrook's reins tight. On the windy race day, "you couldn't see old Timbrook as he come darting by." Everyone shouts, but Timbrook beats Molly "to the hole in the wall." Singer says he loves his racehorse; "old mistress went to the racecourse, lost all of her mon." Song also incorporates the "fourth day of July" verse from "The Cuckoo"
KEYWORDS: gambling horse
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: July 4, 1878 - race between Ten Broeck and Miss Mollie McCarthy (won by Ten Broeck)
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
John Byrd, "Old Timbrook Blues" (Paramount 12997, 1930; on StuffDreams1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Molly and Tenbrooks" [Laws H27] (subject)
cf. "Timbrook" (subject)
cf. "The Cuckoo" (lyrics)
NOTES: Obviously this describes the same events as "Molly and Tenbrooks" and "Timbrook." However, it does not share lyrics or tune with either of those songs, so I classify it separately. So far as I know, it's the only occurrence of the story in African-American tradition -- unless you count Henry Thomas's "Run, Mollie, Run," which includes the title phrase but none of the story.
The verse from "The Cuckoo" ("The cuckoo was a fine bird, hollered when he fly/But he never hollers cuckoo til the fourth day o' July") makes no sense until you note that the race between Ten Broek and Miss Mollie was held on July 4, 1878. - PJS
File: RcOTimbB
===
NAME: Old Time Cowboy (Melancholy Cowboy)
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you melancholy folks wherever you may be, I'll sing about the cowboy whose life is light and free." We are told "his heart is gay," "they're a little bit rough... but if you do not hunt a quarrel you can live with them in peace," etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908
KEYWORDS: cowboy nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Thorp/Fife XIX, pp. 240-243 (40-41), "Old Time Cowboy" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Ohrlin-HBT 17, "Old-Time Cowboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #8046
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Come All Ye Melancholy Folks
File: TF19
===
NAME: Old Time Religion, (The): see That Old Time Religion (File: R628)
===
NAME: Old Time Sealer's Song
DESCRIPTION: "We'll sound the hardy sealers praise, a wild and cheerful strain...." The singer notes that merchant vessels stop travelling in winter, but sealers work through all the dark. stormy months. At last they can come home from the ice
AUTHOR: "Mr. Webber... of Harbour Grace" ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1902 (Murphy, Songs and Ballads of Newfoundland, Ancient and Modern); dated by Murphy to 1842
KEYWORDS: hunting ship work
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ryan/Small, pp. 18-19, "Old Time Sealer's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST RySm018 (Partial)
File: RySm018
===
NAME: Old Time Sealers, The
DESCRIPTION: "The bells they are ringing, the sirens are screaming... The sealing fleet's ready to leave port once more." As snow blows in, the fleet sails. The singer tells of the hunt; he says sealers face dangers  greater than mountain climbers or big game hunters
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (Newfoundland Stories and Ballads)
KEYWORDS: hunting ship bragging
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ryan/Small, pp. 138-139, "The Old Time Sealers" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: RySm138
===
NAME: Old Timer's Song, The: see The Day Columbus Landed Here (File: FJ178)
===
NAME: Old Tippecanoe
DESCRIPTION: "The times are bad and want curing, They're getting past all enduring, Let us turn out old Martin Van Buren, And put in old Tippicanoe." A political song, this piece points out the depressed economic conditions and Tippicanoe's humble origins.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: political hardtimes derivative
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec 2, 1840 - William Henry Harrison defeats Martin Van Buren
Mar 4, 1841 - Harrison (the first Whig to be elected President) is inaugurated. He gives a rambling inaugural address in a rainstorm and catches cold
April 4, 1841 - Harrison dies of pneumonia, making him the first president to fail to complete his term. After some hesitation, Vice President John Tyler is allowed to succeed as President
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Warner 73, "Old Tippecanoe" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa073 (Full)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "We Won't Go Home Until Morning" (tune) and references there
cf. "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" (subject)
cf. "Tippecanoe" (subject)
cf. "Harrison Campaign Song" (subject)
NOTES: When Andrew Jackson stepped down as President, he hand-chose Martin Van Buren as his successor. It was Van Buren's misfortune to suffer the consequences of Jackson's questionable economic policies. May 10 is traditionally considered the first day of the Panic of 1837, in which hundreds of banks failed. The economic consequences lasted until the early 1840s, and made Van Buren extremely unpopular.
Harrison's campaign was far from honest. He ran as a frontiersman (his election strategy is referred to as the "Log Cabin and Cider" campaign) even though he was a southern aristocrat. He also ran as a successful soldier, even though his only military exploits were the slaughter of Tecumseh's Shawnee and allies on the Tippecanoe River (and that only because Tecumseh himself wasn't present and in his absence the warriors attacked Harrison's defensive position; see John K. Mahon, _The War of 1812_, pp. 24-27; also p. 63, which notes that he actually resigned his commission due to the controversy over the battle) and some minor maneuverings on the Great Lakes during the War of 1812.
But it didn't matter; people would have taken anything in preference to Van Buren. This song, sung to the tune of "I Won't Be Home Until Morning/The Bear Went Over the Mountain," betrays the simplistic popular view of the campaign. - RBW
File: Wa073
===
NAME: Old Tobacco Box, The (There Was an Old Soldier)
DESCRIPTION: "There was an old (soldier) and he had a wooden leg. He had no tobacco; no tobacco could he beg." He asks a comrade for tobacco, and is refused. He is told to save; then he will have tobacco. He gets even by stabbing the other with a splinter from his leg
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: soldier humorous begging
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,Ro)
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Warner 182, "The Old Geezer" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 143, "The Old Tobacco Box" (1 text, 1 tune)
Brewster 93, "The Soldier's Song" (1short  text)
Sandburg, pp. 432-433, "There Was an Old Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Brown, p. 50, "The Auld Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, p. 32, "There Was an Old Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 91, "The Old Geezers" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 242, "There Was An Old Soldier" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, p. 258, "The Old Soldier" (1 text)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. ,143 "The Was an Old Geezer" (1 text, tune referenced; this is a partial parody but consists mostly of traditional elements)
DT, (TURKST2)
Roud #3342
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Turkey in the Straw" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES: This piece is often sung to the tune of Turkey in the Straw, and the lyrics often float back and forth, but also exists on its own with its own tune (as was vehemently pointed out by the Warners' informant, Tom P. Smith; Jerome S. Epstein calls it similar to "The Red Haired Boy," but it's Ionian).
It is often listed as a Civil War song, and probably is, but I have not been able to find any Civil War reference to this which clearly distinguishes it from "Turkey in the Straw."
The versions called "The Soldier's Song" should not be confused with the song of that name which is the national anthem of Ireland. - RBW
File: FSC143
===
NAME: Old Tom Bolen (Tom Boleyn II)
DESCRIPTION: "Old Tom Bolen, his horse Beaver, Forked Deer and Hatchee River, My wife's dead and I'm a widower, And I'll go back to Rollin' River."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: animal death
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 425, "Old Tom Boleyn" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #7632
NOTES: Randolph tentatively links this song to the minstrel piece "Way Down South in Alabama," containing the lines "My wife's dead and I'm a widder, All de way from Roarin' Ribber." Since we're speculating, is there any possibility that these are the fiddler's mnemonic for "Forked Deer"? (I concede the tunes are not the same.) - RBW
File: R425
===
NAME: Old Tommy Kendal: see This Old Man (File: FSWB390C)
===
NAME: Old Travelling Man, The: see Traveling Man (Traveling Coon) (File: RcTMTC)
===
NAME: Old Turkey Hen, The
DESCRIPTION: "Seven years a-boiling, Ho-ma-hala-way, Seven years a-baking, Ho-ma-hala-way." "They blowed the horn for dinner... The people could not eat her." "They carried her to the old field... The buzzards could not eat her...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: bird food humorous
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 203, "The Old Turkey Hen" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Gray Goose (I) (Lookit Yonder)"
NOTES: Paul Stamler suggests that this is a version of "The Old Gray Goose (I) (Lookit Yonder)." There are similarities of both plot and lyrics; he may well be right. In fact, I think it more likely than not that he's right. But just enough doubts remain that I'm tentatively keeping them separate. - RBW
File: Br3203
===
NAME: Old Tyler
DESCRIPTION: "Old (Tyler/Napper) was a good old dog, We thought he'd treed a coon, But when we come to find it out Old Tyler was barking at the moon...." The song tells of Tyler's eccentricities and how Allegheny finally shot the animal
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Hudson)
KEYWORDS: dog death animal
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Hudson 76, p. 203, "Old Napper" (1short  text, mostly floating verses)
Ritchie-SingFam, pp. 69-70, "[Old Tyler]" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 395, "Old Rattler" (1 text, evidently this song from the verses, though it has the chorus from "Old Rattler")
Roud #5712
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Napper"
NOTES: This is a bit of a conundrum. The Ritchie family's "Old Tyler" is a coherent song, but its first verse floats, and the other songs here are all mixed up. And, of course, the name of the dog varies, e.g. Hudson's text seems to call him "Napper."
Then there is the Brown collection, which has a pair of fragments about "Napper" or "Old Napper." It's clearly not the same as Old Tyler; Napper is a human who fools around with the singer's wife. But the form hints that there is continuous variation between the two. - RBW
File: JRSF069
===
NAME: Old Uncle Noah
DESCRIPTION: "Old Uncle Noah built him an ark / He built it out of hemlock bark... The animals went in two by two / The elephant and the kangaroo... Mrs. Noah she got drunk / She kicked old Noah out of his bunk..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: Bible humorous nonballad flood
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 181, (no title) (1 text)
BrownIII 544, "Noah's Ark" (2 short texts, both of the "Gideon's Band" type)
Eddy 75, "Old Uncle Noah" (1 text)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 44-45, (no title) (partial text, which may go here or elsewhere); pp. 246-247, "Noah, Noah" (1 tune, partial text, same as the reference on p. 44)
ST E075 (Partial)
Roud #5355
RECORDINGS:
Al Hopkins & His Buckle Busters, "Gideon's Band" (Brunswick 295, 1929; rec. 1928)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "One More River" (lyrics)
cf. "Who Built the Ark?" (subject)
cf. "Old Noah Built an Ark" (subject)
cf. "Noah Built the Ark" (subject)
cf. "In Frisco Bay (A Long Time Ago; Noah's Ark Shanty)" (subject)
NOTES: The account of Noah and the ark occupies Genesis 6-8. One should perhaps note that, while Genesis 6:20 records that Noah took two of every animal, 7:2 tells Noah to take SEVEN pairs of all clean animals.
The Bible also records that Noah "was the first to plant a vineyard" (Gen. 9:20 -- after the flood, one might note). 9:21 records his first episode of drunkenness -- but there is no record of his wife ever drinking; indeed, she is never mentioned in the Bible except in references to Noah's whole family.
The "Gideon's Band" subfamily (marked by the chorus "Do you belong to Gideon's Band, Here's my heart and here's my hand") is quite distinct and may contain verses not about Noah (as, e.g., in the Buckle Busters recording), but since it seems always to include the Noah's Ark verses also, it can't really be split off. - RBW
File: E075
===
NAME: Old Virginny Never Tire
DESCRIPTION: Floating verses: "There is a gal in our town... The hollow of her foot makes a hole in the ground." "As I was walking... I met a terrapin and a toad." Chorus: "Old folks, young folks, clear the kitchen (x2), Old Virginny never tire."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: animal floatingverses nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
BrownIII 413, "Clare de Kitchen" (1 text)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 109, "Ol' Virginny Never Tire" (1 text, 1 tune); also some fragments (of this or something) on p. 110; also pp. 110-112 (no title) (1 unusually long text, attributed to T. Rice; curiously, this appears to be identical except for orthography to the version in Hazel Felleman, _The Best Loved Poems of the American People_, pp. 466-467)
Roud #751
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)"
cf. "Charleston Gals" (style)
cf. "Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Turkey in the Straw" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This, like "Charleston Gals," is one of those hard-to-assess songs, since nearly ever word floats. Roud lumps it with the even more amorphous "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)" family. It appears to me, though, that the chorus is distinct enough and widespread enough that the two should be kept separate. - RBW
File: ScaNF109
===
NAME: Old Wether's Skin, The: see The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin [Child 277] (File: C277)
===
NAME: Old Widow's Broom, The: see Courting the Widow's Daughter (Hard Times) [Laws H25] (File: LH25)
===
NAME: Old Wife of Slapsadam, The (The Wily Auld Carle; The Old Woman in Dover; etc.): see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Wife, The: see Auld Wife beyont the Fire, The (File: CW128)
===
NAME: Old Woman: see Crockery Ware (File: Pea257)
===
NAME: Old Woman All Skin and Bones, The: see Skin and Bones (The Skin and Bones Lady) (File: R069)
===
NAME: Old Woman and Her Pig, The: see There Was an Old Woman and She Had a Little Pig (File: E068)
===
NAME: Old Woman and the Devil, The: see The Farmer's Curst Wife [Child 278] (File: C278)
===
NAME: Old Woman and the Little Pig, The: see There Was an Old Woman and She Had a Little Pig (File: E068)
===
NAME: Old Woman and the Little Pigee, The: see There Was an Old Woman and She Had a Little Pig (File: E068)
===
NAME: Old Woman and the Pig, The: see There Was an Old Woman and She Had a Little Pig (File: E068)
===
NAME: Old Woman from Boston, The: see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Woman in Dover, The: see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Woman of Blighter Town, The: see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Woman Who Went to Market, The (The Old Woman and the Pedlar)
DESCRIPTION: "There was a little woman, as I've heard tell, Fol loll, diddle diddle dol, She went to market her eggs for to sell." She falls asleep along the road. A peddlar cuts off her skirts at the knee. Panic ensues when she awakens
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1784 (Wallis, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: humorous drink theft thief disguise
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Linscott, pp. 258-259, "The Old Woman Who Went to Market" (1 text, 1 tune)
Opie-Oxford2 534, "There was a little woman" (2 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #257, p. 159, "(There was an old woman, as I've heard tell)"
Roud #3740
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(253), "The Little Woman and Her Eggs," J.Crome (Sheffield), c.1817
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wee Wifikie" (theme, lyrics)
NOTES: This has to be related somehow to "The Wee Wifikie." But the nature and direction of the dependence is unclear. If I had to guess, I'd say this came first, because the idea of a peddlar cutting off the woman's *skirt* (which obviously has sexual implications) might be softened by having him cut off her hair. - RBW
File: Lins258
===
NAME: Old Woman, Old Woman: see The Deaf Woman's Courtship (File: R353)
===
NAME: Old Woman, Old Woman, Shall We Go A-Shearing?: see The Deaf Woman's Courtship (File: R353)
===
NAME: Old Woman, The: see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Woman's Blind Husband, The: see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Woman's Story, An: see Marrowbones [Laws Q2] (File: LQ02)
===
NAME: Old Yellow's Dead
DESCRIPTION: "Allen says, 'Ma, bring here a pry, I think Old Yellow's a-going to die.' Louis says, 'What'll I eat with bread, For they tell me that Old Yellow is dead.'" The crew sets out to skin the animal; Allen blisters his hands tanning it; they haul the hide away
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (Fuson)
KEYWORDS: animal death
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fuson, pp. 102-103, "Old Yellow's Dead" (1 text)
ST Fus102 (Partial)
Roud #4285
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Jawbone Song" (chorus form)
NOTES: I have a strange feeling that this is somehow related to a historical event -- perhaps a political piece. But the references are too local for me even to hazard a guess as to what. It's one of those pieces that makes nonsense out of context.
If it is a political piece, it was probably built around "The Jawbone Song." - RBW
File: Fus102
===
NAME: Old Zip Coon
DESCRIPTION: "Ole Zip Coon he is a larned scholar (x3), Sings possum up a gum tree an coony in a holler." Chorus: "O Zip a duden duden duden zip a duden day (x4)." The remaining verses are quatrains about the people and animals of the south
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1834 (five different sheet music editions)
KEYWORDS: animal humorous nonballad
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jan 8, 1815 - Battle of New Orleans. Americans under Andrew Jackson defeat British troops under Pakenham (the event is referred to obliquely in stanza 6 of the sheet music)
FOUND_IN: US(NE,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 258-260, "Zip Coon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Linscott, pp. 101-103, "Old Zip Coon" (1 tune plus dance instructions)
BrownIII 418, "Old Zip Coon" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Belden, pp. 505-506, "Zip Coon" (1 text, minus the chorus but with the other characteristics of the piece) 
Lomax-FSNA 49, "Turkey in the Straw" (2 text, 1 tune, the second being "Zip Coon")
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 17-19, "Zip Coon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 591-592, "Turkey in the Straw (Zip Coon)"
ST RJ19258 (Full)
Roud #4358
RECORDINGS:
Arkansas Charlie [pseud. for Charlie Craver], "Old Zip Coon (Vocalion 5384, c. 1930)
Hindermyer & Tuckerman [Goldy & Dusty], "Zip Coon" (Edison 51830, 1926)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Turkey in the Straw" (tune & meter) and references there
cf. "The Old Tobacco Box (There Was an Old Soldier)" (tune, floating lyrics)
cf. "The Ould Bog Hole" (tune)
NOTES: Generally regarded as a the forerunner of "Turkey in the Straw." And its lyrics are absurd enough to make "Turkey" seem eminently sensible.
At least three people have claimed authorship of the song: George Washington Dixon (mentioned but not credited on the earliest sheet music), George Nichols, and Bob Farrell. All three were early blackface performers of the piece (Farrell was actually called "Zip Coon," and is reported to have sung the song in 1834). The dispute over authorship probably cannot be settled at this time. - RBW
File: RJ19258
===
NAME: Old Zip Coon (II)
DESCRIPTION: "White man in his cotton field, doin' pretty well; Nigger in his melon patch, givin' his melons -- Hallelujah, Old Zip Coon, keep singin'...." "Lord made Adam and Eve, An' they done pretty well, Soon as he turned his back on Eve, she gave them apples --"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1942 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: nonballad animal religious wordplay
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 293, "Old Zip Coon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4358
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Hallelujah" (technique)
File: R293
===
NAME: Old-Time Cowboy: see Old Time Cowboy (Melancholy Cowboy) (File: TF19)
===
NAME: Old-Time Sealing Fleet, The
DESCRIPTION: "Newfoundland has many stories that can make a heart beat fast." The singer recalls how the sealing fleet excited him as a boy. He tells how seeing seals inspired them, and of past disasters. He says that Newfoundlanders can still dream of heroic deeds
AUTHOR: A. R. Scammell
EARLIEST_DATE: 1945 (Scammell, Songs of a Newfoundlander)
KEYWORDS: hunting ship disaster
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ryan/Small, pp. 140-141, "The Old-Time Sealing Fleet" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: RySm140
===
NAME: Olden Days
DESCRIPTION: Kate is married in "1602." There's a dance followed by drink, partying, and a friendly fight.
AUTHOR: Chris Cobb
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: wedding fight dancing drink music party humorous
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 79-80, "Olden Days" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9951
NOTES: Peacock writes "Chris Cobb is, of course, kidding about the date '1602.'  The wedding party actually took place in Barred Islands, and Cris composed this song to commemorate the event and to entertain the people who had been there." - BS
File: Pea079
===
NAME: Ole Aunt Kate: see Old Aunt Kate (File: ScaNF099)
===
NAME: Ole Banghum: see Sir Lionel [Child 18] (File: C018)
===
NAME: Ole from Norway
DESCRIPTION: Dialect song in which Ole describes coming to the north woods and gives a few details of how he works driving logs down the river. "Ay yus come down from Minnesota/Ay been in this part 'bout three year" but protests that Ole is not his name.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Rickaby)
KEYWORDS: lumbering work humorous
FOUND_IN: US(MW,Ro)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Rickaby 36, "Ole from Norway" (1 text)
Beck 8, "Ole from Norway" (1 text)
ST Be008 (Partial)
Roud #8867
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Swede from North Dakota" (theme)
NOTES: Without a tune it's impossible to be sure, but the verses suggest that this is a variant of "The Swede from North Dakota" with an added chorus. - PJS
I thought the same thing upon seeing it, but the version in Rickaby doesn't quite fit the tune of "The Swede." It may also be older; Rickaby's informant claimed to have learned it c. 1895. If anything, I suspect the dependence goes the other way. - RBW
File: Be008
===
NAME: Ole Lady: see Four Nights Drunk [Child 274] (File: C274)
===
NAME: Ole Mars'r Had a Yaller Gal: see Don't Get Weary Children (Massa Had a Yellow Gal) (File: BAF904)
===
NAME: Ole Marse John: see Mourner, You Shall Be Free (Moanish Lady) (File: San011)
===
NAME: Ole Massa's Going Away
DESCRIPTION: "Ole Massa's goin' away, boys, He's goin' to see his brother. We'll wait till he gets out of sight, Then we'll throw down the hoe and shovel."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: work slave brother
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 215, "Ole Massa's Going Away" (1 fragment)
NOTES: Despite the fact that this seems to be spoken by slaves, I suspect this is a minstrel tune. Most slaves on a plantation large enough to have multiple field workers would be bossed by overseers, not the master. - RBW
File: Br215
===
NAME: Ole Mister Rabbit (I'll Get You Rabbit)
DESCRIPTION: "Ole Mister Rabbit, You're in a mighty habit, Gwine in mah garden, Cuttin' down mah cabbage. Um-hum -- um-hum." "Ole Mister Rabbit, Your hair look brown, You'se gwine so fas', You'se hittin' de groun'." The singer tries to get back at the rabbit
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: animal food nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 174-175, "Ole Mister Rabbit" (2 short texts, 1 tune)
ST ScaNF174 (Full)
Roud #10058
NOTES: Roud links together several rabbit songs under one number: "Mister Rabbit," "Ole Mister Rabbit (I'll Get You Rabbit)," even "Rabbit Hash." All are about rabbits raiding gardens (something they certainly do) and the attempts to punish them for it (rarely successful, even with modern technology). But the forms are quite distinct, so I split them. - RBW
File: ScaNF174
===
NAME: Oleanna
DESCRIPTION: The singer sings the praises of "Ole, Oleanna," where "land is free," the crops grow themselves, the livestock cooks itself, and "the poorest wretch... becomes a king in a year or so."
AUTHOR: (English words by Pete Seeger and others)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (tune)/1955 (English words -- recording, Pete Seeger)
KEYWORDS: emigration farming money talltale nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 42, "Oleanna" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 47, "Oleanna" (1 text)
DT, OLEOLEAN*
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Oleanna" (on PeteSeeger10) (on PeteSeeger12)
NOTES: Ole Bull was a Norwegian fiddler who tried to found a colony in Pennsylvania. Despite his extravagant hopes for the settlement (satirized in this song), it was too poor and too far from transportation arteries, and eventually failed. - RBW
The town now calls itself "Oleona," and contains a museum celebrating the colony. - PJS
File: LoF042
===
NAME: Oliver's Advice (Barossa)
DESCRIPTION: As storm, night, and the enemy approach, the soldiers are advised, "Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry." The soldiers are reminded of all God did for the Israelites. They should trust in God also
AUTHOR: Words: William Blacker ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1834 (Duffy)
KEYWORDS: soldier religious nonballad Spain
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: March 5, 1811 - Battle of Barrosa
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
SHenry H98a, p. 64, "Barossa/Oliver's Advice" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn-More 72B, "Oliver's Advice" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 134, "Oliver's Advice" (1 text, 1 tune)
Healy-OISBv2, pp.35-38, "Oliver's Advice" (1 text; tune on p. 20)
ADDITIONAL: Charles Gavan Duffy, editor, The Ballad Poetry of Ireland (1845), pp. 83-86, "Oliver's Advice"
H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 453-456, 495-496, "Oliver's Advice"
Roud #2182
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of Barossa" (subject)
cf. "Barrosa Plains" (subject)
cf. "The Maid of Castle Creagh" (tune, according to Moylan)
NOTES: The "battle" of Barrosa was more of a skirmish; the forces involved were small, though the British won a clear victory. Most short histories of the Napoleonic Wars don't seem even to mention it.
The 87th Royal Fusiliers (the regiment allegedly described in the song, though there isn't a single specific reference in the piece) was raised in 1793; its separate history ended when it was combined with the 89th foot in 1881 to form the Royal Irish Fusiliers. Barrosa was its second battle honor, and a tune called "Barossa" remains one of the Royal Irish Fusiliers' official quick marches.
The song is called "Oliver's Advice" because Oliver Cromwell is reported to have said, "Put your trust in God, but mind to keep your powder dry."
The song contains assorted Biblical references to God going before the Israelites as a "pillar of cloud... by day... and a pillar of fire... by night"; see, e.g., Exodus 13:41. For parting the Red Sea, see Exodus 14:21-29. - RBW
Nobody seems to attribute this to anyone except Colonel Blacker (1777-1855). Duffy and, probably as a result, Sparling date this "Orange Ballad" 1834. - BS
File: HHH098a
===
NAME: Oma Wise: see Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4] AND Naomi Wise [Laws F31] (File: LF04)
===
NAME: Omagh Town and the Bards of Clanabogan
DESCRIPTION: The singer "caroused and gambled" many places but his "heart was achin' for Omagh Town!" Even wined and dined in London and New York City he longs for Omagh Town. "When life is over ... I'll never grumble If Heaven's as charmin' as Omagh Town!"
AUTHOR: Michael Hurl (source: Tunney-SongsThunder)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1991 (Tunney-SongsThunder)
KEYWORDS: homesickness rambling drink nonballad rake
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 66-68, "Omagh Town and the Bards of Clanabogan" (1 text)
Roud #3383
NOTES: Omagh is in County Tyrone. - BS
File: TST066
===
NAME: Omie Wise: see Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4] AND Naomi Wise [Laws F31] (File: LF04)
===
NAME: Ommie Wise: see Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4] AND Naomi Wise [Laws F31] (File: LF04)
===
NAME: On a Bright and Summer's Morning: see The Sally Buck (File: SKE70)
===
NAME: On a Cold Frosty Morning
DESCRIPTION: "On a cold frosty morning a nigger feels good; He shouldered up his axe and went off to the wood." He all but freezes in the cold. (Various other observations about his life.)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: nonballad Black(s)
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 283, "On a Cold Frosty Morning" (2 texts, 1 tune)
BrownIII 474, "Cold Frosty Morning" (1 fragment)
Roud #3439
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Jesse" (lyrics)
File: R283
===
NAME: On a Dark and Doleful Night
DESCRIPTION: "'Twas on a dark and doleful night, When power of hell and earth arose... And friends betrayed him to his foes." "Before the mournful scheme began, He took the bread...." "This is my body broke[n] for sin." "[He] took the cup...."
AUTHOR: Isaac Watts?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Brown); fragment in the Missouri Harmony (1840)
KEYWORDS: religious Jesus Bible food drink
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 626, "On a Dark and Doleful Night" (1 text)
Roud #11927
NOTES: The story of the Last Supper is told in all four gospels, but the institution of the Eucharist is described only in Matthew, Mark, and Luke (with a partial parallel in 1Corinthians 11:23ff.)  with significant verbal variations, often with variations from what we read here.
In Matthew 26:26f., Jesus's words over the bread were simply, "Take, eat, this is my body." Of the cup, the King James version says, "Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament" (i.e. "covenant," as the song renders is, but the best manuscripts omit "new") "which is shed for many, for the remission of sins."
Mark 14:22f. is closely parallel to Mark: "This is my body... This is my blood of the covenant [again, the KJV reads"new testament," based on late manuscripts] which is shed for many."
In Luke 22:19f, we find the phrasing "This is my body which is given for you." (Note that, even here, it's not given "for sin.") The cup is "the new covenant in my blood."
In the Missouri Harmony, the first verse of this appears with the tune "Bourbon. - RBW
File: Br3626
===
NAME: On a Monday: see Almost Done (File: LxU094)
===
NAME: On Board of a Man-of-War (Young Susan)
DESCRIPTION: The singer overhears "a maid complain for the losing of her dear," gone to sea aboard a man-of-war. She dresses as a sailor to follow him. After seven years they come home and live happily ever after
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: sailor separation love cross-dressing disguise
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H556, p. 326, "On Board of a Man-of-War" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1533
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The British Man-of-War" (theme, lyrics)
NOTES: This is closely related to the songs of the "British Man-of-War" family, and almost certainly derives from the same sources. But the two songs don't share many actual words, and this is one of several versions in which the girl dresses herself as a sailor to follow her love. I decided this was reason enough to split them. - RBW
File: HHH556
===
NAME: On Board of a Ninety-eight
DESCRIPTION: The singer was a rake at sixteen when his parents, afraid he would waste all their money, ship him on a man-of-war. When battle begins, he wishes he could run away but at Trafalgar he fights well. Now "I'm too old to sail, for I'm almost ninety-eight"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(2843))
KEYWORDS: age battle navy war father mother rake sailor
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1805 - Battle of Trafalgar ends Napoleon's hopes of invading Britain
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 1012-1013, "On Board of the Ninety-eight" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1461
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2843), "On Board of a Ninety-Eight," J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Johnson Ballads 2728[a few words illegible], Firth c.12(398), "On Board of a Ninety-Eight"
NOTES: "Ninety-eight" refers to the number of guns carried by the ship.  For example, at Trafalgar, Nelson's flagship Victory, with 100 guns, led but with two ninety-eight gun ships, _Temeraire_ and _Neptune_, in close support. Source: _Horatio Nelson_ by Tom Pocock, quoted on The Nelson Society site. - BS
(We should note, incidentally, that the number of guns on a ship was somewhat nominal, with light guns, e.g., being under-counted; an official "98" might have in excess of 110 actual weapons. In addition, ships came in nominal rates -- 64 guns, 74 guns, 98 guns, etc. The 100 guns of _Victory_ made it a heavy man-of-war, but there were more heavily-armed ships. Though usually not very seaworthy ones....) - RBW
File: Pea1012
===
NAME: On Board of the Victory
DESCRIPTION: "I am a young girl whose fortune is great." Her father has her lover, "below my degree," impressed. After a fight with the press-gang he is shipped aboard the Victory. She dreams of being with him on board and prays for his return.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Firth c.13(280))
KEYWORDS: courting war ship father mother sailor pressgang grief loneliness love navy separation sea lover nobility
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Oct 21, 1805 - Battle of Trafalgar, the greatest naval engagement of the Napoleonic Wars. H.M.S. _Victory_ is Nelson's flagship in that battle.
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Peacock, pp. 484-485, "On Board of The Victory" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 41, "Victory" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 42, "On Board of the Victory" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2278
RECORDINGS:
Grace Clergy, "On Board of the Victory" (on MRHCreighton)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.13(280), "On Board the Victory," J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 11(898), Firth c.12(220), Harding B 11(1911), Harding B 11(2901), Harding B 26(474), "On Board the Victory[!!]"; Harding B 25(1420), Harding B 11(2846), Firth c.12(222), "On Board of the Victory"; Harding B 20(178), "The Victory"
NOTES: Ironically, Mr. Clergy's family is of French descent. - PJS
HMS _Victory_ was launched in 1765, commissioned in 1778, and served in the wars with France associated with the American Revolutionar. She served in the Mediterranean during the early phases of the French revolution. She was withdrawn from sea service in 1812, and dry-docked in 1922. It will be evident that many young men served on her at battles other than Trafalgar -- but, as most Napoleonic songs mention Waterloo, so most naval songs of the era seem to assume a setting at Trafalgar. - RBW
[In] broadside Harding B 20(178), [the girl's]  sweetheart is killed with Nelson at Trafalgar. - BS
File: Peac484
===
NAME: On Board the Bugaboo
DESCRIPTION: Singer joins the Bugaboo at the James's Street canal. They "plow the raging surf ... to get a full load of turf." In a storm the captain, smoking in bed, starts a fire. The helmsman, asleep, lets the fire burn. The ship sinks with 1000 sods and 60000 men
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: canal commerce ship fire storm wreck humorous talltale sailor
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 17A, "On Board the Bugaboo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9775
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The E-ri-e" (theme) and references there
File: OLcM017A
===
NAME: On Board the Gallee: see The Lover's Curse (Kellswater) (File: HHH442)
===
NAME: On Board the Kangaroo: see The Good Ship Kangaroo (File: MA060)
===
NAME: On Buena Vista's Battlefield
DESCRIPTION: "On Buena Vista's battlefield A dying soldier lay, His thoughts was on his mountain home Some thousand miles away." The wounded soldier bids farewell to (family and) sweetheart and prepares for the end
AUTHOR: Words: Colonel Henry Petriken/Music: Albert G. Emerick
EARLIEST_DATE: 1848 (Emrick's Songs for the People)
KEYWORDS: death war battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb 22-23, 1847 - Battle of Buena Vista. 5000 troops under Zachary Taylor defeat 15,000 Mexicans under Santa Anna
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Belden, pp. 340-341, "Buena Vista" (1 text, fragmentary)
Randolph 225, "The Battle of Vicksburg" (the second, fragmentary, text is "On Buena Vista's Battlefield")
Roud #2829
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of Vicksburg" (tune & meter, theme)
File: R225A
===
NAME: On Christmas Day It Happened So
DESCRIPTION: A farmer goes out to plow on Christmas day. Jesus meets him there and asks him what he is doing. The farmer nervously says that he needs to work. Obviously this is not acceptable; the farmer is swallowed up by the ground and his family dies
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911 (Gillington, Songs of the Open Road)
KEYWORDS: religious work Jesus curse
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
PBB 6, "In Dessexshire As It Befel" (1 text)
ST PBB006 (Partial)
Roud #1078
NOTES: Yet another example of fine Christian charity. This one, fortunately, is apocryphal, with almost no parallel in scripture. There is one instance of the earth swallowing up people (Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, Numbers 16:28-32). The rest has no parallel at all, except a curious passage in the early but periphrastic Gospel manuscript Codex Bezae (D/05). After Luke 6:4 it adds, "That same day, seeing someone working on the Sabbath, [Jesus] said to him, 'Fellow, if you know what you are doing, you are blessed, but if you don't know, you are cursed and a transgressor of the law.'"
I wonder if this didn't somehow arise out of the Puritan movement. During the commonwealth era in England, it was declared that Christmas was a work day, and those NOT working on that day would be punished. This produced a great deal of resentment -- but the policy long continued; Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" partly in response to this.
Not all such stories are associated with Jesus himself. In Ireland, there is a field associated with the Irish St. Maeve. A ploughman once vowed he would plow the field despite its association with the saint. The ground is said to have swallowed horse, plough, and man, burying them in a depression still visible today. - RBW
File: PBB006
===
NAME: On Ilkla Moor Bah T'at
DESCRIPTION: On the dangers of visiting the moor without a hat: One singer tells the other he has been (courting) on the moor without a hat. He is told he'll die of cold. They will bury him, and worms will eat him; ducks will eat them, people eat ducks, and so it goes
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917
KEYWORDS: clothes courting disease death
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North),Wales)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Kennedy 303, "On Ilkla Moor Bah T'at" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 26, "Ilkley Moor Baht 'At" (1 text)
DT, ILKLAMOR
Roud #2143
NOTES: Kennedy reports, "The author of this local dialect song is supposed to have been a Thomas Clark who wrote it in 1805 to the hymn tune Cranbrook. Who he was or how the song came to be are not known. Yorkshire men all the world over regard the song with ritualistic respect." - RBW
File: K303
===
NAME: On Jordan's Stormy Banks: see Bound for the Promised Land (File: LxU099)
===
NAME: On Lac San Pierre: see The Wreck of the Julie Plante (File: FJ174)
===
NAME: On Longside Road (Auld Lang Syne)
DESCRIPTION: "On Longside Road I've often trod... 'Twas there I spied another maid In the arms of my dear." The singer hisses her anger: "You think I that I could love you still?" She is resolved "to shun your company." But she would take old lovers into her home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love betrayal
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 172, "On Longside Road; or The False Lover" (1 text)
Roud #5583
NOTES: In the course of the song, the girl says she would not forgive her false love were he "fair as Absalom." According to 2 Samuel 14:25, David's son Absalom was the most beautiful man in Israel. - RBW
File: Ord172
===
NAME: On Meesh-e-gan
DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. Singer reports work in the Michigan lumber camps, but it's exhausting, the pay is irregular, there are diseases and snakes. Chorus: "Come all you great beeg Canada man/Who want fin' work on Meesh-e-gan...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. Singer tells fellow Frenchmen there's work in the Michigan lumber camps, but it includes the exhausting job of "sacking", the pay is irregular, there are diseases and snakes. Chorus: "Come all you great beeg Canada man/Who want fin' work on Meesh-e-gan/Dere's beeg log drive all troo our lan';/You sure fin' work on Meesh-e-gan."
KEYWORDS: lumbering work logger hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Beck 72, "On Meesh-e-gan" (1 text)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 334-335, "On Meesh-e-gan" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #8856
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Don't Come to Michigan" (theme)
File: Be072
===
NAME: On Monday Morning: see The Holly Twig [Laws Q6]; also The Wife Wrapped in Wether's Skin [Child 277] (File: LQ06)
===
NAME: On My Journey: see Don't You Weep After Me (File: R262)
===
NAME: On My Journey (II) [Mount Zion]
DESCRIPTION: Song of religious ecstasy. "On my journey now, Mount Zion/Well I wouldn't take nothing, Mount Zion/For my journey now." Singer is walking along, the "elements opened and the love come down"; he goes to the valley; "my soul got happy/And I stayed all day."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (recording, Paul Robeson)
KEYWORDS: religious floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Paul Robeson, "On Ma Journey" (Victor 20013, 1926; Victor 25547, 1937)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Jesus Says 'You Goes and I Goes Wid You'" or "Jesus Says Go" (floating verse)
cf. "Hold the Wind" (floating verse)
NOTES: Just enough of a narrative that I didn't use "nonballad." - PJS
File: RcOMJMZ
===
NAME: On My Journey Home (I)
DESCRIPTION: Chorus: "I feel like, I feel like I'm on my journey home." Verses are floating: "When I can read my titles clear...." "Should earth against my soul engage...." "Let cares like a wild deluge come...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lomax-FSNA 126, "On My Journey Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6679
NOTES: This appears to be a different song from "I'm On My Journey Home," which appears in various editions of The Sacred Harp. - PJS
File: LoF126
===
NAME: On Saturday Night Shall Be My Care: see Next Monday Morning (File: ShH38)
===
NAME: On Some Foggy Mountain Top: see Foggy Mountain Top (File: CSW042)
===
NAME: On Springfield Mountain: see Springfield Mountain [Laws G16] (File: LG16)
===
NAME: On That Other Bright Shore: see The Other Bright Shore (File: R611)
===
NAME: On the Banks of Allan Water: see The Banks of Allan Water (File: DTalanwa)
===
NAME: On the Banks of Sweet Dundee: see The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25] (File: LM25)
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Murray
DESCRIPTION: "In a neat little cot on the banks of the Murray Lived a wife of a family with children so poor." One lad is sent to the Dardanelles and fatally wounded. He makes his will and dies; his little daughter and the entire family grieve
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: Australia war death lastwill
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 258-259, "On the Banks of the Murray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 267-268, "The Banks of the Murray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5476
File: MA258
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Ohio: see Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5] (File: LF05)
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Old Omaha
DESCRIPTION: "I will sing you a song of sweet Julia... I never shall forget the first time we met On the banks of the old Omaha...." One day she heard a knocking at the door, and died that night. The singer's heart is still by her grave in that far-off valley
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: death separation love burial
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 260-261, "On the Banks of the Old Omaha" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: MA261
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Old Pedee: see Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5]
 (File: LF05)
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Old Tennessee
DESCRIPTION: If the singer were a bird, he would fly to his love; if a fish, he would take her hook. But now she is dead and buried, and he is no longer willing to stay "on the banks of the old Tennessee."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: love courting animal death burial separation family
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 700, "On the Banks of the Old Tennessee" (4 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 515-516, "On the Banks of the Old Tennessee" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 700A)
MWheeler, p. 117, "On the Bank uv the Old Tennessee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7374
RECORDINGS:
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "On the Banks of Old Tennessee" (Victor V-40235/Bluebird 7072/Zonophone 4329, 1929; on GraysonWhitter01)
NOTES: Randolph's four texts are rather confused, and not one tells the full story. The only common element is the line "on the banks of the old Tennessee." The chorus varies (one even borrows lines from "My Sweet Sunny South"!), as do the presence of the floating-verse-like stanzas about being beast or bird. Cohen thinks the "A" and "D' texts are one song, and "B" and "C" another, probably related to "Free Little Bird."
The Grayson & Whitter recording doesn't help much; the verses are stereotyped: "I have no (brother/sister/true lover/mother) in this world (x2), (He's) sleeping tonight where the moon shines so bright, On the banks of old Tennesee (x3), He's sleeping tonight... On the banks..."
Wheeler's version is just a fragment, and adds nothing to the discussion.
In other words, it's possible that this is more than one song. But I think it all goes back to one piece, with a lot of importation and forgetfulness along the way. - RBW
File: R700
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Pamanaw [Laws H11]
DESCRIPTION: The singer sees an Indian girl sitting alone but unafraid. She explains that her family is dead and her lover has abandoned her. He offers to take her "to a better land, to a pale-face countree." She will not come; she has vowed to stay there
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931
KEYWORDS: Indians(Am.) promise abandonment home family grief seduction lie lover
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws H11, "On the Banks of the Pamanaw"
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 451-452, "The Banks of the Pamanaw" (1 text)
Beck 46, "On the Banks of the Pamanaw" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 424-426, "The Banks of Penmanah" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Leach-Labrador 95, "Banks of Panama" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 792, PAMANAW
Roud #2196
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Banks of Pondamah
NOTES: Just to prevent mistakes: Yes, that is "Pamanaw," not "Panama." - RBW
Labrador-Leach is indeed "Panama," not my typo.
The "Baltic Line" may refer to Admiral Charles Napier's Baltic excursion against the Russians in the Crimean War [cf. broadside Bodleian, Harding B 13(181), "Bold Napier," E.M.A. Hodges (London), 1855-1861; tune: "Low-Back'd Car"] - BS
File: LH11
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Sacramento: see Ho for California (Banks of Sacramento) (File: E125)
===
NAME: On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away
DESCRIPTION: "'Round my Indiana homestead wave the cornfields... But one thing there is missing from the picture, Without her face it seems so incomplete." The singer misses his mother and his sweetheart Mary, left in the graveyards of his home on the Wabash
AUTHOR: Paul Dresser
EARLIEST_DATE: 1896 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: death mother love separation home rambling
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 45, "On the Banks of the Wabash" (1 text)
Geller-Famous, pp. 166-169, "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9595
NOTES: This piece is now Indiana's state song. Dresser (originally Dreisser; he was Theodore Dreisser's brother), who ran away to join a medicine show rather than enter the priesthood, was also the author of "The Letter That Never Came" and "The Pardon Came Too Late."
It was Theodore Dreisser who suggested to his brother that he write a river song about Indiana, and this was the result. But Dresser, no businessman, managed to die in poverty in 1906 despite many hits. - RBW
File: FSWB045
===
NAME: On the Bluff (Alligator Song)
DESCRIPTION: "'Twas on the bluff In the state of Indiana, Dat's where I useter lib." The singer is a good fisherman, but partial to drink; he fights with an alligator, only to find it is a log. He hides from a white man by playing a mile-post. At last he buries master
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: river fishing drink slave humorous burial
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 72, "'Twas on de Bluff" (1 text)
ST ScaNF072 (Partial)
Roud #7493
NOTES: There is a song in the Edith Fowke collection which appears to be a version of this, so it appears to have been known in Canada as well as wherever it was that Scarborough located it. But I can't absolutely prove it at this time.
It might be objected that Indiana is not a slave state, and this is true -- but it was also quite anti-Negro, and locals might have looked the other way at a slaveholder. Or, of course, the actual location of the song might have been Kentucky, across the river from Indiana. Though it's hard to imagine alligators on the Ohio River.
In any case, this looks more like a minstrel piece than a real folk song. - RBW
File: ScaNF072
===
NAME: On the Charlie So Long: see Joseph Mica (Mikel) (The Wreck of the Six-Wheel Driver) (Been on the Choly So Long) [Laws I16] (File: LI16)
===
NAME: On the Dummy Line: see The Dummy Line (II) (File: LSRai485)
===
NAME: On the Eighth Day of November: see Saint Clair's Defeat (File: E116)
===
NAME: On the Green Carpet: see Green Carpet; also Oats and Beans (File: Lins46)
===
NAME: On the Lake of the Poncho Plains: see The Lake of Ponchartrain [Laws H9] (File: LH09)
===
NAME: On the Lakes of Ponchartrain: see The Lake of Ponchartrain [Laws H9] (File: LH09)
===
NAME: On the Plains of Manassas: see The Red, White, and Red (File: Wa022)
===
NAME: On the Plains of Mexico: see Santy Anno (File: Doe078)
===
NAME: On the Road Again
DESCRIPTION: Singer comes home, finds the window propped, the door locked, and another man in his bed. He fires a shotgun; the man runs off. Another man arrives. Chorus: "(S)he's on the road again (just as sure as you're born)/Nat'chl born easeman on the road again"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Memphis Jug Band)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer says his woman's evil. He comes home, finds the window propped, the door locked, and another man in his folding bed. He fires a shotgun through the glass, and the man takes off running. Another man comes to call, the wife tells him her husband's on the way to the pen. Chorus: "(S)he's on the road again (just as sure as you're born)/Nat'chl born easeman on the road again"
KEYWORDS: jealousy adultery infidelity sex violence prison wife
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Memphis Jug Band "On the Road Again" (Victor V-38015, 1929; rec. 1928; on TimesAint01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Joseph Mica (Mikel) (The Wreck of the Six-Wheel Driver) (Been on the Choly So Long) [Laws I16]," especially the "Kassie Jones" text (floating verses)
cf. "Skinner's Song" (form)
File: RcOtRAg
===
NAME: On the Road to Bethlehem
DESCRIPTION: A "merry company" comes to Bethlehem to obey the decree of "the governor." Mary and Joseph seek the inn, but there is no room. They go to a stable, where the baby Jesus is born. Eastern kings and shepherds come to visit
AUTHOR: Words: Robert Hugh Benson / Music: Sir R. R. Terry
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: religious Bible childbirth
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H59, p. 76, "On the Road to Bethlehem" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9052
NOTES: With the sole exception of the reference to "Eastern kings," every item mentioned in this song comes from the Gospel of Luke (chapter 2).
The form of this song, and the first couple of verses, don't seem quite suitable for the content; I wonder if the author didn't fix up a non-religious poem. - RBW
File: HHH059
===
NAME: On the Road to Mandalay: see Mandalay (File: Fuld415)
===
NAME: On the Schooner John Joe
DESCRIPTION: "Beware of George Farrin his schooner John Joe." Breakfast and dinner is fish soup. Supper is "thin hard bread." The singer had to fight George to get a decent meal from the cook. But, when he gets home it's back to "hard bread."
AUTHOR: Tom Evans (ca 1890 per Peacock)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: fight fishing sea ship food ordeal hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 140-141, "On the Schooner John Joe" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9966
File: Pea140
===
NAME: On the Shores of Havana
DESCRIPTION: "Many hearts were filled with sorrow and with sadness, Many hearts were torn with anguish and pain... for the heroes of our battleship, the 'Maine.'" A brief account of the destruction of the Maine, with comments about the lives of the sailors killed
AUTHOR: Andrew B. Sterling
EARLIEST_DATE: 1898 (broadsides & songbooks)
KEYWORDS: sea disaster ship
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1895 - Cubans rebel against Spain
Feb 15, 1898 - Explosion of the battleship "Maine" in Havana harbor
April 25, 1898 - Congress declares war on Spain
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW,SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
FSCatskills 21, "On the Shores of Havana" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 235, "The Battleship Maine (I)" (1 text)
ST FSC021 (Partial)
Roud #4615
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "On the Banks of the Wabash Far Away" (tune & meter)
cf. "My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine" (subject) and references there
NOTES: When the Cubans rose in revolt against inept Spanish rule, the U.S. government -- spurred on by William Randolph Hearst's newspapers -- took a keen interest. Eventually the U.S.S. _Maine_, a rather rickety coastal defense vessel, was sent to apply pressure to the Spanish. (The _Maine_, it should be noted, was not a battleship; originally designed as an armored cruiser, it lacked the coal capacity for that role and wound up as an unsatisfactory battleship/cruiser hybrid.)
When the _Maine_ blew up with a large loss of life, Hearst and his minions pounced quickly. Never mind that the Spanish had nothing to gain from destroying the ship. Never mind that the most likely cause of the disaster was an internal explosion. Spain had to be punished!
The Spanish did all they could to avoid war; after brief delays to save face, they gave in to every American demand. The Americans would have none of it. On April 11, President McKinley asked for a declaration of war; on April 25, he received it. Americans set out to "free" Cuba and the Philippines. (The Philippines, in particular, were so thoroughly "freed" that they did not achieve independence until 1947.) "Remember the Maine" went the battle cry.
The U.S. army was pitifully small and ill-organized; the vast majority of its losses in the war were caused by disease and supply problems -- but so bad were the Spanish forces that by the end of the summer both the Philippines and Cuba were under U.S. control. In December the humiliated Spanish were forced to accept the equally humiliating Treaty of Paris, and the war ended. The U.S. was now an imperialist power -- and all because of songs like this one and Hearst's headlines. - RBW
File: FSC021
===
NAME: On the Steps of the Dole Office Door
DESCRIPTION: "The songs that we sang were about old Jack Lang On the steps of the Dole Office door. He closed up the banks, it was one of his pranks, And he sent us to the Dole Office door. We molested the police till they gave us relief..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: unemployment hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Meredith/Anderson, p. 225, "On the Steps of the Dole Office Door" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 138-139, "Clem Murphy's Door" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: On the face of it, it is hard to equate the two Meredith versions of this song; all they have in common is a Depression setting. But Meredith, who has direct experience of the songs, thinks them one. Both fragments describe how people survived the depression and attempted to get by on the dole. - RBW
File: MA225
===
NAME: On the Trail to Mexico: see Boggy Creek or The Hills of Mexico [Laws B10b] (File: LB10B)
===
NAME: On the Twenty-First of May: see The Bold Pirate [Laws K30] (File: LK30)
===
NAME: On the Wallaby Track: see The Springtime It Brings on the Shearing (On the Wallaby Track) (File: MA186)
===
NAME: On This Hill: see The Rattling Bog (File: ShH98)
===
NAME: On to Richmond (II): see We Have the Navy (File: R212)
===
NAME: On to the Morgue
DESCRIPTION: "On to the morgue, that's the only place for me (x2). Take it from the head one, he sure is a dead one. On to the morgue...." "Where will we all be one hundred years from now? (x2) Pushing up the daisies (x2), That's where we'll all be...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: death parody
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Sandburg, p. 199, "On to the Morgue" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Roud #13614
NOTES: Sandburg calls this a "travesty on the Chopin funeral march." - RBW
File: San199
===
NAME: On Tom Big Bee River: see The Gum Tree Canoe (File: R787)
===
NAME: On Top of Old Smokey
DESCRIPTION: "On top of old Smokey, All covered with snow, I lost my true lover, From courting too slow." The singer laments (her) lover's infidelity, saying that a "false-hearted lover is worse than a thief." (She) claims one cannot trust one in a thousand
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: courting love rejection lyric warning floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (20 citations)
Belden, pp. 473-476, "The Unconstant Lover" (3 texts, 1 tune, none of which mention Old Smokey; the second mixed with "The Cuckoo" and the third short enough that it might be any of the "never place your affection on a green willow tree" songs)
BrownIII 253, "Old Smoky" (2 texts plus 3 excerpts and mention of 3 more); also 248, "The Inconstant Lover" (5 texts plus a fragment, admitted by the editors to be distinct songs but with many floating items; "A,"  "B," and "C" are more "On Top of Old Smokey" than anything else, though without that phrase; "D" is primarily "The Broken Engagement (II -- We Have Met and We Have Parted)," "E" is a mix of "Old Smokey" and "The Cuckoo," and the "F" fragment may also be "Old Smokey")
Hudson 50, p. 166, "Jimmy" (1 text, more this than anything else but starting with "A-walking, a-talking, a-walking foes I, To meet pretty Jimmy, he'll be here by and by" and continuing with many floating verses, e.g. "The cuckoo is a pretty bird," "If I am forsaken, I am not foresworn, And he is mistaken who thinks I will mourn")
Randolph 49, "The Cuckoo" (4 texts, of which "A" is about half "Inconstant Lover/Old Smokey" verses and "B" never mentions the cuckoo and appears to be mostly floating verses; 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 117-118, "The Cuckoo" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 49A)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 272-282, "The Waggoner's Lad" (9 texts, 6 tunes on pp. 428-431, but the entry combines many songs; A (no title), B ("My Fortune's Been Bad"), and E ("My Horses Ain't Hungry") are extended versions of "The Wagoner's Lad"; C ("The Last Farewell") is a short text probably of "The Wagoner's Lad"; D ("Old Smokie") combined one "Smokey" verse with three "Wagoner's Lad" verses; "F" ("Old Smoky") is a very long "Old Smokey" text which seems to have gained parts of other songs; G ("A False Lying True Love") is "Old Smokey" minus the first verse; H ("I'll Build My Cabin on a Mountain So High" is "Old Smokey" with a first verse from a drunkard song and a final floating verse supplying the title; I (no title) is a fragment probably of "Old Smokey")
SharpAp 78, "I'm Going to Georgia" (2 texts, 2 tunes; as with many pieces listed above, I've filed the SharpAp "I'm Going to Georgia" songs here for want of a better place for them, using the "never place your affections" line as the delineator. - PJS)
Brewster 89, "The Unconstant Lover" (1 text, with no mention of Old Smokey and many floating verses)
Leach, pp.738-740, "The Wagoner's Lad" (2 texts, with the "B" text being a composite of "Wagoner's Lad" and "Old Smokey" verses)
Wyman-Brockway II, p. 1, "An Inconstant Lover" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, pp. 119-120, "Old Smoky" (1 text)
Lomax-FSUSA 18, "Old Smoky" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 112, "Old Smokey" (1 text, 1 tune)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 60, "On Top Of Old Smoky" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Silber-FSWB, p. 165, "On Top Of Old Smoky" (1 text)
JHCox 143, "A Forsaken Lover" (1 text, which appears to be a compound: Three verses of a forseken lover song, followed by an Old Smokey text less the first verse)
JHCoxIIB, #13, pp. 151-152, "Old Smoky" (1 text, 1 tune)
Opie-Oxford2 121, "The cuckoo is a merry bird" (text 2 is "The Forsaken Lover" which omits the "Old Smokey" lines; dated c.1780 (The Merry Gentleman's Companion, according to Opie-Oxford2))
Fuld-WFM, p. 416, "On Top of Old Smokey"
DT, OLDSMOKY
Roud #414
RECORDINGS:
Bob Atcher, "Old Smokey" (Columbia 20484, 1948; rec. 1947)
Cramer Brothers, [pseud. for Vernon Dalhart and -- probably -- Carson Robison] "On Top of Old Smokey" (Broadway 8071, c. 1930)
Gerald Duncan et al, "On Top of Old Smokey" (on MusOzarks01)
I. G. Greer, "Old Smoky" (AFS; on LC14)
Roscoe Holcomb, "Old Smoky" (on Holcomb-Ward1, HolcombCD1)
Buell Kazee, "On Top of Old Smoky" [fragment] (on Kazee01)
Bradley Kincaid, "On Top of Old Smokey" (Supertone 9566, 1929)
George Reneau, "On Top of Old Smokey" (Vocalion 15366, 1926)
Pete Seeger, "On Top of Old Smoky" (on PeteSeeger17) (on PeteSeeger23)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wagoner's Lad"
cf. "The Little Mohee" [Laws H8] (tune)
cf. "Lee's Hoochie" (tune)
cf. "I'm Sad and I'm Lonely" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Blackbird and Thrush" (floating lyrics)
cf. "I Shot My Poor Teacher (With a Big Rubber Band)" (tune)
cf. "Sailing Out on the Ocean" (floating lyrics)
cf. "A Warning to Girls" (floating lyrics)
SAME_TUNE:
Up in Old Loray (Greenway-AFP, pp. 135-136)
I Shot My Poor Teacher (With a Big Rubber Band) (File: PHCFS093)
The Little Mohee (File: LH08)
Lee's Hoochie (File: EM407)
On Top of Old Smoky (Davy Crockett) (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 111)
On Top of Old Smokey (All Covered with Blood) (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 126)
On Top of My Headache (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 111)
On Top of Old Baldy (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 144)
On Top of Spaghetti (by Tom Glazer) (DT, OLDSMOK2 -- but if this is the Tom Glazer version, I've actually heard a folk-processed form -- RBW)
NOTES: The relationship between this song and "The Wagoner's Lad" is problematic. The two are occasionally listed as one song (e.g. by Leach, Scarborough; also, at least in part, by Roud); indeed, this was done in early versions of this Index. This was done under the influence of the Lomaxes, who classify the songs together.
Further study, however, seems to show that almost all versions which have common material are derived from the Lomaxes, and the minor exceptions are usually fragments of floating verses. The plots of the two songs are different, their tunes are distinct, and there does not seem to have been any overlap in ordinary versions. It would appear that the identification of the two is purely the result of the sort of editorial work the Lomaxes so often committed.
Due to this inconsistency, it is suggested that the reader check all versions of both songs, as well as both sets of cross-references, to find all related materials.
It also appears that certain key lines, beginning "A meeting's a pleasure, a parting's a grief, And an (unconstant young man) is worse than a thief," predate this song, as they appear in several British texts which otherwise bear little resemblance to "Old Smokey." For the moment, these British Isles variations are filed under "The Blackbird and Thrush," at least until I find a more authoritative source.  - RBW
File: BSoF740
===
NAME: On Top of Old Smokey (II): see The Wagoner's Lad (File: R740)
===
NAME: On Yonder Hill There Sits A Hare
DESCRIPTION: A worried hare sits "o'er her lodgings." A huntsman sets his dogs on the hare. She escapes from the best dog. "Merrily as she trips the plain, And may she live to run again."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1977 (recording, Geordie Hanna)
KEYWORDS: escape hunting animal dog
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #5173
RECORDINGS:
Geordie Hanna, "On Yonder Hill There Sits A Hare" (on Voice18)
File: RcOYHTSH
===
NAME: Once I Had a Daughter
DESCRIPTION: Father has a daughter who leaves for Germany and returns and says "I have my sweetheart here." Father replies "I have no time to chat And I have no time to talk And I do not like the vagabond Who by your side does walk."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Creighton-SNewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: love war soldier cross-dressing separation Germany
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 106, "Once I Had a Daughter" (1 text fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #2778
NOTES: The current description is based on the Creighton-SNewBrunswick fragment. - BS
File: CrSNB106
===
NAME: Once I Had a Sweetheart (I)
DESCRIPTION: "Once I had a sweetheart, A sweetheart brave and true, His hair was dark and curly, His cunning eyes were blue." But her sweetheart wanted to roam; he gave her a ring and departed (to become a soldier). He is killed far from home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: love separation mourning soldier battle death war
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
BrownII 140, "Once I Had a Sweetheart" (1 text)
[Randolph 796, "Once I Had a Sweetheart" -- deleted in the second printing]
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 527-528, "Once I Had a Sweetheart" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 796A)
Roud #4477
RECORDINGS:
Jimmie Rodgers, "The Soldier's Sweetheart" (Victor V-20864, 1927 -- a World War I adaption)
NOTES: A generic plot, and floating lyrics too! But it seems to be a separate song -- though it's hard to believe it originated in the U. S., as the notes in Brown imply.  - RBW
File: BrII140
===
NAME: Once I Had a Sweetheart (II): see As Sylvie Was Walking (File: VWL014)
===
NAME: Once I Had Plenty of Thyme: see In My Garden Grew Plenty of Thyme (File: R090)
===
NAME: Once I Was Happy: see The Flying Trapeze (File: RJ19069)
===
NAME: Once More a-Lumb'ring Go: see Once More A-Lumbering Go (File: Wa031)
===
NAME: Once More A-Lumbering Go
DESCRIPTION: The singer calls on "all you sons of freedom" to "range the wild woods over and once more a-lumbering go." He briefly describes the work of cutting the trees, the sleighing and hunting, and the joyful return to their families
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (R. P. Gray, "Songs and Ballads of the Maine Lumberjacks")
KEYWORDS: logger work lumbering
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW,NE) Canada(West)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Warner 31, "Once More A-Lumbering Go" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 48, "Once More a-Lumb'ring Go" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 4, "Once More a-Lumbering Go" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke-Lumbering #4, "A-Lumbering We Go" (1 text, 1 tune, a mixed text starting with two stanzas of "Once More A-Lumbering Go" and continuing with a version of "Bung Yer Eye" minus the chorus)
DT, LUMBERN* LUMBRIN2*
Roud #591
RECORDINGS:
Carl Lathrop, "Once More A-Lumbering Go" (AFS, 1938; on LC56)
Lawrence Older,  "Once More A-Lumbering Go" (on LOlder01)
Pete Seeger, "Once More A-Lumbering Go" (on PeteSeeger29)
File: Wa031
===
NAME: Once There Lived a Captain
DESCRIPTION: A sea captain sails before he can marry. He returns and finds the girl has left her father's house for a nunnery. There he finds she has gone to an asylum. At the asylum he finds she died the previous night. At her side he kills himself with his sword.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1967 (recording, John Reilly)
KEYWORDS: courting return separation death suicide father sailor
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #3376
RECORDINGS:
Jean "Sauce" Driscoll, "The Sea Captain" (on IRTravellers01)
John Reilly, "Once There Lived a Captain" (on Voice17)
File: RcOTLACa
===
NAME: Once There Were Three Fishermen (The Three Jews)
DESCRIPTION: "Once there were three fishermen (x2), Fisher fisher men men men (x3) Once there were three fishermen." The three fishermen are named, and their voyages described
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: fishing nonsense
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 176, "The Three Old Jews" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 185, "The Three Jews" (1 text)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 85, "Three Jolly Fishermen" (1 text, tune referenced)
Silber-FSWB, p. 240, "Once There Were Three Fishermen" (1 text)
Roud #3708 and 12776
NOTES: This is rather confusing, because the change of one word significantly changes the song. In several texts (Gardner and Chickering, Greenleaf and Mansfield), the three heroes are Jews. But in Pankake, as well as the version printed by Silber, they are fishermen. The latter version is very much a children's song, I've only encountered only two versions of this, and they differ in most particulars: In the Silber version, the sailors are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and they sail for Amsterdam (with resulting comments about naughty words); Ed McCurdy sings a version with different sailors, in which Halifax is the destination.
In this case, Roud splits the two versions. But the verse form, as well as the names of the characters, says they are the same. - RBW
File: FSWB240A
===
NAME: One and Twenty
DESCRIPTION: "My father was a farmer gay, With beef and corn in plenty, I hoed, I mowed, I held the plow, And I longed for one and twenty." Of age at last, the singer enlists. Army life makes him wish for home. He loses a leg, is captured, and goes home crippled
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Gardner/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: farming youth soldier battle injury home disability
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 96, "One and Twenty" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST GC096 (Partial)
Roud #3367
File: GC096
===
NAME: One Bottle More
DESCRIPTION: "Assist me, ye lads... To sing the praise of old Ireland's isle." England taunts our simplicity but we would share our last bottle. At Candy's six Irishmen had four bottles each, a fight brought a fifth and a resolve to have 12 bottles more the next night
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1815 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 10(10))
KEYWORDS: virtue drink Ireland
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 23, "One Bottle More" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 10(10), "Irish Hospitality", J. Whittle and R. H. Laurie (London), 1815 
LOCSinging, sb40474a, "One Bottle More", Louis Bonsal (Baltimore), 19C 
SAME_TUNE:
Town and Country (broadside Bodleian Harding B 10(10))
File: OCon023
===
NAME: One Bottle of Pop
DESCRIPTION: "One bottle (of) pop, Two bottles (of) pop, Three bottles (of) pop...." "Don't throw your junk in my back yard... my back yard's full." "Fish and chips and vinegar...." Composite children's round
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1988
KEYWORDS: nonballad food humorous
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 232-233, "One Bottle Pop" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, POPBOTTL
NOTES: Obviously quite recent (at least with the current words), but it seems to qualify as a children's folksong. - RBW
File: DTpopbot
===
NAME: One Bottle Pop: see One Bottle of Pop (File: DTpopbot)
===
NAME: One Cold Winter's Morning
DESCRIPTION: Singer laments having to leave his love, perhaps never to return. (Friends try to persuade him to stay.) "When I lie down at night all for to take my rest/Trouble and sorrow still rolls across my breast." "O she is the only girl all in this world so wide"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917 (Cecil Sharp collection)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer laments that he must leave his love and travel far away, perhaps never to return. (Friends try to persuade him to stay.) "When I lie down at night all for to take my rest/Trouble and sorrow still rolls across my breast." "For the first time I saw her I gained her by my charm/The second time I saw her I rolled her in my arms/O she is the only girl all in this world so wide/She is the only girl can ever be my bride"
KEYWORDS: grief loneliness courting love marriage sex parting travel lover
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SharpAp 146, (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #3626
NOTES: Yes, the plot is well-worn and found in multiple other songs, but this one seems distinct; significantly, Sharp lists no relatives or antecedents, but he did find two versions, both in Kentucky. - PJS
File: ShAp2146
===
NAME: One Day More: see One More Day (File: FSWB086B)
===
NAME: One Day of Turkey and Six Days of Hash
DESCRIPTION: Philosophical; for every silver lining there's a dark cloud. "For one faithful friend there are dozens who sneer/For one happy laugh there is always a tear...For one gentle dog there are dozens that bite...For one day of turkey there's six days of hash."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
KEYWORDS: warning humorous nonballad food dog
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 92, "One Day of Turkey and Six Days of Hash" (1 text)
Roud #8848
NOTES: This cynical little masterpiece is worthy of Tom Lehrer. - PJS
File: Be092
===
NAME: One Dime Blues
DESCRIPTION: "I'm broke an' I ain't got a dime (x3) Ev'rybody gets in hard luck sometime." "You want your friend to be bad like Jesse James (x3) Git two six shooters, highway some passenger train." "One dime was all I had (x3) that was the meal before last."
AUTHOR: Blind Lemon Jefferson
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (recording, Blind Lemon Jefferson)
KEYWORDS: hardtimes poverty money
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 310, "One Dime Blues" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, ONEDIME*
RECORDINGS:
Blind Lemon Jefferson, "One Dime Blues" (Paramount 12578, 1927)
File: LoF310
===
NAME: One Fine Day
DESCRIPTION: Floating verse song: "One fine day I went to mill, I got stuck on Badger's Hill; I hawed my horses... But to save my soul I couldn't get a start." "There was a frog lived in the spring." "The black cat spit in the white cat's eye."  Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Garnder/Chickering)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Floating verse song: "One fine day I went to mill, I got stuck on Badger's Hill; I hawed my horses... But to save my soul I couldn't get a start." "There was a frog lived in the spring." "The black cat spit in the white cat's eye." "Now maybe you think there's another verse To this here song, but there ain't." Chorus: "Oh where you come from, knock a nigger down, A wagon full of bum shells, knock...."
KEYWORDS: nonballad floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 201, "One Fine Day" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3711
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Kemo Kimo" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Gray Cat on the Tennessee Farm" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: No, the tune is *not* "Turkey in the Straw." - RBW
File: GC201
===
NAME: One Fine Summer's Morning: see The Banks of the Clyde (File: HHH812)
===
NAME: One Fish Ball: see One Fish-Ball (One Meat Ball, The Lone Fish-Ball) (File: SRW074)
===
NAME: One Fish-Ball (One Meat Ball, The Lone Fish-Ball)
DESCRIPTION: A single man (who perhaps has abandoned his wife?) wanders into a restaurant, but finds he has only money for one (meat/fish) ball. Waiters and company abuse him, and he is told, "You get no bread with one fish ball"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1862 (parodied; see notes)
KEYWORDS: food poverty
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 74-75, "The Lone Fish-Ball" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 580-584, "The Lone Fish-Ball" (2 texts, 1 tune, plus assorted items on the same theme)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 22, "One Fish Ball" (1 text, tune referenced)
Silber-FSWB, p. 264, "One Fish Ball" (1 text)
NOTES: According to the Caxton Club (Chicago) edition of _Il Pescoballo_ (1899), the one-act opera buffa with Italian words by Francis James Child and English translation by James Russell Lowell was first performed in 1862 to raise money for the Civil War Sanitary Commission (precursor to the Red Cross).  The authors of the _jeu d'esprit,_ to quote Charles Eliot Norton's introduction, were originally given only as "Maestro Rossibello-Donimozarti."
"One Fish Ball," upon which the opera buffa was based, was written by a Harvard Latin professor, identified by Norton only as "Lane."  It was a "local ballad which had had great vogue, written not many years before."  Norton asserts Lane based the song on "an adventure of his own."
The Caxton Club edition prints a tune, crediting it as a "volkslied." - EC
Lewis Becker adds that Loesser's _Humor in American Song_ dates the song to about 1854 and claims it is "Founded on a Boston Fact."
Dick Greenhaus reports that the "One Meat Ball" version was popularized by Josh White in the 1940s. Popularized enough, in fact, that they taught it in my grade school! - RBW
File: SRW074
===
NAME: One for the Blackbird
DESCRIPTION: Folk wisdom: "One for the blackbird, Two for the crow, Three for the cutworm, An' the rest for to grow."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1923
KEYWORDS: harvest bird nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 275, "The Crow Song" (with only the "E" fragment belonging here)
File: R275
===
NAME: One Forsaken, The: see The False Young Man (The Rose in the Garden, As I Walked Out) (File: FJ166)
===
NAME: One Horse Open Sleigh, The: see Jingle Bells (File: RJ19093)
===
NAME: One Kind Favor: see See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (File: ADR92)
===
NAME: One Little Frog
DESCRIPTION: "One little frog a-settin' on a log, Waitin' for its brother, Its eyes were red from the tears it had shed, And it jumped right into the water." Repeat indefinitely: "Another little frog a-settin' on a log...." Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: animal brother separation nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 581, "One Little Frog" (1 text)
Roud #7668
File: R581
===
NAME: One Man Shall Mow My Meadow
DESCRIPTION: Singer states that various numbers of men shall mow her meadow and gather it together, as well as shear her sheep. The song is cumulative, hypnotic, and loaded with symbolism.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909
KEYWORDS: cumulative nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South)) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Sharp-100E 100, "One Man Shall Mow My Meadow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 291, "The Counting Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 90, "Me One Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, ONEMANMW
Roud #143
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Mower" (imagery)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Me One Man
Mowing Down the Meadow
One Man Shall Shear My Wethers
NOTES: It's hard to decide whether there's a ritual element here, or whether the song itself is the ritual. -PJS
And here I thought it was just a dirty song covered with pastoral symbols.... - RBW
File: ShH100
===
NAME: One Man's Hands
DESCRIPTION: "One man's hands can't break a prison down, Two men's hands can't tear a prison down, But if two and two and fifty make a million, we'll see that day come 'round." Similarly, "One man's voice can't shout to make them hear," etc., with topical references
AUTHOR: Words: Alex Comfort / Music: Pete Seeger
EARLIEST_DATE: 1962
KEYWORDS: political nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Scott-BoA, pp. 376-377, "One Man's Hands" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, (MANSHAND)
File: SBoA376
===
NAME: One May Morning: see Tripping Over the Lea [Laws P19] (File: LP19)
===
NAME: One Meat Ball: see One Fish-Ball (One Meat Ball, The Lone Fish-Ball) (File: SRW074)
===
NAME: One Misty, Moisty Morning
DESCRIPTION: Daniel courts Dolly, a milk maid. Before she will marry he must have her father and mother's consent. "Her parents being willing, all Parties was agreed, Her Portion thirtie shilling, they marry'd were with Speed" and have a public celebration.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1700 (Pills to Purge Melancholy, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: courting dowry wedding father mother
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Opie-Oxford2 359, "One misty, moisty, morning" (2 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #140, p. 114, "(One Misty, Moisty Morning)"
DT, HOWDYEDO*
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Douce Ballads 2(256b), "The Wiltshire Wedding Between Daniel Do-well and Doll the Dairy-maid" ("All in a misty morning"), unknown, n.d.
NOTES: The description is from broadside Bodleian Douce Ballads 2(256b).
See "One Misty Moisty Morning" by Steeleye Span on "Parcel of Rogues." Chrysalis CHR 1046 (1973). - BS
The Digital Tradition notes that this tune is used in the Beggar's Opera. This appears to be a reference to Act II, Air 5, "Before the Barn Door Crowing," which has the tune "All in a misty morning" and ends with the lines
WIth how do you do, and how do you do,
And how do you do again. - RBW
File: OO2359
===
NAME: One More Chance
DESCRIPTION: "Late last night, When the moon shone bright," the singer visits his honey. She declares she has gone to bed. He points out that he paid her rent, begs for one more chance, offers to take her to a ball. He then pulls out a ten dollar bill, and is admitted
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: sex courting home rejection money whore nightvisit
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 274-275, (no title) (1 text)
File: ScNF274B
===
NAME: One More Day
DESCRIPTION: Shanty: "One more day, me johnnies, One more day, Come rock and row me over, Johnny, one more day." The voyage has been hard, the captain cruel, but the sailors are almost home and soon will be able to visit their girls
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1948 (Shay)
KEYWORDS: shanty sailor home hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Colcord, p. 115, "One More Day" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow, pp. 41-42, "One More Day" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 489-491, "Only One More Day," "Rock 'n Row Me Over" (3 texts, 3 tunes) [AbEd, 362-365]
Sharp-EFC, XV, p. 18, "One More Day (1 text, 1 tune)
Shay-SeaSongs, p. 88, "One Day More" (1 text, 1 tune, which, despite Shay's title, has the usual chorus "One more day... only one more day")
Silber-FSWB, p. 86, "Rock 'N' Row Me Over " (1 text)
DT, ONEMRDAY*
ADDITIONAL: Captain John Robinson, "Songs of the Chantey Man," a series published July-August 1917 in the periodical _The Bellman_ (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919)."One More Day!" is in Part 3, 7/28/1917.
Roud #704
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Charlie, One More Day
File: FSWB086B
===
NAME: One More River to Cross
DESCRIPTION: Counting up the contents of Noah's Ark: "The animals went in one by one... two by two... three by three...," often with odd groupings listed. Chorus: "One more river, and that is the river Jordan, One more river (for) to cross."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1897
KEYWORDS: Bible animal nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
BrownIII 455, "One More River to Cross" (1 short text)
Randolph 294, "One More River" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 250-252, "One More River" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 294A)
Silber-FSWB, p. 392, "One More River to Cross" (1 text)
DT, ONEMORER
Roud #4458
RECORDINGS:
Lt. Jim Europe's Four Harmony Kings, "One More Ribber to Cross" (Pathe 22187, 1919)
Uncle Dave Macon, "One More River to Cross" (Bluebird B-5842, 1935)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Uncle Noah" (lyrics)
cf. "Who Built the Ark?" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: Cohen notes that a piece, "Dar's One More Ribber for to Cross" was composed in 1881, with words by James Husey and music by Thomas P. Westendorf. I am unable to verify that this is the same as this song. - RBW
File: R294
===
NAME: One Morning Clear: see Searching for Lambs (File: LO09A)
===
NAME: One Morning in May (II): see Bad Girl's Lament, The (St. James' Hospital; The Young Girl Cut Down in her Prime) [Laws Q26] (File: LQ26)
===
NAME: One Morning in May (III): see The Rebel Soldier (File: R246)
===
NAME: One Morning in May (To Hear the Nightingale Sing) [Laws P14]
DESCRIPTION: A (soldier) and a pretty girl meet; they chat and he plays on the fiddle for her. When she asks him to play more, he says it is time to leave. She asks him to marry; he already has a wife and children
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1903 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: soldier courting separation marriage fiddle
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE,So) Britain(Scotland,England(Lond,South)) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (28 citations)
Laws P14, "The Nightingale (One Morning in May)"
Belden, pp. 239-244, "The Nightingale" (3 texts plus 2 excerpts and a reference to 1 more, 2 tunes)
Randolph 58, "One Morning in May" (3 texts plus 1 fragment and 1 excerpt, 1 tune plus a fragment)
BrownIII 13, "One Morning in May" (1 text plus a fragment and mention of 2 more)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 310-311, "One Morning in May" (2 texts, with local titles "See the Waters Gliding," "One Morning, One Morning, One Morning in May"; 2 tunes on pp. 438-439)
Eddy 103, "One Morning in May" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 164-165, "The Banks of Low Lee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 594-595, "The Soldier and the Lady" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 77, "The Nightingale" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Leach, pp. 744-745, "One Morning in May (The Nightingale)" (1 text)
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 68, "The Nightingale" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCoxIIA, #24A-C, pp. 94-98, "The Nightingale," "One Morning in May" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
FSCatskills 130, "A Bold, Brave Bonair" (1 text, 1 tune)
SharpAp 145, "The Nightingale" (5 texts, 5 tunes)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 47, "The Nightingale" (1 text, 1 tune -- a composite version)
Ritchie-Southern, pp. 40-41, "See the Waters A-Gliding" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 136-138, "One Morning in May" (2 texts, 1 tune, but only the "A" text is this piece; the "B" text is "The Rebel Soldier")
Kennedy 185, "The Nightingales Sing" (1 text, 1 tune)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 210-211, "To Hear the Nightingales Sing" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 198, "The Wild Rippling Water" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 52-53, "Fiddling Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 3, "The Wild Rippling Water" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hodgart, p. 237, "The Wild Rippling Water" (1 text)
MacSeegTrav 45, "The Lady and the Soldier" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Darling-NAS, pp. 137-138, "One Morning in May" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 166, "One Morning In May (The Nightingale)" (1 text)
BBI, ZN277, "As I went forth one Sun-Shining day"
DT 340, NTNGALE NTNGALE2* NTNGALE3* NTNGALE4
Roud #140
RECORDINGS:
Raymond & John Cantwell, "The Soldier and the Lady" (on FSB2, FSB2CD)
Liam Clancy, "The Nightingale" (on IRLClancy01)
Coon Creek Girls, "The Soldier and the Lady" (Vocalion 05404, 1940)
Bill Cox, "Fiddling Soldier" (Melotone 7-08-70, 1937)
Betty Garland, "One Morning in May" (on BGarland01)
Mrs. Jack [Vera] Keating, "The Weaver" (on Ontario1)
Neil Morris, "The Irish Soldier and the English Lady" (on LomaxCD1707)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Soldier and the Lady" (on NLCR13)
Shorty & Juanita Sheehan, "The Soldier and the Lady" (on FineTimes)
Doug Wallin, "The Nightingale" (on Wallins1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gentleman Soldier" (plot)
cf. "Across the Blue Mountains" (theme)
cf. "The Crystal Spring" (plot)
cf. "1913 Massacre" (tune)
cf. "Harbour Le Cou" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Bold Grenadier
The Nightingale's Song, or the Soldier's Rare Musick and Maid's Recreation
File: LP14
===
NAME: One Night As I Lay On My Bed
DESCRIPTION: Singer dreams of his love; the dreams torment him so much that he goes out and calls at her window, bidding her to let him in. She demurs, saying her parents will punish her. He says they're asleep and won't hear; she lets him in.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1803 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: courting sex nightvisit
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 79,  "One Night as I Lay On My Bed" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 81, "Go From My Window" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, LAYBED*
Roud #672
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, "One Night as I Lay On My Bed" (on ENMacCollSeeger02)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Drowsy Sleeper" [Laws M4]
cf. "Farewell to Bonny Galaway" (lyrics, theme).
cf. "Go From my Window, Go"
NOTES: [The earliest known version of this was a] fragment found by Burns [and] published in Johnson's "The Scots Musical Museum." - PJS
File: VWL079
===
NAME: One Night As I Lay on the Prairie: see The Cowboy's Dream (File: R185)
===
NAME: One Night Sad and Languid (Dream of Napoleon)
DESCRIPTION: "One night sad and languid I went to my bed... When a vision surprising came into my head... I beheld that rude rock... O'er the grave of the once-famed Napoleon." The singer recalls the deeds of Napoleon and how he was "sold... by treachery."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1847 (Journal of William Histed of the Cortes)
KEYWORDS: Napoleon dream death
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 215-216, "One Night Sad and Languid" (1 text)
Warner 143, "Boney on the Isle of Saint Helena" (one fragmentary text in the notes to the song)
ST SWMS215 (Full)
Roud #1538
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y1:056, "Dream of Napoleon," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
File: SWMS215
===
NAME: One of the Has-Beens
DESCRIPTION: "I'm one of the has-beens, a shearer I mean. I once was a ringer and I used to shear clean... But you may not believe me, for I can't do it now." The shearer recalls the greats he used to shear with, and remains determined to shear as long as he can
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960
KEYWORDS: sheep work age
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 156-157, "One of the Has-Beens" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FaE156 (Full)
RECORDINGS:
John Greenway, "One of the Has-Beens" (on JGreenway01)
File: FaE156
===
NAME: One of Tonight
DESCRIPTION: "One of tonight! We will all pray togeyther Like de one of tonight." "Moan, oh, moan, We will all moan together... Ninety and nine and de ninety-ninth...." "Shout, oh, shout." "Bow... Like de Israelites bow." "Pray... Like de Israelites." "Cry...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 625, "One of Tonight" (1 text)
Roud #11926
File: Br3625
===
NAME: One Penny Portion: see The Constant Lovers [Laws O41] (File: LO41)
===
NAME: One Pound Two
DESCRIPTION: "Now, Maggy dear, it's I do hear you have been on the spree." Johnny asks his wife for an accounting of how she spends his salary of one pound two. She lists it all: meal, potatoes, sugar.... Nothing is wasted or unaccounted. He is satisfied.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1852 (broadside, NLScotland, LC.Fol.187.A.2(052))
KEYWORDS: virtue dialog wife money food
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 20, "One Pound Two" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 20(126), "One Pound Two", J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866 ; also Harding B 16(190a), Firth c.20(127), Firth c.20(128), Firth c.26(129), "One Pound Two"
Murray, Mu23-y1:093, "One Pound Two," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
NLScotland, LC.Fol.187.A.2(052), "One Pound Two," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 1852-1859; also RB.m.169(058) [damaged copy of preceding], L.C.1270(007), "The One Pound Two," unknown, c. 1845
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Contented Wife and Her Satisfied Husband" (broadside NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(138a), "The Contented Wife and her Satisfied Husband" ("Ye married people high and low, come listen to my song, I'll show to you economy and not detain yu long"), Muir (unknown), c. 1850
File: OCon020
===
NAME: One Thing or the Other, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer's mother tells him, at 21, to choose a wife; he's always thinking on "the one thing or the other." He courts a girl and marries her; she gets pregnant. It's twins; he complains of the squalling of the one thing and the other
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1903 (Sharp mss)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer's mother tells him, at 21, to choose a wife; he's always thinking on "the one thing or the other." He courts a girl and marries her; they're happy in their daily occupation "at the one thing or the other." After a year, she gets pregnant. "It's a son", cries the sister; "It's a daughter" cries the mother; singer says it's the one thing or the other. It's twins; he complains of the squalling of the one thing and the other
KEYWORDS: courting marriage pregnancy baby mother wife humorous twins
FOUND_IN: Ireland Britain(England(South)) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Kennedy 209, "The One Thing or the Other" (1 text, 1 tune)
Tunney-StoneFiddle, p. 94, "The Twins" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 312-313, "The One Thing or the Other" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2131
File: K209
===
NAME: One-Eyed Reilly: see O'Reilly's Daughter (File: EM101)
===
NAME: One-Eyed Riley: see O'Reilly's Daughter (File: EM101)
===
NAME: One-Hung Lo
DESCRIPTION: Recitation: Prostitute Hoo Flung Shit is masturbating when One-Hung Lo crawls in and insultingly asks her for sex. She tells him to "go fuck your hat"; he tries to have sex with his hat and mashes it;  he falls on the floor; she urinates down his throat
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1947 (referred to by Jarvis)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Recitation: The prostitute Hoo Flung Shit is masturbating with a candle when the client One-Hung Lo crawls in and insultingly asks her to have sex with him. She tells him to "go fuck your hat"; he bangs his penis on the floor, tries to have sex with his hat and mashes it (the hat or the penis) in the door; finally he falls on his back on the floor, and she urinates down his throat
KEYWORDS: shrewishness sex request rejection bawdy recitation whore
FOUND_IN: US Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Unidentified reciter, "In Crawled One-Hung Lo" (on Unexp1)
NOTES: Whew. That this piece had entered oral tradition (if the phrase is appropriate) is shown by the memoirs of one William E. Jarvis, who recounts that when he served in the US navy at Shanghai, 1947, he had a friendship with a girl named Amy Lo, and his shipmates taunted him by referring to her as "One Hung." - PJS
File: RcOnHunL
===
NAME: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
DESCRIPTION: "One, two, buckle my shoe; Three, four, (open/shut) the door; Five, six, pick up sticks; Seven, eight, lay them straight...." And so forth, to ten or twenty or even beyond; there is naturally increasing variation as the numbers grow larger
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (Wood)
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #615, p. 246, "(One, two, buckly my shoe)"
Roud #11284
File: BGMG615
===
NAME: One, Two, Three
DESCRIPTION: The singer teaches his girl to dance. "'Twas easy just as easy as A B C, She'd done it when I taught her like one two and three." In demand by the ladies at a ball he realizes that "without her for a partner I would never dance again"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (for USBallinsloeFair, according to site irishtune.info, Irish Traditional Music Tune Index: Alan Ng's Tunography, ref. Ng #2608)
KEYWORDS: courting love dancing
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Packy Dolan and The Melody Boys, "One, Two, Three" (on USBallinsloeFair)
File: RcOne23
===
NAME: Only a Brakeman
DESCRIPTION: "Far out in Texas... This boy fell a victim.... Only a brakeman, gone on before, Only a brakeman, we'll never see more." The accident that cost him his life is alluded to; his grieving family is mentioned
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: death railroading train family
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 679, "Only a Brakeman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 445-447, "Only a Brakeman" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 679)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 173-174, "(Only a Brakeman" (excerpts from 7 "Only a Brakeman" songs; the last is this piece)
Roud #4147
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Only a Miner" [Laws G33] (theme, meter, floating lyrics)
NOTES: This song is item dG49 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: R679
===
NAME: Only a Miner (The Hard-Working Miner) [Laws G33]
DESCRIPTION: A miner is trapped under a falling boulder; no one can help him. Most of the world doesn't care; he's "only a miner," though he leaves a wife and children
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (recording, Kentucky Thorobreds)
KEYWORDS: mining family death
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,Ro,So)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Laws G33, "Only a Miner (The Hard-Working Miner)"
Randolph 680, "Only a Miner" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, p. 141, "The Hard-Working Miner" (1 text)
Green-Miner, pp. 63-65, "Only a Miner" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 437-438, "The Hard-Working Miner" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, p. 263, "Poor Miner's Farewell" (1 text)
DT, ONLYMINR (ONLYMNR2?)
Roud #2197
RECORDINGS:
Ted Chestnut, "He's Only a Miner Killed in the Ground" (Gennett 6603/Champion 15587 [as Cal Turner]/Supertone 9180 [as Alvin Bunch], 1928)
Kentucky Thorobreds "Only a Miner" (Paramount 3071, 1928; Broadway 8070 [as Old Smokey Twins], n.d.; rec. 1927)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Only a Brakeman" (theme, meter, floating lyrics)
cf. "Just a Poor Lumberjack" (theme)
NOTES: Greenway credits this to Aunt Molly Jackson. This can hardly be accepted. The version Greenway prints is, however, noticeably different from from the other texts listed; the final verse is unique, and the others show variants. Presumably Jackson touched up the existing song. - RBW
As enumerated by Green, the song was collected many times by the Archive of Folk Song and others, with various informants placing the date they learned the song in the 19th century, the earliest being 1888. - PJS
File: LG33
===
NAME: Only a Soldier: see The Bold Soldier [Laws M27] (File: LM27)
===
NAME: Only Nineteen Years Old
DESCRIPTION: Singer fell in love with, and married, "a virgin only nineteen years old." Next morning she took off her paint, revealed her hump, wig, false leg and fingers. Before marrying, he says, examine your intended: she may be ninety.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1972 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
KEYWORDS: age courting marriage beauty disguise money humorous
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 15, "Only Nineteen Years Old" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4792
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "Only Nineteen Years Old" (on IRTLenihan01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Warranty Deed (The Wealthy Old Maid)" [Laws H24] and references there
NOTES: Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan: "Tom's sister Margaret used to sing this when she was home on holidays from America." - BS 
File: RcOn19YO
===
NAME: Only Remembered
DESCRIPTION: "Up and away like the dews of the morning, Soaring from earth to its home in the sun, Thus would I pass from the earth and its toiling, Only remembered for what I have done." An exhortation to good works, with a promise of reward for those who do them
AUTHOR: Words: Dr. H. Bonar/Music: W. W. Bentley
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 627, "Only Remembered" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, ONLYRMBR*
Roud #7557
NOTES: Although this song has been fairly popular with folk revival singers, it bears noting that it does not conform with the theology of any major branch of Christianity. Catholics and Orthodox believe in the salvific power of the church, as do (for the most part) Anglicans. Lutherans believe in justification by faith alone; the Reformed churches (e.g. Presbyterians) believe in predestination to grace.
Indeed, as it says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you are being saved through faith... not because of works, lest someone should boast...." - RBW
File: R627
===
NAME: Onward Christian Soldiers
DESCRIPTION: "Onward, Christian Soldier, Marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus Going on before." The Christian "army" is urged forward, bypassing temporary earthly structures for the eternal kingdom of God
AUTHOR: Words: Sabine Baring-Gould (1834-1924) / Music: Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1864 (Church Times)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 352, "Onward Christian Soldiers" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 416-417, "Onward, Christian Soldiers"
DT, ONCHRST*
ADDITIONAL: Charles Johnson, One Hundred and One Famous Hymns (Hallberg, 1982), pp. 80-81, "Onward, Christian Soldiers" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Haydn Quartet, "Onward Christian Soldiers" (Victor 521, 1901)
Old Southern Sacred Singers, "Onward Christian Soldiers" (Brunswick 166, 1927)
SAME_TUNE:
Onward, Christian Bedbugs (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 105)
NOTES: Yes, the Sabine Baring-Gould who wrote this is the same fellow as collected English folksongs. And whose descendents are responsible for the Annotated Mother Goose cited frequently in this index. He was ordained in the Church of England in 1864, and produced quite a bit of Christian poetry and analysis, though this hymn is nearly the only part to have achieved any popularity. - RBW
File: FSWB352A
===
NAME: Onward, The
DESCRIPTION: The Onward and her crew from Troon to Larne was bound"; she tries to reach Lamlash for shelter in a storm. "Between Dromore and the Ailsa Craig The Onward she went down... unseen all from the shore; no rescue life could save."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1943 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck sailor
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, p. 90, "The Onward" (1 text)
NOTES: Ranson: "'The Onward' was wrecked off the Ayrshire coast of Scotland in 1881."
Troon is on the Ayrshire coast of Scotland; Larne is across the North Channel on the coast of County Antrim. - BS
File: Ran090
===
NAME: Oor Cat's Deid
DESCRIPTION: "Whirry, whirra, the cat she's deid, And whirry, whirra, there's a sod on her heid, And in a wee hole we'll bury them a', And for wee puss we'll sing for a'."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: lullaby death burial animal
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H40b, p. 17, "A Child's Lullaby" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13025
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lingle Lingle Lang Tang (Our Cat's Dead)"
File: HHH040b
===
NAME: Oor Dochter Jean
DESCRIPTION: "Oor dochter Jean cam hame yestreen, Wi' rosy cheeks an' lauchin' e'en." Asked where she has been, she replies, "Wi' Fermer Joe o Auchinglen." There is a ring on her finger. Fermer Joe arrives to ask her hand; all happily agree
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage farming
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, pp. 49-50, "Oor Dochter Jean" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3789
File: Ord049
===
NAME: Opeongo Line, The
DESCRIPTION: "On the Opeongo Line I drove a span of bays One summer once upon a time For Hoolihan and Hayes. Now that the bays are dead and gone And grim old age is mine... Ay, dreaming, dreaming, I go teaming On the Opeongo Line."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (Fowke)
KEYWORDS: travel logger
FOUND_IN: Canada(Que)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke-Lumbering #65, "The Opeongo Line," (1 fragment)
Roud #4565
File: FowL65
===
NAME: Opossum, The: see Kemo Kimo (File: R282)
===
NAME: Opsang for Jonas Anton Hjelm
DESCRIPTION: Norwegian shanty. "Hurrah for Jonas Aston Hjelm, He was for Norway, helmet and spear, till at last he celebrated peace." Other versions are general sailing rhymes with a choruses of "Sing salio!" or "Sing sailor-O!" or "Singsalli-joh!"
AUTHOR: Henrik Wergelands
EARLIEST_DATE: 1839
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage shanty
FOUND_IN: Norway
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Hugill, pp. 558-559, "Opsang for Jonas Anton Hjelm" (4 texts-Norwegian & English, 1 tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Sing Salio
Siste Reis
NOTES: Jonas Anton Hjelm was a Norwegian laywer who was instrumental in the fight for national control while Norway was under Swedish rule (1814-1905). In particular he argued in 1834 that the Act of Union provided that a Norwegian minister had to be present whenever the Swedish ministers discussed Norwegian affairs. Edvard Greig also wrote a piece called "Sailor's Song - Hurrah For Jonas Anton Hjelm," but the melody bears no resemblance to the tune given in Hugill.
Hugill speculated that Wergelands may have based his poem on an earlier shanty (though the poem predates any available shanty collection). The possible earlier version Hugill gave was spoken from the view of a ship -- "The Resolution was a demon, and the name I got at baptism...." - SL
File: Hugi558
===
NAME: Oran Do Cheap Breatainn (Cape Breton is the Land of My Love)
DESCRIPTION: Gaelic. Now I live in the mountains but I am singing about "the land of the glens": birds, cows, thoughts of winter "the time for weddings and milling frolics" and people I knew in my youth who have died.
AUTHOR: Dan Alex McDonald (per MRHCreighton)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1956 (Creighton-Maritime)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage lyric nonballad
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 184-185, "Oran Do Cheap Breatainn" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
John Ranny McReigen, "Oran Do Cheap Breatainn" (on MRHCreighton)
NOTES: The description is based on the translation of Creighton/MacLeod 17 in _Gaelic Songs in Nova Scotia_. - BS
File: CrMa184
===
NAME: Oran Na Caillich (Our Auld Wife)
DESCRIPTION: Scottish Gaelic. My wife is dour, sour, and the devil's own. I must have been bewitched to be drawn to her. She's so ugly. I have to drink to stand it.
AUTHOR: Allan McDougall [Ailean Dall] (1750-1829)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage drink humorous wife
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 793-794, "Oran Na Caillich" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Peacock notes that this "is called a milling song ... used to accompany the work of shrinking wool homespun. The wet cloth is alternately kneaded and pounded on a large table by several people either seated or standing. A leader sings the verses, and everyone comes in on the chorus." "Milling wool" and "waulking tweed" is the same process.  For a note on the process and the songs see "Waulking" by Craig Cockburn at the Silicon Glen site.
The description is based on a translation by Malcolm MacFarlane available in the hard-cover edition of _The Minstrelsy of the Scottish Highlands_ ed Alfred Moffat (Bayley & Ferguson, London & Glasgow, ca 1908), pp. 76-77. This song is not in the soft-cover edition issued ca. 1960. - BS
File: Pea793
===
NAME: Orange and Blue, The: see Green Grows the Laurel (Green Grow the Lilacs) (File: R061)
===
NAME: Orange Lily-o, The
DESCRIPTION: Did you go to the flower show? The prize is won by the Orange Lily. "The Viceroy there was so debonair ... And Lady Clarke" approached Ireland's Orange Lily.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1912 (OLochlainn)
KEYWORDS: Ireland flowers political
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn 70, "The Orange Lily-o" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3003
NOTES: Georges Denis Zimmermann, _Songs of Irish Rebellion_ , 2nd ed. (2002), p. 303: "The great emblem of the [Orangemen], the Orange lily, is celebrated like the shamrock in nationalist songs. [Fn.45 'The Orange Lily O!' in _The Protestant or True Blue_, pp. 45-46, and in every Orange song book thereafter.]"
What message is hidden here?
OLochlainn: "I heard an older and more pungent ballad but could not find it printed. All I remember is 'D'ye think I would let, a -- Fenian -- Destroy one flower of the Lily O?"
The "Songs Collected by Donagh MacDonagh" site has two versions. The first version is, essentially, the same as OLochlainn 70. A long description of version 2, as far as I can state it is:
At the show Lady Clarke approaches the lily. The viceroy is reluctant to give it the prize. Sir Charley is also unhappy but "horse master Billy" laughs to think his ex should be bothered by the lily. "With moistened eyes" the Viceroy gives the prize to the lily. "Toast the health of Billy" who won "on Boyne's red shore The Royal Orange Lily O!"
Which Viceroy and Lady Clarke? Who are Sir Charley and horse master Billy? And what is the Royal Orange Lily? And do these versions all refer to the same "flower show?"
The following notes, quoted with permission, are from John Moulden, researcher at the "Centre for the Study of Human Settlement and Historical Change" at National University of Ireland, Galway whose subject is "the printed ballad in Ireland":
"I take it that it is a satire concerning the reluctance of one of the Lords Lieutenant of Ireland (aka the Viceroy) to award first prize at a flower show to an Orange Lily. The distaste of the Victorian establishment for the Orange Order was much the same as today.
"The Orange Lily was a symbol of the Royal House of Orange, official or not, but clearly adopted as such in Ireland.
"Specifics are a bit more difficult - the likelihood is that Lady Clarke was Olivia Owenson, sister of Lady Morgan; c. 1785-1845, and that therefore the Viceroy in question was one of: [See Wikipedia for the list of the 16 Viceroys from Philip Yorke, 3rd Earl of Hardwicke: 27 April 1801 to William Court, 1st Baron Heytesbury: 17 July 1844] but obviously after Lady Clarke's marriage and probably after 1819 when she had a very poor play acted in Dublin.
"Horse Master Billy may refer to the equestrian statue of William of Orange which stood in St. Stephen's Green in Dublin until being blown up in the (I THINK) 1830s.
"There is of course a possibility that the song refers to an event other than a flower show, such as a parade of ladies.
"The Chief Secretaries at the same times were: [a list of 22 between 1798 and 1845, including a number of "Sirs" and a number of "Charles"--Charles Abbot 1801-1802, Charles Long 1805-1806 and Charles Grant 1818-1821] but there are no Sir Charleys among them." - BS
File: OLoc070
===
NAME: Orange Yeomanry of '98, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer's father fought with the Orange Yeomanry in 1798. The Orange peasant and artisan imitate "the gallant Orange Yeomanry." The Orangeman "relies upon his Bible and his gun." Preferring peace, the Orangeman would fight if necessary
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1882 (_The History of Orangeism_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: rebellion nonballad patriotic political derivative
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1798 - Irish rebellion against British rule 
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 137, "The Orange Yeomanry of '98" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Memory of the Dead" (lyrics)
NOTES: One verse 
"Who fears to speak of Ninety-Eight?"
This was the silly note
Of one who was afraid to put
His name to what he wrote;
The reference is to John Kells Ingram's "The Memory of the Dead," which begins "Who fears to speak of Ninety-Eight?" The point is that Ingram's song was published anonymously. "The Orange Yeomanry of '98" was also published anonymously before Ingram openly acknowledged authorship of "Memory of the Dead." (source: Moylan) - BS
And, of course, this well sums up the attitude of groups such as the Orange Order, which eventually led to partition -- and the Troubles. - RBW
File: Moyl137
===
NAME: Orangeman's Apology, The
DESCRIPTION: "I am a loyal Orangeman, in this I take delight, Though long before I firmly swore to those who did unite." Green being out of date, the singer calls the Pope a hog and swears what he's told. "For it's my rule, and I'm no fool, who's miller, I'll be dog"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1809 (Cox's _Irish Magazine_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: Ireland humorous nonballad political
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 49, "The Orangeman's Apology for Quitting the Croppies and Turning Loyalist" (1 text)
File: Moyl049
===
NAME: Oranges and Lemons
DESCRIPTION: "Oranges and lemons, Say the bells of St. Clement's. You owe me five farthings.... When will you pay me? Say the bells of Old Bailey...." "I'm sure I don't know, Says the great bell of Bow." A threat (to chop off a head) may follow
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1898 (Gomme)
KEYWORDS: money playparty
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(All)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #640, pp. 253-254, "(Gay go up and gay go down)" (a conflate version probably containing material not relevant to the song)
DT, ORANGLEM
Roud #13190
File: BGMG640
===
NAME: Ordeal of Andrew Rose, The: see Andrew Rose (File: Pea825)
===
NAME: Ore Knob
DESCRIPTION: "Come, blooming youth in the midst of day And see how soon some pass away." Just before their shift ended, two miners, Sherley and Smith, die in a rockfall. The singer quotes the New Testament and says that it is all God's plan
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: mining disaster religious
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownII 211, "The Ore Knob" (1 text)
Roud #6556
NOTES: The editors of the Brown collection are unable to link this to any actual event, though it appears to be based on reality. The song probably would have been more successful if it weren't so sickeningly blatant. - RBW
File: BrII211
===
NAME: Organ Grinder, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer in successive stanzas has sex with his girl friend in various places, each more outlandish than the last.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous sex
FOUND_IN: US(MA,So,SW)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Cray, pp. 341-344, "The Organ Grinder" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, p. 369-370, "My Little Organ Grinder" (1 text, 1 tune); II, pp. 592-594, "My Little Organ Grinder" (2 texts)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Horny Kebri-O"
File: EM341
===
NAME: Orkney New Year's Eve Carol: see Queen Mary's Men (New Year's Eve Carol) (File: MSNR200)
===
NAME: Orkney Style of Courtship, The
DESCRIPTION: Recitation: Speaker says that the Orkney style of courship looks odd from outside, but "let them court the way they choose." Others may sit around to court; he prefers to court by jumping in bed with the girl; it saves time after a long day at work.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Recitation: Speaker says that the Orkney style of courship looks odd from outside, but he says to "let them court the way they choose." He says that those who like to court in an armchair after the old folks have gone to sleep are free to do so, but he himself prefers to remove his boots and coat and jump into bed with the girl. He explains that this saves time after a long day at work.
KEYWORDS: courting sex family nonballad recitation
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Hebr))
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #3087
RECORDINGS:
John Findlater, "The Orkney Style of Courtship" (on FSB2, FSB2CD)
NOTES: And I'm sure it does. - PJS
File: RcTOSOC
===
NAME: Orphan Girl (II), The: see The Orphan (File: Beld278)
===
NAME: Orphan Girl (III), The
DESCRIPTION: The ship Orphan Girl, out of London for Liverpool "with her cargo of cement," is "stranded on a place called Sea-field shore...; four of her crew were saved." A heroic boy is lost, the captain is cowardly, "but we may blame the Coast-guards."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1947 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck sailor
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Oct 22, 1881: "... schooner Orphan Girl ... wrecked at Ballymoney"; the crew were rescued. (source: Bourke in _Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast_ v1, p. 45)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, pp. 64-65, "The Orphan Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Alfred D. Snow" (tune)
NOTES:  Ranson: Tune is "Alfred D. Snow" on p. 116. - BS
File: Ran064
===
NAME: Orphan Girl, The (The Orphan Child)
DESCRIPTION: The orphan girl at the rich man's door cries, "No home." Ragged, hungry, and cold, she begs for help, but the rich man turns her away. In the night she freezes to death, "but her soul has gone to a home above where there's room and bread for the poor"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1906 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: poverty orphan rejection death
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (12 citations)
Belden, pp. 277-278, "The Orphan Girl" (1 text plus an excerpt from another, 1 tune)
Randolph 725, "The Orphan Child" (2 texts, 1 tune)
BrownII 148, "The Orphan Girl" (3 texts plus mention of 11 more)
Chappell-FSRA 117, "The Orphan Girl" (1 text)
Brewster 63, "The Orphan Girl" (3 texts plus an excerpt and mention of 1 more, 1 tune)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 177-178, "Orphan Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, pp. 106-107, "The Little Orphan Girl" (1 text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 364-366, "The Little Orphan Girl" (2 texts; 2 tunes on p. 454)
Sandburg, pp. 316-319, "Mag's Song" (2 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
JHCox 153, "The Orphan Girl" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, p. 368, "The Coal Miner's Child" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 481, "The Orphan Girl" (source notes only)
ST R725 (Partial)
Roud #457
RECORDINGS:
Fiddlin' John Carson, "The Orphan Child" (OKeh 7006, 1924)
Buell Kazee, "The Orphan Girl" (Brunswick 211, 1928; Supertone S-2045, 1930) (Decca W 4083, 1941?)
Len Nash & his Country Boys, "The Orphan Girl" (Brunswick 387, 1929)
Riley Puckett, "The Orphan Girl" (Columbia 15050-D, 1926; rec. 1925)
Ernest Stoneman, "The Orphan Girl" (OKeh 45044, 1926) (Edison 52077, 1927) (CYL: Edison [BA] 5367, 1927)
NOTES: Stephen Foster wrote a piece, "No Home, No Home" (1862), but this song is much more detailed and does not resemble Foster's.
The Darling text, "The Coal Miner's Child," has been localized to mining conditions without in any way distancing it from the other versions of this song. This adapted version, however, bears a special resemblance to "The Miner's Doom" [Laws Q36]. - RBW
File: R725
===
NAME: Orphan Gypsy Girl, The: see The Gypsy Maid (The Gypsy's Wedding Day) [Laws O4] (File: LO04)
===
NAME: Orphan, The
DESCRIPTION: "Will you hear my mournful story? All my friends are dead and gone. Father is no more, nor mother; I'm an orphan left alone." The singer recalls mother's death, and her dying injunction to obey the Bible. She visits the graveyard, and hopes to join mother
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: orphan mother death burial mourning
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Belden, pp. 278-279, "The Orphan" (2 texts)
BrownII 152, "The Orphan" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Fuson, p. 147, "The Orphan Girl" (1 text)
ST Beld278 (Partial)
Roud #4193
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fisherman's Girl" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Orphan Girl
File: Beld278
===
NAME: Orphan's Lament (Two Little Children, Left Jim and I Alone)
DESCRIPTION: "Two little children, a boy and a girl, Sat by the old church door." The ragged, dirty children tell of their poverty: "Papa was lost out on sea long ago... Mama's in heaven, angels took her away." They are too young to work. They die before morning
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1923 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: orphan death
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
BrownII 150, "Two Little Children" (1 text plus mention of 3 more)
DT, ORPHNLAM
Roud #458
RECORDINGS:
Betty Garland, "Two Little Orphans (or Left Jim and I Alone)" (on BGarland01)
Ernest V. Stoneman and the Dixie Mountaineers, "Two Little Orphans -- Our Mama's In Heaven" (Edison 51935, 1927) (CYL: Edison [BA] 5338, 1927); "Two Little Orphans" (OKeh, unissued, 1927); Ernest V. Stoneman and His Blue Ridge Cornshuckers, "The Two Little Orphans" (Victor 21648)
Arthur Tanner, "Two Little Children" (Columbia 15180-D, 1927)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Row Us Over the Tide" (subject)
cf. "I Saw the Pale Moon Shining on Mother's White Tombstone" (subject)
File: BrII150
===
NAME: Ot Azoy Neyt A Shnayder (Weary Days Are a Tailor's)
DESCRIPTION: Yiddish: The immigrant singer tells of the hard work and long hours in a sweatshop: "From dawn till dusk he sews away." "Hunger and pain are all he knows." He thanks the union for better conditions
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1950
KEYWORDS: work hardtimes foreigner labor-movement nonballad foreignlanguage
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scott-BoA, pp. 286-287, "Ot Azoy Neyt A Shnayder (Weary Days Are a Tailor's)" (2 texts (English & Yiddish), 1 tune)
File: SBoA286
===
NAME: Ot Kraya i Do Kraya (From Frontier to Frontier)
DESCRIPTION: Russian: The listeners across the land are called upon to take up rifles to defend their homeland. They are urged to fight "for country and for freedom." They are warned to be ready for danger and sorrow, and are asked to fight to the end.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940s (recording, Paul Robeson)
KEYWORDS: war political nonballad patriotic foreignlanguage
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 22, 1941 - German troops invade the Soviet Union without warning
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scott-BoA, pp. 356-357, "Ot Kraya i Do Kraya (From Frontier to Frontier)" (1 text, 1 tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
From Border To Border
NOTES: When the Germans first invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, Stalin appealed to the people to save the Communist state. As propaganda, it failed miserably.
Eventually the Soviets started appealing to the people to save Holy Mother Russia. Songs like this were emblems of that appeal. Combined with widespread (and true) reports of Nazi atrocities against Slavs (whom Hitler regarded as only marginally human), Stalin eventually built up enough patriotic fervor to allow the nation to survive. - RBW
File: SBoA356
===
NAME: Other Bright Shore, The
DESCRIPTION: "I have a mother gone to glory (or: ...mother over yonder) (x3), On (that) other (bright) shore." Similarly with father, sister, etc. "Some bright day we'll go and meet them...." "Won't that be a happy meeting..." etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious death reunion family
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
BrownIII 539, "John Saw de Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand" (1 text, perhaps not this song but too close to separate (it starts "John saw the Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand" and has the chorus "I can't stay away," but the rest appears to be this); also 576, "Gwine Down Jordan" (1 text, also possibly separate as it has the chorus, "I'me gwine down Jordan, hallelo," but the verses seem to belong here); also 648, "We Have Loved Ones Over Yonder" (1 text, which appears to be exactly this song except that it uses the phrase "over yonders ocean" rather than "on the other bright shore")
Chappell-FSRA 90, "Over Yonders Ocean" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 611, "On That Other Bright Shore" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 47, "I've Got a Mother Gone to Glory" (1 text, 1 tune)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 217-218, "Oh, Brother Will You Meet Me?" (1 text, 1 tune, in which all meet "On Canaan's happy shores.")
Lomax-ABFS, p. 572, "The Other Shore" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chase, p. 170, "Over Yonders Ocean" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4213
RECORDINGS:
Rev. Howard Finster, "Some Have Fathers Over Yonder" (on FolkVisions2)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Hear the Lambs a-Cryin'" (words)
cf. "Departed Loved Ones" (theme)
NOTES: Roud lumps this with "Where Is Old Elijah? (The Hebrew Children, The Promised Land)," which seems a bit strong. But there is no denying that this is a song with a great willingness to transfer verses; it's possible that some of the items listed here actually derived from other songs. - RBW
File: R611
===
NAME: Other Shore, The: see The Other Bright Shore (File: R611)
===
NAME: Other Side of Jordan: see Jordan Is a Hard Road to Travel (II) (File: CSW188)
===
NAME: Other Side of Jordan, The: see Jordan Am a Hard Road to Travel (File: R305)
===
NAME: Otto Wood the Bandit
DESCRIPTION: Otto Wood has a quarrel with and kills a pawnshop clerk. Sheriff arrests him; he's imprisoned. He breaks out but is recaptured (and shot). In another break, he's shot dead. Chorus: "Otto Wood why didn't you run/When the sheriff pulled out that 44 gun?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (recording, Slim Smith)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Otto Wood has a quarrel with a pawnshop clerk and pistol-whips (shoots?) him to death. Sheriff arrests him; he's sentenced to the penitentiary. He breaks out but is recaptured (and shot in the process). In another break, he's shot dead. "He loved the women and he hated the law/Just wouldn't take nobody's jaw." Chorus: "Otto Wood why didn't you run/When the sheriff pulled out that 44 gun?"
KEYWORDS: captivity crime murder law manhunt prison punishment trial escape death police prisoner 
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, OTTOWOOD*
Roud #11543
RECORDINGS:
[Walter "Kid" Smith & the] Carolina Buddies, "Otto Wood the Bandit" (Columbia 15652-D, 1931; on RoughWays2)
Slim Smith [pseud. for Bernard Smith], "Otto Wood the Bandit" (Victor 23526, 1931)
NOTES: Otto Wood was a local boy in the same area of North Carolina as Charlie Poole's band; the song tells his story pretty accurately.
Pity there isn't a keyword "ineptitude." - PJS
File: DTottowo
===
NAME: Ou Som Souroucou
DESCRIPTION: Creole French. "Ou Som Souroucou, qui ca ou gagnien, gagnien pou' bpi' do l'eau?"  Ou Som Souroucou, asked why he drinks so much water, replies that he has eaten corn and has to drink.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (Peterson, "Creole Songs from New Orleans")
KEYWORDS: drink foreignlanguage nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lomax-ABFS, p. 222, " Ou Som Souroucou" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: LxA222
===
NAME: Oughta Come on the River
DESCRIPTION: "Oughta come on the river Long time ago, I don't know partner, Say, you oughta know, You'd catch plenty trouble Everywhere you go." The Captain threatens the members of the gang. The singer dreams of freedom
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1963
KEYWORDS: work chaingang freedom
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Courlander-NFM, p. 103, (no title) (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ain't No More Cane on this Brazos"
NOTES: There are many, many elements of "Ain't No More Cane on this Brazos/Go Down, Old Hannah" in this piece -- but it appears to be different. Assuming Courlander didn't cut something essential, anyway. - RBW
File: CNFM103
===
NAME: Oul Bog Hole, The: see The Ould Bog Hole (File: FVS290)
===
NAME: Oul' Dunloy
DESCRIPTION: The singer reports being sick of the city, and wishes he were back in Dunloy. The city is loud and strange, and the people look unhealthy.  He misses his neighbors, who made life a joy. The corncrake cries, "Come back, come back to Dunloy."
AUTHOR: Andrew Doey
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: homesickness
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H498, pp. 211-212, "Oul' Dunloy" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: HHH498
===
NAME: Oul' Rigadoo, The: see The Little Beggerman (Johnny Dhu) (File: K345)
===
NAME: Ould Bog Hole, The
DESCRIPTION: "O, the pigs are in the mire and the cow is at the grass And a man without a woman is no better than an ass." The singer courts Judy; she calls him a rake; he says he will be reform and hopes for as many children as there are "days in Lent." She consents
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford); broadside Harding B 20(293) appears to be nineteenth century
KEYWORDS: love courting humorous
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 290-292, "The Ould Bog Hole" (1 text)
O'Conor, p. 65, "The Old Bog Hole" (1 text)
Roud #6128
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 20(293), "Old Bog Hole", T. Taylor (London), 1859-1899; also Harding B 26(489), "Ould Bog Hole"; Harding B 17(228b), "Oul' Bog Hole"
Murray, Mu23-y1:013, "The Oul Bog Hole", J Bristow (Glasgow), 19C; also Mu23-y1:036, Mu23-y1:037, "The Oul' Bog Hole," James Lindsay, 19C  [not the same as the preceding]
NLScotland, LC.Fol.187.A.2(067), "The Oul' Bog Hole," unknown, c. 1860
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Old Zip Coon" (tune)
File: FVS290
===
NAME: Ould Ireland, You're My Darlin'
DESCRIPTION: "Ould Ireland, you're my jewel sure." The singer blesses "each manly son... But hang the knave and dastard slave So base as to deny thee." He pledges "a love that ne'er can perish."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1865 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 18(388))
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad patriotic
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 126, "Ould Ireland, You're My Darlin'" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 18(388), "Ould Ireland You're My Darlin'", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864 
NOTES: Broadside Bodleian Harding B 18(388): H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: OCon126
===
NAME: Ould Lammas Fair, The
DESCRIPTION: "At the Ould Lammas Fair in Ballycastle long ago, I met a little colleen who set my heart aglow." He recalls the girl even while looking at the lasses of Flanders. Now he is glad to be at home with her, playing the fiddle and recalling the fair
AUTHOR: John Henry Macaulay
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting fiddle reunion
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H101, pp. 275-276, "The Ould Lammas Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9051
NOTES: The reference to courting Flemish girls could date this to several wars, but the reference to "resting from the war," and the fact that the soldiers spent much time there, clearly implies a World War I date. As one would expect of a song composed during Sam Henry's collecting days. - RBW
File: HHH101
===
NAME: Ould Piper, The
DESCRIPTION: An old Irish piper, who played before Moses, can only play one tune. He dies and goes to Hell The devil puts him in the frying pan; "This is another ould piper I've found/Put him down with the rest for to play." (For a chorus, the singer imitates pipes.)
AUTHOR: Carl Hardebeck
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1912 (OLochlainn-More learned from the author)
KEYWORDS: death music Hell Devil
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 70, "The Piper Who Played Before Moses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3091
RECORDINGS:
Frank McPeake, "The Ould Piper" (on FSB3)
File: RcTOlPi
===
NAME: Ould Plaid Shawl, The
DESCRIPTION: "Not far from old Kinvara in the merry month of May ... came ... a little Irish cailin in an ould plaid shawl" A man "enchanted with her beauty" greets her. She "shyly passed me by" He can't forget her. "I'll seek her all through Galway and ... Clare"
AUTHOR: Francis A. Fahy
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: love separation beauty courting
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 106, "The Ould Plaid Shawl" (1 text)
Roud #6351
NOTES: According to the Princess Grace Irish Library (Monaco) site, an arrangement by W.B. Haynes was published in London in 1896 - BS 
File: GrMa106
===
NAME: Our British Troops: see The Dying British Sergeant (File: Wa010)
===
NAME: Our Captain Calls All Hands (Fighting for Strangers)
DESCRIPTION: "Our Captain called all hands and away tomorrow, Leaving those girls behind." She says "What makes you go abroad fighting for strangers?" Stay here "free from all danger." He leaves. In grief "she fell like one a-dying."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1832 (Journal of the Bengal)
KEYWORDS: grief love request rejection war parting death family lover separation
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(Lond)) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Peacock, pp. 416-417, "All Hands Away Tomorrow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 99-100, "The Captain Calls All Hands" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #602
RECORDINGS:
Pop Maynard, "Our Captain Calls All Hands" (on Voice01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(636), "The Distressed Maid" ("Our captain calls all hands away to morrow"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also 2806 c.18(93)[a few illegible lines], Firth c.12(210), Harding B 25(525), "The Distressed Maid"; Firth c.12(208)[illegible lines], "The Distress'd Maid"
NOTES: This is not "The Bold Privateer." [I agree, and so does Roud, though Huntington implies that they are the same. - RBW]
Vaughan Williams used the tune to set the words of John Bunyan's hymn starting "He who would valiant be 'gainst all disaster" (see Southern Life(UK) Sussex villages site for Monk's Gate). - BS
The title "Fighting for Stranger" is not, to my knowledge, found in tradition, but since that is the title Steeleye Span used, in what is probably the best-known recording, I've listed it here. - RBW
File: Pea416
===
NAME: Our Cherries
DESCRIPTION: An allegory. The fine cherries [of true religion] are guarded from birds and infidels by a finely woven net. Some would propose to loosen the net. The result would be that birds, Methodists, and Baptists would get the fruit -- an unacceptable result
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Eddy)
KEYWORDS: religious political
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Eddy 141, "Our Cherries" (1 text)
ST E141 (Full)
Roud #4449
NOTES: Eddy, following Tolman, regards this as a bit of theological satire. I wonder if it's not a bit more complicated -- "Testy" is presumably the Test Act -- a law passed in Britain in 1673, requiring public officeholders to demonstrate a commitment to Anglicanism. The Act was repealed in 1829. The reference to Methodists implies a date not much before that. Perhaps this piece was involved (as a broadside?) in the efforts to repeal the Acts.
The reference to "Arian's flock" is, I presume, an error, referring to the Arian heresy (which held that God the Son was inferior to God the Father). The founder of this group was, however, Arius, not Arian. - RBW
File: E141
===
NAME: Our Father's Gone to View That Land: see My Father's Gone to View That Land (File: Fus209)
===
NAME: Our Fathers They'll Be There
DESCRIPTION: "Our fathers, our fathers they'll be there, Yes, our fathers they'll be there, When we all meet around God's bright throne. What a meeting, what a meeting that will be... When we all meet...." Similarly with mothers, brothers, sisters
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 627, "Our Fathers They'll Be There" (1 text)
Roud #11928
File: Br3627
===
NAME: Our Fifer Boy: see The Dying Fifer (File: BrII227)
===
NAME: Our Fleet: see The Dying British Sergeant (File: Wa010)
===
NAME: Our Goodman: see Four Nights Drunk [Child 274] (File: C274)
===
NAME: Our Island Home
DESCRIPTION: "Then here's to ... Prince Edward Island, Sweet garden of sunshine, ... our beautiful Isle in the sea." The singer has "roamed far and wide over mountains and prairies" but prefers the people, the land and the beauty of "our Island"
AUTHOR: Father Mathias Smith
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (Dibblee/Dibblee)
KEYWORDS: home lyric nonballad
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 117-118, "Our Island Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12461
File: Dib117
===
NAME: Our Island Is Covered with Fog
DESCRIPTION: Spring. Snow melts. Frantic activities start now "our island is covered with fog": trouting, gunning, chopping; people and animals are rushing around
AUTHOR: Chris Cobb
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: fishing hunting humorous nonballad animal
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 89-90, "Our Island Is Covered with Fog" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Peacock: "The island referred to in the song is Fogo Island off Newfoundland's northeast coast." - BS
File: Pea089
===
NAME: Our Jack's Come Home Today
DESCRIPTION: Jack, (after many years at sea), is coming home (in some versions, "blind drunk"). Everyone rejoices at the sailor's return. His sweetheart, it is reported, "ne'er despaired, Though all hope within her died," but now the two will be married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951
KEYWORDS: sailor separation return reunion marriage
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Doerflinger, pp. 169-170, "Our Jack's Come Home Today" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1983
File: Doe169
===
NAME: Our Lady of Knock
DESCRIPTION: An apparition in the church of Knock in County Mayo: Saint Joseph, Mary, and Saint John appear to a few. Now "hundreds come from far and near Our Lady's help to seek ... deaf and dumb ... born blind" and are cured. The three are asked to intercede
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: healing Bible religious
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug 21, 1879 - "15 people, from the village of Knock, witnessed an apparition of Our Lady, St Joseph and St John the Evangelist at the South gable of Knock Parish Church." (source: Museums of Mayo site, Knock Folk Museum)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
OLochlainn-More 11, "Our Lady of Knock" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 78, "The Lady of Knock" (1 text)
Roud #9759
NOTES: For more information see _The Apparition at Knock 1879_ at Museums of Mayo site, Knock Folk Museum.
Apparently broadside Bodleian, Harding B 26(692), "A new song on the wonderful apparitions, of the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph, and St. John, in Knock Chapel County Mayo" ("Attend you faithful christians give ear to what I say," J.F. Nugent and Co. (Dublin), n.d.) is this song but I could not download and verify it. - BS
File: OLcM011
===
NAME: Our Ship She Is Lying in Harbour
DESCRIPTION: The impressed singer, his ship ready to sail, hopes his girl will be safe. The girl laments the departed youth; the father is glad her is gone. Her love returns after seven years. The father offers her money not to marry him, but they are married anyway
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1847 (Journal of William Histed of the Cortes)
KEYWORDS: sailor love separation pressgang father
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 124-125, "Our Ship She Is Lying in Harbour" ( text)
Roud #1011
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lowlands of Holland" (lyrics)
NOTES: There are several songs on this theme, but this doesn't quite seem to match any of them. Several early verses are found, almost verbatim, near the END of some texts of "The Lowlands of Holland." It's almost as if someone took the end of that song as the starting-off point for this. - RBW
File: SWMS124
===
NAME: Our Street Car
DESCRIPTION: In abysmal verse, the singer points out, "Let moderns preach, 'We need more street' With themes and schemes -- ah! scorner." The singer would rather praise "Our street car! Ours to honor." The singer describes its virtues and mourns its passing
AUTHOR: Lucie Mullan
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: technology nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 248-249, "Our Street Car" (1 text)
NOTES: Thomas implies that the author sang this piece, but I find it hard to believe this mess could fit a regular tune. - RBW
File: ThBa248
===
NAME: Our Wedding Day: see She Moved Through the Fair (Our Wedding Day) (File: K165)
===
NAME: Out In the Moonlight (I Will Love Thee Always)
DESCRIPTION: The young man bids the girl goodbye in the moonlight, promising, "I will love you always... Through life and death I'm faithful to thee." Returning home (a year) later, he finds her married to another. He leaves a note and shoots himself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Rutherford & Burnett)
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage separation betrayal suicide
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 803, "Out in the Moonlight" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #3445
RECORDINGS:
Burnett & Rutherford, "Under the Pale Moonlight" (Challenge 420, 1928; on BurnRuth01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Skon Jungfrun Hon Gangar Sig Till Sogsta Berg (The Pretty Maid Climbs the Highest Mountain)" (plot)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Forsaken Love
NOTES: The Burnett & Rutherford version of this differs so strongly from the versions in Randolph (lacking, e.g., the suicide ending; also, the the girl is not yet married when he returns home) that I was sorely tempted to classify it as a separate song. The essential plot is the same, however, and some of the words, and I know of no other versions of the recorded song. So they stay together. - RBW
File: R803
===
NAME: Out of the Wilderness: see The Old Gray Mare (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull) (File: R271)
===
NAME: Out of the Window: see She Moved Through the Fair (Our Wedding Day) (File: K165)
===
NAME: Out on the Lone Star Cow Trail
DESCRIPTION: Singer, a cowboy, meets a comrade and kills him although "he was dear to me." The judge sends him to prison. He asks listener to tell mother and sweetheart that he's in the "dark city jail";  his sweeheart should bail him out. Chorus: "Hoo-hoo-hooo-oo-oo"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (recording, Dick Devall)
KEYWORDS: captivity violence crime murder prison punishment trial friend lover cowboy judge
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Dick Devall, "Out on the Lone Star Cow Trail" (Timely Tunes [Victor] C-1563, 1931; on MakeMe, WhenIWas1)
NOTES: This should not be confused with "Lone Star Trail." - PJS
File: RcOotLSC
===
NAME: Out on the Silvery Tide: see The Silvery Tide [Laws O37] (File: LO37)
===
NAME: Out to Dark Harbour
DESCRIPTION: "Now boys I'll tell you it's a wonderful time Out to Dark Harbour in the old summer time." The singer picks dulse and sells it at Eastport.
AUTHOR: John Guptill (of Grand Manan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Creighton-SNewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: sea commerce nonballad food
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 117, "Out to Dark Harbour" (1 short text, 1 tune)
ST CrSNB117 (Partial)
Roud #2785
NOTES: Creighton-SNewBrunswick: "Dulse is an edible seaweed that grows in profusion on Grand Manan, and it is of such a high quality that it is shipped to world markets." 
Grand Manan is an island at the southernmost end of New Brunswick, south east of Eastport, Maine. - BS
File: CrSNB117
===
NAME: Outharbour Planter, The
DESCRIPTION: The narrator lights his pipe and extols the virtues of the "outharbour planter." This apparently dead breed of men was not well refined but had many virtues of industry and honesty.
AUTHOR: M. A. Devine
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: recitation virtue
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 136, "The Outharbor Planter" (1 text)
Doyle2, p. 78, "The Outharbour Planter" (1 text)
Roud #6354
NOTES: A typical song about the archetypal hardy Newfoundlander. The dictionary defines a "planter" as a person who settles or colonizes a new area. I believe that this is the closest definition here because the "outharbour" is probably synonymous with "outport" which is a very small settlement far away from cities. They are probably leaders of a kind because there are some references in the song being made to his selling and providing people with food and clothes and using his house as a meeting hall. - SH
File: Doy78
===
NAME: Outlandish Knight, The: see Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight [Child 4] (File: C004)
===
NAME: Outlaw Dunny
DESCRIPTION: The cook's rattling arouses Dunny, and he and the rest of the herd take off. By the time the poet catches them, breakfast is cold. The boss then orders the poet to ride Dunny. He makes the attempt, but naturally is thrown. He quits on the spot
AUTHOR: Jim McElroy
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: horse cowboy recitation work
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 75, "Outlaw Dunny" (1 text)
File: Ohr075
===
NAME: Outlaw Murray, The [Child 305]
DESCRIPTION: The King of Scotland demands that the outlaw pay him homage for his holdings in Ettrick Forest. Murray refuses; he won the land by his own valor. The King calls up his forces to attack Murray. A compromise is reached; Murray becomes sheriff of Ettrick
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1791 (Glenriddell mss.)
KEYWORDS: outlaw royalty bargaining reprieve
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Child 305, "The Outlaw Murray" (3 texts)
OBB 84, "The Outlaw Murray" (1 text)
Roud #3296
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Captain Ward and the Rainbow" [Child 287] (theme)
File: C305
===
NAME: Outlaw of Loch Lene, The
DESCRIPTION: The outlaw lives in the wood. "All the wealth that I sought, one fair kind glance from my love." His lover lives down by the lake. He remembers when his lover swam Loch Lene to find him. He imagines them alone, "far off on the deep"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1888 (Sparling)
KEYWORDS: love nonballad lover outlaw separation
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
OLochlainn-More 55, "The Outlaw of Loch Lene" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 228, 496, "Outlaw of Loch Lene"
NOTES: OLochlainn-More: "One of J.J.[Jeremiah Joseph] Callanan's [1795-1839] best translations of Gaelic songs." - BS
File: OLcM055
===
NAME: Outward and Homeward Bound
DESCRIPTION: Shanty. Verses enumerate the ports to be visited and the girls being left behind. The singer says the purser will supply their needs, and looks forward to returning home after (three) years. Chorus: "We're outward bound, Hurrah, we're outward bound."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1888 (L.A. Smith, _Music of the Waters_)
KEYWORDS: shanty farewell travel
FOUND_IN: Britain US
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Harlow, pp. 136-139, "Outward Bound" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 541-543, "Outward and Homeward Bound" (2 texts, 2 tunes) [AbEd, pp. 387-389]
Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 147-148, "Homeward Bound" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #927
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Get Up, Jack! John, Sit Down!" (lyrics)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Homeward Bound
NOTES: Most if not all versions of this share a verse with "Get Up, Jack! John, Sit Down!Ó; at one time I lumped Shay's version with that song. We've now split them, but it seems clear there is some sort of borrowing going on. Given that "Get Up, Jack! John, Sit Down!" is apparently a composed song, the best bet may be that that is a rewrite of this. - RBW
File: Hugi541
===
NAME: Ouzel, The
DESCRIPTION: Ouzel sails from Dublin for Tripoli. "Somewhere down by Algiers, on the coast of Barbary, The Ringsend sailors fought and failed against black piracy." Years later they escape, take over Ouzel again, and return to Ireland with pirate gold.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1948 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: sea ship captivity slavery pirate escape
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1695 - Ouzel sails from Dublin for Smyrna but is not heard from until she returns five years later (see Notes)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, pp. 113-114, "The Ouzel" (1 text)
NOTES: "The crew said the ship had been captured by Algerian pirates who used it to terrorise the Mediterranean seas, although it was rumored in some quarters that Captain Massey might have been indulging in a spot of piracy himself!! The offic[i]al story went on to relate how the Irish crew, who had been spared, managed to escape from captivity and regained control of the ship and the pirate's booty" (source: site of The Ouzel Galley Society on IrishShips)
Irish Architecture Online site: "Ringsend is named from the Gaelic Roinn Aun, meaning Sea Point. In the 17th century it took over from Dalkey as Dublin's main port." - BS
File: Ran113
===
NAME: Ovaltine: see Uncle Joe and Aunty Mabel (File: EM374)
===
NAME: Over the Garden Wall
DESCRIPTION: The young couple court "over the garden wall": "Over the garden wall, The sweetest girl of all, I'll never forget those eyes of jet, You may bet I'll never forget, Over the garden wall."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c. 1937 (recording, Carter Family)
KEYWORDS: courting
FOUND_IN: US(MW,So) Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 867, "Over the Garden Wall" (1 text)
Roud #3765
RECORDINGS:
Carter Family, "Over the Garden Wall" (Montgomery Ward M-7354. c. 1937)
NOTES: A piece by this name was published by G. Fox-Hunter in 1879. - RBW
File: R867
===
NAME: Over the Hills at the Poorhouse
DESCRIPTION: "Over the hills at the poorhouse In the twilight so dim and so gray, A woman is quiely lying, Breathing her life away." She "blesses" her children while whining that they never listen; when she is buried, the children find excuses not to attend
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: mother death burial hardheartedness children rejection
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, pp. 280-281, "Over the Hills at the Poorhouse" (1 text)
Roud #5496
NOTES: Belden notes that there is a poem by Will Carleton with a similar title and theme, but regards them as separate (the Carleton piece, which is 22 stanzas long, begins "Over the hill to the poor-house I'm trudgin' my weary way -- I, a woman of seventy, and only a trifle gray..."), and also (correctly) treats a piece in Brown and Dean (given here as "Over the Hills to the Poor-House") as separate. One rather hopes so; this strikes me as just another "young folks these days are so..." potboiler. - RBW
File: Beld280
===
NAME: Over the Hills So Far Away
DESCRIPTION: "Possum ran from under the barn, Fiddle bow under his arm, The only tune that be could play Was Over the hills so far away." (x3) "The old cow died in the forks of the branch, Over the hills so far away; Possum had a regular dance, Over the hills...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1913 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: animal music dancing
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 165, "Over the Hills So Far Away" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "O'er the Hills and Far Away (I)" (lyrics)
NOTES: Almost certainly derived as some degree from "O'er the Hills and Far Away (I)," but since the outcome is an animal song, I classify this separately. - RBW
File: Br3165
===
NAME: Over the Hills to the Poor-House
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, yes, it is true they have driven Their father so helpless and old; Oh, God! may their crime be forgiven For driving him out in the cold." The father, "helpless and feeble," recalls his love for wife and children, and sadly sets out for the poorhouse
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Peg Moreland)
KEYWORDS: home betrayal children father poverty age
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownII 171, "Over the Hills to the Poor-House" (1 text)
Roud #5496
RECORDINGS:
Bert Peck, "Over the Hills to the Poor House" (Brunswick 522, c. 1930)
Peg Moreland, "Over the Hills to the Poorhouse" (Victor 21548, 1928)
NOTES: Belden notes that there is a poem by Will Carleton with a similar title and theme, but regards them as separate, and also (correctly) treats this piece as different the Missouri text ("Over the Hills at the Poorhouse") he himself printed. - RBW
File: BrII171
===
NAME: Over the Mountain: see When the Boys Go A-Courting (Over the Mountain, Poll and Sal) (File: SWMS312)
===
NAME: Over the River and Through the Woods
DESCRIPTION: "Over the river and through the woods To Grandmother's house we go." The family travels (by horse) to Grandmother's (for Thanksgiving)
AUTHOR: Words: Lydia Marie Child
EARLIEST_DATE: 1978
KEYWORDS: nonballad food family
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 278, "Over the River and Through the Woods" (1 text,)
NOTES: Obviously primarily a popular song, sustained by recordings and print versions, and with no relevance outside the U.S. But the fact that it has been sung by so many families in cars implies that it is at least a marginal folk song. - RBW
File: PHCFS278
===
NAME: Over the River Charlie: see Weevily Wheat (File: R520)
===
NAME: Over the River to Charlie: see Weevily Wheat (File: R520)
===
NAME: Over the River to Feed My Sheep: see Weevily Wheat (File: R520)
===
NAME: Over the Road I'm Bound: see Down the Road (I) (File: CSW208)
===
NAME: Over the Sea to Skye: see Skye Boat Song (Over the Sea to Skye) (File: Brew79)
===
NAME: Over The Water and Over the Lea: see Weevily Wheat (File: R520)
===
NAME: Over the Water to Charlie
DESCRIPTION: "Come boat me o'er, come row me o'er, Come boat me o'er to Charlie." "We'll o'er the water, we'll o'er the sea, We'll o'er the water to Charlie." The singer tells her love for Charlie, laments his exile, says she would bear her sons again to die for him
AUTHOR: Robert Burns?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1788 (Scots Musical Museum #187)
KEYWORDS: love Jacobites separation exile ship
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1720-1788 - Life of Charles Edward Stuart, "Bonnie Prince Charlie"
1745-1746 - '45 Jacobite rebellion led by Bonnie Prince Charlie
Apr 16, 1746 - Battle of Culloden. The Jacobite rebellion is crushed, most of the Highlanders slain, and Charlie forced to flee for his life.
Jun 28-29, 1746 - Aided by Flora MacDonald, and dressed as her maidservant, Charles flees from North Uist to Skye in the Hebrides.
Sep 20, 1746 - Charles finally escapes to France
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Linscott, pp. 262-263, "Over the Water to Charlie" (1 short text, 1 tune, with one verse of this and two of the "Charlie" verses of "Weevily Wheat")
DT CHARLOVER* CHARLOV2*
Roud #729
NOTES: Roud lumps this (and several other Bonnie Prince Charlie songs) with the "Weevily Wheat" family. Certainly Linscott's version is really just a "Weevily Wheat" variant which has swallowed a fragment of this song. But "Weevily Wheat" is a dancetune that mentions "Charlie" (not necessarily Charles Edward Stuart) incidentally, while this is a sure Jacobite song. As such, I separate them.
Just how much this piece owes to Burns is unknown to me; he surely had a hand in it, but it's interesting to note that there is a verse out there which he did not publish. - RBW
File: Lins262
===
NAME: Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small)
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, the praties they grow small, Over there... Oh the praties they grow small, But we eat them tops and all...." Stories of the Irish potato famine. Localized versions preserve the theme of poverty but apply it to local conditions and places
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1895 ("In Old New England"); tune registered 1844
KEYWORDS: hardtimes farming food poverty
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1847/8 - Greatest of several Irish potato famines
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Hudson 90, pp. 216-217, "Over There" (1 short text, with one humorous and one straight verse)
Scott-BoA, pp. 148-149, "The Praties They Grow Small" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 532-533, "Over There" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 30-31, "Over There" (1 text, 1 tune)
PGalvin, p. 44, "The Famine Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 24, "Over There" (1 text, 1 tune, with ordinary and parody verses)
Silber-FSWB, p. 119, "The Praties" (1 text)
DT, OVRTHERE* PRATSMALL*
Roud #4455
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Emigrant's Farewell to Donegal" (subject: The potato famines)
cf. "Skibereen" (subject: The potato famines)
cf. "The Rotten Potatoes" (subject: The potato famines)
cf. "Did You Ever See the Divil?" (subject: The potato famines)
cf. "In Kansas" (tune & meter, floating lyrics)
cf. "Down on the Pichelo Farm" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: There is no clear dividing line between this and "In Kansas"; there are versions of this piece that are short enough and vile enough to belong with either. But, as often happens, we must classify them separately because the extremes are so distinct.
It is rather shocking to observe that Spaeth (who prints a rather corrupt version and remarks that "[t]he original words are silly enough to suit the most up-to-date interpreter") did not realize that this song connects with the poverty of the potato blight era.
The first of the blights occurred in 1845; the blight continued to strike for the next three years; not until 1849 was there a decent crop, by which time Ireland's population, which exceeded eight million before the blight (twice the current total!), had fallen to about six million; in very round numbers, a million had died and a million had emigrated.
The blight was a fungus, arrived from America, which caused potatoes to wither almost instantly.
To make matters worse, potatoes were the chief crop of Ireland. There were many reasons for this, including the fact that potatoes were easy to grow. But the basic reason was British rules. The Irish had been forced almost entirely onto small holdings, usually of five acres or less (according to Ruth Dudley Edwards, _An Atlas of Irish History_, second edition, p. 182, in 1841, over 80% of Irish farm families had property of 15 acres or less; 45% had five acres or less). Few families could feed themselves on such small fields using other crops. And if they had enough property to improve things, the British landlords took the excess in rent. So the Irish grew potatoes, and when the crop failed, they starved.
It didn't help that Ireland was among the most overpopulated countries in Europe. I read somewhere that there were over 300 people per arable acre *even in the countryside*. I wish I'd noted the source -- but if we divide the number of acres of land currently devoted to agriculture by the 1845 population, we still get about eight people per arable acre. Edwards, p. 179, notes that, in County Mayo in 1841, there were 475 people per square mile, and only 36% of the land was arable, meaning that in that county, there were 1300 people per square mile of arable land! If British pressure forced the Irish into smallholdings, it was overpopulation which made them microscopic.
And the Irish were true peasants -- among the last in western Europe. Where English tenants by now were growing food for market, the Irish were growing for subsistence, paying their rent with labor and eating every morsel they could scrape from the soil. It wasn't even a money economy. (According to Peter and Fiona Somerst Fry, _A History of Ireland_, p. 228, "by the 1840s, [the potato] had become the sole diet for three million....") When the crop failed, they starved. No other outcome was possible. It was a Malthusian result, pure and simple.
The failure of 1845 did not bring utter destruction because the British government of Sir Robert Peel sprang into action to relieve the distress. By 1846, however, Peel's government had fallen, and his successors let the Irish starve. It may have been "laissez faire" (though we note that, while the government idn't send food, it did pass coercive acts to repress riots; as usual "laissez faire" really meant "help the rich and stick the poor"); it may have been deliberate genocide -- whatever it was, it resulted in permanent alienation of the Irish.
It will tell you something about the landlords of the time that Ireland was exporting food all through the blight -- Daniel O'Connell pointed out to the English Parliament that exports of many agricultural commodities from Ireland to Britain actually *increased* in 1845 (see Robert Kee, _The Most Distressful Country_, being volume I of _The Green Flag_, p. 247). Ireland at this time had, in effect, two economies, the Landlord class (not all of them Protestant, though a lot were) and the Tenants (all Catholic). The landlords had not interest in feeding the tenants; that, after all, didn't bring in any cash. - RBW
File: SBoA148
===
NAME: Over Yonder's A Park: see The Corpus Christi Carol (File: L691)
===
NAME: Over Yonders Ocean: see The Other Bright Shore (File: R611)
===
NAME: Overgate, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a lass at the Overgate; she eats as much as an elephant, then invites him to her bed. A policeman pushes him downstairs. He complains that he's lost his valuables; she retorts that she's lost her maidenhead "and that's a damn sight worse."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1954 (recording, Belle Stewart)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a lass at the Overgate (Dundee market) and takes her to a restaurant, where she eats as much as an elephant, then invites him to her house for the night. When he arrives, a policeman gives him a "whirly-jig" and pushes him downstairs. He complains that he's lost his waistcoat, watch and purse; she retorts that she's lost her maidenhead "and that's a damn sight worse." He envisions going home to Auchtermuchty and vows he'll never forget Dundee
KEYWORDS: sex robbery food humorous police warning money drink
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Kennedy 187, "The Overgate" (1 text plus another in the appendix, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 47, "The Overgate" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OVERGATE* OVERGAT2*
Roud #866
RECORDINGS:
Belle Stewart, "The Overgate" (on Voice20)
Belle Stewart & Hamish Henderson, "The Overgate" (on FSB2CD)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Seventeen Come Sunday" (tune, plot), plus all the other "seduced and robbed" songs
cf. "The Shift and the Apron"
NOTES: Kennedy says that this may be based on "As I Roved Out" (his version of "Seventeen Come Sunday"). This is a bit strong; Kennedy has lumped obvious "Seventeen Come Sunday" variants under "The Overgate." But cross-fertilization certainly took place; the two share tunes, choruses, and theme. There are hints of elements from other songs of this type as well. - RBW
Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 20" - 15.1.04: "The song 'A Waukrife Minnie,' which Burns sent to the Scots Musical Museum (1790) would seem to be an antecedent of the song." That may be true of "Seventeen Come Sunday" [Laws O17], but I think that's as close as it comes. - BS
I've lumped two versions together here; in one (Belle Stewart's) the young man is chased out by a policeman, while in the other (Jeannie Robertson's) he hides his money but  awakens in an alley. Still essentially the same story. - PJS
File: K187
===
NAME: Overlanders, The: see Queensland Overlanders (File: FaE164)
===
NAME: Overtures from Richmond
DESCRIPTION: "'Well, Uncle Sam,' says Jefferson D., Lilliburlero, old Uncle Sam, You'll have to join my Confed'racy...." The Confederates make demands for money, recognition, slavery, absolute power, and rewritten histories. Uncle Sam rejects the terms
AUTHOR: Words: Francis J. Child
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: Civilwar political parody nonballad derivative
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 46-47, "Overtures from Richmond" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lilliburlero" (structure, tune)
File: SCW46
===
NAME: Oville
DESCRIPTION: The singer's heart returns constantly to "Altmover's Fairy Glen and the cot where I was born." He recalls all the sights near Oville. Though others would differ, he will prefer visiting the Doo-an Rocks and other sites near home.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H666, p. 170, "Oville" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13485
File: J666
===
NAME: Owen Rooney's Lamentation
DESCRIPTION: Rooney of Innismore, Fermanagh near Lough Erne, joins a fight and stands with the Catholics. Six of the opponents fall. Rooney is taken prisoner, tried and convicted; "my wife and children it grieved ... To see me transported at the age of fifty-three"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1830 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: violence transportation trial death Ireland political lament
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 34, "Owen Rooney's Lamentation" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle That Was Fought in the North" (subject: "party fights")
cf. "The Lamentation of James O'Sullivan" (subject: "party fights")
cf. "The Noble Blue Ribbon Boys" (subject: Ulster quarrels)
NOTES: Zimmermann: "This ballad is probably connected with the 'party fights' in County Fermanagh in July 1829." Zimmermann cites a report describing the "battle of Mackeen," July 13, 1829, following an Orange celebration of the Battle of the Boyne. "Several Orangemen were killed. A Rooney was among the nineteen Catholics deported after the trial." - BS
File: Zimm034
===
NAME: Owen Trainor
DESCRIPTION: Owen Trainor and two friends hire a boat that capsizes in a gale. Trainor dies after telling his friends to tell his sweetheart and comrades his dying thoughts. An Indian in a canoe rescues his friends.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (Dibblee/Dibblee)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck farewell rescue Indians(Am.)
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 65-68, "Owen Trainor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12465
NOTES: Dibblee/Dibblee: "Owen Trainor worked in the Post Office in Charlottetown. The drowning occurred before 1900." - BS
File: Dib065
===
NAME: Owenreagh
DESCRIPTION: The singer, wandering by Owenreagh, recalls all the "comrades long absent from home." He admits that the land is barren and money hard to come by. He wishes them back; he stayed, and the land is beautiful, and money is fleeting. Perhaps they will return
AUTHOR: George Barnett
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration home
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H542, p. 217, "Owenreagh" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: HHH542
===
NAME: Owenreigh's Banks
DESCRIPTION: The singer, bound for America, bids farewell to Glenrannel, his friends, and his sweetheart most of all. His one true fear is leaving her, and having "the ties of love... rend in twain." He bids his friends drink, and promises to remain affectionate
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration farewell
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H100b, p. 193, "Glenrannel's Plains" (1 text); H225, pp. 196-197, "Owenreagh's Banks"
Roud #13550
NOTES: The editors of the Henry collection do not seem to have noticed that these two texts are the same song. But they have the same plot, and very many of the same lyrics; only the place has changed. I chose the "Owenreagh" title because it is the version with a tune. - RBW
File: HHH100b
===
NAME: Ox Driving Song
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of the hardships of ox-driving in the winter -- an occupation he intends to quit. "It would make any tender-hearted person weep To see my oxen pull and slip." "When I get home I'll have my revenge, I'll land my family among my friends."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1953
KEYWORDS: work cowboy animal
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Fife-Cowboy/West 13, "Ox Driving Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 125, "The Ox-Driver" (1 text)
DT, OXDRIVE
Roud #3584
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Ox Driver's Song" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "I Whipped My Horse" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: Perhaps it's hearing the Burl Ives version too many times, but this sounds recently composed to me. - PJS
Every version I've seen seems to go back to the same Lomax field recording. Possibly the informant had worked on it?
Roud for some reason lumps this with Belden's piece "The Waggoners." The only thing they have in common that I can see is that both involve travel. - RBW
File: FCW013
===
NAME: Ox-Driver, The: see Ox Driving Song (File: FCW013)
===
NAME: Ox-Eyed Man, The: see The Hog-Eye Man (I) (File: RL401)
===
NAME: Oxeborough Banks (Maids of Australia)
DESCRIPTION: The singer settles under a tree to watch the girls bathe. One catches his eye -- and he hers. She calls him to rescue her from sinking. (He then "entered the bush of Australia.") Nine months later she bears a son whose dad "nowhere could be found"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (recording, Harry Cox)
KEYWORDS: courting seduction pregnancy abandonment river sex
FOUND_IN: Australia Britain(England(Lond)) Canada(Newf) US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 44-45, "Maids of Australia" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 276-277, "The Gay Maid of Australia" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 183, "The Maid of Australia" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1872
RECORDINGS:
Harry Cox, "The Maid of Australia" (on FSB2, FSB2CD)
Unidentified Mississippi singers "The Fair Maids of Australia" (AFS 15014 A3, 1930s)
NOTES: The Hawkesbury River reaches the sea north of Sydney at Broken Bay, NSW. - PJS
File: FaE044
===
NAME: Oxen Song, The
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you bold ox teamsters, Wherever you may be...." "It's of a bold ox teamster, His name I'll tell to you, His name was Johnny Carpenter, He pulled the oxen through." Despite his prowess, the oxen wear out and the trips go slowly
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Linscott)
KEYWORDS: logger work animal moniker
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Linscott, pp. 263-267, "The Oxen Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, OXENDRV*
Roud #3751
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lumber Camp Song" (theme) and references there
NOTES: Linscott mentions a claim that this was by Larry Gorman -- but, frankly, Gorman's songs tend to be better than this; the song really doesn't go anywhere. - RBW
File: Lins263
===
NAME: Oxford City [Laws P30]
DESCRIPTION: A servant asks a lady to wed; she put him off on the grounds that they are too young. When he sees her dancing with someone else, he poisons her wine. Feeling ill, she asks him to take her home. He reveals that both have drunk poison; they die together
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (JFSS)
KEYWORDS: courting death poison murder wine suicide
FOUND_IN: US(MW,NE) Britain(Scotland,England(All)) Ireland Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Laws P30, "Oxford City"
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 83, "Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 212-213, "Poison in a Glass of Wine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 329, "Poison in a Glass of Wine" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 74, "Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 18, "Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 92-93, "In Oxford City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 54, "The Jealous Lover" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 508, OXFJEAL*
Roud #218
RECORDINGS:
Mary Doran, "Oxford City" (on FSB7)
Louie Fuller, "Young Maria" (on Voice13)
Roscoe Holcomb, "True Love" (on Holcomb-Ward1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Little Glass of Wine" (on NLCR06)
Stanley Brothers, "The Little Glass of Wine" (Rich-R-Tone 423, rec. c. late 1947) (Columbia 20590, 1949) (Rich-R-Tone 1056 [as "Little Glass of Wine"], rec. 1952)
Joseph Taylor, "Worcester City" (on Voice03)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Jealous Lover
File: LP30
===
NAME: Oxford Girl, The: see The Wexford (Oxford, Knoxville, Noel) Girl [Laws P35] (File: LP35)
===
NAME: Oxfordshire Captain, The
DESCRIPTION: 
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: 
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
A Gentleman of Exeter (The Perjured Maid) [Laws P32]
File: LP32
===
NAME: Oyster Girl, The [Laws Q13]
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets an oyster girl and proposes that they take a room at the inn to discuss the sale. When they arrive, she picks his pocket and jumps out the window. He is left with a kettle of oysters and a bill to pay
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904
KEYWORDS: courting robbery trick seduction
FOUND_IN: US(SE) Britain(England(South,North),Scotland(Aber),Wales) Ireland
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws Q13, "The Oyster Girl"
SHenry H725, p. 278, "The Basket of Oysters" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 234, "The Oyster Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 48, "The Oyster Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chappell-FSRA 48, "The Oyster Girl" (1 text)
DT 524, OYSTRGAL*
Roud #875
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Quare Bungo Rye" (mysterious--read female--"box" motif)
File: LQ13
===
NAME: Oyster Shell Bonnets and Chignons (The Dandy Chignon)
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes the "queer fashion" of the (bonnet and) chignon. He tells how all the women are trying them out. Some even buy two; others get them made from odd materials. He clearly thinks the old ways (sunbonnets, etc.) were better
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: hair nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H227, p. 47, "The Dandy Chignon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13359
File: HHH227
===
NAME: P. T. Barnum's Show: see At Barnum's Show (File: R450)
===
NAME: Pace-Egging Song, The
DESCRIPTION: We have come pace-egging; give us eggs and beer and we'll not come till next year. A British tar who served with Nelson has returned to England pace-egging. A lady has run from her country and is here to collect eggs in a basket and drink neat gin.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1893 (Broadwood)
KEYWORDS: Easter drink nonballad religious
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, PACEEGG*
Roud #614
RECORDINGS:
Emma Vickers, "The Pace-Egging Song" (on Voice16)
NOTES: Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 16" - 13.9.02: "Pace-Egging customs were once common throughout north-west England (the word Pace, meaning Peace, may be derived from the French word Pasque, which means Easter) and this song is used as an introduction to an accompanied Mummer's Play." - BS
(Yates's derivation of "pace" is oversimplified. Most agree that "pace" is from Middle English "paschal" -- which does clearly derive from either a late Latin or an early French root. But it's not a word for "peace"; it's derived ultimately from the Greek root underlying "passion." Nonetheless the idea of "peace" may be mixed in somehow. The Latin for peace is "pax," and one of the most familiar of all Latin liturgical phrases is surely "pace [pronounced, in Church Latin, 'pach-ay'] vobiscum," "peace to you." Of course, none of this has anything to do with the actual custom of pace-egging.)
Depending on the version, quite a few characters show up to beg for their eggs and beer, starting with Lord Horatio Nelson himself. For Nelson, see e.g. "Nelson's Victory at Trafalgar (Brave Nelson)" [Laws J17], which in some ways is similar to this in structure. We also meet (Vice Admiral) Lord (Cuthbert) Collingwood, Nelson's second-in-command at Trafalgar, and sundry anonymous sailors who arelisted as serving under Nelson. - RBW
File: RcPaceEg
===
NAME: Pack Up Your Troubles: see Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag (File: SBoA334)
===
NAME: Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag
DESCRIPTION: "Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag And smile, smile, smile! While you've a Lucifer to light your fag, Smile, boys, that's the style; What's the use of worrying, It never was worthwhile; So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag...."
AUTHOR: W: "George Asaf" (George Henry Powell) / Music: Felix Powell
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915
KEYWORDS: nonballad war
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Scott-BoA, p. 334, "Pack Up Your Troubles" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuld-WFM, p. 419, "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag"
File: SBoA334
===
NAME: Package of Old Love Letters, A: see Little Rosewood Casket (File: R763)
===
NAME: Packington's Pound
DESCRIPTION: Dance tune, with no real lyrics of its own, but used as a platform for a great variety of broadsides.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1596 (Barley's "New Book of Tablature")
KEYWORDS: nonballad dancetune
FOUND_IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Chappell/Wooldridge I, pp. 259-260, "Packington's Pound" (1 tune)
SAME_TUNE:
Well worth[y] Predecessors, and Fathers by name/Pitties Lamentation (BBI ZN2781)
Come listen a while and a Story you'll hear/The Murtherer Justly Condemned.. May, 1697 (BBI ZN629)
When England half Ruin'd had cause to be sad/Romes Beargarden (BBI ZN2836)
Poor England thy sorrows this many a year/England's Mercies (BBI ZN2214)
Come, John, sit thee down, I have somewhat to say/An Amorous Dialogue between John and his Mistress (BBI ZN616)
Come young men and listen to what I'le you show/A good wife is a portion every day (BBI ZN710)
All Company-keepers come hear what I say/Two-penny-worth of Wit for a Penny (BBI ZN61)
Come listen a while though the weather be cold/Blanket Fair (BBI ZN636)
I am a young blade that had money good store/The World turn'd up-side down (BBI ZN1231)
All you that have stock, and are mad for a peace/The French Preliminaries (BBI ZN136)
Let England rejoyce with heart and with voice/A New Protestant Ballad.. Reign of King William (BBI ZN1641)
Hold up thy head England, and now shew thy face/Englands Joy in a Lawful Triumph [on proclaiming Charles II King] (BBI ZN1158)
You Sabbath-day Tiplers, pray do not repine/A Caveat for Tiplers (BBI ZN3103)
There was an old Knight liv'd in Sommersetshire/The Bountiful Knight of Sommersetshire (BBI ZN2555)
A chimney-man lately in London did dwell/Chimney-man's Lamentation (BBI ZN486)
This nation long time hath been plagued with old rats/Come Buy a Mouse Trap/ [by Humphrey Crouch] (BBI ZN2582)
A new calculation of late has been given/A New Copy of Verses, of Monsieurs Boating (BBI ZN1875)
By Brittains true Monarchs, Great William and Mary/The Proclamation For a General Fast in the Nation (BBI ZN457)
Ye Sages of London, of states high and low/City Justice (BBI ZN2986)
Your scandalous lies I with patience have read/An Answer to the Packet of Advice (BBI ZN3223)
Good people come hither come listen awhile/The Brickmaker's Lamentation from Newgate (BBI ZN1049)
You free-men, and masters, and 'prentices mourn/London's Lamentation (BBI ZN3245)
Ye Whigs and Dissenters I charge ye, attend/The Whigs Hard Heart for the Cause of the Hard Frost (BBI ZN2987)
This Winter was sharp, it did plainly appear/London's Wonder [frost ending Feb. 4 1685] (BBI ZN2585)
Bold Titus he walkt about Westminster-Hall/Perjury Punished (BBI ZN411)
Come listen ye Whigs, to my pitiful moan/The Salamanca Doctor's Farewell (BBI ZN658)
Let England Rejoyce and all sorrows expell/The Princely Triumph..Birth of the Young Prince of Wales (BBI ZN1639)
The world is orerun with enormous abuse/Fayre Warning (BBI ZN2966)
Though the town does abound so with plots and with shams/The Protestant Cuckold [Ben. Harris and wife Ruth] (BBI ZN2599)
Now let us all true Protestants ever Rejoyce/...Prince of Orange's March (BBI ZN1932)
London now smiles to see Oxford in tears/Oxford in Mourning for the Loss of the Parliament (BBI ZN1703)
The manifold changes that have hap'ned of late/The High Court of Justice [trial of Regicides] (BBI ZN1748)
You Millers, and Taylors, & Weavers each one/The Crafty Maid of the West..Miller.. trapan'd (BBI ZN3071)
As through the City I passed of late/The Sorrowful Complaint of Conscience and Plain-Dealing (BBI ZN314)
The weather is clear, which was late over cast/Holland turn'd to Tinder..Third Great Royal Victory [Naval battle, July 25-6, 1666] (BBI ZN2760)
Let England, and Jreland, and Scotland rejoyce/The Royal Victory [over Dutch fleet, June 2, 3, 1665] (BBI ZN1636)
Lift up thy head England & lay by thy mourning/The Triumph of four Nations;.. [peace of Breda] (BBI ZN1690)
Of all the rich pleasures that ever was seen/Joyfull News to the Nation..[Crowning of] Charles the II. on the 23. of April (BBI ZN2094)
Adiew vain delights, and bewitch us no more/Robbery Rewarded.. Five Notorious High-way-men's Exploits (BBI ZN15)
Come hither good fellows and hear what I say/A Groatsworth of Good Counsel for a Penny, Or The Bad Husbands Repentance (BBI ZN595)
Of late I did walk in a pleasant fair day/The Constant Couple, Or, The Glory of True Love (BBI ZN2110)
The Jenny a small Picaroon in the Park/The City Caper; Or, The Whetstone-Park Privateer (BBI ZN1541)
Forbear your vile plotting/The Plotter Executed (BBI ZN906)
All young men and maidens, come listen a while/The merry Pastime of the Spring (BBI ZN161)
Good people attend now, and I will declare/Mans Amazement..Thomas Cox..  (BBI ZN1045)
When all hearts did yield unto Cupid as King/Pyramus and Thisbie  (BBI ZN2815)
You Bartholomew tapsters I first do advise/A Description of Bartholomew-Fair  (BBI ZN2991)
Come all you brave Sea-men of Courage so free/News from the coast of Spain  (BBI ZN524)
Let all loyal subjects look well to their wits/Treason Rewarded at Tiburn.. executed [24th of January, 1679]  (BBI ZN1619)
Fairest and dearest to thee I am bound/The Dying Lovers Reprieve  (BBI ZN848)
For certain and sure, this Girl will go mad/The Young-Man's Answer to the Politick-Maids Device  (BBI ZN903)
Farewel, worldly pleasures and fading delight/Sir Thomas Armstrong's Farewell [executed June 20, 1684]  (BBI ZN888)
Come, all loyal lovers, so courteous and free/Love and Constancy  (BBI ZN503)
You bonny boon blades that are company keepers/The bad husband's Information of ill Husbandry  (BBI ZN2998)
Good fellows come hither, 'tis to you I speak/The Alewives Invitation to Married-Men, and Batchelors  (BBI ZN1005)
My dearest come hither and listen tome [sic]/The merry Discourse between two Lovers  (BBI ZN1799)
Come all loyal Subjects of every degree/Good News for the Nation..[new parliament]  (BBI ZN506)
Company of Gossips that love strong bub/The Merry Gossips Vindication  (BBI ZN712)
Alas my dear husband, what is your intent/A Looking glass for all Good-fellows; or, The Provident Wives Directions  (BBI ZN45)
Come all loyal subjects I pray you draw near/ Great Britains Joy  (BBI ZN505)
A curse on blind Cupid his name I do hate/A Westminster Wedding, Or, A Whore-master Buried Alive (BBI ZN738)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Digby's Farewell
NOTES: Folklore has it that a fellow named Packington, in the reign of Elizabeth I, bet that he could swim the length of the Thames. But Elizabeth forbade the attempt, and Packington forfeited his pound. I have no way to verify this; I heard it on a classical music station.
This *tune* is almost certainly traditional, though the words have not endured. Included in the Index for the many broadsides set to its melody (see the Same Tune list). - RBW
File: ChWI259
===
NAME: Paddle the Road with Me
DESCRIPTION: A rambler invites a girl to marry him and join him on the road. The girl is not thrilled; winter is coming and her father has another husband in mind. The rambler declares that her fiance is worthless; the two set out happily on their rambles
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911
KEYWORDS: courting rambling marriage
FOUND_IN: US(MA) Britain(Scotland(Aber)) Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Ord, pp. 78-79, "To Pad the Road wi' Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 32, "Paddle the Road with Me"
SHenry H18a, pp. 358-359, "Will Ye Pad the Road wi' Me?"; H 564, pp. 344-345, "The Banks of Mourne Shore" (2 texts, 2 tunes, the second placing more emphasis than usual on the rejection; the girl never agrees to go with the man)
ST Wa032 (Full)
Roud #4599
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Weaver and the Tailor" (tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Pad the Road wi' Me
File: Wa032
===
NAME: Paddle Your Own Canoe
DESCRIPTION: "I've traveled about a bit in my time And of troubles I've seen a few, But I found it better in every clime To paddle my own canoe." The singer advises loving one's neighbor, not being downhearted, and remaining as independent as possible
AUTHOR: H. Clifton
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: nonballad work
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 55, "Paddle Your Own Canoe" (1 text)
Roud #6093
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Captain Bill Ryan Left Terry Behind" (tune)
File: Be3055
===
NAME: Paddy and the Whale
DESCRIPTION: "Paddy O'Brien left Ireland in glee He had a strong notion old England to see." A whale attacks the ship, swallows him, and vomits him six months later. "The next time he wishes old England to see It will be when the railroad runs over the sea"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: travel escape drink England Ireland humorous whale
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 67, "Paddy and the Whale" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PADWHAL*
Roud #6342
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Jack Was Every Inch a Sailor" (theme)
NOTES: Obviously a variant of the Jonah legend, this seems to be found only in Canada. Although no one seems to have traced it, I suspect stage-Irish origin. - RBW
File: GrMa067
===
NAME: Paddy Backwards
DESCRIPTION: Singer rides to market on a cow, which dirties his clothes and shoes. He looks up the magistrate, asking if he knows the place; when he arrives, he sees nothing but a thousand potatoes growing on a pear tree. Chorus: "Sing down, all you paddies, lay down"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1921 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: travel nonsense paradox animal
FOUND_IN: Britain(England) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 110, "Paddy Backwards" (1 text)
Leach-Labrador 110, "Paddy Backwards" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-NovaScotia 82, "Paddy Backwards" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp.140-141, "Paddy Backwards" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 119, "Paddy Backwards" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PADBCKWD*
Roud #1687
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Nottamun Town (Nottingham Fair)" (theme, lyrics)
cf. "The Seven Wonders" (theme)
cf. "The Lofty Giant (Song of Marvels)" (theme)
cf. "Paddy's Ramble to London" (theme and some couplets)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
All You Paddies Lay Down
NOTES: MacColl & Seeger lump this and other "marvels" songs with "Nottamun Town," but as the tunes, structures wonders cited are different I prefer to keep them separate. - PJS
This is another "Oh, dear." Looking at the version in the Digital Tradition, the plot is quite distinct from what is listed here, and it shares lyrics and a metrical pattern with "Nottamun Town" -- so much so that I almost filed *it* with Nottamun Town and called the MacColl/Seeger text a separate piece. Definitely a case of continuous texts, but with divergent extremes. - RBW
Greenleaf/Mansfield says "this is a variant of 'Paddy's Ramble to London' a favorite slip and broadside song of the first half of the nineteenth century."
Leach-Labrador agrees with Greenleaf/Mansfield in that "an English broadside, 'Paddy's Ramble to London,' early nineteenth century, is probably the ancestor of this and of the various songs found in America with titles like 'Nottingham Fair,' 'Nottamun Torn.' It was a popular minstrel song.
If you follow this through the Bodleian archives, be careful not to be misled by broadsides with similar titles like "Paddy's Ramble THROUGH London" or "Paddy's VISIT to London" which are among the many country-bumpkin-comes-to-town-and-reveals-how-foolish-things-are-in-the-city broadsides. Bodleian includes "Paddy's Ramble to London" printed at Seven Dials between 1802 and 1844, shelfmark 2806 c.18(233). You can see a similar text as "Paddy's Ramble"["Says Paddy in Ireland no longer I'll stay"] printed in London between 1802 and 1819, shelfmark Harding B 16(198a).
Here is a Long Description of "Paddy's Ramble to London": 
This is addressed to tars looking for a fight between wars, without swords or guns but arms "to kill all our friends that will do no harm."
Paddy has too much money and so can't pay his debts and decides to go to London, pass for a Lord, with his head under his arm, his wig and broad sword. 
[The third and fourth verse are a clear source for Paddy Backwards]: He leaves Dublin for Manchester "next Michael last" where "My horse standing still throw'd me down in the dirt Daubed my Body and bruised my shirt, I being of good courage I mounted again, My ten toes I tripp'd over the plain, Where my knapsack and all I throw'd to the ground And away then I steer'd to fair London town"
At London "not a soul could I see" because the crowd was so thick so I stood still but my feet were worn and shoes were lame.
I choked on the dust in the day-long rain, had a quart "to drive gladness away" and since I had no money to pay with I took a coach and walked away.
[Lines from the next two verses also survive in Paddy Backwards]:"As I was a going through St. Jame's Park, In the middle of winter when noon it was dark, I met three making of hay in the middle of winter, One Midsummer's Day. To find out the place I was sad at a loss, When shutting my eyes on safe Charing Cross Where the King set on horseback all on the cold stone There was thousands all round him but troth never a one."
I'll play cards at the Ball and court a rich Lady worth nothing. At the marriage drum will ring, bells beat and fiddle sing.
I'll marry a Blackamoor Lady, the "fairest of creatures" and buy her a silver cup of horn.
Since I favor splitting "Paddy's Ramble to London" from "Paddy Backwards" I think it pays to compare the two more precisely. Among the four Newfoundland texts, the version of "Paddy Backwards" that is closest to the "Paddy's Ramble to London" broadside is on the _MacEdward Leach and the Songs of Atlantic Canada_ site. The broadside has 20 couplets and the site has 14. They share five. The five couplets shared are the only ones found in Greenleaf/Mansfield (3 couplets out of 12), Leach text A (4 out of 13 1/2) and Leach text B (3 1/2 out of 8). - BS
File: McCST119
===
NAME: Paddy Carey
DESCRIPTION: Recruiting Sergeant Snapp meets Paddy Carey, a great favorite with the women. He enlists Paddy for a shilling "while Pat was coaxing duck-legged Mary." At that ugly widow Leary gives Paddy money for a ring. He outfits himself as a captain and leaves.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1813 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 17(232a))
KEYWORDS: courting army recruiting money humorous rake
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 20, "Paddy Carey" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(232a), "Paddy Carey" ("'Twas at the town of neat Clogheon"), J. Evans (London), 1780-1812; also 2806 c.15(294), Harding B 11(2906), Harding B 12(71), Harding B 11(2907), Harding B 28(23), Harding B 25(1445), "Paddy Carey"
NOTES: Broadside Bodleian Harding B 17(232a) is used as the basis for the description since O'Conor ends his song before widow Leary comes on the scene. - BS
It should be noted that this song was printed at a time when commission by purchase was still the norm in the British army. - RBW
File: OCon020
===
NAME: Paddy Darry
DESCRIPTION: "Paddy Darry lived in Clary, Had a girl in Biddy Town, Her tongue was slit with the sierel larry, But she sang to Paddy a golden rune. Hey eye for the sierel-larry... Oh what's the use of going fast? He's sure to meet me on the way."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: courting
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, p. 293, "Paddy Darry" (1 text)
Roud #7952
NOTES: This is perhaps the least-documented piece in all of Belden. He didn't take down the date or the tune, it's only a fragment, and neither he nor I knows another version of it. - RBW
File: Beld293
===
NAME: Paddy Doyle (I)
DESCRIPTION: Shanty. Characteristic line: "We'll pay Paddy Doyle for his boots." The boots may be referred to as stolen, or Paddy's boarding house may be described
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909
KEYWORDS: shanty clothes poverty
FOUND_IN: US(MA) Ireland Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Doerflinger, p. 10, "Paddy Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, p. 43, "Paddy Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow, p. 32, "Paddy Doyle and His Boots" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 330-334, "Paddy Doyle's Boots" (3 texts, 3 tunes) [AbEd, pp. 247-249]
Sharp-EFC, XXXVIII, p. 43, "Paddy Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H53c, p. 96, "Paddy Doyle' (1 text, 1 tune, a tiny fragment)
Smith/Hatt, p. 28, "We'll Pay Paddy Doyle For His Boots" (1 fragment)
Bone, p. 47, "Paddy Doyle" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Shay-SeaSongs, p. 31, "Paddy Doyle" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PADDOYLE
ADDITIONAL: Captain John Robinson, "Songs of the Chantey Man," a series published July-August 1917 in the periodical _The Bellman_ (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919). A fragment of "Paddy Doyle" is in Part 4, 8/4/1917.
Roud #4695
RECORDINGS:
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "Paddy Doyle's Boots" (on IRClancyMakem02)
Richard Maitland, "Paddy Doyle" (AFS, 1939; on LC26)
NOTES: According to Doerflinger, Doyle was a boarding master. (A boarding master took in sailors and found them jobs at sea in return for a cut of their pay. In return, he was to provide them with necessary equipment such as boots.) Boarding masters expected to take a large profit, but apparently Doyle was more rapacious than most. - RBW
File: Doe010
===
NAME: Paddy Doyle (II): see Doran's Ass [Laws Q19] (File: LQ19)
===
NAME: Paddy Magee's Dream
DESCRIPTION: An Englishman, Scotchman, and Irishman meet and pool their resources to buy a loaf. The loaf will go to the one who has the grandest dream. The Englishman and Scotchman have grand dreams but the Irishman dreamt he was hungry, woke and ate the loaf.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(2917))
KEYWORDS: wager dream food humorous
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
O'Conor, p. 99, "Paddy Magee's Dream" (1 text)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 72, "Johnny Bull, Irishman, and Scotchman" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST OCon099 (Partial)
Roud #3272
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2917), "Paddy Magee's Dream" , W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also Harding B 11(2918), "Paddy Magee" ("John Bull he was an Englishman, he went on the tramp one day") or "The Three Dreams"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John Bull Lives In England" (theme of national comparison)
File: OCon099
===
NAME: Paddy on the Railway
DESCRIPTION: "Paddy on the railway, Picking up stones; Along came an engine And broke Paddy's bones." "O, said Paddy, That's not fair. O, said the engineman, You shouldna have been there."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (Montgomerie)
KEYWORDS: train injury
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Montgomerie-ScottishNR 151, "(Paddy on the railway)" (1 text)
Roud #13611
File: MSNR151
===
NAME: Paddy on the Turnpike
DESCRIPTION: Floating verses about Paddy's difficulties as he travels: "I'm just Paddy on the turnpike, I'll just be on my way, I'll just paddle down the turnpike To pass the time away." He describes his travels, admits he has no wife, and laments growing old
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: floatingverses rambling age
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 43, "Paddy on the Turnpike" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Not to be confused with the fiddle tune of the same name. Ohrlin's version, as the notes admit, consists mostly of floating verses; I don't know if a coherent version exists. - RBW
File: Ohr043
===
NAME: Paddy Ryan
DESCRIPTION: "Way up in old Calgary over the line There came an old cowboy, his name was Pat Ryan. He looked at the cowboys a-workin' the chutes, 'Boys, watch these spurs on the heels of my boots.'" "Old Thief Duncan looks up and he squalls, 'Watch this boy....'"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964
KEYWORDS: cowboy horse
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1896 - Birth of Pat Ryan
FOUND_IN: Canada
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 34, "Paddy Ryan" (1 fragmentary text, 1 tune)
File: Ohr034
===
NAME: Paddy Sheahan: see Patrick Sheehan [Laws J11] (File: LJ11)
===
NAME: Paddy Stole the Rope: see How Paddy Stole the Rope (File: OCon068)
===
NAME: Paddy West
DESCRIPTION: The singer stops at Paddy West's (boarding)-house. Paddy offers him a (bad) meal and induces him to go to sea. Paddy assures the recruit is qualified by sending him three times "around the horn" of a cow and having him furl the royal of the window blind
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951
KEYWORDS: sailor humorous shanghaiing
FOUND_IN: US(MA) Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Doerflinger, pp. 113-114, "Paddy West" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 335-336, "Paddy West" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 250-251]
DT, PADWEST*
Roud #3092
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Davy Faa (Remember the Barley Straw)" (tune)
cf. "Tramps and Hawkers" (tune)
NOTES: Hugill claimed Paddy West was a real person, living probably on Great Howard Street in Liverpool. But he offers no further details. - RBW
File: Doe113
===
NAME: Paddy Whack
DESCRIPTION: Paddy Whack boasts of his Irish ancestry, his schooling (especially in fisticuffs), and his skill in war
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Eddy)
KEYWORDS: Ireland
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Eddy 153, (first of several "Fragments of Irish Songs")
ST E153A (Full)
Roud #5353
File: E153A
===
NAME: Paddy Works on the Erie: see Paddy Works on the Railway (File: LxU076)
===
NAME: Paddy Works on the Railway
DESCRIPTION: Paddy describes the working conditions on the railway: "In (1841), I put me corderoy britches on... to work upon the (railway)." He recalls the hard work, courting and losing a wife, and the drink he uses to relieve his burdens
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg); there is a clear reference from 1864 in a manuscript from the clipper _Young Australia_
KEYWORDS: railroading work marriage death drink hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (16 citations)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 547-552, "Paddy Works on the Railway" (1 text plus extended excerpts to illustrate variations in the song and a broadside print of "Mick Upon the Railroad," 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 356-357, "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 107-108, "Paddy Works on the Railway" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow pp. 139-141, "Oh, Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 155-156, "Roll the Cotton Down" (1 text, version "E" of "Roll the Cotton Down");  pp. 337-338, "Paddy Works on the Railway," "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" (2 texts, 2 tunes) [AbEd, pp. 252-253]
Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 77-78, "Paddy Works on the Railway" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacColl-Shuttle, pp. 20-21, "Poor Paddy Works on the Railway" (1 conflated text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 76, "Paddy Works On the Erie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 20-22, "Paddy Works on the Erie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-RailFolklr, p. 438, "Paddy Works on the Erie" (1 text, 1 tune)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 43, "Fillimeeooreay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 42-43, "Pat Works on the Railway" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, p. 330, "Pat Works on the Railway" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 101 "Pat Works On The Railway" (1 text)
DT, PADRAIL1*
ADDITIONAL: Captain John Robinson, "Songs of the Chantey Man," a series published July-August 1917 in the periodical _The Bellman_ (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919). "Paddy on the Railway" is in Part 3, 7/28/1917.
Roud #208
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Paddy Works on the Railway" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07b)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bluestone Quarries" (tune & meter)
cf. "The Shaver" (tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The American Railway
NOTES: Greenway prints a three-verse version ending with complaints about the company store. It is not clear whether this is a parody or a natural addition -- or whether the Sandburg/Lomax versions have cleaned this up.
There is a broadside, NLScotland LC.Fol.178.A.2(086), entitled "Paddy on the Railway," beginning "A Paddy once in Greenock town, For Glasgow city he was bound." The chorus is "Engine, boiler, water tight, Driving in with all his might, Upon my soul it was a sight To see the Greenock railway." This may well be related; I wouldn't consider it the same song. Cohen thinks there is "no relation."
Cohen also discusses the origin of this song, observing that it has two basic forms, which might be distinguished by their choruses -- the one more common in old versions being "I'm weary of the railway, Poor Paddy works on the railway"; the other, which is the one they taught us in grade school, is "Fil-i-me-oo-ri-ee-ri-ay" or some such noise.  Cohen hints darkly about the fact that the earliest source of the second tune is a Lomax book, and I can offer no contrary evidence. There is also evidence of mixng of versions; Cohen notes the similarity of these several Lomax verses to the undated broadside "Mick Upon the Railroad."
Shay describes his version as a capstan chantey. The only support for this is the last of his nine verses, in which the singer goes to work for the Black Ball Line in 1849 ("and that's the end of my monkeyshine"). It is clear that the song functioned as a shanty of some sort, though, given the number of sea song collections in which it is found.
- RBW
File: LxU076
===
NAME: Paddy, Get Back
DESCRIPTION: Shanty, with long chorus, "Paddy, get back, Take in the slack, Heave away your capstan," etc. The song details how the poor boy has to go to sea to earn money, then suffers at the hands of weather, mate, and a long voyage
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1898
KEYWORDS: shanty poverty sailor abuse
FOUND_IN: US(MA) Canada(Mar) Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Doerflinger, pp. 54-55, "Paddy, Get Back" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 121-122, "Paddy Get Back" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 321-327, "Paddy Lay Back" (3 texts, 3 tunes with variants) [AbEd, pp. 241-244]
Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 68-70, "Paddy Get Back" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 42-43, "Lay Out, Tack Sheets and Haul" (1 text)
DT, PADLAYBK
Roud #653
RECORDINGS:
George Ling, "On Board the Leicester Castle" (on Voice02)
Richard Maitland, "Paddy, Get Back" (AFS, 1939; on LC26)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Liverpool Song" (form, lyrics)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Mainsail Haul
The Liverpool Song
Valparaiso Round the Horn
File: Doe054
===
NAME: Paddy, Lay Back: see Paddy, Get Back (File: Doe054)
===
NAME: Paddy, the Cockney and the Ass
DESCRIPTION: Pat Molloy meets a cockney and his ass in London. Forced to speak to the ass, Pat puts a pebble in its ear. Enraged, it upsets the cockney's cart. Taken in, Pat says he told the ass that the Irish had rid themselves of the landlords. Charges dismissed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1972 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Pat Molloy from County Clare goes to London and meets a Cockney with a cart and donkey. The Cockney won't let Pat pass until he speaks to the donkey. While speaking he puts a pebble in the ass's ear. The ass, mad, upsets the Cockney's cart. The Cockney has the peelers take Pat in. The magistrate asks Pat what he told the ass to make him mad. He says he told the ass that the Irish had rid themselves of all the landlords. The magistrate laughs and dismisses Pat.
KEYWORDS: England Ireland humorous animal
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 18, "Paddy, the Cockney and the Ass" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3078
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Pat Molloy and the Cockney
Paddy and the Ass
NOTES: Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan: "The slightly 'stagy' language used in the ballad might be an indication -- by no means an infallible one -- that the song originated in America." - BS
File: RcPaCoAs
===
NAME: Paddy's Advice
DESCRIPTION: Paddy is advised "let men of all creeds and professions agree ... How easy old Erin we'd free." If you stand alone, the preachers will fleece you, you must pay landlords just to dig your land. "The system must fall ... if ye stick to each other"
AUTHOR: James Hope (1764-1847) (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1887 (Madden's _Literary Remains of the United Irishmen of 1798_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad political
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 41, "Paddy's Advice" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Moyl041
===
NAME: Paddy's Curiosity Shop
DESCRIPTION: "Did you hear tell of Paddy's Museum?" It is filled with antiquities. Barnum's cannot compare. It has Adam's "mattock and spade," "King David's ould breeches,"... "I'll give you the second edition Some night when you drop in again."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1879 (broadside, LOCSinging sb30404a)
KEYWORDS: humorous talltale Bible
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 145, "Paddy's Curiosity Shop" (1 text)
Roud #15372
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 18(694), "Pat's Curiosity Shop", H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878 [same as LOCSinging sb30404a]
LOCSinging, sb30404a, "Pat's Curiosity Shop", H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878 [same as  Bodleian Harding B 18(694)]
NOTES: Broadsides LOCSinging sb30404a and Bodleian Harding B 18(694): H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: OCon145
===
NAME: Paddy's Green Country: see The Town of Antrim (File: HHH632)
===
NAME: Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of setting sail from (Londonderry), bound for America. He looks long on the beloved Irish coast he is leaving. A hard voyage brings him to America, where he and his friends say farewell. (He hopes to return home and marry his girl)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration parting ship separation
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
SHenry H192, pp. 101-102, "The Shamrock Shore" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ranson, p. 55, "The Shamrock Shore" (1 text)
McBride 62, "The Shamrock Shore" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PADDYGRN* PADDYGR2*
Roud #1419
File: HHH192
===
NAME: Paddy's Land
DESCRIPTION: The singer travels from Ireland to Scotland. He sees and falls in love with a beautiful girl. She asks him if he is Scottish. He tells her no, and asks if she will go to Ireland with him. She apparently refuses, for he returns to Ireland alone
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1932 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting rejection foreigner beauty
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H473, pp. 354-355, "Paddy's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6876
File: HHH473
===
NAME: Paddy's Panacea
DESCRIPTION: Poteen is "the best thing in nature For sinking your sorrows and raising your joys." It cures cramp, colic and spleen, calms a baby when mixed in milk, sooths a mind at school, makes the dumb talk, the lame walk, and helped Brunel dig the Thames tunnel.
AUTHOR: Joseph Lunn (1784-1863) (source: O'Conor)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: drink humorous nonballad technology
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 3, "Paddy's Panacea" (1 text, 1 tune)
OConor, pp. 155-156, "Paddy's Panacea" (1 text)
Roud #3079
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "Paddy's Panacea" (on Voice13) (on IRTLenihan01)
NOTES: Marc Isambard Brunel began construction of the Thames Tunnel in 1825. The tunnel was completed in 1842 and opened in 1843. (source: _Thames Tunnel_ at the Wikipedia site. - BS
File: RcPadPan
===
NAME: Paddy's Pastoral Rhapsody
DESCRIPTION: Pat asks Molly to marry. She says he is too young and too poor. He says "wealth is an invitation The wise should never mintion." Sparrows, bees and roses, he says, get by without wealth. He drinks to her "for when I'm drunk I think I'm rich"
AUTHOR: Samuel Lover (1797-1868)
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1885 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.28(6a/b) view 7 of 8)
KEYWORDS: poverty courting rejection drink
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, p. 38, "Paddy's Pastoral Rhapsody" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.28(6a/b) view 7 of 8, "Paddy's Pastoral Rhapsody", R. March & Co (London), 1877-1884 
NOTES: Broadside Firth b.28(6a/b): "Sung by the Author in his Irish Evenings"; the broadside does not state who that Author might be but the Bartleby Great Books Online site quotes _The Cambridge History of English and American Literature in 18 Volumes (1907-21).Volume XIV. The Victorian Age, Part Two. IX. Anglo-Irish Literature_ to attribute this to Samuel Lover (and quote the verse O'Conor omits, to boot). This broadside has a final verse omitted by O'Conor. The broadside is used for the Description (I guess "the Author" should know). - BS
File: OCon038
===
NAME: Paddy's Ramble to London
DESCRIPTION: Paddy has too much money and so can't pay his debts and goes to London to pass for a Lord. He has strange, often paradoxical adventures. Finally he decides to marry a Blackamoor Lady, the "fairest of creatures" and buy her a silver cup of horn.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.18(233))
KEYWORDS: travel nonsense paradox animal
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.18(233), "Paddy's Ramble to London" ("Come listen awhile you frolicksome tars"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1844
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Paddy Backwards" and references there
cf. "Nottamun Town (Nottingham Fair)" (theme)
cf. "The Seven Wonders" (theme)
cf. "The Lofty Giant (Song of Marvels)" (theme)
NOTES: One verse of Bodleian 2806 c.18(233) is close to Opie-Oxford2 93, "As I was going by Charing Cross" (earliest date in Opie is 1808).
Paddy's Ramble to London: "To find out the place I was sad at a loss, When shutting my eyes on safe Charing Cross. Where the King set on horseback all on the cold stone There was thousands all round him but truth never a one."
Opie-Oxford2 93: "As I was going by Charing Cross, I saw a black man upon a black horse; They told me it was King Charles the First Oh dear, my heart was ready to burst!"
Opie explains that "in 1675 the statue of Charles I, which had originally been erected in King Street (and may today be seen at the top of Whitehall), was re-erected on the site of the old Charing Cross ...."
On the same subject see broadside Bodleian, Antiq. c. E.9(97), "A dialogue between the old black horse at Charing cross, and the new one, with a figure on it in H--er square ," unknown, c.1702 - BS
File: BdBPRtL
===
NAME: Padstow May Day Song
DESCRIPTION: Ritual song, for a hobby-horse, in English or Cornish: "Unite and unite, and let us all unite"..."Rise up, Mrs. __ and gold be your ring/And give to us a cup of ale the merrier we shall sing"..."Where are these young men that now here should dance..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1860 (Baring Gould MS)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Ritual song, accompanying antics of a hobby-horse; sung in English or Cornish: "Unite and unite, and let us all unite"..."Rise up, Mrs. __ and gold be your ring/And give to us a cup of ale the merrier we shall sing"..."Where are these young men that now here should dance?/Some they are in England and some they are in France"..."Now we fare you well and we bid you all good cheer/We'll call no more unto your house before another year"
KEYWORDS: ritual drink foreignlanguage moniker nonballad animal horse
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South,North))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Kennedy 86, "Can Cala Me [May Day Song]" (1 text, 1 tune; the notes give a related text and a version of "The Old May Song")
DT, CORMMAY
Roud #305
RECORDINGS:
Blue Ribbon Hobby Horse Team, "May Day Song" (on FSB9)
People of Padstow, "Padstow May Day Song" (on Lomax41, LomaxCD1741)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Old May Song
Cornish May Carol
NOTES: Kennedy's Cornish words are a revivalist translation from the English. - PJS
File: K086
===
NAME: Page's Train Run So Fast: see Cotton-Eyed Joe (File: LxA262)
===
NAME: Paid O'Donoghue
DESCRIPTION: Anti-rebel forces range through Meath. Young Currogha smith Paid O'Donoghue forges rebel pike-heads. He is betrayed, taken and forced, before execution, to shoe the yeoman captain's horse. He kills the captain with his hammer and escapes on the horse
AUTHOR: Patrick Archer (1861-1919) (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 2000 (Moylan)
KEYWORDS: rebellion betrayal escape death recitation horse
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1798 - Irish rebellion against British rule 
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 59, "Paid O'Donoghue" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Moyl059
===
NAME: Painful Plough, The
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you jolly plowmen, of courage stout and bold... To crown them with contentment, behold the painful plow." The gardener and plowman discuss the antiquity of their profession. The plowman wins the argument because the plow makes all else possible
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: farming worker
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, pp. 222-223, "The Painful Plough" (1 text)
Roud #355
NOTES: One stanza of this song claims that "Adam was a plowman when plowing first begun." This is not scriptural; on the face of it, Adam was a hunter/gatherer. Cain is correctly identified as a farmer (Genesis 4:2).
The exploits of Samson are in Judges 13-16. Solomon's wisdom is mentioned, e.g., in 1 Kings 3:12 (though in fact 1 Kings devotes more space to his folly than his wisdom). David's slaying of "his ten thousands" is mentioned first in 1 Samuel 18:7.
The exploits of Alexander the Great are not mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, though there are several mentions in the Greek Old Testament; in any case, he was well-known to tradition. - RBW
File: Ord222
===
NAME: Pains in My Fingers
DESCRIPTION: "Pains in my fingers, Pains in my toes; I sent for Doctor Brody To know what to do." Cho: "Sick him, Bobby, hoo-hoo, Sick him, Bobby, hoo! Oh, pore Mary Jane, He'll never come here no more." Other verses float
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: doctor injury animal floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 167-168, "Pains In My Fingers" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Raccoon" (floating verses)
File: ScaNF168
===
NAME: Paisley Officer, The (India's Burning Sands) [Laws N2]
DESCRIPTION: Henry, an officer from Paisley, meets and falls in love with Mary. His regiment having been called to India, (they are married and) she dresses as a soldier to accompany him. He is fatally injured; she is killed caring for him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Gardner/Chickering, who also mention a manuscript copy dated 1884); there are sundry 19C broadsides
KEYWORDS: courting marriage cross-dressing soldier death battle India
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW,NE) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES: (10 citations)
Laws N2, "The Paisley Officer (India's Burning Sands)"
Doerflinger, pp. 308-310, "The Paisley Officer" (2 texts, 1 tune)
SHenry H120, pp. 332-333, "Blythe and Bonny Scotland/India's Burning Sands" (1 text, 1 tune, composite)
McBride, pp. 65,75, "The Paisley Officer" (1 text)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 192-193, "The Paisley Officer" (2 texts)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 158-159, "The Paisley Officer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 51, "Bonny Scotland" (2 texts)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 153-157, "The Paisley Officer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 86, "The Village Pride" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
DT 438, PAISLYOF
Roud #550
RECORDINGS:
Sara Cleveland, "In Bonny Scotland" (on SCleveland01)
Warde Ford, "India's Burning Sands" [fragment] (AFS 4199Bx1, 1938; in AMMEM/Cowell)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(234a), "The Paisley Officer," Sanderson (Edinburgh), 1830-1910; also 2806 c.14(124), "The Paisley Officer"
NLScotland, L.C.178.A.2(198), "The Paisley Officer," unknown, c.1840; also L.C.178.A.2(198); RB.m.169(070), "The Paisley Officer"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Fare Thee Well, My Dearest Dear"
cf. "The Fair Town of Greenock" (theme)
cf. "The Lad in the Scotch Brigade (The Banks of the Clyde)" (theme)
NOTES: The description of this song at the Bodleian site associates this with the Sepoy Rebellion (1857-1858) -- but note that the National Library of Scotland broadsides probably predate this. - BS, RBW
File: LN02
===
NAME: Pakenham
DESCRIPTION: "Come, Packingham, and have a cup, Perhaps the last you will ever sup." The singer taunts the British soldiers coming to the battle of New Orleans
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: battle death soldier
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jan 8, 1815 - Battle of New Orleans. Although a peace had already been signed, word had not yet reached Louisiana, which Pakenham sought to invade. Andrew Jackson's backwoodsmen easily repulsed Pakenham's force; the British commander is killed in the battle.
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, pp. 298-299, "The Hunters of Kentucky" (1 text plus 2 fragments, 1 tune, but the "A" fragment and part of "C" is "Pakenham")
Roud #2211
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hunters of Kentucky" [Laws A25] (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Battle of New Orleans" [Laws A7] (subject)
cf. "Molly Put the Kettle On (Polly Put the Kettle On)" (form)
NOTES: Belden observes that the fragment he lists as "A" of "The Hunters of Kentucky," and several lines of the last stanza of his "C" text, do not appear to be part of "The Hunters."  (And I heartily agree, though Roud lumps them.) And they *do* appear to be the same song. Belden therefore speculates that they are fragments of some lost song.
He appears to be right. Indeed, the chorus of the "A" fragment ("Jackson, put the kettle on, Coffee, blow the fire strong, Carroll, hands the cups around, The strangers must have tea") makes it nearly certain that it was built around "Molly Put the Kettle On." Whether it was truly traditional must wait on other information.
Jackson is of course Andrew Jackson, and "Packingham" is Pakenham, the British commander. "Coffee" is not the drink but John Coffee, Jackson's second in command in the Creek War (for background, see "Andrew Jackson's Raid"); Carroll is William Carroll (1788-1844), Jackson's successor in command of the Tennessee militia and later governor of that state. - RBW
File: Beld298
===
NAME: Palace Grand: see Lady Mary (The Sad Song) (File: R698)
===
NAME: Pale Ring, The: see Hind Horn [Child 17] (File: C017)
===
NAME: Pale WIldwood Flower, The: see Wildwood Flower (File: JRSF248)
===
NAME: Palms of Victory (Deliverance Will Come)
DESCRIPTION: "I saw a wayward traveller in tattered garments clad... His back was heavy laden, his strength was almost gone, He shouted as he journeyed, 'Deliverance will come!" Whatever the trouble, the traveller's refrain is the same.
AUTHOR: Rev. John B. Matthias
EARLIEST_DATE: 1836 (original composition)
KEYWORDS: religious
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Randolph 626, "Palms of Victory' (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 437-438, "Palms of Victory" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 626)
Warner 92, "Palms of Victory" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PALMSVIC
Roud #3540
RECORDINGS:
Linzy Hicks, "Palms of Victory" (on USWarnerColl01)
Homer Rodeheaver, "Palms of Victory" (Rainbow 1118, c. 1925)
File: R626
===
NAME: Pandora, The
DESCRIPTION: The Pandora "went down in Youghal Bay." On November 18 she sailed from Nova Scotia and, after seven days of heavy seas, sank after striking a rock. Captain Hardcastle "ordered out the longboat in hopes to reach the land" but many "perished in the deep"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1943 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck sailor
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, p. 11, "The Pandora" (1 text)
NOTES: Youghal Bay is in County Cork. Ranson: "'The Pandora' was a Wexford vessel ... homeward bound with timber."
The only Pandora listed by Bourke is a Wexford brig that sank December 15, 1848 (see Bourke in _Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast_ v1, p. 100)- BS
A more famous _Pandora_, an English warship sent out in late 1790 to search for the mutinous crew of the _Bounty_. On August, 1791 it struck a reef near the ill-fated island of Vanikoro and sank with large loss of life. Clearly not the inspiration of this song, but it might have added to the aura of ill fate about the name _Pandora_. There was also an 18-gun warship _Pandora_, wrecked February 13, 1811 off Jutland. - RBW
File: Ran011
===
NAME: Panic is On, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer says the country is falling apart; no one can get work; landlords are raising rents; women are selling fruit, booze, or "everything they can." I things don't change "there'll be some stealin' done." Cho: "Doggone...I mean the panic is on."
AUTHOR: Probably Hezekiah Jenkins
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (recording, Vic Collins [Hezekiah Jenkins])
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer says the country is falling apart; no one can get work, folks are homeless and walking the streets; landlords are raising rents and evicting those who can't pay; to support their men, women are selling fruit, booze, or "everything they can." Singer has pawned everything but his gun; if things don't change "there'll be some stealin' done." Chorus: "Doggone...I mean the panic is on."
KEYWORDS: poverty crime robbery unemployment hardtimes nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, PANICON
Roud #15867
RECORDINGS:
Vic Collins [pseud. for Hezekiah Jenkins], "The Panic is On" (Columbia 14585-D, 1931)
NOTES: The Great Depression is usually considered to have begun with the crash of the stock market in 1929; however, conditions in rural areas had been depressed for several years before then. - PJS
File: DTpanico
===
NAME: Papa, Papa, Build Me a Boat: see The Sailor Boy (I) [Laws K12] (File: LK12)
===
NAME: Papa's Billy Goat: see Bill Grogan's Goat (File: SRW141)
===
NAME: Papa's Going to Buy Me a Mockingbird: see Hush, Little Baby (File: SBoA164)
===
NAME: Paper of Pins, (The): see The Keys of Canterbury (File: R354)
===
NAME: Papir Iz Doch Vays (Silver Is the Daylight)
DESCRIPTION: Yiddish: Daylight is silver, the sea is blue, and the singer's new love is bright. He hopes she will stay with him forever. None is as fair as she. He is tormented by love; all he wants is to be with her. If he is, any hut is a palace
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1950
KEYWORDS: love courting colors foreignlanguage
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scott-BoA, pp. 292-293, "Papir Iz Doch Vays (Silver Is the Daylight)" (2 texts (1 English, 1 Yiddish), 1 tune)
File: SBoA292
===
NAME: Parcel from a Lady, The (Under Her Apron)
DESCRIPTION: Singer is hailed by a lady who asks him to hold her parcel while she finds her sister. He holds the parcel until his arms grow tired. He sets it down; it emits a squall; he finds a baby. He advises young men never to take a parcel from a lady
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (recorded from Frank Hillier)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer, walking down the strand, is hailed by a lady who asks him to hold her parcel while she goes to find her sister. He agrees, and holds the parcel until his arms grow tired. He then sets it down, and it emits a squall; he opens the parcel, and finds a baby. He advises young men never to take a parcel from a lady, or they might find themselves with an unwanted child
KEYWORDS: request warning abandonment humorous baby 
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 328, "The Parcel from a Lady" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #898
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Basket of Eggs" (plot) and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Rolled in her Apron
She roun't in her apron
NOTES: While the plot is certainly similar to those of "The Basket of Eggs" and "Quare Bungo Rye", this song does not share any lyrics with them (except, of course, for the word "baby"). - PJS
File: K328
===
NAME: Pardon Came Too Late, The
DESCRIPTION: "A fair-haired boy in a foreign land at sunrise was to die." The solder is captured while trying to desert. The pardon does not arrive in time to save him. After his death, his comrades learn that he had been trying to return to his dying mother
AUTHOR: Paul Dresser
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927
KEYWORDS: death execution mother desertion soldier
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 709, "The Pardon Came Too Late" (1 text)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 233-235, "The Pardon Came Too Late" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, pp. 311-312, "The Pardon Came Too Late" (1 text)
ST R709 (Full)
Roud #7375
RECORDINGS:
Vel Veteran [pseud. for either Arthur Fields, Vernon Dalhart or Irving Kaufman] "The Pardon Came Too Late" (Grey Gull 4237, 1928)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(123), "The Pardon Came Too Late," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1880-1900
NOTES: For the story of Paul Dresser, see the notes to "On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away." - RBW
File: R709
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NAME: Parish of Dunboe, The: see The Banished Lover (The Parish of Dunboe) (File: HHH023)
===
NAME: Parish of Dunkeld, The: see O What a Parish (The Parish of Dunkeld) (File: FVS217)
===
NAME: Parsley Vine, The: see The Elfin Knight [Child 2] (File: C002)
===
NAME: Parson and the Clerk, The
DESCRIPTION: Parson preaches against sin; clerk  wants to do it. Parson denounces coveting gold, saying it's his fate to be well-paid. Clerk says, "Give it to me." Parson deplores boys kissing hussies; clerk says "I've done it myself and they're fond of it  too." Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1949 (recorded from Phil Tanner)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Parson preaches against various sins; clerk says he wants to do them. Parson denounces coveting gold, saying it's his fate to be well-paid. Clerk says, "Give it to me." He tells those sinned against to turn the other cheek; clerk says, "I'll break his nose." Parson deplores young boys kissing hussies; clerk says "I've done it myself and they're fond of it  too." Parson preaches temperance; clerk says "I am awfully dry."
KEYWORDS: virtue courting sin drink dialog humorous religious clergy worker
FOUND_IN: Britain(Wales)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 235, "The Parson and the Clerk" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1154
RECORDINGS:
Phil Tanner, "The Parson and the Clerk" (on FSB10)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Soldier and the Sailor" (theme)
cf. "The Mare and the Foal" (theme)
NOTES: Verse 6 of this song runs, "I bid you work and pray, And don't do all your parson does, But do as your parson say." Compare Matthew 23:3 -- "Do and obey what [the scribes and Pharisees] tell you, but not what they do, for they preach but do not practice."
It will presumably be obvious that "clerk" is pronounced "clark." - RBW 
File: K235
===
NAME: Parson Upon Dorothy: see references under "The Knight and the Shepherd's Daughter" [Child 110] (File: C110)
===
NAME: Parting Friends: see Farewell My Friends (Parting Friends; I'm Bound for Canaan) (File: LxA564)
===
NAME: Parting Glass, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer has done some ills and foolish things, but never with ill purpose and only to himself. He misses his girl. He would spend money on good company if he had it. Conclusion: "So fill to me the parting glass, Goodnight and joy be with you all."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1900 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.15(114))
KEYWORDS: drink farewell nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
SHenry H769, p. 65, "The Parting Glass" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 69, "The Parting Glass" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 573-574, "The Parting Glass" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PARTGLAS*
ADDITIONAL: Bell/O Conchubhair, Traditional Songs of the North of Ireland, pp. 82-83, "The Parting Glass" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3004
RECORDINGS:
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "The Parting Glass" (on IRClancyMakem01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.15(114), "The Parting Glass," J.F. Nugent & Co. (Dublin) , 1850-1899; also Harding B 26(498), Harding B 26(499), 2806 c.15(13), Harding B 19(89), "The Parting Glass"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Over the Hills to My Nanny, O" (tune, per broadsides Bodleian 2806 c.15(114), Bodleian 2806 c.15(13), Bodleian Harding B 19(89))
NOTES: This song is lyric enough that it can import elements from almost anywhere; the Sam Henry version, for instance, starts with a verse best known from "The Barnyards o' Delgaty"  ("I can drink and no be drunk..."), and also includes a bit of "My Dearest Dear." I suspect there are versions which elaborate on the girl the singer can't have. - RBW
Description from Peacock's version: She hopes he won't go far away. He intends to leave her "when and where all stormy winds blow."  She dreams he has been "pressed ... gone on board ... to serve his royal majesty." - BS
File: HHH769
===
NAME: Parting Lovers, The: see Farewell, Sweetheart (The Parting Lovers) (File: R756)
===
NAME: Parting of Burns and Highland Mary, The: see Burns and His Highland Mary [Laws O34] (File: LO34)
===
NAME: Parting Words
DESCRIPTION: "When the parting words were spoken And I told him he was free... I am free, oh, free again...." She has seen him with another; accuses him of falsehood, says she will be true; he wipes away a tear, murmuring, "Life is nothing more to me."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: love courting betrayal floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownII 160, "Parting Words" (1 text)
Roud #6576
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Farewell He" (plot)
cf. "Ella Lea" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Thou Hast Learned to Love Another" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Faded Flowers" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: A rather confused piece; the overall plot is very much like "Farewell He," but with the strange report of his despair at the end. Many of the lyrics float; see the cross-references. - RBW
File: BrII160
===
NAME: Partizaner Lid (The Partisan)
DESCRIPTION: Yiddish: The guerrilla is advised to use (her) weapon well. A girl is going on her first raid. She kills an enemy soldier, and his vehicle crashes. She rejoices in her success in "a struggle all must share"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: war battle death rebellion foreignlanguage
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scott-BoA, pp. 360-361, "Partizaner Lid (The Partisan)" (2 texts (1 English, 1 Yiddish), 1 tune)
NOTES: World War II saw more partisan activity than any previous war, mostly because the Nazis so cruelly oppressed their victims. Perhaps the largest guerrilla forces were raised in Poland, where Jews were plentiful and even the Christians were treated as animals.
Toward the end of the war, as the Russians approached Warsaw, the Polish resistance arose and recaptured the city. This was the greatest accomplishment of the partisans in the entire war.
Sadly, at that very moment the Russians stopped their advance. Stalin said his armies needed to regroup. In fact, he was allowing the Nazis the chance to crush the Warsaw uprising so he wouldn't have to do it himself.
The Nazis did their part, then the Russians moved in. Tens of thousands of Poles had died for nothing. - RBW
File: SBoA360
===
NAME: Party in Alpena, The
DESCRIPTION: "Way down near Alpena in a far-distant lad, There's a hard-hearted, hard-spoken band." The men go on a spree. The singer describes the fights they have, the bars they visit, and goes on to describe how much he enjoys -- and has spent on -- whiskey
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Rickaby)
KEYWORDS: drink party fight moniker nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Rickaby 34-II, (second of three "Fragments of Shanty Songs") (1 text)
ST Rick130 (Partial)
Roud #6503
NOTES: Neither Rickaby nor his informant could say anything useful about this song, and neither recognized the place name or had a name for the item. I use the song title above for lack of anything better. - RBW
File: Rick130
===
NAME: Pass Around the Bottle (As We Go Marching Home)
DESCRIPTION: "Pass around the bottle and we'll all take a drink (x2) As we go marching home." "Pull out the stopper and fill it up again." "Hang John Brown on a sour apple tree." "Grasshopper sitting on a sweet potato vine." Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (recording, Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers)
KEYWORDS: drink floatingverses Civilwar execution drink nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 34, "Pass Around the Bottle" (1 text)
Roud #7858
RECORDINGS:
Al Bernard, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Van Dyke 5115, c. 1930)
Georgia Yellow Hammers, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Victor 20550, 1927; Montgomery Ward M-8054, 1939)
Sim Harris, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Oriole 916, 1927)
North Carolina Hawaiians, "Pass Around the Bottle" (OKeh 45405, 1930; rec. 1928)
Ernest Stoneman, "Pass Around the Bottle" (Banner 2157/Domino 3985/Regal 8346/Homestead 16490 [as by Sim Harris], c. 1929/Oriole 916 [as by Harris]/Challenge 665/Conqueror 7064/Conqueror 7755, 1931/Paramount 3021/Broadway 8054, c. 1930; rec. 1927) Pathe 32278/Perfect 12357/Cameo 8217/Romeo 597/Lincoln 2882, 1927); "Hang John Brown" (on Stonemans01); (Edison, unissued, 1927)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Pass Around the Bottle and We'll All Take a Drink" (Columbia 15074-D, 1926)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Marching On" (lyrics)
cf. "John Brown's Body" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES: Since this is almost entirely floating verses, with a floating chorus, it probably is actually a version of something else. But without a tune, we can't really tell what.
Paul Stamler tells me that Gid Tanner recorded this to the tune of "John Brown's Body." However, this does not fit the text printed by Brown (which is only three lines long rather than four). - RBW
File: Br3034
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NAME: Pass the Drunkard By: see Short Life of Trouble (File: RcSLOT)
===
NAME: Pass Under the Rod
DESCRIPTION: The singer variously sees "a young bride in her beauty and pride," a "young mother in tenderness band," and parents falling victim to "idolatrous love," but a Healer came to rescue them, saying "I love thee, I love thee, pass under the rod."
AUTHOR: Mrs. M. S. B. Dana (?)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (Heart Throbs)
KEYWORDS: religious
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 650, "Pass Under the Rod" (2 texts)
Roud #7571
NOTES: As best I can tell, the phrase "pass under the rod" is an allusion to the King James Version text of Ezekiel 20:37, which refers to bringing transgressors back into the covenant. Leviticus 27:32 uses the same phrase (referring to the holy tithes of animals), but this strikes me as even more of a stretch. - RBW
File: R650
===
NAME: Passant par Paris (Passing through Paris)
DESCRIPTION: French capstan song. Singer is passing through Paris, when he's told that someone is courting his girl. He says he doesn't care, anyone can have her, and goes on to list all the other good things that he has/had.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Hayet, _Chansons de bord_)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: French capstan song. Singer is passing through Paris, when he's told that someone is courting his girl. He says he doesn't care, anyone can have her, and goes on to list all the other good things that he has/had. Sung as a typical French call & response form where the first line of a verse is a repeat of the last line of the previous verse, with choruses interspersed. Chorus of this song is "Bon! bon! bon! Le bon vin m'endort, l'amour me reveille / Good! good! good! The good wine makes me sleep, but love wakes me up."
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage shanty love bragging
FOUND_IN: France
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Hugill, pp. 414-416, "Passant par Paris" (2 texts-French & English, 1 tune)
File: Hugi414
===
NAME: Pastoral Elegy
DESCRIPTION: "What sorrowful sounds do I hear Move slowly along in the gale?... Sweet Coroden's notes are all o'er, How lonely he sleeps in the clay." Caroline describes the flowers by his grave and plans to haunt the woods "Since Coroden hears me no more"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1835 (Missouri Harmony)
KEYWORDS: death burial rambling
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
LPound-ABS, 95, pp. 203-204, "Pastoral Elegy" (1 text)
Roud #4662
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Corydon and Phoebe" (theme)
NOTES: This is clearly a folk remnant of the many Corydon-and-Phyllis/Phyllida/Chloris pastoral romances so common in the broadsides. I have not been able to find a broadside source, but this is nearly the only traditional survival of one of these pieces. (I thought the only one until Paul Stamler pointed out "Corydon and Phoebe.")
For which we should all be heartily thankful.
The song does appear, under the "Pastoral Elegy" title, in the 1835 edition of the "Missouri Harmony," and this, or some equivalent version, is probably ancestral to the text Pound collected. - RBW
File: LPnd203
===
NAME: Pastures of Plenty
DESCRIPTION: "It's a mighty hard road that my poor hands has hoed." The singer describes the hard work in the fields and the life of the (migrant) field worker. The singer promises to fight if need be, "'Cause my Pastures of Plenty must always be free."
AUTHOR: Woody Guthrie
EARLIEST_DATE: 1953
KEYWORDS: work farming travel migrant freedom nonballad derivative
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 293-294, "Pastures of Plenty" (1 text)
DT, PASTPLEN
Roud #16377
RECORDINGS:
Woody Guthrie, "Pastures of Plenty" (on AmHist2)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Pretty Polly (II)" (tune)
File: Grnw293
===
NAME: Pat and the Gauger
DESCRIPTION: Paddy lands with a 6-gallon whisky keg. A gauger asks to see his permit. Says Pat, "It's unconvenient to show it." The gauger takes the "smuggled" keg and sweats lugging it toward Customs House. At his own house Pat shows the permit and takes the keg
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Creighton-SNewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: drink humorous trick work
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 78, "Pat and the Gauger" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CrSNB078 (Partial)
Roud #2765
NOTES: I repeat Bob Waltz's comment from "The Gauger": It appears, in this case, that "gauger" is used in its sense of "revenue officer," though the secondary sense of one who is very aware of his own interests also fits. - BS
File: CrSNB078
===
NAME: Pat Brady
DESCRIPTION: Pat Brady's father is taken prisoner and hanged without any crime. Pat vows revenge. He takes part in the rebellion at Gorey, Wicklow, New Ross, and Vinegar Hill, is taken in Rathangan, and condemned to hang for high treason.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 b.10(15))
KEYWORDS: rebellion battle death execution Ireland lament patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1798 - the Irish Rebellion
June 4 - Wexford rebels capture Gorey (which loyalists had abandoned a week earlier)
June 5, 1798 - The Wexford rebels attack the small garrison (about 1400 men, many militia) at New Ross, but are repelled
June 9, 1798 - Battle of Arklow. Father John Murphy tries to fight his way into Wicklow, but fails and suffers heavy casualties
June 21, 1798 - The rebel stronghold a Vinegar Hill is taken, and the Wexford rebellion effectively ended
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
OLochlainn 53A, "The Lamentations of Patrick Brady" or "The Heroes of Ninety-Eight" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 67, "The Lamentation of Patrick Brady" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3071
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.10(15), "Pat Brady" ("Ye true born heroes, I hope you will lend an ear"), W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also 2806 b.10(13), "Pat Brady"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Banishment of Patrick Brady" (theme)
cf. "Boulavogue" (historical setting)
cf. "Father Murphy (I)" (subject of Father Murphy) and references there
File: OLoc053A
===
NAME: Pat Malloy [Laws Q24]
DESCRIPTION: Pat, the singer, reports that his mother (burdened with thirteen children) at last had to send him out to fend for himself. He visits England and America, sending his earnings home. Finally he prepares to return to Ireland and his sweetheart Molly
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1865 (broadside, LOCSinging sb40549a)
KEYWORDS: mother emigration love return Ireland
FOUND_IN: US(SE) Ireland
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws Q24, "Pat Malloy"
O'Conor, p. 116, "Pat Malloy" (1 text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 333-335, "Pat Malloy" (1 text; tue on pp. 447-448)
DT 533, PATMOLOY
Roud #8809
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.9(28), "Pat Molloy," W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also 2806 b.11(24), "Pat Molloy!"; 2806 c.8(191), Johnson Ballads 3061, "Pat Malloy"
LOCSinging, sb40549a, "Pat Malloy," H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Return of Pat Molloy" (character of Pat Malloy/Molloy)
NOTES: Laws calls this "Pat Malloy," which we follow, but the name "Pat Molloy" is at least as common -- and it seems to have been the basis for the (probable) sequel "Return of Pat Molloy." Laws mentions a sequel, "Molly's Welcone to Pat Malloy." I haven't yet found a copy of this, so I don't know if it is the same as the other sequel, "Return of Pat Molloy." - RBW
Broadside LOCSinging sb40549a: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: LQ24
===
NAME: Pat Malone: see The Irish Wake [Laws Q18] (File: LQ18)
===
NAME: Pat Malone Forgot that He Was Dead: see The Irish Wake [Laws Q18] (File: LQ18)
===
NAME: Pat Malony's Family
DESCRIPTION: Mike Malony marries Molly Higgins. "She'd as many relations as fishes in the sea, They ate me out of house and home." The family, including the "seventeen hundred babies... grandmothers and mothers-in-law" are numbered and named.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: marriage humorous food clothes ordeal family moniker
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor  p. 128, "Pat Malony's Family" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Poor Hard-Working Man" (theme)
File: OCon128
===
NAME: Pat Murphy: see I Don't Mind If I Do (File: MA263)
===
NAME: Pat Murphy of the Irish Brigade
DESCRIPTION: "Said Pat to his mother, "It looks strange to see, Brothers fighting in such a queer manner." But Pat joins the Union army. He goes to battle still singing, but is shot and dies "far from the land of shillelagh."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1865 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 31(118))
KEYWORDS: Civilwar death battle foreigner
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-CivWar, p. 22-23, "Pat Murphy of the Irish Brigade" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, SHILLELA
Roud #11630
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 31(118), "Pat Murphy of Meagher's Brigade", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864 
LOCSinging, sb30412b, "Pat Murphy of Meagher's Brigade", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "By the Hush" (subject)
SAME_TUNE:
Think of Your Head in the Morning (per broadsides LOCSinging sb30412b and Bodleian Harding B 31(118))
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Song of the Splintered Shillelagh
NOTES: In at least one sense, this song is quite accurate historically. The Army of the Potomac's famous "Irish Brigade" (63 NY, 69 NY, 88 NY; 28 Mass and 116 PA added later) had the highest casualty rate of any unit in the army in the early years of the war. By Gettysburg, the brigade had only 600 men (out of over 4000 originally enrolled), and the three New York regiments had fewer than a hundred men a piece -- a casualty rate in excess of 90%. - RBW
Broadsides LOCSinging sb30412b and Bodleian Harding B 31(118) are duplicates.
Broadsides LOCSinging sb30412b and Bodleian Harding B 31(118): H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: SCW22
===
NAME: Pat O'Brien [Laws P39]
DESCRIPTION: Pat asks Nancy to meet him. Having decided not to marry her, he stabs her. Her ghost tells her mother of the crime. Her body is found and Pat arrested. The ghost keeps appearing to him, finally inducing him to confess. He is hanged
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1972 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
KEYWORDS: murder ghost execution gallows-confession
FOUND_IN: US(NE) Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws P39, "Pat O'Brien"
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 10, "Pat O'Brien" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 516, PATOBRI
Roud #1919
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter (The Gosport Tragedy; Pretty Polly) [Laws P36A/B]" (theme)
NOTES: "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" is just the first similar ballad that came to mind.  As Munnelly notes, "it is a classic of the type of murder ballads which eminated from the popular broadsheet presses of the 19th century."  Munnelly also remarks on the "popularity of this song in oral tradition."  I don't have a broadside example yet. - BS
File: LP39
===
NAME: Pat O'Donnell
DESCRIPTION: Pat O'Donnell, "a deathly foe to traitors," sails from Ireland for Capetown on the Melrose. The informer James Kerry is also on board. Pat kills Kerry in a gunfight and is convicted of murder, though he claims self defence.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1883 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: emigration murder trial Ireland patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: May 6, 1882 - Chief Secretary Lord Frederick Cavendish and the Under Secretary Thomas Henry Burke are murdered by a group calling themselves "The Invincible Society."
January 1883 - twenty seven men are arrested.
James Carey, one of the leaders in the murders, turns Queen's evidence.
Six men are condemned to death, four are executed (Joseph Brady is hanged May 14, 1883; Daniel Curley is hanged on May 18, 1883), others are "sentenced to penal servitude," and Carey is freed and goes to South Africa.
July 29, 1883 - Patrick O'Donnell kills Carey on board the _Melrose Castle_ sailing from Cape Town to Durban.
Dec 1883 - Patrick O'Donnell is convicted of the murder of James Carey and executed in London (per Leach-Labrador)
(Source for The Phoenix Park murders: primarily Zimmermann, pp. 62, 63, 281-286)
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Leach-Labrador 42, "Pat O'Donnell" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 86, "Patrick O'Donnell" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 44A, "Pat O Donnell" (1 text, 1 tune)
Zimmermann 86, "Patrick O'Donnell" (1 text)
ST LLab042 (Partial)
Roud #2794
RECORDINGS:
Marie Hare, "Patrick O'Donnell" (on MRMHare01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Phoenix Park Tragedy" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders) and references there
NOTES: Zimmermann p. 62: "The Phoenix Park murders and their judicial sequels struck the popular imagination and were a gold-mine for ballad-writers: some thirty songs were issued on this subject, which was the last great cause to be so extensively commented upon in broadside ballads." - BS
File: LLab042
===
NAME: Pat O'Hara
DESCRIPTION: "I am an Irish boy, and my heart is full of joy... I'm the rattling, rowling, teasing Pat O'Hara." The girls are always chasing Pat. He loves Ireland "tho' the times have changed this while in dear ould Erin's isle, And many have had to wander"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1900 (broadside, Bodleian Firth c.16(216))
KEYWORDS: bragging courting Ireland nonballad rake
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, pp. 20-21, "Pat O'Hara" (1 text)
Roud #9697
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.16(216), "Pat O'Hara", T. Pearson (Manchester), 1850-1899; also Firth c.26(194), "Pat O'Hara"
File: OCon020
===
NAME: Pat O'Reilly
DESCRIPTION: Pat O'Reilly intends to go to America, make a fortune, and return to Tyrone. Pat promises to marry Ann McCormick when he returns. She has him arrested and lies at the trial. He is condemned to "die on the gallows tree"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: courting accusation lie death lover trial execution emigration
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Peacock, pp. 159-160, "Pat O'Reilly" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor  p. 35, "Patrick Reilly" (1 text) 
Roud #5494
File: Pea159
===
NAME: Pat of Mullingar
DESCRIPTION: "They may talk of Flying Childers" and other fast horses but none compares to the filly that drags Pat Mulingar's jaunting car. She won cups but "lost an eye at Limerick and an ear at Waterloo... She's gentle as the dove sirs, her speed you can't deny"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1862 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 15(234b))
KEYWORDS: racing horse
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
O'Conor, p. 10, "Pat of Mullingar" (1 text)
OLochlainn 90, "Pat of Mullingar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3067
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 15(234b), "Pat of Mullingar", J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1858-1861; also 2806 c.15(130), Harding B 11(2967), 2806 b.11(121), "Pat of Mullingar"; Harding B 26(503), Harding B 19(91), "Pat of Mullinger"
NOTES: Flying Childers, born in 1714, "is considered the first truly great racehorse in the history of the Thoroughbred." (source: Thoroughbred Heritage site) - BS
File: OCon010
===
NAME: Pat Reilly: see Johnny Gallagher (Pat Reilly) (File: Pea469)
===
NAME: Pat Works on the Railway: see Paddy Works on the Railway (File: LxU076)
===
NAME: Pat's Wedding
DESCRIPTION: "O come in, man, and let's hear your cracks; I heard ye was o'er at the wedding O aye, man, indeed I was that, And I lent them a hand at the bedding." The singer describes Pat, "a comical body"; Rob, "the greedy hash"; etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Gardner/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: wedding food nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 166, "Pat's Wedding" (1 expurgated text)
ST GC166 (Partial)
Roud #3705
NOTES: This may well be a fragment of some sort of song such as "The Blythesome Bridal," about an uproarious wedding. But it appears a bit fragmentary, and the omission of a verse at the end doesn't help. I file it separately until something clearly related shows up, and so does Roud. - RBW
File: GC166
===
NAME: Patie's Waddin': see Patie's Wadding (Petie's Wedding) (File: HHH200)
===
NAME: Patie's Wadding (Petie's Wedding)
DESCRIPTION: Petie comes to Meg to ask if she will marry. She consents but directs him to her father. Petie asks her father, pointing out that he has relatively little. The father consents to the wedding, and to pay for the feast
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1899 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: wedding father food
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H200, pp. 470-471, "Petie Cam' ower the Glen" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5514
NOTES: One has to wonder what is going on beneath the surface here -- the father seems awfully eager to get rid of his daughter.... - RBW
File: HHH200
===
NAME: Patrick O'Donnell: see Pat O'Donnell (File: LLab042)
===
NAME: Patrick O'Neal
DESCRIPTION: Patrick goes to visit a cousin, and -- being mistaken for a sailor in disguise -- is taken by a press gang. Aboard ship, he proves utterly inept and meets many surprises. His ship defeats a Frenchman in battle. With peace, Patrick gets to go home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1829 (Northern Minstrel)
KEYWORDS: ship pressgang sailor humorous escape
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H552, pp. 102-103, "Patrick O'Neal" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST, PATNEAL
Roud #13368
File: HHH552
===
NAME: Patrick Reilly: see Pat O'Reilly (File: Pea159)
===
NAME: Patrick Sheehan [Laws J11]
DESCRIPTION: Patrick and his family are forced from their home by the landlord. His mother dies in the poorhouse. Patrick has little choice but to join the British army. He is blinded at Sevastopol, and ends as a wandering beggar
AUTHOR: Charles Joseph Kickham  ("Darby Ryan, Junior") (1828-1882)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1857 ("First printed in The Kilkenny Journal, 7th October, 1857," according to Zimmermann)

KEYWORDS: war death family father begging injury
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1853-1856 - Crimean War (Britain and France actively at war with Russia 1854-1855)
FOUND_IN: US(MW,NE) Australia Ireland
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Laws J11, "Patrick Sheehan"
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 88-89, "Paddy Sheahan" (1 text, 1 tune)
Zimmermann 63, "Patrick Sheehan" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 39, "Patrick Sheehan" (2 texts, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 72, "Patrick Sheehan" (1 text)
Healy-OISBv2, pp. 115-117, "Patrick Sheehan" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 481, "Patrick Sheehan" (source notes only)
DT 750, PATSHEEN*
ADDITIONAL: H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 214-216, 502, "Patrick Sheehan"
Roud #983
RECORDINGS:
Vincie Boyle, "Patrick Sheehan" (on IRClare01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.11(48), "Patrick Shean" or "The Glen of Aherloe," H. Such (London), 1863-1885; also 2806 b.10(204), Firth c.14(124), "Patrick Shean" or "The Glen of Aherloe"; 2806 c.8(300), "Patrick Sheehan" or "The Glen of Aherlow"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lovely Jamie" (plot)
NOTES: The author attribution to Charles Kickham is from the Bodleian broadsides cited.
Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 8" - 1.3.03, re "The Glen of Atherlow" instrumental: "Text written by Charles Joseph Kickham (1828 - 1882), who based it on a true story of one Patrick Sheehan who was blinded at Sebastopol. Sheehan was later jailed for begging in Grafton Street, Dublin, his British army pension having expired after six months. Kickham's poem was first published in 1857."
Zimmermann: "On 28th September, 1857, _The Freeman's Journal_ published the following information: 'A young man named Patrick Sheehan was brought up in custody of Police-constable Lynam, charged with causing an obstruction to the thoroughfare in Grafton-street. The constable stated that the prisoner was loitering in Grafton-street for the purpose of begging, having a placard on his breast setting forth that he had served in the Crimea in the 55th regiment; that he had lost his sight in the trenches before Sebastopol, and that he was discharged on a pension of six pence per day for nine months; and that this period being now expired, he was now obliged to have recourse to begging to support himself. A Crimean medal was found on his person... The prisoner was committed for seven days for begging.'"
Notes to IRClare01: "The ballad was soon to be heard in the streets all over Ireland, and was thought to have shamed the government into enquiring about the ex-soldier, to whom a life pension of a shilling a day was granted." - BS
Kickham's most important work is generally considered to be the novel _Knocknagow._ His dates seem to have caused some uncertainty; Laws quotes Barry to the effect that he was born in 1826; earlier editions of the Index quoted a birthdate of 1825, on what basis I no longer recall. But the majority of my references give his birth date as 1828.
Kickham had seemed destined for a career as a doctor when a shooting accident left him half-blind, almost deaf, and badly disfigured. He nonetheless became a successful author and poet -- and a vigorous nationalist, strongly attacking the Catholic church for its passivity in the quest for Irish independence.
By 1848, he was involved in nationalist causes. In 1861, he joined the Fenian Brotherhood, which evolved into the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Around 1873, he became president of the IRB's Supreme Council, holding the post until his death and rebuilding it after the debacle of the Fenian Rebellion.
It will be evident that his personal experiences contributed at least somewhat to the content of this song, though Kickham's family was sufficiently well-off that there was never any threat of him being forced from his home.
Healy-OISBv2, pp. 159-160, prints a piece, "The Immortal Kickham Is No More." There is no evidence that it's traditional, but it shows his historical importance. - RBW
File: LJ11
===
NAME: Patrick Spencer: see Sir Patrick Spens [Child 58] (File: C058)
===
NAME: Patriot Mother, The
DESCRIPTION: "'Come tell us the name of the rebelly crew Who lifted the pike on the Curragh with you.'" The captured rebel's mother tells the young man that she would rather see him dead than turn traitor. He holds fast and is hanged
AUTHOR: Mary Eva Kelly (1826-1910) (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1888 (Sparling)
KEYWORDS: prisoner mother children Ireland patriotic execution
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
PGalvin, pp. 85-86, "The Patriot Mother" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 54, "The Patriot Mother" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 393-394, "The Patriot Mother"
NOTES: Sparling, re Eva Mary Kelly (p. 502): "One of the poetesses of the _Nation_." Sparling does not credit her with "The Patriot Mother." - BS
File: PGa085
===
NAME: Patriot Queen, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a beautiful woman who identifies herself as Ireland. "The bigoted tyrant I'll humble" "I have noble fine brave men ... Preparing to fight for my name; I have noble O'Connell my leader, And millions of heroes at home"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: first half 19C (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: beauty Ireland nonballad patriotic
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 26, "The Patriot Queen" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Pretty Maid Milking Her Cow"("Cailin deas cruidhte na mbo") (tune, Zimmermann)
cf. "Erin's Green Shore" [Laws Q27] (theme: beautiful woman to rally Erin)
File: Zimm026
===
NAME: Pattonia, the Pride of the Plains [Laws B12]
DESCRIPTION: Rangers at a frontier post are hard-pressed by Indians. The commander sends the singer to get help. His swift horse Pattonia carries him through to safety, even though an arrow has pinned his foot to the stirrup
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931
KEYWORDS: horse injury Indians(Am.)
FOUND_IN: US(So,SW) Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws B12, "Pattonia, the Pride of the Plains"
Randolph 207, "Pattonia, the Pride of the Plains" (1 text)
Larkin, pp. 116-118, "Plantonio" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 67, "Pattonio" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ohrlin-HBT 23, "Platonia" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 708, PATTONIO
Roud #3236
NOTES: As far as I know, no one knows the source of this ballad, and the author is unknown.
There is, however, a fairly close historical parallel told of none other than Wild Bill Hickok. Bill O'Neal, _Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters_, pp. 135-136 (entry on James Butler Hickok), notes that, in 1868, Hickok was part of a party surrounded by Cheyennes in Colorado. Hickok was chosen to ride forth seeking rescue. He made it through the lines -- in the process suffering a foot wound. - RBW
File: LB12
===
NAME: Paul Bunyan
DESCRIPTION: Recitation. Singer works Paul Bunyan's camp, where everything is done on a grand scale (e.g. the pancakes are turned with a sidehill plow). Bunyan, needing a river to run his logs, has his huge ox plow the Big Manistee. Bunyan retires when the ox dies.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
KEYWORDS: lumbering humorous recitation talltale logger
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 96, "Paul Bunyan" (1 text)
Roud #8874
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Round River Drive" (subject)
cf. "Paul Bunyan's Big Ox" (subject)
NOTES: Paul Bunyan is sometimes derided as a phony folk-hero, and he's certainly been heavily commercialized, but Beck makes clear that these were genuine folk tales.- PJS
On the other hand, Norman K. Risjord, in _A Popular History of Minnesota_, p. 143, reports that "Paul Bunyan was popularized by a Detroit, Michigan, journalist, James McGillivray, who wrote a story for the Detroit _News-Tribune_ on July 24, 1910 about a heroic lumberjack of immense size and strength." A Minnesota lumber company picked up the theme four years later.
But Agnes M. Larson, in surveying lumbermen for a history of white pine logging published in the 1940s, found that none of them knew about Paul. He is certainly a folklore figure in Minnesota -- you can hear screams all the way to Saint Paul any time anyone messes with a Paul Bunyan monument -- but he seems to be an artificial one. - RBW
File: Be096
===
NAME: Paul Bunyan's Big Ox
DESCRIPTION: Recitation aboutPaul Bunyan's giant blue ox ("...every day for dinner/He would eat a ton of hay"; "This big blue ox weighed fourteen tons/And every time he'd bawl/The earth would shake... timber it would fall." The ox dies by breaking its neck
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
KEYWORDS: recitation talltale animal death
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 97, "Paul Bunyan's Big Ox" (1 text)
Roud #4069
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Round River Drive" (subject)
cf. "Paul Bunyan" (subject)
cf. "The Derby Ram" (theme)
NOTES: Paul Bunyan is sometimes derided as a phony folk-hero, and he's certainly been heavily commercialized, but Beck makes clear that these were genuine folk tales.- PJS
On the other hand, Norman K. Risjord, in _A Popular History of Minnesota_, p. 143, reports that "Paul Bunyan was popularized by a Detroit, Michigan, journalist, James McGillivray, who wrote a story for the Detroit _News-Tribune_ on July 24, 1910 about a heroic lumberjack of immense size and strength." A Minnesota lumber company picked up the theme four years later.
But Agnes M. Larson, in surveying lumbermen for a history of white pine logging published in the 1940s, found that none of them knew about Paul. He is certainly a folklore figure in Minnesota -- you can hear screams all the way to Saint Paul any time anyone messes with a Paul Bunyan monument -- but he seems to be an artificial one.
This recitation is item dC48 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: Be097
===
NAME: Paul Jones: see Paul Jones's Victory [Laws A4] (File: LA04)
===
NAME: Paul Jones the Pirate: see Paul Jones's Victory [Laws A4] (File: LA04)
===
NAME: Paul Jones, the Privateer [Laws A3]
DESCRIPTION: John Paul Jones's American ship outruns a British man-of-war. Most of the ballad is devoted to describing the way the ship sails.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909
KEYWORDS: sea navy ship
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1777 - The "Ranger" is commissioned
1778 - The "Ranger" outruns the British ship
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW,NE), Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES: (10 citations)
Laws A3, "Paul Jones, the Privateer"
Doerflinger, pp. 131-133, "The Stately Southerner" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 126-127, "The Stately Southerner" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow, pp. 177-184, "The Yankee Man-Of-War" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 267-268, "The Stately Southerner" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Rickaby 44, "Paul Jones, the Privateer" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Ranson, pp. 82-85, "Paul Jones" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 153-157, "The Yankee Man-of-War" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 157-158, "The Stately Southerner" (1 text)
DT 360, STATESTH
Roud #625
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Paul Jones's Victory" [Laws A4] (subject of John Paul Jones)
cf. "The Yankee Man-of-War (III)" (subject of John Paul Jones)
NOTES: Although much is made of Jones's escape in this song, it really was not exceptional. The _Ranger_ was a small commerce-raider, designed to be fast (and, according to Fletcher Pratt, _The Compact History of the United States Navy_, was also quite new, which would also tend to make her faster); heavy men-of-war were much slower, as they had to carry much more weight.
According to John Fitzhugh Millar and Gregory Irons (illustrtor), _Ships of the American Revolution_ (Bellerophon, 1988), entry on the _Ranger_, the ship was an 18-gun corvette built at Portsmouth in 1777 and named after "the skillful riflemen who had played a crucial role in the great American victory at Saratoga." It adds that the ship was regarded as "exceptionally fast but 'over-hatted' (she had more sail area than was considered safe to carry)."
It is ironic to note that the _Ranger_ (no longer commanded by Jones, of course) was captured by the British in 1780 at the fall of Charleston, and ended its career as HMS _Halifax_ (and was quickly found unsuitable for British use; she was sold in 1781).
For a biography of Jones (who is the "stately southerner" of Doerflinger's ballad; the title does not refer to the ship, as the _Ranger_ sailed out of New England), see the entry on "Paul Jones's Victory" [Laws A4].  - RBW
File: LA03
===
NAME: Paul Jones's Victory [Laws A4]
DESCRIPTION: John Paul Jones's [Bonhomme] Richard encounters two British ships. Despite being outgunned, Jones manages to capture the larger of the British ships.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Johnson Ballads 247)
KEYWORDS: navy war ship battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Sept 23, 1779 - Battle between the Bonhomme Richard (40 guns) and the British Serapis (44 guns) and Scarborough (20 guns)
FOUND_IN: US(MA,SE) Britain(England) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES: (13 citations)
Laws A4, "Paul Jones's Victory"
BrownII 220, "Paul Jones" (2 texts)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 225-226, "Paul Jones" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 78, "Paul Jones" (2 texts)
Ranson, p. 51, "Paul Jones" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chappell-FSRA 24, "Paul Jones" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, p. 713, "Paul Jones' (1 text)
Friedman, p. 290, "Paul Jones" (1 text)
FSCatskills 8, "Paul Jones" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 153, "Paul Jones" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scott-BoA, pp. 81-83, "Paul Jones's Victory (Poor Richard and the Serapis and Alliance" (1 text, 1 tune)
Logan, pp. 32-38, "Paul Jones (Paul Jones the Pirate)" (1 text)
DT 359, PAULJONE PAULJON2
ST LA04 (Full)
Roud #967
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 247, "Paul Jones" ("An American frigate, call'd the Richard by name"), J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Johnson Ballads 2804, Harding B 11(2974), Harding B 11(1906), Firth c.13(59), Firth b.26(273), Harding B 11(4314), Firth b.25(275), Harding B 11(2973), "Paul Jones"; Firth c.13(55), "Paul Jones the Pirate"
LOCSinging, as110810, "Paul Jones' Victory," Leonard Deming (Boston), 19C; also as111860, "Paul Jones" 
Murray, Mu23-y1:061, "Paul Jones," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Paul Jones, the Privateer" [Laws A3] (subject of John Paul Jones)
cf. "The Yankee Man-of-War (III)" (subject of John Paul Jones)
NOTES: The following biography has been heavily revised from that in earlier versions of the Ballad Index. I no longer know what references I originally consulted. I do know that Samuel Eliot Morison, in his biography _John Paul Jones_, (I use the 1981 Time-Life edition) accuses earlier biographers of simply forging large parts of the Jones story, which makes me feel a little better.
John Paul Jones (1747-1792) was born in Scotland with the name John Paul (Morison, pp. 1, 3). He went to sea at age 13 (Morison, p. 9), initially serving aboard merchant ships (Morison, p. 10), including time aboard a slaver (Morison, p. 13).
In 1768, John Paul saw both the master and mate of his ship die of fever. The only man aboard who could navigate, he brought the ship home and was given command of the _John_ (Morison, pp. 13-14). He was 21. He served well in this role for five years (Morison, p. 20).
Then he killed one of his sailors.
It wasnÕt the first time he had been charged with brutality. In the course of a voyage in 1769-1770, Jones had had a sailor named Mungo Maxwell brutally flogged (Morison, p. 17). There had been some doubt about the Maxwell case; there was no question about this one. Calling at Tobago, John Paul had refused to pay his men an advance on their wages (which, we note, they had already earned, but which were not due until the ship returned to Britain). Several men apparently wanted to desert. John Paul stopped the mutiny by killing "the ringleader" (Morison, pp. 22-23). Legally, he was in the right -- but it was definitely not a smart thing to do.
It is not clear what happened next, but somehow John Paul ended up in the colonies and started calling himself by the surname "Jones" rather than his birth name of "Paul" (Morison, pp. 23-24).
When war broke out with Great Britain, Paul Jones joined the navy, apparently being the senior lieutenant in the entire service (Morison, p. 29). (We should probably add that "lieutenant" was, in effect, a higher rank then than now -- the approved ranks were captain, lieutenant, master, and midshipman. Thus a lieutenant was the equivalent of a "commander" today, ranked high enough to command a sloop or even a small frigate though not a hip of the line.)
Not that the continental navy  was a very impressive service at first; Fletcher Pratt, _The Compact History of the United States Navy_, p. 11, reports that ÒAt the time the troubles broke out in Boston in 1775, there were not a few officers of the Royal Navy who came from the colonies, but... these officers stayed with the flag rather than join persons in revolt against due authority. A few men were available for the Continental Navy who had served with the Royal Navy earlier in their careers, but only one man is reported to have left the King's service to join the colonists in revolt, and his name has not survived."
The appointment process didn't help. According to Samuel W. Bryant, _The Sea and the States_, p. 79, "Never was the creation of a corps of naval officers handled with more regard for the political weight each aspirant carried; the commissions were frankly awarded on the basis of political expediency, and little regard for the appointees' abilities as leaders and marines." Pratt, p. 24, comments that the initial naval commands "were distributed on the combined principles of geography and nepotism, modified by political maneuver." Of the first batch of officers in the United States Navy, Bryant apparently considers Jones to be the only "happy choice," but such were this politics of the time that he would soon be known as the "North Carolina Captain."
Early in the war, Jones was given command of the ship _Ranger_, which he sailed with some success (see "Paul Jones, the Privateer" [Laws A3]). This was all the more impressive because, according to Bryant, p. 96, he had only one set of sails (and only one cask of rum, if you can believe that.) But -- in one of those typically idiotic acts of the American congress -- he was deprived of command and put on the beach. (On the other hand, Pratt, p. 44, reports that he kicked one of his junior officers in the pants, which is hardly the way to win friends and influence people.)
He finally scrounged up the _Bonhomme Richard_, a converted merchant ship with forty guns so badly worn as to be rather dangerous. Bryant calls her a "floating antique with a castellated poop," and says that the former _Duc de Durac_ was "worm-eaten, crank, her old timbers exuding a heardy aroma of arrack, cloves, and tea" -- a reminder of her days trading to the East Indies (Bryant, p. 97). Paul Jones sailed her anyway, with a scrounged-up crew (Pratt reports that only 79 of his initial crew of 227 were Americans), and an assortment of five even more ill-favored consorts (see Albert Marrin, _The War for Independence_, p. 168).
Even though two of his ships had to return to France, Jones commanded a squadron of four ships, 124 guns, at the time of this battle (a flotilla financed by the French), although only the _Bonhomme Richard_ was completely engaged in the fight; his second-in-command, the French officer Pierre Landais, refused to take part.
Jones won the battle by using his marines: He lashed his ship to the big 44-gun _Serapis_, and -- having made his famous remark "I have just begun to fight" when called upon to surrender -- continued the struggle until the British gave up. The _Richard_ had, however, been reduced to a sinking condition (among other things, several of those worn guns had blown up; Pratt, p. 47), and only vigorous work at the pumps kept her afloat long enough to take the _Serapis_. Indeed, Jones would never have been able to board had not the _Serapis_ been so mis-handled as to bump into the _Richard_ (Marrin, p. 172).
This time, Jones's brutality paid off: Some of his men, with their guns silenced, the ship full of holes, the deck falling in, had tried to surrender. Jones knocked one of them unconscious and kept up the fight. You could make the case that he won because his men were too afraid to give in.
In any case, he succeeded only because of the British attitude toward prizes. Had the British navy paid sailors decently, and had a doctrine of just *sinking* the enemy, rather than capturing them, the _Serapis_ would have won the fight and John Paul Jones would be a guy who sank with his ship. The _Richard_ proved past saving and went down on September 24; had Jones not won, he would have been either a prisoner (possibly even regarded as a deserter, given that he was Scottish) or dead.
(I can't help but think how much this sounds like it could have inspired the Stan Rogers song "Barrett's Privateers," only Rogers gave it the ending it deserved.)
Laws classified this as an American song, and it probably was so in origin -- but it will be seen that it was found in British and Scottish broadsides at least. - RBW
In the Bodleian broadsides, the frigate is named Percy, Rachel or Richard. The opposing ship, if named, is Caraphus, Ceraphus or Percy. - BS
File: LA04
===
NAME: Paul Venerez: see Bill Vanero (Paul Venerez) [Laws B6] (File: LB06)
===
NAME: Paul's Steeple: see references under The  Husbandman and the Servingman (File: K226)
===
NAME: Paw-Paw Patch, The
DESCRIPTION: Playparty, with lyrics such as "Where oh where is pretty little (Susie/Liza/Nellie) (x3)? Way down yonder in the paw-paw patch." "Pickin' up paw-paws, puttin' 'em in her pockets." "Come along, boys, and let's go see her...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Wolford)
KEYWORDS: playparty nonballad courting
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 553, "Paw-Paw Peeling" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 46, "The Paw-Paw Patch" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 391, "Paw-Paw Patch" (1 text)
Roud #5038
RECORDINGS:
Group of children, "The Paw Paw Patch" (on JThomas01)
Pete Seeger, "Paw Paw Patch" (on PeteSeeger22)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Where Is Old Elijah? (The Hebrew Children)" (tune & meter)
cf. "Going to Boston" (lyrics)
File: R553
===
NAME: Pawkie Adam Glen
DESCRIPTION: "Pawkie Adam Glen, piper o' the clachan When he stoited ben, sairly was he pechin'." Old Adam goes out seeking a wife, settling on "auntie Madie." After a cheerful dance, "Madge is hect to Adam Glen, And sune we'll hae a weddin'."
AUTHOR: Alexander Laing ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: courting age dancing wedding
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 300-301, "Pawkie Adam Glen" (1 text)
Roud #13101
NOTES: According to Ford, piper Adam Glen died in battle in 1715 at age ninety, having taken his seventh wife (who was half his age) some months previously. Believe that if you will. - RBW
File: FVS300
===
NAME: Pawkie Paiterson's Auld Grey Yaud
DESCRIPTION: "As I gae'd up Hawick Loan... 'Twas there I heard an auld yaud Gie mony a heavy grane... 'I'm Pawkie Patterson's auld yaud, See how they're guidin' mie.'" The aged horse describes its hard and bitter life, and leaves its body parts to various people
AUTHOR: George Ballantyne ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: horse age death lastwill hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 311-313, "Pawkie Paiterson's Auld Grey Yaud" (1 text, 1 tune)
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 52-53, "Robin Spraggon's Auld Grey Mare" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FVS311 (Partial)
Roud #3063
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Poor Old Horse (III)" (theme)
cf. "Mon Cher Voisin (My Dear Neighbor)" (theme)
File: FVS311
===
NAME: Pay Day at Coal Creek
DESCRIPTION: "Pay day, O pay day, O pay day, Pay day at Coal Creek tomorrow." "Bye bye, good woman, I'm gone." "You gonna miss me when I'm gone" "She's a rider, but she'll leave that rail sometime." "Pay day won't come no more."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928
KEYWORDS: work mining separation
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 146, "Pay Day" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 126, "Pay Day At Coal Creek" (1 text)
DT, PAYDAYCC
Roud #6685
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Pay Day at Coal Creek" (on SeegerTerry)
Pete Steele, "Last Payday at Coal Creek" (on PSteele01); "Pay Day at Coal Creek" (AFS, 1938; on LC02)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Coal Creek Troubles" (subject)
NOTES: While this has turned into a nonballad, it seems to have started off as an account of a bitter strike. - PJS
(For details, see the notes to "Coal Creek Troubles.") - RBW
File: LoF146
===
NAME: Pay Me My Money Down
DESCRIPTION: "Pay me, O pay me, Pay me my money down... Pay me or go to jail. Pay me, mister stevedore.... You pay me, you owe me...." Almost anything may be included, but all on the theme that the boss has hired the worker and should pay him for his labor
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1944
KEYWORDS: work money nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 279, "Pay Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 501-503, "Pay Me My Money Down" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 370-371]
Silber-FSWB, p. 83, "Pay Me My Money Down" (1 text)
DT, PAYMONEY* PAYMONY2
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf."Tie-Tamping Chant" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Darlin' (I)" (floating lyrics)
File: LoF279
===
NAME: Pea Ridge Battle, The [Laws A12b]: see Laws A12, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern" (File: LA12)
===
NAME: Peacock that Lived in the Land of King George, The: see Hornet and the Peacock, The (File: E107)
===
NAME: Pearl Bryan (I) [Laws F2]
DESCRIPTION: Pearl Bryan runs away to meet her lover Jackson, who, helped by Walling, takes her to Kentucky and decapitates her. Her body is discovered the next day. (The fate of the murderers may then be described)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Brewster)
KEYWORDS: elopement murder
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb 1, 1896 - Discovery of the headless body of Pearl Bryan, killed along with her unborn child by Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling, near Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Mar 20, 1897 - Execution of Jackson and Walling
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,SE)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Laws F2, "Pearl Bryan I"
Brewster 61, "Pearl Bryan" (3 texts plus an excerpt and mention of 3 more; 1 tune; the "A" and "B" texts and the "F" fragment and tune are this piece; the "C" text is Laws F1B)
Leach, pp. 789-790, "Pearl Bryan" (1 text)
Burt, p. 31, "(Pearl Bryan)" (1 short text)
Friedman, p. 209, "Pearl Bryan" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, pp. 199-200, "Pearl Bryan" (1 text plus a fragment)
DT 751, PERLBRY1
Roud #2212
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Jealous Lover (I), The (Florella, Floella) (Pearl Bryan II) (Nell Cropsey II) [Laws F1A, B, C]" [Laws F1], particularly the "B" subgroup of Pearl Bryan ballads
cf. "Pearl Bryan III" [Laws F3]
cf. "Pearl Bryan IV"
NOTES: Cox gives significant details about the history behind this song. Pearl Bryan was probably murdered on January 31, the day before the discovery of her body. Jackson and Walling were "young doctors" to whom Miss Bryan had appealed for medical help. Her body was recognized based on her feet (she is said to have been "web-footed"); her head was not recovered. A third man, surnamed Woods, was regarded as a possible co-conspirator, but not convicted.
To tell this song from the other Pearl Bryan ballads, consider this first stanza (from Leach):
Now, ladies, if you'll listen, a story I'll relate
What happened near Fort Thomas in the old Kentucky state.
'Twas late in January this awful deed was done
By Jackson and by Walling; how cold their blood did run! - RBW
File: LF02
===
NAME: Pearl Bryan (II): see Jealous Lover, The (Florella, Floella) (Pearl Bryan II) (Nell Cropsey II) [Laws F1A, B, C] (File: LF01)
===
NAME: Pearl Bryan (III) [Laws F3]
DESCRIPTION: Pearl Bryan appeals to Jackson for help; he is not interested and, with (Alonzo) Walling, cuts off her head and abandons the body
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: murder abandonment
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb 1, 1896 - Discovery of the headless body of Pearl Bryan, killed along with her unborn child by Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling, near Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Mar 20, 1897 - Execution of Jackson and Walling
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws F3, "Pearl Bryan III"
Eddy 105, "A Fatal Acquaintance" (2 texts, but Laws considers only the B text part of this ballad; the A text may belong with Pearl Bryan II)
DT 755, PERLBRY3
Roud #2213
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Jealous Lover (I), The (Florella, Floella) (Pearl Bryan II) (Nell Cropsey II) [Laws F1A, B, C]" [Laws F1], particularly the "B" subgroup of Pearl Bryan ballads
cf. "Pearl Bryan I" [Laws F2]
cf. "Pearl Bryan IV"
NOTES: To tell this song from the other Pearl Bryan ballads, consider this first stanza (from Eddy):
In Greencastle lived a maiden
She was known the wide world o'er;
She was murdered by Scott Jackson
Whom she fondly did adore.
Comparison with Eddy's other text (which also lacks a melody) would seem to imply that the two could be one -- but Laws separates them, so the Index does the same. - RBW
File: LF03
===
NAME: Pearl Bryan (IV)
DESCRIPTION: A girl of Greencastle, Indiana loves a young man. (She becomes pregnant?, and) begs him to make good the wrong he has done her. He refuses and plans to depart. She follows him. He kills her. Young girls are warned by the example of Pearl Bryan
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Eddy)
KEYWORDS: love murder abandonment
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb 1, 1896 - Discovery of the headless body of Pearl Bryan, killed along with her unborn child by Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling, near Fort Thomas, Kentucky
Mar 20, 1897 - Execution of Jackson and Walling
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Eddy 105, "A Fatal Acquaintance" (2 texts, but Laws assigns the B text to "Pearl Bryan III")
ST E105 (Full)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Jealous Lover (I), The (Florella, Floella) (Pearl Bryan II) (Nell Cropsey II) [Laws F1A, B, C]" [Laws F1], particularly the "B" subgroup of Pearl Bryan ballads
cf. "Pearl Bryan I" [Laws F2]
cf. "Pearl Bryan III" [Laws F3]
NOTES: This song is item dF51 in Laws's Appendix II.
To tell this song from the other Peal Bryan ballads, consider this first stanza (from Eddy):
In Greencastle, Indiana, a fair young maiden dwelled
Beneath a mother's loving care, a father's lavish wealth,
A mother's pride, a father's joy, by many friends esteemed,
From out her young handsome face the pure innocence gleamed.
Comparison with Eddy's other text (which also lacks a melody) would seem to imply that the two could be one -- but Laws separates them, so the Index does the same. - RBW
File: E105
===
NAME: Peasant's Bride, The (Thady and I)
DESCRIPTION: "I was a simple country girl." She loves Thady: "with hook or scythe, with plow or spade, He'd beat ten men together" They marry and many nobles "would gladly give a crown of gold To be like me and Thady."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1855 (Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859), Vol II)
KEYWORDS: poverty love marriage
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
O'Conor, pp. 120,123, "The Peasant's Bride" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859), Vol II, p. 84, "The Peasant's Bride"
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.28(9a/b) view 7 of 8, "Thady and I", R. March & Co (London), 1877-1884 
File: OCon120
===
NAME: Peaslee's Lumber Crew
DESCRIPTION: The various characters on Peaslee's lumber crew are described.
AUTHOR: Fred Walker
EARLIEST_DATE: 1888
KEYWORDS: lumbering work humorous logger moniker nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 68, "Peaslee's Lumber Crew" (1 text)
Roud #8842
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Hall's Lumber Crew" (very similar structure)
cf. "The Lumber Camp Song" (theme) and references there
NOTES: The "moniker song" consists mostly of listing the names of one's compatriots, and perhaps telling humorous vignettes about each; it's common among lumberjacks, hoboes, and probably other groups. Sometimes, as with this song and "Hall's Lumber Crew", it's clear the singer is plugging names and descriptions into a generic structure. - PJS
File: Be068
===
NAME: Pecos Punchers, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes his appearance ("I wear the high heels, also the white hat"), talks of the work of a cowboy, and lists the outfits he worked for. He decides to "go east like Wild Bill and there play the tough" -- but keep his saddle for use hereafter
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: cowboy work
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fife-Cowboy/West 112, "The Pecos Punchers" (1 text)
Roud #8047
File: FCW112
===
NAME: Pecos Queen, The: see Pecos River Queen (File: TF20)
===
NAME: Pecos River Queen
DESCRIPTION: "Where the Pecos river winds and turns its journey to the sea... Dwells fair young Patty Moorhead the Pecos River Queen." Patty's amazing skills are described. At last she "rode her horse... a lover's heart to test." "But the puncher wouldn't follow...."
AUTHOR: N. Howard Thorp
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908
KEYWORDS: cowboy love courting
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Thorp/Fife XX, pp. 244-246 (39-40), "Pecos River Queen" (1 text)
Saffel-CowboyP, p. 206, "The Pecos Queen" (1 text)
Roud #8048
NOTES: Like that other Thorp composition, "Chopo," there is no evidence that this piece ever actually entered oral tradition. Lomax printed it in "Cowboy Songs," but there is every reason to think he was lifting material off Thorp. - RBW
File: TF20
===
NAME: Pecos Stream, The: see A Cowboy's Life (File: LoF187)
===
NAME: Peculiar Sermon for Shanty Boys, A: see Tobacco's But an Indian Weed (File: Log262)
===
NAME: Peddler and his Wife, The [Laws F24]
DESCRIPTION: An old peddler and his wife are riding in their wagon on a fine day when they are ambushed, robbed, and murdered
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (recording, Appalachian Vagabond [Hayes Shephard])
KEYWORDS: murder robbery commerce
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws F24, "The Peddler and his Wife"
Fuson, pp. 116-117, "The Peddler and His Wife" (1 text)
Combs/Wilgus 70, pp. 166-167, "The Irish Peddler" (1 text)
DT 762, PEDDWIFE
Roud #2262
RECORDINGS:
Appalachian Vagabond [pseud. for Hayes Shephard], "Peddlar and his Wife" (Vocalion 5450, prob. 1930)
File: LF24
===
NAME: Pedlar, The
DESCRIPTION: "The pedlar ca'd in by the house o' Glenneuk" and begins bargaining -- for his goods and the hosts' daughters. Although the parents discourage it, one daughter is interested. She departs with him; they are married; he proves very successful in business
AUTHOR: William Watt
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: love courting rambling money elopement
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 126-128, "The Pedlar" (1 text)
Ord, pp. 140-142, "The Pedlar" (1 text)
Roud #5552
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y1:081 "The Pedlar," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Jolly Beggar" [Child 279] and references there
File: FVS126
===
NAME: Peeler and the Goat, The
DESCRIPTION: The Peelers meet a goat and plan to jail him for being on the road. The goat says that he is honorable if houseless and that the road is his home. He expects to be acquitted. He says the peelers are drunk and could be bought for more poteen.
AUTHOR: Jeremiah O'Ryan ("Darby Ryan") (Source: Zimmermann)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (OLochlainn); c.1830 (Zimmermann) 
KEYWORDS: prison drink humorous political animal police
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
OLochlainn 74, "The Peeler and the Goat" (1 text, 1 tune)
Zimmermann 45, "The Peeler and the Goat" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PEELERGT*
Roud #1458
RECORDINGS:
Martin Reidy, "Peeler and the Goat" (on IRClare01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(510), "The Original Peeler and the Goat," unknown, n.d.; also 2806 b.9(266), "The Peeler and the Goat"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Sow's Triumph Over the Peelers" (theme)
NOTES: Sir Robert Peel established the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1812 and its success led, in 1829, to the Metropolitan Police Act for London. Originally the term "Peeler" applied to the London constabulary. (source: _Sir Robert "Bobby" Peel (1788-1850)_ at Historic UK site.)
In this song the term is applied to the Bansha police in Bansha, County Tipperary.
Martin Reidy's tune on IRClare01 is the one used for "The Recruiting Sergeant" (on Robin Hall and Jimmy MacGregor, "Two Heids are Better than Yin!," Monitor MF 365 (1962)) - BS
File: OLOc074
===
NAME: Peelhead
DESCRIPTION: Peelhead owns the saw mill. "All the kind o' logs they got Was small rough saplin' pine." Hope for better times: "not like it was last summer When you said they'd be good times, And some o' your men you owe six months, And more you do owe nine"
AUTHOR: William McKay "of the Millstream" (Manny/Wilson)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1948 (Manny/Wilson)
KEYWORDS: lumbering hardtimes humorous moniker boss horse
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Manny/Wilson 37, "Peelhead" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MaWi037 (Partial)
Roud #9208
NOTES: Manny/Wilson: "The song ... is a typical woods satire about a lumber operator, Isaac Anderson, nick-named 'Peelhead,' who flourished in the 1880's. There is a mention for everyone in the woods crew, including the horses, and the usual fling at the employer. Actually the reproaches in the last verse were not very serious complaints in the 1880's, when so much of the lumber business was done on credit." - BS
File: MaWi037
===
NAME: Peep Squirrel
DESCRIPTION: Singing game: "Peep squirrel, yang-dan-diddle-um (or other nonsense, e.g. Hop squirrel, eedle-dum-dum)" (x2 or x4). Similarly, "Run, squirrel...." "Catch the old squirrel...." "I give you fifty cents...."
AUTHOR: Squirrel
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: animal hunting playparty
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Chappell-FSRA 119, "Peep Squirrel" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 134-136, "Hop, Old Squirrel" (2 texts, the second with interspersed game instructions, 1 tune)
ST ChFRA119 (Partial)
Roud #7645
NOTES: Roud lumps this with "Hunt the Squirrel" and similar items -- superficially reasonable, since they're both singing games about squirrels. But they don't have any lyrics in common.
Even I decided ot merge "Hop, Old Squirrel" with "Peep, Squirrel"; the forms are very different, but it appears that lyrics cross so much; my guess is that it's one song with two differen games. - RBW
File: ChFRA119
===
NAME: Peg an' Awl
DESCRIPTION: "In the days of eighteen and one, Peg an' awl... Peggin' shoes was all I done, Hand me down my pegs, my pegs, my pegs, my awl." The singer describes his work(/play?), then tells how "They've invented a new machine.... Makes a hundred pairs to my one."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Carolina Tar Heels)
KEYWORDS: work technology unemployment worker
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 144, "Peg an' Awl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 40 "Peg and Awl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, p. 363, "Peg and Awl" (1 text)
DT, PEGNAWL*
Roud #4619
RECORDINGS:
Carolina Tar Heels, "Peg and Awl" (Victor V-40007A, 1928; on AAFM1)
Kelly Harrell, "Peg and Awl" (OKeh 40544, 1925; on KHarrell01)
Lawrence Older,  "Peg and Awl" (on LOlder01)
Pete Seeger, "Peg and Awl" (on PeteSeeger13)
Hobart Smith, "Peg an' Awl" (on LomaxCD1702)
Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson, "Peg and Awl" (on WatsonAshley01)
NOTES: The notes in Lomax imply that this is a bawdy song. I suppose it's possible, but I think this is a confusion with "The Long Peggin' Awl." - RBW
File: LoF144
===
NAME: Peg and Awl: see Peg an' Awl (File: LoF144)
===
NAME: Pegging Awl, The: see Long Peggin' Awl, The (File: RL280)
===
NAME: Peggy and the Soldier: see The Gallant Soldier (Mary/Peggy and the Soldier) (File: HHH473)
===
NAME: Peggy and the Soldier (The Lame Soldier) [Laws P13]
DESCRIPTION: Peggy leaves her husband and child to go with a soldier who offers her gold and a high life. The two soon quarrel; the soldier beats her and sends her back to her husband. She arrives home and begs her husband to take her back; he rejects her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: infidelity separation soldier rejection family
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws P13, "Peggy and the Soldier (The Lame Soldier)"
BBI, ZN1517, "It was a brave souldier that long liv'd in Wars"
DT 497, LAMESLDR* LAMESLD2
Roud #907
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Rosie Anderson" (plot)
cf. "The Brewer Laddie" (plot)
File: LP13
===
NAME: Peggy Bawn
DESCRIPTION: An Irishman stops at a Scots farmer's house and courts daughter Jane. The farmer offers his daughter in marriage, money, and land. The singer thinks of Peggy and excuses himself: he must be off on the king's business. He will always be true to Peggy
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1788 (William Shield's opera "Marion," according to OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: infidelity sex rejection separation Ireland Scotland father courting money
FOUND_IN: Ireland Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
OLochlainn-More 5, "Peggy Bawn" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Charles Gavan Duffy, editor, The Ballad Poetry of Ireland (1845), pp. 134-135, "Peggy Bawn"
Roud #661
RECORDINGS:
Walter Pardon, "Peggy Benn" (on Voice01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1481)[many illegible words], "Peggy Band," D. Wrighton? (Birmingham)[hand-written note on broadside], 1810-1820; also Harding B 28(149), Firth b.25(391), Harding B 20(131), Harding B 11(2699), Harding B 11(2700), Harding B 11(2982), Firth c.18(244), 2806 c.17(329), 2806 b.11(232), "Peggy Band"; Harding B 25(1480), "Peggy Bann"
NOTES: OLochlainn-More: "Once very popular in Northern Ireland and among the Irish in Scotland.
Duffy (1845): "The existence of this ballad is traceable for a century -- it is probably much older. It bears strong evidence of having been written in Ulster, where it holds its ground with undiminished popularity to this day."
I have to admit to some confusion. It seems clear that Jane and Peggy are not the same person but some broadside lines make it seem otherwise: "With hat in hand I came away, And parted with each one, And especially the pretty girl Who was tired of lying alone. With hat in hand I came away, But in my mind it ran, That blithe and merry were the days I had with Peggy Band." The counter argument, from broadside Bodleian Harding B 25(1481), "Peggy Band's Answer," D. Wrighton? (Birmingham), 1810-1820 has Peggy relating that her Jemmy, "a SCOTISH Lady did adore, And offerred him her Hand, But he slighted all her Proffers For his dear PEGGY BAND." - BS
File: OLcM005
===
NAME: Peggy Gordon
DESCRIPTION: "Oh Peggy Gordon, you are my darling, Come sit you down upon my knee, And tell to me the very reason Why I am slighted so by thee." Spurned, the singer wishes he were far away, or drinking, or doing something to ease the pain of separation
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: love separation rejection
FOUND_IN: US(Ap) Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Gilbert, p. 127, [No title] (1 fragmentary text)
Abrahams/Foss, p. 164, (no title) (1 tune, partial text, probably this song)
JHCox 141, "Youth and Folly" (1 text, with many floating verses but such plot as it has derived from this song); 142, "Maggie Goddon" (1 text)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 194-195, "Peggy Gordon" (1 text plus 1 fragment, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 74-75, "Peggy Gordon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 475-476, "Love is Lovely" (1 text, 1 tune, strongly composite, starting with a verse perhaps from "Peggy Gordon," then the chorus of "Waly Waly (The Water Is Wide)," two more which might be anything, and a conclusion from "Carrickfergus")
DT, PEGGORDN*
Roud #2280
RECORDINGS:
Grace Clergy, "Peggy Gordon" (on MRHCreighton)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Fair and Tender Ladies" (floating lyrics)
cf. "O'Reilly from the County Leitrim" (lyrics in common with the "Youth and Folly" texts)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Maggie Gordon
File: Gil127
===
NAME: Peggy Howatt
DESCRIPTION: Howatt, a barkeep, is shot and killed by "a brave engineer." When St. Peter declines to admit Howatt, the late bartender replies with obscenity and scorn.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy murder Hell
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 468-470, "Peggy Howatt" (2 texts, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Casey Jones (I)" [Laws G1] (tune)
NOTES: Jim "Peggy" [from his wooden leg] Howatt sold liquor in Joplin, Mo., Picher, Okla., and Pittsburg, Kansas, until his death from tainted moonshine about 1924.
Annotator Legman posits this topical satire, sung to a set of the melody of "Casey Jones," was written by the composer of that ballad, Wallace Saunders. - EC
File: RL468
===
NAME: Peggy in the Morning
DESCRIPTION: "Noo, mither, confess, a' the lasses ye saw... And wasna my Peggy the flooer o' them a'?" The mother says the girl is lazy and sleeps late. The lad says her father has promised a fine dowry. The mother admits, "Your Peggy's better noo."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting money dowry
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 110, "Peggy in the Morning" (1 text)
Roud #5541
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Billy Grimes the Rover" (plot)
cf. "Will Ray" (plot)
NOTES: Sort of a Scottish version of "Billy Grimes the Rover," with the sexes reversed. - RBW
File: Ord110
===
NAME: Peggy o' Greenlaw
DESCRIPTION: "I am a bold, undaunted youth, George Hewitt is my name... And there I had a sweetheart... My Peggy o' Greenlaw." But bad company pulls him away; he falls in love with another, marries her in haste, quickly becomes disillusioned, and regrets losing Peggy
AUTHOR: Alexander Shaw
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting abandonment betrayal marriage
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 143, "Peggy o' Greenlaw" (1 text)
Roud #3949
File: Ord143
===
NAME: Peggy of the Moor
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you sporting young men and listen unto me, Come all you loyal lovers that live in unity...." The singer was one of many fascinated by Peggy of the Moor. A bold shoemaker will be successful with her. The singer wishes success to lovers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty drink
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H761, pp. 228-229, "Peggy of the Moor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7979
NOTES: It is not at all clear from the Henry text whether the singer is the "bold shoemaker" whose attention to Peggy will make all other lover's attentions "useless." - RBW
File: HHH761
===
NAME: Peggy Walker: see The Girl I Left Behind [Laws P1A/B] (File: LP01)
===
NAME: Peggy-O: see Bonnie Lass of Fyvie, The (Pretty Peggy-O) (File: SBoA020)
===
NAME: Peistie Glen, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer wanders by Peistie Glen and "imbibes meditation" urging him to "write measured words eulogizing" the place. He recalls the history of the place. Now the ship calls him away; he bids farewell to his home
AUTHOR: Frances Heaney ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home emigration nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H654, pp. 170-171, "The Peistie Glen" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9685
NOTES: Yes, the first verse is as bad as the quoted excerpts imply. The rest is a little better, but only a little. - RBW
File: HHH654
===
NAME: Pelton Lonnin': see Felton Lonnin (Pelton Lonnin') (I, II, III) (File: StoR150)
===
NAME: Penny Fair, The
DESCRIPTION: The Penny Fair drifts from the wharf. The crew are wakened and scramble to tie her up. Jack Lushman, on the ferry, not only sleeps through the hubbub but sleeps while the ferry runs aground. Everyone has a good laugh.
AUTHOR: Blanche Pink
EARLIEST_DATE: 1977 (Lehr/Best)
KEYWORDS: sea ship ordeal
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lehr/Best 86, "The Penny Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: LeBe086
===
NAME: Penny Wager, The
DESCRIPTION: A traveller with one penny in his pocket stakes his purse in a pub wager. He wins; when he asks the landlord's wife what he owes, she tells him to give her a kiss and go. (He rejoices that he has won the wager; otherwise he'd have had to sell his horse)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(3387))
KEYWORDS: wager travel gambling money landlord
FOUND_IN: Britain(England) Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Kennedy 280, "The Penny Wager" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 115, "The Penny Wager" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #393
RECORDINGS:
George Dunn, "My Little Grey Horse" (on Voice13)
Levi Smith, "One Penny" (on Voice11)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3387), "Adventures of a Penny" ("Long time I've travelled the north country"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 16(2b), "The Adventures of a Penny"
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
One Penny
Adventures of a Penny
File: McCST115
===
NAME: Peri Meri Dixie Dominie: see I Gave My Love a Cherry
 (File: R123)
===
NAME: Perigoo's Horse
DESCRIPTION: Lawyer Walter Perigoo visits Whalen's Inn and puts his horse in the stable. Local boys (led by Whalen's son?) cut off the horse's tail and paint it red, white, and blue. Perigoo eventually finds the disguised animal and threatens retribution
AUTHOR: George or John Calhoun?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1971
KEYWORDS: horse trick lawyer humorous disguise
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Doerflinger, pp. 266-268, "Perigoo's Horse" (1 text)
Roud #4165
NOTES: This song is item dH48 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: Doe266b
===
NAME: Perrie, Merrie, Dixi, Domini: see I Gave My Love a Cherry
 (File: R123)
===
NAME: Persia's Crew, The: see The Persian's Crew [Laws D4] (File: LD04)
===
NAME: Persian's Crew, The [Laws D4]
DESCRIPTION: The Persian sets out [from Chicago] and disappears on Lake Huron. Since nothing is known of the wreck, the singer can only wonder at and lament the fate of the lost crew
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Dean)
KEYWORDS: ship storm death
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Laws D4, "The Persian's Crew"
Colcord, pp. 203-204, "The Persia's Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rickaby 46, "The Persian's Crew" (1 text plus a fragment, 2 tunes)
Beck 86, "Lake Huron's Rock-Bound Shore" (1 text)
DT 677, PERSIACR
Roud #2230
RECORDINGS:
Stanley Baby, "The 'Persian's Crew" (on GreatLakes1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Maggie Hunter" (subject, tune)
NOTES: According to Beck, possibly composed by the daughter of Dan Sullivan, the _Persian's_ first mate. - PJS
I suspect something rather more complicated, given the handful of melodies for this piece. Laws lists four melodies, two in Rickaby and one in Colcord. Rickaby's first, from Dean, is approximately "Tramps and Hawkers." His second, from Art C. Milloy, has a somewhat similar shape but but is mixolydian and not necessarily related. And Colcord has yet another tune with similar shape but distinct tonal differences. - RBW
File: LD04
===
NAME: Perthshire Pensioner, The: see references under The Forfar Soldier (File: FVS163)
===
NAME: Pesky Sarpent, The: see Springfield Mountain [Laws G16] (File: LG16)
===
NAME: Pete Knight
DESCRIPTION: "Pete Knight was a rider of horses, The best that I ever did see, But often a life in the saddle Is not what it's cracked up to be." "Ten thousand fans saw him carried Away from the field and the horse."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: cowboy horse injury death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1937 - Death of Pete Knight
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 31, "Pete Knight" (1 fragmentary text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Pete Knight, The King of the Cowboys"
cf. "Pete Knight's Last Ride"
NOTES: Pete Knight was born in Philadelphia, but lived for some years in Alberta, and seems to have been at least as famous in Canada as in the U.S.
Knight was one of the all-time horse-riding champions, and won top honors in 1932, 1933, 1935, and 1936. In 1937, however, he fell and was trampled by the horse "Duster," (not "Slow-Down," as the horse was called by Wilf Carter) and died of a punctured lung. - RBW
File: Ohr031
===
NAME: Pete Knight, the King of the Cowboys
DESCRIPTION: "List a while to my story 'Bout a lad from the wide open plain Who has won a great name the world over, Pete Knight of rodeo fame." Knight's success as a rider is detailed; the song ends with his marriage
AUTHOR: Wilf Carter (1937)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937
KEYWORDS: cowboy horse marriage
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1937 - Death of Pete Knight
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 32, "Pete Knight, the King of the Cowboys" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Pete Knight"
cf. "Pete Knight's Last Ride"
NOTES: For the history of Pete Knight, see "Pete Knight." - RBW
File: Ohr32
===
NAME: Pete Knight's Last Ride
DESCRIPTION: The singer reports "My whole life's full of heartaches and sighs... For I've just lost a pal, like a brother to me...." Expert rider Pete Knight falls and dies; the singer hopes to meet him "on that heavenly range"
AUTHOR: Wilf Carter
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939
KEYWORDS: cowboy horse injury death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1937 - Death of Pete Knight
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Phrlin-HBT 33, "Pete Knight's Last Ride" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Pete Knight"
cf. "Pete Knight, The King of the Cowboys"
NOTES: For the history of Pete Knight, see "Pete Knight." - RBW
File: Ohr033
===
NAME: Peter Ambelay: see Peter Amberley [Laws C27] (File: LC27)
===
NAME: Peter Amberley [Laws C27]
DESCRIPTION: Peter Amberly leaves Prince Edward Island to go lumbering in New Brunswick. Fatally injured in a logging accident, he bids farewell to the father whose unkindness sent him away, to his mother, sweetheart, and home
AUTHOR: John Calhoun (sometimes attributed to Larry Gorman)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1903
KEYWORDS: logger death farewell father
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: around Jan. 1881 - Peter Amberly is fatally wounded. He is eighteen years old, and has been in the woods less than a year
FOUND_IN: US(MA,NE) Canada(Mar,Newf,Ont)
REFERENCES: (20 citations)
Laws C27, "Peter Amberley"
Doerflinger, pp. 225-233, "Peter Emberley" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 164, "Peter Hembly" (1 text)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 80-81, "Peter Amberley" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 27, "Peter Emberley" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 138, "Peter Rambelay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 118, "Peter Emberley" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 116, "Peter Ambelay" (1 text)
Dibblee/Dibblee, p. 33, "Peter Emberley" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-DullCare, pp. 235-236,252-253, "Peter Emberly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 99-103, "Peter Emberley" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 38, "Peter Emberley" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 5, "Adieu to Prince Edward's Isle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Linscott, pp. 269-272, "Peter Emily" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scott-BoA, pp. 270-273, "Peter Emberly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 9, "Peter Ambelay" (1 text)
Fowke-Lumbering #36, "Peter Emery" (2 texts, 1 tune)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 258-264, "Mary Hamilton" (the "C" fragment actually comes from a text of this song rather than a version of "Mary Hamilton")
Darling-NAS, pp. 181-182, "Peter Emberly" (1 text)
DT 608, PTRMBRLY* PTRMBRL2
Roud #668
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "Peter Amberly" (on NFOBlondahl04)
Marie Hare, "Peter Emberley" (on MRMHare01)
Wilmot McDonald, "Peter Emberley" (on Miramichi1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Farmer and the Shanty Boy" (tune)
cf. "The Farmer's Boy" [Laws Q30] (tune)
cf. "John Ladner" (plot)
NOTES: Details about this song are sketchy. The name of the youth was probably spelled "Amberley" but was generally pronounced "Emberly." (Paul Stamler points out that Louise Manny records the spelling "Amberley" on his tombstone, but it is not contemporary).
The original tune has also been lost; when John Calhoun asked Abraham Munn to set a tune, Munn also added a stanza, and Calhoun withdrew the modified text from circulation.
According to his tombstone Amberley was born in 1863. He died some time after Christmas Day, 1880. - RBW
Manny/Wilson has a detailed account of the accident and burial, the spelling and pronunciation of the name, and the replacement of the original grave marker with a monument. Warning: "A legend has grown up about the song -- that it is unlucky to sing it in the woods. If it is sung the night before a drive, the woodsmen say, someone is sure to be killed." - BS
File: LC27
===
NAME: Peter and I Went Down the Lane
DESCRIPTION: "Peter and I went down the lane, down the lane (x2), Peter and I went down the lane, And sister came behind." Both sisters love Peter. "Sister was bending over the well When splash, splash in she fell." The survivor marries Peter; he abandons her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (Gardner/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: love courting death murder betrayal sister
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 2, "The Two Sisters" (2 texts, 2 tunes, but the "A" text is "Child #10, but the "B" text is this) {B=Bronson's #97}
Roud #8
NOTES: Gardner and Chickering file this as a version of "The Twa Sisters," and certainly it appears to be the same plot. But the tune approximates "London Bridge," and the story is simplified. While it's probably built upon "The Twa Sisters," I'd call it a separate song. - RBW
File: C010A
===
NAME: Peter Clarke
DESCRIPTION: Peter Clarke and Jimmy Clarke are stopped by a robber. Peter refuses to be robbed; rather than give up his valuables, he attacks the outlaw barehanded. The robber shoots Clarke, but Clarke has a hand on his throat. Clarke dies, but the robber is taken
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960
KEYWORDS: outlaw fight death Australia
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 100-102, "Bold Peter Clarke" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PETECLRK
RECORDINGS:
John Greenway, "Peter Clarke" (on JGreenway01)
NOTES: The facts about this case are a bit uncertain. Folklore does not give a name to the bushranger (unusual indeed in Australia!), and claims that Peter and Jimmy Clarke were unrelated.
John Greenway, however, reports that the two were brothers, and (along with their brother Acton and some others) were overtaken near Warland's Range by twenty-year-old Harry Wilson. (The time was April, 1864.) Wilson shot several members of the party, but could not release himself from Peter Clarke's dying grip. Wilson was tried and hung on October 4, 1864. - RBW
File: MA100
===
NAME: Peter Emberly: see Peter Amberley [Laws C27] (File: LC27)
===
NAME: Peter Emery: see Peter Amberley [Laws C27] (File: LC27)
===
NAME: Peter Emily: see Peter Amberley [Laws C27] (File: LC27)
===
NAME: Peter Gray
DESCRIPTION: Peter Gray, of Pennsylvania, loves Lucy Annie Pearl. Her father sends her west; he considers suicide, but instead goes west himself and is scalped by Indians. She takes to her bed and dies. Chorus: "Blow ye winds of morning, blow ye winds heigh-o."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1860 (Dime Song Book #2)
KEYWORDS: courting separation father Indians(Am.) death humorous
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
DSB2, p. 45, "Peter Gray" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 240, "Peter Gray" (1 text)
ST FSWB240C (Full)
Roud #4307
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Johnny Gray" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Blow Ye Winds in the Morning" (chorus lyrics, tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Johnny Gray
NOTES: Yes, I said humorous [in the keywords]; this is a reworking of a classic ballad plot unto the absurd. - PJS
And the versions I've heard sung are performed with great bathos, just to make sure we get the point. - RBW
File: FSWB240C
===
NAME: Peter Hembly: see Peter Amberley [Laws C27] (File: LC27)
===
NAME: Peter Murphy's Little Dog
DESCRIPTION: This teasing song involves Murphy giving his girl friend a dog that wants to poke its nose into the woman's privates.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy dog humorous
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 214-215, "Peter Murphy's Little Dog" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Teasing Songs" (specifically "Suzanne Was a Lady," "The Ship's in the Harbor," "There Once Was a Farmer," "Two Irishmen, Two Irishmen")
NOTES: As is common with teasing songs, this is a fragmentary ballad at best, each verse ricocheting off the previous into a new direction. - EC
File: RL214
===
NAME: Peter Rambelay: see Peter Amberley [Laws C27] (File: LC27)
===
NAME: Peter Street: see The Shirt and the Apron [Laws K42] (File: LK42)
===
NAME: Peter Wheeler
DESCRIPTION: Peter Wheeler comes to "this foreign shore, He lived close by little Annie's door" in Nova Scotia. He asks Anne to marry and she refuses again. He clubs her and cuts her throat. He is convicted, gives us good advice and bids us "a last good-night"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Creighton-SNewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: courting rejection execution murder trial gallows-confessions
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1895 - Anne Kempton murdered by Peter Wheeler at Bear River, Digby County (source: Mackenzie; Creighton says 1896)
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 91, "Peter Wheeler" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CrSNB091 (Partial)
Roud #2770
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bear River Murder" (subject: the same murder) and references there
File: CrSNB091
===
NAME: Peter's Banks
DESCRIPTION: William Strickland and Goddard take the Lily out on Peter's Banks on May 21. They are lost in wind and fog for six days without food or water and Goddard dies. A fishing skiff from Ramea rescues Strickland.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: rescue death fishing sea ship
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: May 24, 1897 - Albert Goddard is lost on the Lily (source: Newfoundland Schoonermen -- Victims of their Trade per Robert C Parsons NF Shipwrecks on the WEB site)
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 969-970, "Peter's Banks" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Peacock notes, "Peter's Banks is a fishing area off the south coast of Newfoundland near the French island of St Pierre. Ramea is an island port also off the south coast." - BS
File: Pea969
===
NAME: Petie Cam' ower the Glen: see Patie's Wadding (Petie's Wedding) (File: HHH200)
===
NAME: Petit Couturier, La (The Little Dressmaker)
DESCRIPTION: French. A dressmaker goes to an inn; there are two lovely women there. He makes love with the smaller one; the larger offers the dressmaker 100 sovereigns to sleep with her. He declines, for honor's sake. She throws him out of the inn.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1855 (BNP MSS)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: French. A dressmaker goes to an inn; there are two lovely women there. He makes love with the smaller one; the larger, however, is searching for a husband, and offers the dressmaker 100 sovereigns to sleep with her. He declines, for the sake of his own honor and the smaller woman's. The larger woman throws him out of the inn. On the street, his knees begin to tremble; he says that if he were back at peace, he'd never refuse a damsel, but they have tricked him too much 
KEYWORDS: jealousy courting sex rejection request foreignlanguage lover worker
FOUND_IN: France Canada
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 113, "Le Petit Couturier [The Little Dressmaker]" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: K113
===
NAME: Petit Moine, Le (The Little Monk)
DESCRIPTION: French. The little monk finds a dairy-maid crying because she has trouble milking her cows. She offers a kiss if he does the job. The cow kicks over the pail, then kicks the monk into a ditch. The monk vows he'll never again help anyone milk a cow
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (recording, Allan Kelly)
KEYWORDS: farming foreignlanguage humorous animal clergy
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Allan Kelly, "Le Petit Moine (The Little Monk)" (on Miramichi1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Deacon's Calf" (plot)
File: RcLPetMo
===
NAME: Petit Rocher
DESCRIPTION: Canadian French: The trapper, wandering in the forest, fears for his family's safety. He returns home, and arranges for his family's flight from marauding Indians. He remains and is mortally wounded. He prays for comfort in death
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1865 (Gagnon)
KEYWORDS: Quebec family death separation Indians(Am.) foreignlanguage
FOUND_IN: Canada(Que)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 34-35, "Petit Rocher" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Haunted Wood" (plot)
NOTES: This is said to be "the first Canadian song about a Canadian incident."
The song is supposedly based on the legend of the trapper Cadieux. In 1709 he went trapping along the Ottawa River. Returning to his camp and his family, he saw a band of Indians threatening the camp. He put his family in the canoe and stayed behind to slow
the attackers.
When his body was found, it lay in a grave he had dug with his own hands, and with his story written on birchbark with his own blood.
We must regretfully report that little if any verifiable evidence exists for this story. - RBW
File: FMB034
===
NAME: Petite Navire, La: see Little Boy Billee (Le Petite Navire, The Little Corvette) (File: K114)
===
NAME: Petticoat Lane (I): see The Elfin Knight [Child 2] (File: C002)
===
NAME: Petticoat Lane (II)
DESCRIPTION: A man from the country comes to town. His friend shows him the sights of Petticoat Lane. He is beaten at every turn and his pockets picked clean. The police charge him with killing a policeman. His policeman brother Darby gets him off. He goes home 
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1855 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(2996))
KEYWORDS: travel violence murder theft reprieve brother police crime brother
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
O'Conor, pp. 18-19, "Petticoat Lane" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2996), "Petticoat Lane" ("To London I came from the sweet county Down"), E.M.A. Hodges (London), 1846-1854; also 2806 b.11(167), Firth b.25(393), "Petticoat Lane"
File: OCon018
===
NAME: Petty Harbour Bait Skiff
DESCRIPTION: A bait skiff sails from Petty Harbour to Conception Bay in the spring and encounters a storm on their return in the summer. A rescue party is dispatched, but only a young fisherman named Menshon is saved.
AUTHOR: John Grace
EARLIEST_DATE: 1852
KEYWORDS: wreck ship disaster rescue
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Fowke/MacMillan 13, "The Petty Harbour Bait Skiff" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle2, pp. 48-49, "Petty Harbour Bait Skiff" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle3, pp. 46-47, "Petty Harbour Bait Skiff" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lehr/Best 87, "The Petty Harbour Bait Skiff" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, pp. 99-101, "The Petty Harbour Bait Skiff" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BAITSKIF*
Roud #4410
NOTES: Doyle mentions that he received the song from someone who was still alive when the book was compiled and remembered the events fully. However, the recording, "Another Time: Songs of Newfoundland," notes that John Grace wrote the song in 1852, which was almost ninety years before Doyle published it. - SH
File: Doy48
===
NAME: Phelimy Phil: see Ballinderry (File: HHH080)
===
NAME: Philadelphia Lawyer, The
DESCRIPTION: "Way out in Reno, Nevada," the Philadelphia lawyer courts a "Hollywood maid." He tries to convince her to come back to Philadelphia with him. But her husband Bill, discovering them, kills the lawyer
AUTHOR: Words: Woody Guthrie (tune: The Jealous Lover)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (composed)
KEYWORDS: murder lawyer courting derivative cowboy infidelity
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 283-284, "The Philadelphia Lawyer" (1 text)
DT, PHILALAW*
Roud #500
RECORDINGS:
Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston, "Philadelphia Lawyer" (on OrigVis, CowFolkCD1)
Maddox Bros. & Rose, "Philadelphia Lawyer" (on Four Star 1289, 1949)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Reno Blues
NOTES: In one of the strangest lumps I've seen, Roud classifies this with the "Florella" family [Laws F1]. That, of course, provided some inspiration, but the actual text is pure Woody Guthrie. - RBW
File: Grnw283
===
NAME: Philosophical Cowboy, The: see Root, Hog, or Die! (III -- The Bull-Whacker) (File: LoF171)
===
NAME: Phoebe: see Bright Phoebe (File: FSC070)
===
NAME: Phoenix of Erin's Green Isle, The: see O'Reilly from the County Leitrim (File: HHH580)
===
NAME: Phoenix Park Tragedy, The 
DESCRIPTION: Burke and Cavendish are murdered in Dublin's Phoenix Park. The Lord Mayor and Irish MPs -- Davitt, Parnell, Dillon, Sexton -- condemn the assassins. "[L]et us hope and pray to the Lord each night and day, That no Irishman for this crime will be blamed"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: murder Ireland political
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Chronology of the Phoenix Park murders (source: primarily Zimmermann, pp. 62, 63, 281-286.)
May 6, 1882 - Chief Secretary Lord Frederick Cavendish and the Under Secretary Thomas Henry Burke are murdered by a group calling themselves "The Invincible Society."
January 1883 - twenty seven men are arrested.
James Carey, one of the leaders in the murders, turns Queen's evidence.
Six men are condemned to death, four are executed (Joseph Brady is hanged May 14, 1883; Daniel Curley is hanged on May 18, 1883), others are "sentenced to penal servitude," and Carey is freed and goes to South Africa.
July 29, 1883 - Patrick O'Donnell kills Carey on board the "Melrose Castle" sailing from Cape Town to Durban.
Dec 1883 - Patrick O'Donnell is convicted of the murder of James Carey and executed in London (per Leach-Labrador)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(362), "Lines on the Phoenix Park Tragedy" ("Pay attention young and old to these lines"), unknown, n.d.
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Condemned Men for the Phoenix Park Murders" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "The Execution of Michael Fagan" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "Joe Brady and Dan Curley" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "The Men Awaiting Trial for the Murders in Phoenix Park" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "The Murder of the Double-Dyed Informer James Carey" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "O'Donnell and Carey" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "O'Donnell the Avenger" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "Pat O'Donnell" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "Skin the Goat's Curse on Carey" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "Dan Curley" (subject: the Phoenix Park murders)
cf. "The Bold Tenant Farmer" (subject: Charles Stewart Parnell) and references there
NOTES: Zimmermann p. 62: "The Phoenix Park murders and their judicial sequels struck the popular imagination and were a gold-mine for ballad-writers: some thirty songs were issued on this subject, which was the last great cause to be so extensively commented upon in broadside ballads." - BS
The Phoenix Park murders were, in the end, very costly for Ireland; at the very least, they destroyed her influence in the English parliament, and arguably cost them Home Rule and eventually resulted in the Civil War.
Though it doesn't seem to have bothered the more vigorous Irish nationalists, we should note  that the Phoenix Park murders were incredibly brutal; Robert Kee (_The Bold Fenian Men_, being Volume II of _The Green Flag_, p. 87) says that Cavendish and the Catholic Irishman Burke were "hacked to death by twelve-inch long surgical knives."
Sadly, the murders forced British Prime Minister Gladstone's hands at a time when he was trying to improve Ireland's condition. It was not just the English who were upset; Charles Stewart Parnell -- who dominated Irish politics and held the balance of power in the English parliament. offered to resign his leadership of the Irish party (see Terry Golway, _For the Cause of Liberty_, p. 175).
Parnell, for the moment, stayed on. But Gladstone still had to be seen to do something -- that something being coersion. (Any scruples he may have had were probably lessened by the fact that Cavendish was Gladstone's nephew by marriage.) And when Gladstone finally managed to propose a limited Home Rule bill in 1886, it failed and Gladstone's government fell (Golway, p. 180).
We might add that Parnell himself was largely responsible for the sequel: His party fell apart not over Phoenix Park but his own adulterous affair (see Peter and Fiona Somerset Fry, _A History of Ireland_, 259-260). Gladstone tried again for Home Rule in 1893; it was rejected in the Lords, and Gladstone sort of faded away. So did Home Rule.
And while Zimmermann is clearly right that this terrorist act caught the attention of the broadside press, it's worth noting that very little of this outpouring of venom seems to have made it into oral tradition.
It did have its effects, though. According to Charles Townshend, _Easter 1916: The Irish Rebellion_, p. 6, the murder was carried out by "[t]he nearest thing to a home-grown terrorist group to appear in Ireland [prior to the twentieth century]... the shadowy Irish National Invincibles.... This ephemeral group carrie out only one operation. All the same, that single operations... had a tremendous psychological impact. Together with the Manchester Martyrs, the Invincibles' drama became an enduring spur to later generations."
For more on Parnell, see "We Won't Let Our Leader Run Down." - RBW
File: BrdPhoeP
===
NAME: Phyllis and her Mother
DESCRIPTION: Phyllis hides in the woods. Her mother finds her asleep. The daughter drowsily says, "Damon, dear, how long you take." The mother, enraged, tells Phyllis she must go to a convent; Phyllis demurs: "And if love is wrong, said she/Tell me how I came to be." 
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915 (recording [in German], Paul Reimers)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Waiting for her shepherd lover, Phyllis hides in the woods. Her mother looks for her and, finding her asleep, kisses her supposedly-innocent daughter. The daughter drowsily says, "Damon, dear, how long you take." The mother, enraged, tells Phyllis she must go to a convent; Phyllis demurs: "And if love is wrong, said she/Tell me how I came to be." 
KEYWORDS: courting sex foreignlanguage mother
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Paul Reimers, "Phyllis und die Mutter" (Victor 45062, 1915)
NOTES: The song is probably best-known, in an English translation, from the repertoire of revival singer Richard Dyer-Bennet. However, the 78 by Paul Reimers is evidence that the song circulated in German during the 20th century. Reimers seems to have been an American (or at least a resident), recording for Victor in New Jersey, and most of his recordings are of English-language popular music. Dyer-Bennet notes an anonymous publication of the song in Germany in 1799, but without further data I'm reluctant to list that as earliest date. - PJS
It seems pretty clear to me that it's an art song rather than of true folk origin (at least in the Dyer-Bennet form), but I'm in the same quandry as Paul: I can't do much to trace the history. - RBW
File: RcPhudM
===
NAME: Phyllis and Young William: see William and Phillis (File: CrSNB033)
===
NAME: Picayune Butler, Is She Coming to Town
DESCRIPTION: Minstrel song, with chorus "Picayune Butler, Picayune Butler, Is she coming to town?" In traditional forms, the lyrics float, e.g. the terrapin and the toad, "My ole missus promised me When she died she'd set me free."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: floatingverses slave animal travel
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 164-165, (no title) (1 text)
File: ScaNF164
===
NAME: Pick a Bale of Cotton
DESCRIPTION: "You got to jump down, turn around, Pick a bale of cotton...." A list of various people who can, alone or in combination, pick a bale of cotton a day.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (recording, James "Iron Head" Baker & group) 
KEYWORDS: work nonballad farming bragging
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Scott-BoA, pp. 393-304, "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 68, "Pick a Bale of Cotton" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 231-233, "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" (1 text, 1 tune)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 54, "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 123, "Pick A Bale Of Cotton" (1 text)
DT, PICKBALE*
Roud #10061
RECORDINGS:
James "Iron Head" Baker & group, "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" (AFS 195 A1, 1933; on LC53)
James "Iron Head" Baker, "Pick a Bale o' Coton" (AFS 721 B3, 1936) (AFS 3523 A3, 3523 B3, c. 1940)
Folkmasters, "Pick a Bale of Cotton" (on Fmst01)
Mose "Clear Rock" Platt, "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" (AFS 2643 A2, 1939)
Pete Seeger & Sonny Terry, "Pick a Bale of Cotton" (on SeegerTerry)
Pete Seeger, "Pick a Bale o' Cotton" (on PeteSeeger43)
NOTES: Picking a bale of cotton in a single day is, for one picker, an almost superhuman task. - PJS
File: LxU068
===
NAME: Pickaxe Too Heavy
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, dis pickaxe am too heavy, Dis pickaxe am too heavy, Dis pickaxe am too heavy To heavy for my strength."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: work
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 216, (no title) (1 fragment)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Take This Hammer" (theme)
NOTES: This is obviously reminiscent of "Nine Pound Hammer/Take This Hammer" and the like. But the song applies to a different occupation, so -- for lack of additional words -- I split them. - RBW
File: ScNF216A
===
NAME: Picket Line Blues, The
DESCRIPTION: "Com all my friends if you want to know And I'll tell you about the C.I.O.... I'll tell you about the Ashland Strike." The workers picket, and some are arrested; the singer says he will not be discouraged, even though "I've got them picket line blues"
AUTHOR: Bunyan Day
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: strike labor-movement police trial lawyer
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 238-239, "The Picket Line Blues" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Ashland Strike" (subject)
NOTES: 1937 is listed by Thomas as the date of the strike mentioned in this song. This is supported by internal evidence: The song mentions the Wagner Act (National Labor Relations Act), which legally protected collective bargaining; it was passed in 1935 and declared constitutional by the Supreme Court in 1937.
John L. Lewis (the "John L." of the song) originally served as president of the United Mine Workers, then came into the AFL as chief of the Committee for Industrial Organizations. This group proved too radical for the AFL, and so was expelled in 1937, whereupon Lewis remade it as the Congress of Industrial Organizations. - RBW
File: ThBa128
===
NAME: Picket-Guard, The: see All Quiet Along the Potomac (File: RJ19002)
===
NAME: Pickin' Out Cotton
DESCRIPTION: "Hello, my little girl, which away, which away... Mammy sent me pickin' out cotton." The girl and the singer converse about the state of the cotton and where she is going; the girl (?) concludes by asking for a chew of tobacco
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: work drugs farming
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 212, "Pickin' Out Cotton" (1 text plus an excerpt)
File: Br3212
===
NAME: Picking Lilies: see Waly Waly (The Water is Wide) (File: K149)
===
NAME: Pickle My Bones in Alcohol
DESCRIPTION: A dying request, with the verse, "When I die don't bury me at all... Just pickle my bones in alcohol" (or, sometimes, corn pone). The rest of the song varies widely, usually with other requests for the burial; it may also have blues floating verses
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: drink burial floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(SE) West Indies
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 38, "Pickle My Bones in Alcohol" (1 relatively full text, 3 fragments plus mention of 2 more)
Roud #727
RECORDINGS:
Edith Perrin, "When I Die" [fragment] (on USWarnerColl01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Hard Times in the Mill (I)" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This piece is one of those Big Problems, because the key verse ("When I die don't bury me at all") floats, and also has a variable ending. We do the best we can with it.
Edith Perrin's West Indian version is so distinct that I thought about calling it a separate song:
Mama, when I die
Don't you bury me at all
Just cure my bone and body in alcohol.
Two bottles of beer,
One at my head and one at my feet,
Then to show the world
That my bones can cure,
My bones can cure.
I suspect that this may have mixed in part of another song -- just possibly, in fact, a religious song, since the Bible tells, e.g., of the curative power of Elisha's bones (2 Kings 13:21). But we really need more text to prove it.
File: Br3038
===
NAME: Picnic at Gros Haut, The: see The Picnic at Groshaut (File: Dib014)
===
NAME: Picnic at Groshaut, The
DESCRIPTION: The ladies prepare the picnic "upon the teagrounds at Gros Haut" but it rains until noon. "If it wasn't a success, 'twas a frolic nonetheless" The picnic is rescheduled for the next day with cider-drinking, dancing, and "scuffles" meanwhile.
AUTHOR: Lawrence Doyle
EARLIEST_DATE: 1968 (Ives-DullCare)
KEYWORDS: fight dancing drink music party
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 14-15, "The Picnic at Gros Haut" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-DullCare, pp. 178-179,253, "The Picnic at Groshaut" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12483
RECORDINGS:
Arthur Cahill, "The Picnic at Groshaut" (on MREIves01)
NOTES: Groshaut is in the northeast corner of Kings, Prince Edward Island - BS
File: Dib014
===
NAME: Picnic, A
DESCRIPTION: "What's any better than a picnic? The victuals all on the ground, Flies in the buttermilk, bugs in the butter, And the skeeters humming around. Goin' down, children, Goin' down, I say, Goin' down, children, to have a holiday."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1923 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: food nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 191, "A Picnic" (1 text)
Roud #15772
File: Br3191
===
NAME: Picture from Life's Other Side, A
DESCRIPTION: "In the world's mighty gallery of pictures Hang scenes that are faded from life...." The song describes the pictures from life's other side: A gambler staking his mother's ring, a thief killing his brother for gold, a starving woman leaping off a bridge
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1896 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: poverty hardtimes robbery suicide gambling death
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Randolph 603, "A Picture from Life's Other Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 422-424, "A Picture from Life's Other Side" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 603)
Silber-FSWB, p. 265, "A Picture From Life's Other Side" (1 text)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 153-154, "The Lights of London Town" (1 text, 1 tune, quite distinct from the common version)
DT, PICTLIFE*
Roud #3527
RECORDINGS:
Benny Borg (The Singing Soldier), "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (Columbia 15183-D, 1927)
The Blue Sky Boys, "Picture From Life's Other Side" (Bluebird 8646, 1941)
The Clinch Valley Boys, "Picture From Life's Other Side" (Silvertone 5091, 1927)
Hank & Slim [pseuds. for Sid Harkreader & Grady Moore?], "Three Pictures of Life's Other Side" (Vocalion 02808, 1934)
Harkins & Moran [pseud. for Sid Harkreader & Grady Moore], "A Picture from Life's Other Side" (Broadway 8055, c. 1930)
Frank Hill [pseud. for Frank Welling], "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (Supertone 9612, 1930)
Jenkins Family, "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (OKeh 45134, 1927)
Matt Judson, "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (Clarion 5141-C, 1930)
Bradley Kincaid, "A Picture from Life's Other Side" (Vocalion 5476, c. 1930; Conqueror 7983, 1932)
Lonesome Pine Twins, "A Picture From Life's Other Side" (Challenge 667, c. 1928)
Old Southern Sacred Singers, "Picture from Life's Other Side" (Brunswick 115, 1926; recut 1932)
Sam Patterson Trio, "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (Edison 52085, 1927)
Goebel Reeves, "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (MacGregor 875, n.d.)
Smith's Sacred Singers, "Pictures from Life's Other Side" (Columbia 15090-D, 1926)
Smoky Mountain Sacred Singers "'Tis a Picture From Life's Other Side" (Vocalion 5119, c. 1927/Domino 0186, 1927 [as Smoky Mountain Twins ,"A Picture From Life's Other Side"])
NOTES: The 1896 sheet music credits this to "Vaughn" (B. Vaughan?) -- but we all know what that is worth. Charles E. Baer is another suggested author.
The Australian piece, "The Lights of London Town," shares almost none of the words of the American texts, and lacks the image of the picture. But the details and feel of the song are so close that I really think they spring from the same roots. Meredith et al suspect their version of coming from the music hall. This strikes me as possible -- it may be a music hall rewrite of the American song, or vice versa. - RBW
File: R603
===
NAME: Picture No Artist Can Paint, A
DESCRIPTION: "A quaint New England homestead Where a gray-haired couple dwell, Their heads are bowed with sorrow For the one they loved so well." Their daughter ran away from home after an argument. Her brother left to seek her. Neither has yet returned
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (recording, Leake County Revelers)
KEYWORDS: family separation children brother sister
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 831, "A Picture No Artist Can Paint" (1 text)
Roud #7441
RECORDINGS:
Leake County Revelers, "A Picture No Artist Can Paint" (Columbia 15691-D, 1931; rec. 1930)
File: R831
===
NAME: Picture that Is Turned Toward the Wall, The
DESCRIPTION: "Far beyond the glamour of the city and its strife There's a quiet little homestead by the sea." But a family daughter ran away, and "There's a name that's never spoken, and a mother's heart is broken... And a picture that is turned toward the wall."
AUTHOR: Charles Graham
EARLIEST_DATE: 1891 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: separation abandonment children
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 160-161, "The Picture That Is Turned Toward the Wall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Geller-Famous, pp. 59-63, "The Picture That Is Turned Toward the Wall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, pp. 276-277, "The Picture That Is Turned Toward the Wall" (1 text)
DT, PICWALL*
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart, "The Picture That Is Turned Toward the Wall" (Columbia 15030-D, 1925) (Edison 51607 [as Vernon Dalhart & Co.], 1925)
NOTES: Written by Graham after seeing the play "Blue Jeans," in which a father turns his runaway daughter's picture toward the wall. (Why not take it down? Don't ask me.)
The song sold extremely well, but as so often happens, Graham saw little of the proceeds, and died a pauper in 1899.
He also produced a sequel, "Her Father Has Turned the Dear Picture Again." Which had all the success it deserved.
To set a new record for Completely Useless Information Included in the Ballad Index, some students of Sherlock Holmes claim that the woman whose picture is turned toward the wall is none other than Irene Adler, the heroine of "A Scandal in Bohemia." The latter story was published in 1891, with an internal date of 1888 though Sherlockians have demonstrated that this date is not possible. For what little I can glean of this theory, see William S. Baring-Gould, _The Annotated Sherlock Holmes_, Volume I, note 28 to "A Scandal in Bohemia" (p. 354 in the Wings Books edition). - RBW
File: SRW160
===
NAME: Pie in the Sky: see The Preacher and the Slave (File: San221)
===
NAME: Pig at Home in the Pen
DESCRIPTION: Floaters: "When she saw me coming, she hung her head and cried/Yonder comes the meanest boy that ever lived or died." "Next time said darling, pick a bed with me...." Cho: "Got that pig at home in the pen, corn to feed him on/All I want..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (recording, Arthur Smith Trio)
KEYWORDS: love sex rejection farming floatingverses nonballad animal
FOUND_IN: US(SE,Ap)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Spud Gravely w. Glen Smith, "Pig in a Pen" (on Persis1)
Arthur Smith Trio, "Pig at Home in the Pen" (on Bluebird B-7043, 1937)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Shady Grove" (lyrics)
File: RcPAHITP
===
NAME: Pig Got Up and Slowly Walked Away, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer, drunk, walks down the street "in tipsy pride" and falls down in the gutter A pig lies down beside him. A high-toned lady remarks that "you can tell a man who boozes By the company he chooses," and "the pig got up and slowly walked away"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (copyrighted by Benjamin Hapgood Burt)
KEYWORDS: drink humorous animal
FOUND_IN: US Britain(England) Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, PIGINEBR PIGINEB2 PIGENEB3
Roud #7322
RECORDINGS:
Frank Crumit, "The Pig Got Up and Slowly Walked Away" (Decca 313, 1934)
Rudy Vallee, "The Pig Got Up and Slowly Walked Away" (Victor 25092, 1935)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Juged by the Company One Keeps
The Company One Keeps
Pig and the Inebriate
Pig Got Up and Walked Away
Friendship with a Hog
NOTES: Judging by the results of a cursory Google study, this bit is passing into oral tradition fairly quickly. - PJS
There are quite a few questions about it. Paul credited it to Benjamin Hapgood Burt, with a 1933 copyright -- yet Hazel Felleman's _Best Loved Poems of the American People_, published 1936, lists no author. There are four citations, including Felleman's, in _Granger's Index to Poetry_ (where it is titled "Juged by the Company One Keeps"), none of which mentions Burt; one attributes it to Aimor R. Dickson. My guess is that Burt rewrote an older piece. But it certainly seems to be traditional. - RBW
File: RcPGUSWA
===
NAME: Pig in the Parlor
DESCRIPTION: "My ma and pa was Irish (x3), And I am Irish too," "Your right hand to your partner/neighbor... And we'll all promenade." "We got a new pig in the parlor... and he is Irish too." "We kept the cat in the cream-jug... And it was Irish too." Etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911 (JAFL 24)
KEYWORDS: playparty nonballad animal family
FOUND_IN: US(MW,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 522, "Pig in the Parlor" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 80, "Pig in the Parlor" (1 short text plus 1 excerpt and 1 fragment)
DT, PIGPARLR*
Roud #4251
RECORDINGS:
Chubby Parker, "And That Was Irish Too" (Conqueror 7896, 1931)
Pete Seeger, "Pig in the Parlor" (on PeteSeeger22) (on PeteSeeger33, PeteSeegerCD03)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "We Won't Go Home Until Morning" (floating lyrics, form)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
We Have a Pig in the Parlor
File: R522
===
NAME: Pinery Boy: see The Sailor Boy (I) [Laws K12] (File: LK12)
===
NAME: Pining Daily and Daily
DESCRIPTION: "I am pining day and daily this twelve months and above, I am pining day and daily, and all about my love My beauty it is fading... And I wish I was with my true love...." The singer's love has been unfaithful, but her words encourage him to return
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation emigration
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H149, p. 456, "Pining Daily and Daily" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Blacksmith" (plot)
NOTES: Kennedy, seemingly followed by Brunnings, connects this with "She Moved Through the Fair (Our Wedding Day)." This, in my opinion, is an impossible degree of stretch. The lyrics have some similarity to "The Blacksmith"; I also find myself reminded of "I'll Weave My Love a Garland." - RBW
File: HHH149
===
NAME: Pint Pot and Billy
DESCRIPTION: The singer apparently struck it rich in Australia and returned to join the high society in Britain. But he hates it: "Now I am stranded on my own native shore, I'll go back to Australia to the goldfields again." No one understands him; he wants to go home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: Australia home gold
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 116-117, "Pint Pot and Billy" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: FaE116
===
NAME: Pioneer Preacher, The
DESCRIPTION: "As we were on the ice and snow, It rained, it hailed, and the wind did blow... We were so cold we almost died." "But thank the Lord, relief was found...." The singer will preach in Tennessee/Cumberland, where "Religion's scarce"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Hudson)
KEYWORDS: clergy storm pioneer settler Indians(Am.)
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Hudson 82, p. 82, "The Pioneer Preacher" (1 short text)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 168-169, "The Evangelist's Song" (1 text)
Roud #4493
File: Hud082
===
NAME: Pioneers, The
DESCRIPTION: The pioneers, the engineers, the cannoneers are very hardy, and very sexual.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous talltale sex scatological animal
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Cray, pp. 228-231, "The Pioneers" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 510-512, "The Pioneers" (6 texts, 1 tune)
DT, PIONEERS*
Roud #10119
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Son of a Gambolier" (tune & meter) and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Engineers
The M.P.s
The Infantry
The A.P.s
The Mountaineers
File: EM228
===
NAME: Piper MacNeil
DESCRIPTION: Piper MacNeil loves whisky. One night he staggers home falling-down drunk. His mother opens the door, sees his dirty clothes and curses whisky. He says she should not be angry because "as long as I live I aye will be, That I'll take a drap whisky-o"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1967 (recording, Willie Scott)
KEYWORDS: drink mother
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Bord))
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #5125
RECORDINGS:
Willie Scott, "Piper O'Neill" (on Voice13) [the title seems to be an errror for "Piper MacNeil" in the text]
File: RcPipMON
===
NAME: Piper o' Dumbarton, The
DESCRIPTION: "Saw ye Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Rory Murphy, Saw ye Rory Murphy, Comin' through Dumbarton?" Rory, "a piper guid," plays for his living and travels Scotland, but at last falls "doun a brae" while drunk
AUTHOR: David Webster ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1899 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: music death drink
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 138-141, "The Piper o' Dumbarton" (1 text)
Roud #13116
File: FVS138
===
NAME: Piper O'Neill: see Piper MacNeil (File: RcPipMON)
===
NAME: Piper of Crossbarry, The
DESCRIPTION: Piper Flor Begley volunteers to fight but his captain prefers that "Today you'll stride between our lines and martial music play." Tom Barry's fighters defeat 2000 British. "The Piper of Crossbarry, boys, had piped old Ireland free"
AUTHOR: Bryan Mac Mahon
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: rebellion battle Ireland patriotic IRA music
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Mar 19, 1921 - Nationalist victory at Crossbarry
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 58A, "The Piper of Crossbarry" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: [On March 19, 1921], 104 men of the Third West Cork Flying Column of the IRA, under Tom Barry, defeat more than 1000 British and 120 Auxiliaries about 12 miles south-west of Cork city (source: _Tom Barry Leads West Cork Flying Column To Victory at Crossbarry_ at Cork's War of Independence site).
The "Black and Tans" were British reinforcements to regular British soldiers sent to Ireland in 1920. The "Auxiliary Cadets" were veteran British army officers sent to help the Black and Tans. (source: _Michael Collins: A Man Against an Empire_ copyright by and available on the History Net site) For more information see RBW note for "The Bold Black and Tan" - BS
Crossbarry was really two actions: Robert Kee in _Ourselves Alone_, being Volume III of _The Green Flag_ (p. 128) notes that "at Crossbarry... not only did Tom Barry and his flying column successfully ambush a convoy of nine military lorries but fought their way out of a massive attempt to encircle them afterward."
This was not the only victory won by Barry in 1920-1921, nor even his most notorious. He was also, according to _The Oxford Companion to Irish History_, responsible for killing 15 Auxiliaries at Kilmichael on November 28, 1920 -- an event which also inspired a song.
Kee, pp. 120-121, reports of this action, "After a savage fight at close quarters in which three IRA were killed and, according to Barry, the Auxiliaries made use of the notorious 'false surrender' tactics, the entire convoy was wiped out, and seventeen of the eighteen auxiliaries were killed.... [T]he first British officer on the scene... said that although he had seen thousands of men lying dead in the course of the war, he had never before seen such an appalling sight... The doctor at the inquest, an Irishman, said that there was no doubt that some of the injuries had been inflicted after death."
George Dangerfield's history of Irish rebellion, _The Damnable Question_, does not list Kilmichael or Crossbarry but on p. 319 does mention an action of 1920: "On 9 December a flying column under Tom Barry, Commandant of Cork's No. 3 Brigade, and one of the most ruthless and successful of all guerilla leaders, ambushed two lorry loads of Auxiliaries, and wiped them out in circumstances of unusual savagery."
Though the reaction was also ugly, showing how bad conditions were in Ireland at that time: "On 11 December... Auxiliaries and Black and Tans invaded Cork, looting, wrecking, and burning, with the result that the center of the city was destroyed."
Barry would later attack a police barracks in Cork (Kee, p. 128).
Calton Younger, _Ireland's Civil War_, pp. 108-109, notes a case of Barry justifying the murder of a Catholic member of the R. I. C. as he went in to mass, though it doesn't tell whether Barry was actually the assassin.
It's probably no surprise that, when Irish leaders had to decide on the Treaty granting Ireland functional independence, Barry was against it (John A. Murphy, _Ireland in the Twentieth Century_, p. 48).
Tim Pat Coogan (_Michael Collins_, p. 169) sums up Barry and Crossbarry as follows: "Barry in fact was one of the bravest men in the war and probably the most successful field commander.... [H]e achieved a spectacular success at Crossbarry, County Cork, on 19 March 1921. In a day-long engagement, encouraged by the traditional pipes of Flor Begley, Barry and a force of about a hundred men broke through a more heavily armed British encirclement of ten times that number and got away safely...." - RBW
Ironically, Barry (1897-1980) had been in the British Army in Mesopotamia (Kee, p. 70), and had shown no evidence of nationalist sympathies at that time. But he would later become a high officer of the IRA, becoming its Chief of Staff for a time in 1937.
He eventually wrote a memoir, _Guerilla Days in Ireland._
File: OLcM058A
===
NAME: Piper Who Played Before Moses, The: see The Ould Piper (File: RcTOlPi)
===
NAME: Piper's Tunes, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer goes to town "to view the pretty lasses" and sees a famous Captain and Joe Blake. Blake the piper plays the favorite tunes and variations, all named. "Get up and shake your heels, 'tis better sport than any"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1855 (broadside, Johnson Ballads 602)
KEYWORDS: dancing music
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn 11, "The Piper's Tunes" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3030
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 602, "Sporting Irish Piper," E.M.A. Hodges (London), 1846-1854; also 2806 b.11(249), Johnson Ballads 603, "Sporting Irish Piper"; 2806 c.15(147), 2806 b.9(225), "The Rakes of Kildare"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bob and Joan" (tune, per OLochlainn)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
John Murphy
NOTES: The final line of the Bodleian "The Rakes of Kildare" broadsides is "Oh, tune up the old banjo, for that's better than any." OLochlainn's town is Cove and his famous captain Burke of Grove; the broadsides town is Kildare and the famous captain Cornock of Cromwell's Fort. The Bodleian "Sporting Irish Piper" broadsides have no similar final line or famous captain, the town is Liverpool and the piper is John Murphy." The same tunes are played throughout. - BS
File: OLoc011
===
NAME: Pirate of the Isles, The
DESCRIPTION: "I command a steady band Of pirates so bold and free." The pirate rejoices at being ruler of his ship and men. He tells of his joy in the sea. At last, however, he is overtaken by a warship. Hit by a cannonball, he is dying. His crew surrenders
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1847 (Journal of William Histed of the Cortes)
KEYWORDS: pirate ship battle death
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Harlow, pp. 172-174, "The Pirate of the Isle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 74-77, "The Pirate of the Isles" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2024
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y4:026, "The Pirate of the Isles," unknown, 19C
File: SWMS074
===
NAME: Pirate Smith
DESCRIPTION: Smith scoured the seas "with a noble crew of cutthroats." "He said that grabbing booty was a Briton's pleasing duty." He'd hang foreign foemen from his lanyards. At 37 he is killed by a Spanish bullet and goes to heaven "to rest in Nelson's bosom"
AUTHOR: T.D. Sullivan (1827-1914) (source: OLochlainn-More)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: death sea ship England humorous political pirate
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 65, "Pirate Smith" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Sullivan is the author of a number of Irish patriotic poems, of which "God Save Ireland" is probably the best-known. This is one of the few non-nationalist poems I've seen from his pen. Ironically, the Smith he commemorates does not seem to be very famous; there are several Smiths with entries in Rogozinski's _The Wordsworth Dictionary of Pirates_, but none of them fit the hero of this song. - RBW
File: OLcM065
===
NAME: Pirate Song: see The Bold Pirate [Laws K30] (File: LK30)
===
NAME: Pirate, The: see Captain Kidd [Laws K35] (File: LK35)
===
NAME: Pirate's Serenade, The
DESCRIPTION: "My boat's by the tower, my bark's in the bay, And both must be gone ere the dawn of the day." The pirate waits for his bride. He asks that his roughness be excused. She shall "rule as Queen." He sees her signal that she is coming
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1950 (Creighton-Maritime)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage ship pirate
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 152-153, "The Pirate's Serenade" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2698
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.25(493), "The Pirate's Serenade," T.A. Jackson (Birmingham) , c.1860
NOTES: See two very similar broadsides for "The Pirate's Serenade" attributed to Geo. A. W. Langford Fahie and with the tune "I Am Off for Baltimore": LOCSinging, as111010, "The Pirate's Serenade," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also sb30427a, "The Pirate's Serenade" - BS
File: CrMa152
===
NAME: Piri-miri-dictum Domini: see I Gave My Love a Cherry
 (File: R123)
===
NAME: Pitcaithly's Wells
DESCRIPTION: "It fell aboot the Lammas time A fine time o' the year..." that the singer goes out and sees the girls "drink the waters clear." His eye lights on one in particular. He asks if she will marry; she refuses at first, but after a time of courting, consents
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, pp. 133-134, "Pitcaithly's Wells" (1 text)
Roud #5549
NOTES: Ord reports a legend that this was written, perhaps c. 1700, by the Earl of Kinnoul in honor of Jeannie Oliphant of Pitcaithly. This sounds like the usual sort of pretty legend. - RBW
File: Ord134
===
NAME: Pitgair: see Charlie, O Charlie (Pitgair) (File: Ord216)
===
NAME: Pitman's Courtship, The
DESCRIPTION: "Quite soft blew the wind from the west, The sun faintly shone in the sky, When Lukey and Bessie sat courting, As walking I chanced to espy." He reminds her that they have been together since childhood, and promises business and a fine wedding
AUTHOR: William Mitford
EARLIEST_DATE: 1900 (Stokoe/Reay); Mitford died 1851
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Stokoe/Reay, pp.  39-40, "The Pitman's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST StoR039 (Partial)
Roud #3058
File: StoR039
===
NAME: Pitman's Happy Times, The
DESCRIPTION: "When aw wes yung, maw collier lads, Ne man cud happier be; For wages was like sma' coals then, An' cheps cud raise a spree." The singer recalls all afford in his youth, and notes in sad amazement all the changes since -- e.g. that all children can read
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1900 (Stokoe/Reay)
KEYWORDS: work age children food clothes money mining
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 167-169, "The Pitman's Happy Times" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3172
NOTES: Never thought I'd see a coal miner reminiscing about the good old days.... - RBW
File: StoR167
===
NAME: Pitty Patty Poke
DESCRIPTION: Game played while patting a baby's feet: "Pitty patty poke, Shoe the wild colt, Here a nail, there a nail, Pitty patty poke"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 119, "Pitty Patty Poke" (1 text)
Roud #7850
File: Br3119
===
NAME: Pity Poor Labourers
DESCRIPTION: "You sons of old England, now listen... Concerning poor lab'rers we all must allow Who work all day at the tail of the plow. Oh, pity poor lab'rers, oh, pity them all, For five or six shillings they work the whole week." The complaints of poor workers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: poverty work
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 18-19, "Pity Poor Labourers" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: FaE018
===
NAME: Place Where the Old Horse Died, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls a spot -- a spot he no longer visits: "The place where the old horse died." He recalls that final ride, where the horse, for no evident reason, stumbled. Rider soon arose, but the faithful horse never moved again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955
KEYWORDS: horse death burial
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 279-281, "The Place Where the Old Horse Died" (2 texts, 1 tune)
File: MA279
===
NAME: Plaidie Awa, The: see The Wind Blew the Bonnie Lass's Plaidie Awa' (File: RcWBTBLP)
===
NAME: Plain Golden Band, The [Laws H17]
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls his parting from his former sweetheart and why she gave back her engagement ring. A young man comes to her and tells her stories of the singer's falsehood. She briefly dallies with him. Having stained the ring, she must return it
AUTHOR: Joe Scott?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Ives-NewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: farewell ring infidelity lie trick
FOUND_IN: US(NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws H17, "The Plain Golden Band"
Doerflinger, pp. 247-249, "The Plain Golden Band" (2 texts, 2 tunes, although Laws apparently does not include the first text and tune, which are fragmentary, with this ballad)
Ives-DullCare, pp. 149-151,253, "The Plain Golden Band" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 159-162, "The Plain Golden Band" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 39, "The Plain Golden Band" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 693, PLAINGLD
Roud #1963
NOTES: Ives-DullCare: "Of all Joe Scott's ballads, this is the one most closely identified with him. Even people who didn't know the song itself would often tell me that it was about Joe's own life--that this Lizzie had jilted him and it broke his heart." - BS
File: LH17
===
NAME: Plains of Baltimore, The
DESCRIPTION: As the singer prepares to leave (Ireland?), his rich sweetheart promises to go with him and takes some of her father's money with her. They leave Ireland for America and settle down happily. Her father promises a reward when their first son is born
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration father love elopement
FOUND_IN: US(MA) Ireland Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Warner 5, "Plains of Baltimore" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H553, p. 482, "Jamie, Lovely Jamie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 38, "There Was a Wealthy Farmer" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa005 (Full)
Roud #7457
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bonny Labouring Boy" [Laws M14]
NOTES: Creighton-SNewBrunswick has the money sewn into her dress: "This lovely maid was gaily decked most wondrous to behold, And in her dress a fortune sewed, five hundred pounds in gold." - BS
This is fairly typical of the versions, though the amount varies, as does the place of departure. The ending, in which the father forgives and offers more money once the son is born, seems fixed. - RBW
File: Wa005
===
NAME: Plains of Emu, The (The Exile of Erin II)
DESCRIPTION: The Irish prisoner sadly recalls his home in Erin. The singer, though he claims he never received "a base-earned coin," has been transported for life. He fondly recalls his mother and his Nora. He says, "The tie is unbroken on the plains of Emu."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1829
KEYWORDS: prisoner transportation separation
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 36-37, "The Exile of Erin" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4354
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Exile of Erin (I)" (theme)
NOTES: Emu Plains was a prison farm outside Sydney, established to grow food for the large population of that city. - RBW
File: FaE036
===
NAME: Plains of Illinois, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer urges "all you good old farmers that on your plow depend" to "come travel west and settle on the plains of Illinois." It is alleged that Adam would compare Illinois to the Garden of Eden. The state and its residents are glowingly described
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: Bible talltale emigration farming
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
FSCatskills 89, "The Plains of Illinois" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 162-163, "El-A-Noy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 41, "El-A-Noy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 561, "El-a-noy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 42, "Elanoy" (1 text)
DT, PLAINILL*
Roud #4605
RECORDINGS:
Art Thieme, "State of Illinois" (on Thieme01) (on Thieme05)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
State of Illinois
File: FSC089
===
NAME: Plains of Mexico (I), The: see Santy Anno (File: Doe078)
===
NAME: Plains of Mexico (II): see The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (I), The [Laws N32]
DESCRIPTION: The singer, a soldier, sees Sally lamenting for her Willie --  the wars are over but Willie has not returned. He tells her that Willie died at Waterloo after bidding her farewell, but then shows his half of a broken token and reveals himself as Willie
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Mackenzie)
KEYWORDS: brokentoken disguise mourning war soldier battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (10 citations)
Laws N32, "The Plains of Waterloo I"
Fowke/MacMillan 66, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 85, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 1014-1015, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 126, "Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 56-57, "Plains of Waterloo" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 34, "Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 69, "Waterloo" (1 text)
Moylan 189, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 459, PLNWLOO PLNWLOO2
Roud #960
RECORDINGS:
Amos Jollimore, "The Plains of Waterloo" (on MRHCreighton)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
cf. "The Banks of the Clyde (I)" (plot, lyrics)
cf. "The Maid of Dunmore" (partial plot, lyrics)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Smith at Waterloo
NOTES: Creighton-Maritime: "I have two quite different songs by the same title." I believe Creighton's complete version and fragmentary text are both Laws N32.
Creighton's problem seems to come from the fragment's following "eighteenth of June" verse that matches no other "eighteenth of June" I've found for any Waterloo ballad or broadside; the sense of the verse -- that Willie was killed in battle -- belongs with Laws N32. In addition, the only other verse in the fragment also belongs to Laws N32.
"On the eighteenth day of June the battle was ended
Which caused many the British heroes to sigh and complain,
The drums they did beat and the cannons they did rattle
And by a French soldier your true love was slain."
Mackenzie: "The hypothesis that I have finally excogitated is that 'Waterloo' [Laws N32] is a fragmentary and modified version of the early nineteenth-century English ballad entitled 'The Mantle So Green,' [Laws N38] and that 'The Mantle So Green' is in its turn a modified version of the late eighteenth-century English ballad 'George Reilly.' [Laws N36]" Mackenzie's discussion includes a detailed examination of the three ballads. 
Online, you can get some idea of the similarities by using these texts at one of the Digital Tradition sites [searching on the DT number works, for example #459]:
Laws N32: "Plains of Waterloo" DT #459.
Laws N38: "The Mantle So Green" DT #463.
Laws N36: "George Reilly (6)" DT #592 [unfortunately, as noted there, this one "sort of stops short," before the narrator tells of George's supposed dying words "Farewell, my dearest Nancy ...." Laws reveals the end: Finally he [the narrator] puts an end to the girl's grief by revealing that he is Riley."] - BS
Obviously there is a great similarity between these broken token songs, and the Waterloo-specific versions probably *are* more recent (since the Napoleonic Wars were the last great wars before the telegraph and railroad and widespread literacy). But the vast number of songs of this type (see the mass list under Laws N36) inclines me to think that they are not all related -- but that Laws N36 and "The Mantle So Green" [Laws N38], which are among the most popular, are at the heart of the tradition. - RBW
The ballad is recorded on one of the CD's issued around the time of the bicentenial of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. See:
Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "The Plains of Waterloo" (on Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "My Name is Napoleon Bonaparte," Hummingbird Records HBCD0027 (2001)) - BS
File: LN32
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (II), The [Laws J3]
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of all the places he has fought, ending with his part at Waterloo (from which he is grateful to have emerged alive). He tells of Napoleon's success on the first two days of the battle and of Wellington's victory on the final day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1869 (Logan)
KEYWORDS: war Napoleon battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws J3, "The Plains of Waterloo II"
Mackenzie 73, "The Plains of Waterloo," "Wellington and Waterloo" (2 texts)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 117-119, "The Battle of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 547, PLNWLOO3
ST LJ03 (Full)
Roud #1922
RECORDINGS:
O. J. Abbott, "The Plains of Waterloo" (on Abbott1)
Amos Jollimore, "The Plains of Waterloo" (on MRHCreighton)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Plains of Waterloo (V)" (subject, plot)
NOTES: The notes in Laws regarding this piece are somewhat confusing. He quotes Mackenzie to the effect that this song "is plainly derived" from the much longer, more elaborate broadside piece we've listed as "The Plains of Waterloo (V)."
That the two are on the same theme is undeniable. But Bennett Schwartz, who has examined the matter with care, notes "I do not believe it was Laws's intent to consider these both the same, but rather to consider only the derivative as traditional.  I think an argument can be made that J3 is not a derivative of this broadside at all."
Schwartz adds,
There are three other broadsides in Bodleian Library site Ballads Catalogue that describe the battle and go under the name "Plains of Waterloo." I do not believe they are the source of J3 either. Specifically,
"The Plains of Waterloo" beginning "The ancient sons of glory were all great men they say" (shelfmarks Harding B15(239b), Harding B 28(76), Harding B 11(3017), Harding B11(3018), Harding B 11(3019))
"The Plains of Waterloo" beginning "Assist me you muses while I relate a story" ( Harding B25(1501)[a hard-to-read copy])
"The Plains of Waterloo" beginning "On the Eighteenth Day of June, my boys, Napoleon did advance" (shelfmarks Firth c.14(7), Firth b.25(507), Firth c.14(28), Harding B11(91), Harding B 25(1503), Harding B 11(3020), Harding B 15(239a)) [Roud #5824]
Mackenzie's opening stanza for this song is presumably characteristic:
Come all you brisk and lively lads, come listen unto me,
While I relate how I have fought through the wars of Germany.
I have fought through Spain, through Portugal, through France and Flanders too;
But it's little I thought I'd be reserved for the plains of Waterloo. - BS, RBW
Although the "Battle of Waterloo" took place on June 18, 1815, it was actually the culmination of a several-day campaign. Napoleon, who had just returned from Elba, knew that all Europe would soon turn against him. His only hope was to defeat his enemies piecemeal -- starting with the Anglo-Dutch army of Wellington (the hero of the Peninsular campaign) and the Prussian army of Blucher.
Even though Napoleon started levying troops immediately, Wellington and Blucher together outnumbered the forces at his command by better than three to two. He had to separate them. He undertook this by dividing his army into two wings, the left under Ney and the right under Grouchy. (This was probably Napoleon's worst mistake of the campaign. He left his three of his best Marshals -- Soult, Suchet, and Davout -- in minor roles, while making the uninspired Ney and the inexperienced Grouchy his field commanders).
Napoleon struck first on June 16. Ordering Ney to attack Wellington's rearguard at Quatre Bras, Napoleon took Grouchy's reinforced right and attacked Blucher at Ligny. Ney's attack accomplished little, but Grouchy beat Blucher handily at Ligny.
Napoleon had apparently achieved his objective; Blucher was forced to retreat -- which took him away from Wellington. Napoleon therefore swung the larger part of his army back to deal with the British.
Unfortunately for the French, Blucher didn't retreat far. Even worse, Grouchy didn't follow him closely. Ney's errors topped things off. Given field command by Napoleon at Waterloo (June 18), Ney was unable to dislodge Wellington before Blucher returned to the battlefield. Since Grouchy did *not* show up, Blucher and Wellington swept Ney from the field, ending Napoleon's dreams forever. - RBW
File: LJ03
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (III), The [Laws J4]
DESCRIPTION: A boast of the bloody victory at Waterloo, telling of Mooney, who rides a milk-white steed as he rides his troops, and of General Hill, one of thousands of casualties
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1918 (Cecil Sharp collection)
KEYWORDS: war Napoleon battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws J4, "The Plains of Waterloo III"
SharpAp 139, "Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 391, PLNSWLOO*
Roud #1923
File: LJ04
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (IV), The
DESCRIPTION: A very confused song. The singer goes to fight the French at Waterloo. He thinks of the mountains of Britain, and his parting from his girl. He receives a letter. Now the girl recalls her lover's departure and curses the man who killed him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: soldier death Napoleon
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H608, pp. 87-88, "The Plains of Waterloo (IV)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 192, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1106
NOTES: Sam Henry's text almost has to be a conflate song, combining two (or more) Waterloo ballads. Possibly they came together because both involved letters between lovers. But with only five stanzas of the combined piece, I haven't been able to identify the parts.
The best candidate seems to be Ford's song of the same name; they have similar opening lines, and Roud lumps the pieces. But the plots are different. - RBW
File: HHH608
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (V), The
DESCRIPTION: "On the sixteenth day of June, my boys, in Flanders where we lay," the troops are ordered to meet Napoleon at Waterloo. Napoleon urges on his men; Wellington just fights. When the British emerge victorious, they drink to King George
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1869 (Logan)
KEYWORDS: war Napoleon battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: Britain(England,Scotland) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Logan, pp. 106-109, "The Battle of Waterloo" (1 text)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 61-65, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 299-301, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 1016-1017, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST LJ03A (Partial)
Roud #1106
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y1:033, "The Battle of Waterloo," James Lindsay Jr. (Glasgow), 19C
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Plains of Waterloo (II)"  [Laws J3] (subject, plot)
SAME_TUNE:
Behold He Comes (per broadside Murray, Mu23-y1:033)
NOTES: Laws mentions this piece in connection with Laws J3, "The Plains of Waterloo (II)," quoting Mackenzie's claim that this is the literary original of that ballad. Earlier editions of this index lumped the two (based on a lack of reliable texts of Laws J3 for comparison).
But, as Bennett Schwartz points out, they are not the same song as they stand now, and this piece may not even be the actual source of the Laws ballad; the material they both contain is largely commonplace. Thus we split them, though fragments might go with either one, and there will be editors who lump. - BS, RBW
Although the "Battle of Waterloo" took place on June 18, 1815, it was actually the culmination of a several-day campaign. Napoleon, who had just returned from Elba, knew that all Europe would soon turn against him. His only hope was to defeat his enemies piecemeal -- starting with the Anglo-Dutch army of Wellington (the hero of the Peninsular campaign) and the Prussian army of Blucher.
Even though Napoleon started levying troops immediately, Wellington and Blucher together outnumbered the forces at his command by better than three to two. He had to separate them. He undertook this by dividing his army into two wings, the left under Ney and the right under Grouchy. (This was probably Napoleon's worst mistake of the campaign. He left his three of his best Marshals -- Soult, Suchet, and Davout -- in minor roles, while making the uninspired Ney and the inexperienced Grouchy his field commanders).
Napoleon struck first on June 16. Ordering Ney to attack Wellington's rearguard at Quatre Bras, Napoleon took Grouchy's reinforced right and attacked Blucher at Ligny. Ney's attack accomplished little, but Grouchy beat Blucher handily at Ligny.
Napoleon had apparently achieved his objective; Blucher was forced to retreat -- which took him away from Wellington. Napoleon therefore swung the larger part of his army back to deal with the British.
Unfortunately for the French, Blucher didn't retreat far. Even worse, Grouchy didn't follow him closely. Ney's errors topped things off. Given field command by Napoleon at Waterloo (June 18), Ney was unable to dislodge Wellington before Blucher returned to the battlefield. Since Grouchy did *not* show up, Blucher and Wellington swept Ney from the field, ending Napoleon's dreams forever.
The other general mentioned in the song, Jerome, was Napoleon's younger brother. At Waterloo he commanded Ney's left, and failed completely to rout the British from their stronghold of Hougoumont. - RBW
File: LJ03A
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (VI), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of her love, a soldier. She describes his beauty. He fights in the peninsular war. He dies at Salamanca and Waterloo. She describes his last messages, then says she will remain faithful until her own death
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: battle soldier death Napoleon
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: July 22, 1812 - Battle of Salamanca
June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H15, p. 87, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 191, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2853
NOTES: The Sam Henry version of this song seems to conflate the battles of Salamanca and Waterloo; the hero is fighting at the first when he dies at the second. Either the song has been strangely damaged in transmission (and it shows no other signs of damage), or it was written by someone with no real understanding of the Napoleonic Wars. My guess is the latter; I suspect this was written well after its alleged date. - RBW
File: HHH015
===
NAME: Plains of Waterloo (VII), The
DESCRIPTION: Singer tells about her lover who "fought in Spain and Portugal and was slain at Waterloo." When Ireland fell he joined Bonaparte, promising to return and marry. "When Bathurst was taken" he went to Waterloo. She'll have no other man.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 2000 (Moylan)
KEYWORDS: love battle soldier death Napoleon
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 18, 1815 - Battle of Waterloo
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 190, "The Plains of Waterloo" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Moylan considers this the same song as "The Plains of Waterloo" (VI), but then he argues against his own position: "Unlike most other Napoleonic songs found in Ireland and Britain, the hero of the song fights on Napoleon's side." Moylan's version of "The Plains of Waterloo" (VI) (Moylan 191) shares no lines with this ballad.
Moylan speculates that the Bathurst reference "may refer to Henry, the 3rd Earl of Bathurst, who was Secretary of State for the Colonies." There is a connection between "Bathurst" and Napoleon. The following statement is from the Napoleonic Society site: "It is our view that Liverpool, Castlereagh and Bathurst betrayed Napoleon by offering him asylum in England and then sending him off to St-Helena." Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh (Foreign Secretary 1812-1822), Robert Banks Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool (Prime Minister 1812-1827), and Henry Bathurst (Secretary of State for War and the Colonies 1812-1827) are the parties mentioned.
The ballad is recorded on one of the CD's issued around the time of the bicentenial of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. See:
Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "My Love at Waterloo" (on Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "My Name is Napoleon Bonaparte," Hummingbird Records HBCD0027 (2001)) 
Frank Harte's version resolves the Bathurst "problem." His verse is
When Badajoz was taken and our leaders all were dead,
The plain around in carnage lay to show how much we bled,
Ten thousand man lay in their gore and those who fled were few,
And we marched on to fight once more on the Plains of Waterloo.
Harte: "Badajoz ... is the capital of Badajoz province situated near the border with Portugal. The French captured it in 1811, and held it until the following year when it was retaken by the British, led by the Duke of Wellington." - BS
File: Moyl190
===
NAME: Plainte du Capitaine, La (The Captain's Lament)
DESCRIPTION: French. A wind blows the ship off course. The captain climbs the mainmast and finds the way home but is thrown into the sea. He is sorry to leave his family. At his burial he wants the crew to sing that he died on the deadly sea.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage death sea ship storm children mother wife sailor mourning separation funeral
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 161-162, "La Plainte du Capitaine" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Pea161
===
NAME: Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportee)
DESCRIPTION: Once the crop is gathered in, the illegal workers who harvested them can be sent back to Mexico. They are taken and separated and put on a plane across the border. The plane catches fire and crashes over Los Gatos; the Mexicans are killed
AUTHOR: Words: Woody Guthrie / Music: Martin Hoffman
EARLIEST_DATE: 1961
KEYWORDS: death disaster foreigner work political flying crash exile emigration
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jan 28, 1948 - The Los Gatos plane crash
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Scott-BoA, pp. 367-369, "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 294-295, "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos" (1 text)
DT, DEPORTE*
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Deportee" (on PeteSeeger41)
File: SBoA367
===
NAME: Plant, Plant the Tree
DESCRIPTION: Freedom's sun is rising for Ireland. "Despotic sway from France is chas'd, And church delusion's vanish'd"; Ireland needs the same. "Plant ... fair Freedom's Tree." The French will help. "Erin Go Bragh" will replace "God Save the King." Wars will end
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1790s (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: rebellion France Ireland political
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Zimmermann 5, "Plant, Plant the Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 19, "Plant, Plant the Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Evidently a reference to the events of the 1790s, when the French Revolution seemed to portend freedom for many nations. The irony is that instead it led to the Reign of Terror, and Napoleon, and not much else. Indeed, Ireland would see her freedom reduced; since 1782, she had had some internal autonomy under Grattan's Parliament (see the notes to "Ireland's Glory"). But the French were in fact very little help (see the notes to "The Shan Van Voght"), and Ireland would suffer first the 1798 rebellion and then the Union of the Parliaments. - RBW
File: Zimm005
===
NAME: Plantonio: see Pattonia, the Pride of the Plains [Laws B12] (File: LB12)
===
NAME: Platonia: see Pattonia, the Pride of the Plains [Laws B12] (File: LB12)
===
NAME: Platte River Girl, The: see Jack Haggerty (The Flat River Girl) [Laws C25] (File: LC25)
===
NAME: Pleasant and Delightful
DESCRIPTION: On a "pleasant and delightful" midsummer's morn, a sailor bids farewell to his true love. She gives him a token, and begs to come along with him. He forbids it, but promises that they will be wed "if ever I return again."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1841 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.18(276))
KEYWORDS: love farewell ring separation
FOUND_IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, PLESDELT*
Roud #660
RECORDINGS:
Sam Larner, "Happy and Delightful" (on SLarner02)
Cyril Poacher, "A Sailor and His True Love" (on Voice02)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.18(276), "The Sailor and his Truelove" ("As a young sailor and his truelove one morning in May"), J. Jennings (London), 1790-1840; also Firth c.12(147), Harding B 17(266b), "Sailor and his Truelove"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Farewell, Charming Nancy [Laws K14]" (plot, lyrics)
cf. "The Bold Privateer" [Laws O32] (meter)
cf. "The Soldier and the Sailor" (meter)
NOTES: This song shares many similarities with "Farewell, Charming Nancy" [Laws K14]; it is not impossible that they have a common ancestor. But the degree of difference is now so large that, until an intermediate version shows up, I must regard them as separate. - RBW
File: DTplesde
===
NAME: Please, Don't Burn Our Shithouse Down
DESCRIPTION: The singer pleads for his/her outhouse, chronicling the family's woes, and promises to pay [tax?].
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1733 (Thomson's Orpheus Caledonius)
KEYWORDS: bawdy family humorous scatological
FOUND_IN: Australia Canada Britain(England,Scotland) Ireland US(ubiquitous) New Zealand
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Cray, pp. 109-111, "Please, Don't Burn Our Shithouse Down" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 191-195, "Finest Fucking Family" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #10270
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "My God, How the Money Rolls In"
cf. "My Daddy's a Delver of Dykes"
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Finest Fucking Family in the Land
My Father Was Hung for Sheep-Stealing (as a Horse Thief)
File: EM109
===
NAME: Please, Mister Conductor (The Lightning Express)
DESCRIPTION: The conductor demands a boy's ticket. He has none. He went to work in the city to pay for his mother's care, but now she is dying. He has no fare, but is going to be with her; he begs the conductor to let him stay. The passengers chip in to pay his fare.
AUTHOR: J. Fred Helf (?) and E. P. Moran
EARLIEST_DATE: 1898 (copright)
KEYWORDS: mother disease age separation train help
FOUND_IN: US(So,SW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 321-325, "Please, Mr. Conductor/The Lightning Express" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 720, "Please, Mister Conductor" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 468-470, "Please, Mister Conductor" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 720A)
Roud #7389
RECORDINGS:
Fiddlin' John Carson, "The Lightning Express" (OKeh 7008, 1924)
Johnny & Albert Crockett, "Lightnin' Express" (Crown 3074, 1930)
Pete Daley's Arkansas Fiddlers, "Lightning Express" (Varsity 5078, n.d.)
Vernon Dalhart, "Lightning Express" (Banner 1594, 1925) (Challenge 165/Challenge 320, 1927) (Champion 15017, 1925) (Victor 19837, 1925)
Byron G. Harlan "Please, Mr. Conductor, Don't Put Me Off The Train" (CYL: Edison 7219, 1903)
Jim Holbert, "The Lightning Express" (AFS 4130 B2, 1940; on LC61)
Frank Hutchison, "Lightning Express" (OKeh 45144, 1927)
Bradley Kincaid, "The Lightning Express" (Melotone 12184, 1931; Vocalion 02683, 1934)
Asa Martin, "East Bound Train" (Champion 15585/Supertone 9178, 1928) (Conqueror 7837, 1931; Broadway 4086 [as Martin & Roberts], n.d.)
Lester McFarland & Robert Gardner, "The East Bound Train" (Vocalion 5174/Vocalion 5200/Brunswick 169/Brunswick 326, 1928; Supertone S-2032, 1930; rec. 1927); "The Lightning Express" (Brunswick 200, 1928; Brunswick 326, 1929; rec. 1927)
Nelstone's Hawaiians, "North Bound Train" (Victor V-40065, 1929)
Riley Puckett, "East Bound Train" (Columbia 15747-D, 1932)
George Reneau, "The Lightning Express"  (Vocalion 5056/Vocalion 14991, 1925; Silvertone 3045 [as George Hobson], 1924)
Mervin Shiner, "The Lightning Express" (Decca 46272, 1950)
Ernest V. Stoneman "The Lightning Express" (OKeh 40408, 1925) (Edison 52299, 1928)
Arthur Tanner, "The Lightning Express Train" (Puritan 9160, n.d. but prob. c. 1926)
Ernest Thompson, "The Lightning Express" (Columbia 145-D, 1924)
Wesley Tuttle, "The Lightning Express" (Coral 64068, 1950)
Dock Walsh, "The East Bound Train" (Columbia 15047-D, 1925)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Going for a Pardon" (plot)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The East Bound Train
NOTES: The sheet music of this is obscure enough (or illegible enough) that the first author is various listed as "H. Fred Delf" and J. Fred Helf. I've tentatively listed the latter in the "author" field, since it's the form Norm Cohen uses, and he's more authoritative than any of the other sources.
The memory of Delf/Helf and Moran is quite obscure; their copyright was not renewed, and we find the song being re-copyrighted in 1925 by Triangle Music Publishing, with no reference to the original authors; they credited to the universal pseudonym E. V. Body. - RBW
File: R720
===
NAME: Plooin' Match, The
DESCRIPTION: The ploughmen meet at (Hilton) to have a contest. The various ploughmen are listed, along with the way they competed. The song concludes, "The judges cam frae far an' near... But some wad say their sicht was puir That day among the ploomen."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: farming racing humorous moniker contest
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 239-241, "The Ploughing Match" (1 text)
Roud #5581
NOTES: Ord observes that "When singing this song the singer generally puts in the names of persons known to his audience.... The locus of the match has also been forgotten." And, indeed, Grieg's versions have no name. - RBW
File: Ord239
===
NAME: Plooman Laddie, The
DESCRIPTION: "My love's a plooman and follows the ploo, I promised to him and I'll keep it true.... What's better than a plooman?" The singer rejects many (e.g. "I micht hae gotten the miller... But the smell o' the dust wad had done me ill") and rejoices to be wed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting farming rejection
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, pp. 223-224, "The Plooman Laddie" (1 text)
Roud #3447
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Husbandman and the Servingman" (theme)
cf. "The Farmer and the Shanty Boy" (theme)
cf. "Soldier Boy for Me (A Railroader for Me)" (theme)
NOTES: Ord lists this as being sung to "The Rigs o Rye." The tune I've heard isn't quite that, though it's close. - RBW
File: Ord223
===
NAME: Ploughboy (I), The
DESCRIPTION: In this confused composite of floating verses, the ploughboy courts Molly, but then departs to become a soldier. He will build Molly a castle and take her away. She nonetheless rejects him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Sam Henry collection); c1810? (_English Minstrel_, according to Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 5" - 25.8.02)
KEYWORDS: love courting rejection soldier flowers floatingverses
FOUND_IN: Ireland Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H780, p. 345-346, "The Ploughboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1446
RECORDINGS:
Lizzie Higgins, "Lovely Molly" (on Voice05)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Green Grows the Laurel (Green Grow the Lilacs)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Streams of Lovely Nancy" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Blackbird and Thrush" (theme) 
NOTES: This song consists almost entirely of floating material (see the cross-references), and is fairly incoherent as a result. The largest element is "Green Grows the Laurel" (to such an extent that it's almost a version of that song), but there are plenty of other elements. The composite probably didn't circulate widely as an independent entity. - RBW
"[O]ne source credits Charles Dibdin as its author," according to Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 5" - 25.8.02. - BS
My guess would be that Dibdin is responsible for some of the floating material; on that basis, I have not listed him in the "author" field, even as a possibility. - RBW
File: HHH780
===
NAME: Ploughboy (II), The: see The Lark in the Morning (File: ShH62)
===
NAME: Ploughboy of the Lowlands, The: see Edwin (Edmund, Edward) in the Lowlands Low [Laws M34] (File: LM34)
===
NAME: Ploughing Match, The: see The Plooin' Match (File: Ord239)
===
NAME: Ploughman (I), The
DESCRIPTION: "The ploughman, he's a bonnie lad, And does his wark at leisure... Then up wi't noo, my ploughman lad, And hey my merry ploughman." The singer describes her ploughman's work, and the work she does to keep him well, and scorns those who scorn him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: in traditional form 1930 (Ord); Burns rewrote it for the Scots Musical Museum
KEYWORDS: work marriage nonballad farming
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 217, "The Ploughman" (1 text)
Roud #5582
File: Ord217
===
NAME: Ploughman (II), The
DESCRIPTION: Singer, a ploughman, praises his fellows, his profession and his recreations.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904
KEYWORDS: work drink nonballad farming
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 84, "The Ploughman" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PLOUGHM4*
Roud #2538
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "I am a Pretty Wench"
NOTES: This is a muddled song. As collected in 1904, the singer began with a verse from "The Condescending Lass" (a song in which the lass in question rejects the idea of marrying men of various professions). He veered off immediately, however, into a praiseful description of ploughmen, and the lass is not heard from again. [Vaughan Williams and Lloyd] excised the seemingly-unconnected first verse and assigned the present title (the singer had called it "Pretty Wench"). -PJS
[For that "Pretty Wench" song, see "I am a Pretty Wench." The title "The Condescending Lass" for the poem appears to be known primarily from broadsides; the typical traditional title is either "Pretty Wench" or "I Am a Pretty Wench." - RBW]
To tell this from other songs in praise of farmhands, consider this first stanza:
"A ploughman dresses fine, he drinks strong beer ale and wine
And the best of tobacco he do smoke;
Pretty maids don't think amiss a ploughman for to kiss,
For his breath smells as sweet as a rose, a rose, a rose
For his breath smells as sweet as a rose." - RBW
It appears Roud would have Opie-Oxford2 525, "I am a pretty wench" be the verse excised by Vaughan Williams and Lloyd. Roud has other examples as well under #2538. Opie-Oxford2 notes that this song is in Alfred Williams _Folk-Songs of the Upper Thames_ (1923) and that Vaughan Williams did collect it. If we ever add one of those "The Pretty Wench" songs it should probably considered separate from "The Ploughman." - BS
File: VWL084
===
NAME: Ploughman Lad for Me, A
DESCRIPTION: "Where first I saw my Jockie, Was at (Huntly) feeing fair." She praises his beauty, declaring, "So a ploughman lad for me." She cares not what her parents think, and is willing to work hard alongside him; his love is worth more than riches
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1860 (broadside NLScotland L.C.Fol.178.A.2(023))
KEYWORDS: love courting farming
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, pp. 280-281, "A Ploughman Lad for Me" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(023), "The Ploughman Lads for Me," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 1852-1859 [despite the title, the song text refers "a ploughman lad," not "lads"]
NOTES: Credited to John Wilson in the NLScotland broadside -- which, interestingly, leaves blank the name of the city in which the couple meets. - RBW
File: Ord280
===
NAME: Plowboy, The: see Cupid the Plowboy [Laws O7] (File: LO07)
===
NAME: Plowboy's Courtship, The: see Queen of the May (File: SWMS190)
===
NAME: Pluie Tombe, La
DESCRIPTION: Creole French: "La pluie tombe, Crapeau chante, Oin, oin! oin, oin! oin, oin! M'a pale baigner moine, La pluie tombe, Marin-gouin crie...." As the rain falls, the frog an the mosquito call the singer into the water (and drown)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage animal bug drowning
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 203-204, "La Pluie Tombe" (1 short text, 1 tune)
File: ScaNF203
===
NAME: Po' Boy (I)
DESCRIPTION: "My mammy's in the cold cold ground, My daddy went away... now I've gone astray. I sit here in the prison, I do the best I can, But I get to thinkin' of the woman I love; She ran away with another man." The singer tried to rob a mail train, but was caught
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: prison crime robbery punishment separation
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Sandburg, pp. 30-32, "Po' Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: San030
===
NAME: Po' Boy (II): see The Cryderville Jail (File: LxU090)
===
NAME: Po' Farmer
DESCRIPTION: "Work all week, don't make enough To pay my board and buy my snuff... It's a-hard on we po' farmers, it's a-hard." The farmer describes the long day's work -- only to come home to "peas in the pot and an old jaw-bone" and fifteen cents weekly pay
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941
KEYWORDS: work farming hardtimes poverty
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 284, "Po' Farmer" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, POFARMER*
Roud #6709
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Humble Farmer" (theme)
File: LoF284
===
NAME: Po' Laz'us: see Poor Lazarus (Bad Man Lazarus) [Laws I12] (File: LI12)
===
NAME: Po' Li'l Ella
DESCRIPTION: "I'll tell you somep'n that bothers my mind: Po' li'l Ella laid down an' died." "I wouldn't a-minded little Ella dyin', But she left three chillum." "Judge, you dome me wrong, Ninety-nine years is sho' too long!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: death murder children punishment prison judge
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 278-279, "Po' Li'l Ella" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Scarborough claims this is "a favorite in East Texas sawmill districts." But I've seen no other signs of it. - RBW
File: ScNF278B
===
NAME: Po' Lil Jesus: see Poor Little Jesus (File: LxU101)
===
NAME: Po' Liza Jane
DESCRIPTION: "Go long, po' Liza Jane (x2), I turned my head to the ole grey horse, Go long po' Liza Jane." "I ast her would she marry me; She ast me wasn't I shamed." "I went up to the new-cut road, And she went down the lane."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: courting horse floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
BrownIII 456, "Po' Liza Jane" (1 short text)
Fuson, p. 172, "Liza Jane" (1 text, with a "Cindy...Cindy Jane" chorus)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 169, (no title) (1 text, with verses probably from "Raccoon," unless they just floated in, while the chorus seems to be "Po' Liza Jane")
Roud #825
NOTES: This reminds me a bit of "Goodbye Liza Jane (I)," but based on the short text in Brown, it does not appear possible to identify it with any of the other Liza Jane songs (though Roud lumps it). - RBW
File: Br3456
===
NAME: Po' Mournah!: see Mourner, You Shall Be Free (Moanish Lady) (File: San011)
===
NAME: Po' Shine
DESCRIPTION: "You can't do me like you done po' Shine, Paid off everybody and you didn't pay Shine." About the hard times on a work crew. Shine departs seeking better work, and finally the workers are paid. Some elements float
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1944 (Wheeler)
KEYWORDS: work hardtimes boss travel
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
MWheeler, pp. 17-18, "Po Shine" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MWhee017 (Full)
Roud #9995
File: MWhee017
===
NAME: Poacher (I), The: see The Lincolnshire Poacher (File: K259)
===
NAME: Poacher (II), The: see O'Ryan (Orion, The Poacher) (File: HHH823)
===
NAME: Poacher's Fate, The [Laws L14]
DESCRIPTION: (Six) young men go out hunting. They are met by a gamekeeper, who vows to shoot one of them to end their depredations. The keeper fatally wounds "the bravest lad."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1842 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.34(118))
KEYWORDS: death poaching punishment
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland,England) US(MW,NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws L14, "The Poacher's Fate"
Kennedy 248, "The Gallant Poacher" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 351-352, "The Poacher's Fate" (1 text; tune on p. 451)
DT 351, POACHERF
Roud #793
RECORDINGS:
Walter Pardon, "The Poachers' Fate" (on Voice18)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.34(118), "Gallant Poacher" ("Come all you lads of high renoun"), Birt (London), 1833-1841; also Harding B 11(325), Harding B 11(3853), Firth c.19(49), "[The] Gallant Poacher"; Johnson Ballads 1394, "Gallant Poachers"
Murray, Mu23-y4:020, "Gallant Poachers," unknown, 19C 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Keepers and Poachers" (plot)
File: LL14
===
NAME: Poachers, The: see Van Dieman's Land (I) [Laws L18] (File: LL18)
===
NAME: Point Maid, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer's father was a farmer, but he must leave his home, his work, and his girl. As he makes his way to the port, he thinks of drowned sailors and his lost sweetheart. He hopes to return, though he would not care if the girl were with him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration separation farewell
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H42b, p. 197, "The Point Maid" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: HHH042b
===
NAME: Poison in a Glass of Wine: see Oxford City [Laws P30] (File: LP30)
===
NAME: Pokegama Bear
DESCRIPTION: Lumbermen encounters the Pokegama bear. Morris O'Hearne tells the men to run; (they have humorous accidents). Mike McAlpin kills the bear with an axe; the grease is divided up among the men, and the meat cooked and eaten.
AUTHOR: Frank Hasty (words)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1874 (composed)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: A crew of lumbermen encounters the Pokegama bear. Morris O'Hearne, who first flushes him, tells the men to run; Jimmy Quinn runs into a porcupine. The bear heads for the swamp; O'Hearne follows, but slips and falls under it. Mike McAlpin chases down and kills the bear with an axe; the grease is divided up among the men, and the meat cooked and eaten. O'Hearne gets the skin; "Long life to you and long growth to your hair/When it's greased with the fat from Pokegama Bear"
KEYWORDS: lumbering work moniker animal logger worker humorous
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Art Thieme, "Pokegama Bear" (on Thieme06)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Vilikens and his Dinah (William and Dinah) [Laws M31A/B]" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES: Pokegama Lake is a very wide area of the upper Mississippi River. - PJS
Paul Stamler didn't list this as a humorous item, but the versions I recall hearing (I think from John Berquist, though I've heard other Minnesotans mention it) generally have comic aspects as the loggers flee the bear. The tune seems to have wandered a bit, too, though that may just be my memory. - RBW
File: RcPokegB
===
NAME: 'Poleon Dore
DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. Singer describes working in a lumber camp. Paul Desjardins falls into rapids; oars do not reach him. Napoleon Dore dives in. Both drown in a whirlpool. Their bodies are found in each other's arms. They are buried together.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Beck)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: French-Canadian dialect song. Singer first describes (at length) the pleasures and comradeship of working in a lumber camp, then tells story. Paul Desjardins falls overboard in rapids; after his workmates fail to save him with their oars, Napoleon Dore dives in, but both are caught in a whirlpool and drowned. Their bodies are found in each other's arms, and they are buried together.
KEYWORDS: lumbering work death friend logger drowning
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 74, "'Poleon Dore" (1 text)
Roud #8869
NOTES: Is there something left unsaid here? I can't tell. - RBW
File: Be074
===
NAME: Poll and Sal: see When the Boys Go A-Courting (Over the Mountain, Poll and Sal) (File: SWMS312)
===
NAME: Polly and Willie: see No Sign of a Marriage [Laws P3] (File: LP03)
===
NAME: Polly Bond: see Molly Bawn (Shooting of His Dear) [Laws O36] (File: LO36)
===
NAME: Polly Brannigan (Molly Brannigan)
DESCRIPTION: The singer confesses that Polly Brannigan "stole me heart and I'll never be a man again." Now she has left him; he wishes that "when she got another heart she might send mine back home again." (Considering suicice, he hopes she will grieve when he dies)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: love rejection suicide
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Ireland
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 34, "Purty Molly Brannigan" (2 texts, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 41, "Molly Brallaghan" (1 text)
Eddy 153, (fifth of several "Fragments of Irish Songs")
Silber-FSWB, p. 181, "Molly Brannigan" (1 text)
DT, MOLLBRAN
Roud #13375 (and 5354)
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "Purty Molly Brannigan" (on IRTLenihan01)
NOTES: There is a sense that the singer is naive and that we are supposed, at least, to smile behind his back. For example, in Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan he asks advice of Father Mc Donald and Counsellor O'Connell who "told me promise-breaches had been ever since the world began: Now I've only one pair, ma'am, and they are corduroy! ... Must my corduroys to Molly go? ... I can't afford to lose both my heart and ould britches too." - BS 
File: E153E
===
NAME: Polly Oliver (Pretty Polly) [Laws N14]
DESCRIPTION: Polly loves a sea captain; her parents do not. She dresses as a man and follows her love. Still in disguise, she meets him at an inn. The captain wishes to sleep with her; she refuses, but appears the next day in her own clothes. The two are wed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 17(240b))
KEYWORDS: courting disguise marriage cross-dressing
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES: (17 citations)
Laws N14, "Polly Oliver (Pretty Polly)"
Belden, pp. 183-185, "Polly Oliver" (2 texts)
Friedman, p. 145, "Polly Oliver's Rambles" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H166, pp. 328-329, "Lovely Annie (II)" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 122, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
Linscott, pp. 273-274, "Polly Oliver" (1 short text, 1 tune, ending with the meeting in the inn)
BrownII 97, "Polly Oliver" (1 text)
Gardner/Chickering 60, "Pretty Polly Oliver" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 195-198, "Pretty Polly" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 23, "Polly Oliver" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Peacock, pp. 344-345, "Polly Oliver" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 28, "Polly Oliver" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 55, "Polly Oliver" (1 text)
SharpAp 54, "Polly Oliver" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Chappell/Wooldridge II, p. 181, "Pretty Polly Oliver" (1 tune, probably of this piece though the text is lacking)
BBI, ZN2180, "One night as Polly Oliver lay musing on her bed"
DT 446, POLLOLVR*
Roud #367
RECORDINGS:
Ollie Gilbert, "Pretty Polly Oliver" (on LomaxCD1707)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(240b), "Polly Oliver's Ramble," J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 17(241b), Harding B 16(205d), Harding B 11(3147), Harding B 25(1518)[some lines illegible], "Polly Oliver's Ramble"; Harding B 28(238), "Polly Oliver"; Harding B 17(241a), Harding B 16(206b), Harding B 15(241a), Harding B 15(241b), Firth c.26(50), 2806 c.17(337)[words missing], 2806 b.11(260), 2806 c.16(61), Firth c.14(169), Harding B 16(206a), 2806 c.14(10)[many illegible words], Harding B 15(240b), "Polly Oliver's Rambles"
File: LN14
===
NAME: Polly on the Shore (The Valiant Sailor)
DESCRIPTION: The sailor warns others about bad company. While out roaming, he is pressed to sea. Soon his ship meets a (French) vessel; he is mortally injured. He recalls his beloved Polly on shore, says he is dying for her, and hopes the sailors will be remembered
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1744 (The Irish Boy's Garland)
KEYWORDS: sailor love pressgang farewell warning death fight dying
FOUND_IN: US(NE) Britain(England) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Warner 57, "The Press Gang Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 87, "The Neat Irish Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, (POLSHORE) PRSSGANG
Roud #811
RECORDINGS:
George Maynard, "Polly on the Shore" (on Maynard1, HiddenE, Voice12)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Press Gang
File: Wa057
===
NAME: Polly Perkins of Paddington Green
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes beautiful Polly, whom he vainly loved. She teases and flirts, but declares, "The man that has me must have silver and gold." He gives up his courtship -- but later learns that she did not marry a lord but a "bow-legged conductor."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting rejection money beauty
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
SHenry H132, pp. 398-399, "Polly Perkins of Paddington Green" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 282-288, "The Butcher Boy" (8 texts; the "E" text is a single stanza which does not belong with the usual "Butcher Boy" versions and which does mention Polly Perkins, so it might be related to this song)
DT, PLLYPRK*
Roud #430
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Pretty Polly Perkins
Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green
File: HHH132
===
NAME: Polly Primrose
DESCRIPTION: "Sweet Polly Primrose, a girl of nineteen summers-o, Sure, I love my Polly better than all the wealth I own." Now she is at the bottom of the sea; she fell off a ship in rough waters. The singer wishes he were a fish, so he might see her as a mermaid
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: death ship separation mermaid/man drowning
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H734, p. 149, "Polly Primrose" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9450
File: HHH734
===
NAME: Polly Van: see Molly Bawn (Shooting of His Dear) [Laws O36] (File: LO36)
===
NAME: Polly Vaughan: see Molly Bawn (Shooting of His Dear) [Laws O36] (File: LO36)
===
NAME: Polly Williams
DESCRIPTION: The singer calls the listeners to hear Polly's tragedy. Her lover grows tired of her, and takes her off to the mountains to murder her. A great manhunt finds him. The singer expects him to be condemned, and warns young women against false lovers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934 (Lomax)
KEYWORDS: love courting murder manhunt trial
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 159-162, "Polly Williams" (1 text, 1 tune)
Burt, p. 35-36, "(Polly Williams)" (1 text, slightly shortened)
DT, POLLYWMS*
Roud #4111
NOTES: Bayard, who collected this song, reports that it is based on an actual murder committed in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, in 1810, in which the young man threw the girl's body over a cliff. Despite the song, the man is reported to have been acquitted, presumably due to the lack of direct evidence that he was the guilty party.
The girl's name was not Polly Williams; Bayard thought that the name was chosen as conventional; Dick Greenhaus suggests that it was for metrical reasons.
Burt had another take on the matter: She claims the existence of a genuine Polly Williams who was living alone with a minor boy (presumably her son) in 1790. This Polly Williams was sufficiently well-off to have taken over a 400 acre property in 1794. But Burt cannot link the two beyond that.
This song is item dF39 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: LoA159
===
NAME: Polly Wolly Doodle
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, I went down south for to see my Sal, Sing polly wolly doodle all day...." Sal is described in nonsense terms ("curly eyes and laughing hair"). Floating verses may describe the difficult journey
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1880 (Harvard "Student's Songs")
KEYWORDS: love courting nonsense floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
BrownIII 462, "Sing Polly Wolly Doodle" (1 text)
Hugill, p. 42, "Polly Wolly Doodle" (1 verse of a shanty version)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 82-83, "Polly-Wolly-Doodle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 274, "Polly Wolly Doodle" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 240, "Polly Wolly Doodle" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 434-435, "Polly-Wolly-Doodle"
DT, POLYWOLY
Roud #11799
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart, "Polly Wolly Doodle" (Edison N-20001, 1929)
Louise Massey & the Westerners, "Polly Wolly Doodle" (Vocalion 05296, 1939)
Pete Seeger, "Polly Wolly Doodle All Day" (on LonesomeValley)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Polly Woddle Doo" (Columbia 15200-D, 1927; rec. 1926)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fiddler's Bitch" (tune)
SAME_TUNE:
The Big Fat Boss and the Workers (Greenway-AFP, pp. 250-251)
The Fiddler's Bitch (File: RL346)
The Thousand-Legged Worm (Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 51-52)
File: SRW082
===
NAME: Polly Won't You Try Me O: see Kemo Kimo (File: R282)
===
NAME: Polly-Wolly-Doodle: see Polly Wolly Doodle (File: SRW082)
===
NAME: Pommy's Lament, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer warns against moving to Australia. He was well-off when he went, but his ship is nearly wrecked. He is robbed by an outlaw. There is no good land available. After further misadventures, he finds himself breaking rocks and wishing for home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1842 (broadside)
KEYWORDS: Australia poverty hardtimes emigration robbery
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 207-208, "The Pommy's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 30-31, "The Pommy's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "I've Been to Australia, Oh!" (theme)
File: MA207
===
NAME: Pomona (I), The
DESCRIPTION: Pomona leaves Liverpool "bound for the land of plenty" and is wrecked "on Blackwater's shoals" in Wexford Bay by "fictitious reckoning." The crew of thirty-five and four hundred passengers are lost.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1943 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck sailor
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Apr 28, 1859 - The Pomona wreck
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, pp. 62-63, "The Pomona" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7342
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Courtown Fishermen" (tune)
NOTES: April 28, 1859: _Pomona_ en route from Liverpool to New York "driven into sandbank seven miles off Ballyconigar" with nearly 400 lost (mostly emigrants). Reported in Wexford Constitution Apr 30th 1859 (source: RootsWeb.com genealogy site under shipping; Northern Shipwrecks Database; Ranson; for details see Bourke in _Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast_ v1, p. 70) - BS
File: Ran062
===
NAME: Pomona (II), The
DESCRIPTION: Singer and crew strike Blackwater sandbank. "We launched our jovial long boat and headed for the strand. We ran her down before the wind into sweet Wexford Bay, And wasn't that a dreadful sight, all on St Patrick's Day" Two of 12 escape.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1948 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship wreck sailor
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, p. 109, "The Pomona" (1 text)
Roud #7343
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Georgina" (subject)
NOTES: Ranson: "[The singer] said that this was a ballad about 'The Pomona,' but there is internal evidence in the ballad which disproves this statement.... It seems to me that this ballad refers to 'The Georgiana,' which was wrecked on the Blackwater Bank on March 17th, 1844." The ballad does not name the ship. For the historical reference for _Georgina_ see "The Georgina." For the historical reference for _Pomona_ see "The Pomona (I)." - BS
File: Ran109
===
NAME: Pompey: see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Ponsaw Train, The: see The Lake of Ponchartrain [Laws H9] (File: LH09)
===
NAME: Pont d'Avignon, Le: see Sur le Pont d'Avignon (File: FSWB390A)
===
NAME: Poor and Foreign Stranger: see Wayfaring Stranger (File: FSC077)
===
NAME: Poor Auld Maid, The: see The Old Maid's Song (File: R364)
===
NAME: Poor Boy: see The Coon-Can Game [Laws I4] (File: LI04)
===
NAME: Poor Boy in Jail: see The Coon-Can Game [Laws I4] (File: LI04)
===
NAME: Poor Bushman, The: see Humping Old Bluey (The Poor Bushman) (File: MA125)
===
NAME: Poor Chronic Man, The
DESCRIPTION: The "poor chronic man" from Athlone goes to visit a cousin in Belfast. Along the way he meets a girl, who wines him, beds him -- then puts him to sleep and steals his clothes and money. He is taken into custody, and wishes he had never left home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Cazden)
KEYWORDS: whore trick prison
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
FSCatskills 118, "The Poor Chronic Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FSC118 (Partial)
Roud #3341
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Gold Watch" [Laws K41] (plot) and references there
File: FSC118
===
NAME: Poor Dawkins: see The Eldorado Mining Disaster (File: FaE206)
===
NAME: Poor Ellen Smith (I)
DESCRIPTION: "Poor Ellen Smith, how was she found? Shot through the heart lying cold on the ground." The singer briefly outlines the facts of the murder, then claims his innocence though he expects to be convicted. (He says he would put flowers on her grave.)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: murder execution
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1893 - Peter Degraph (sometimes spelled De Graff) is sentenced to die for the murder of Ellen Smith
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
BrownII 306, "Poor Little Ellen, or, Ellen Smith" (1 text)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 143, "Poor Ellen Smith" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 204-206, "Poor Ellen Smith" (2 text, of which the "A" text goes here and the "B" text with "Ellen Smith" [Laws F11])
DT, ELSMITH*
Roud #448
RECORDINGS:
Estil C. Ball, "Poor Ellen Smith" (on LomaxCD1702)
Homer Cornett, "Poor Ellen Smith" (on USWarnerColl01)
Dykes Magic City Trio, "Poor Ellen Smith" (Brunswick 127/Vocalion 5143, 1927)
Vester Jones, "Poor Ellen Smith" (on GraysonCarroll1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Poor Ellen Smith" (on NLCR16)
Mollie O'Day and the Cumberland Mountain Folks:, "Poor Ellen Smith" (Columbia 20629, 1949)
Frank Proffitt, "Poor Ellen Smith" (on Proffitt03)
Hobart Smith, "Poor Ellen Smith" (Disc 6080, 1940s)
Pete Steele, "Ellen Smith" (on PSteele01, FMUSA)
Henry Whitter, "Ellen Smith" (OKeh 40237, 1924)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ellen Smith" [Laws F11]
SAME_TUNE:
George Davis, "Why Are You Leaving?" (on GeorgeDavis01)
NOTES: To distinguish this from "Ellen Smith" [Laws F11], refer to the stanza quoted in the description. This, or something similar, seems to be found in all versions of this ballad.
For historical background, see the discussion under "Ellen Smith" [Laws F11]. - RBW
In several versions of this song, the singer (presumably Peter De Graff) states that he is innocent; in some versions, he is not condemned, but instead sent to prison for twenty years and eventually freed. - PJS
File: CSW143
===
NAME: Poor Ellen Smith (II): see Ellen Smith [Laws F11] (File: LF11)
===
NAME: Poor Ellen Smyth: see Ellen Smith [Laws F11] (File: LF11)
===
NAME: Poor Fisherman's Boy, The: see The Fisherman's Boy [Laws Q29] (File: LQ29)
===
NAME: Poor Goins [Laws F22]
DESCRIPTION: Goins runs into bandits but escapes. He meets Ely Boggs, who promises to help him escape but instead turns him over to the robbers. A bandit clubs Goins to death when the latter's horse bolts
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908
KEYWORDS: murder outlaw robbery horse
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Laws F22, "Poor Goins"
Thomas-Makin', pp. 138-139, "Poor Goins" (1 text)
Combs/Wilgus 69, pp. 167-168, "Poor Goens" (1 text)
LPound-ABS, 50, pp. 118-119, "Poor Goins" (1 text)
DT 801, GOINS
Roud #2260
File: LF22
===
NAME: Poor Hard-Working Man, The
DESCRIPTION: "I have to work so very hard To keep my family. There's eleven children and my wife... And my wife she often told me I am the daddy of them all." The grown boys work shining shoes, singing, and dancing, and the girls "dance and play and sing all day"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Mackenzie)
KEYWORDS: marriage work ordeal humorous wife family
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Mackenzie 144, "The Poor Hard-Working Man" (1 text)
Roud #3284
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Pat Malony's Family" (theme)
NOTES: Mackenzie draws the parallel in theme to "Pat Malony's Family"; the analogy is not as close as Mackenzie might have us think. Malony's family came ready made; on the other hand, the family in this song are the singer's wife and his[?] eleven children. - BS
Although seemingly found only in Canada, the contents of this song seem to imply nineteenth century Irish origin, in that the grown boys are still at home; with so little land in Ireland, the children tended to stay at home until the girls married and the oldest boy inherited upon his father's death. This had a tendency to control population, but obviously not in this care.... - RBW
File: Mack144
===
NAME: Poor Howard
DESCRIPTION: "Poor Howard's dead and gone, Left me here to sing this song." "Who's been here since I've been gone? Pretty little girl with a red dress on." "Who's been here... Great big man with a derby on" And so forth, through as many visitors as desired
AUTHOR: Huddie Leadbetter
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: nonballad death
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Silber-FSWB, p. 63, "Poor Howard" (1 text)
Roud #11673
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Stavin Chain" (lyrics)
File: FSWB063
===
NAME: Poor Jack: see Will You Wed with a Tarry Sailor? [Laws K37] (File: LK37)
===
NAME: Poor Jeannie Sits A-Weeping: see What's Poor Mary Weepin' For (Poor Jenny Sits A-Weeping) (File: MSNR070)
===
NAME: Poor Jenny Sits A-Weeping: see What's Poor Mary Weepin' For (Poor Jenny Sits A-Weeping) (File: MSNR070)
===
NAME: Poor Kitty Popcorn
DESCRIPTION: The story of a "loyal cat...." She spends much of the war following her soldier boy. (After) the war her master dies and we see "Poor Kitty Popcorn, buried in a snowdrift now; Nevermore we'll hear the music of her charming song, Me-owww."
AUTHOR: Henry Clay Work
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: animal death Civilwar
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Sandburg, p. 431, "Poor Kitty Popcorn" (1 fragment)
DT, KITTYPOP*
NOTES: Gag. - PJS
Well -- there are a zillion dog songs on this sort of theme. I suppose the cats deserve their chance to be disgustingly saccharine. - RBW
File: San431
===
NAME: Poor Lazarus (Bad Man Lazarus) [Laws I12]
DESCRIPTION: Lazarus breaks into the commissary and flees. The sheriff orders that he be taken dead or alive. Deputies shoot Lazarus and bring him back. He asks for a drink of water and dies. Lazarus's sister tells his mother, who recalls how troublesome he was
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934
KEYWORDS: robbery death family
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Laws I12, "Poor Lazarus (Bad Man Lazarus)"
Lomax-FSUSA 86, "Po' Laz'us" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 303, "Po' Lazarus" (1 text, 1 tune, composite)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 91-93, "Po' Laz'us (Poor Lazarus)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 909-910, "Po' Laz'us (Poor Lazarus)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 179-181, "(Lazarus)" (1 text)
DT 661, (POLAZRUS?)
Roud #4180
RECORDINGS:
Bright Light Quartet, "Po' Lazarus" (on LomaxCD1701) (on LomaxCD1705)
James Carter & prisoners, "Po' Lazarus" (on LomaxCD1705)
Vera Hall, "Po' Laz'us" (AFS 1320 A2, 1937) [Note: Dixon/Godrich/Rye also identifies this AFS number with a Vera Hall recording of "John Henry"; one of them is clearly in error, but I don't know which] (AFS 4050 A1, 1940) 
Henry Morrison, "Lazarus" (on LomaxCD1705)
NOTES: The two Bright Light Quartet citations are different versions, recorded on separate dates. - PJS
File: LI12
===
NAME: Poor Lil
DESCRIPTION: Lil, a beauty, lives in a house of ill repute. Her health declines and she loses her looks; a house physician recommends Scott's Emulsion, to no avail. She loses her clientele and dies.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous whore disease doctor drugs
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 248-249, "Poor Lil" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, POORLIL1*
Roud #10310
File: RL248
===
NAME: Poor Little Ellen: see Poor Ellen Smith (I) (File: CSW143)
===
NAME: Poor Little Girls of Ontario, (The)
DESCRIPTION: "I'll sing you a song of a plaguey pest, It goes by the name of the Great North-West. I cannot get a beau at all. They all skip out there in the fall." The girl describes all the men she courted who have now headed west. She declares she will follow them
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1957
KEYWORDS: courting separation emigration
FOUND_IN: Canada(Ont,West)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 147-149, "The Poor Little Girls of Ontario"; 150-152, "The Saskatchewan Girl's Lament" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
DT, GALONTAR
Roud #4513
RECORDINGS:
Ann Halderman, "A Poor Lone Girl in Saskatchewan" (on Saskatch01)
Mrs. Hartley [Ethel] Minifie, "The Poor Little Girls of Ontario" (on Ontario1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Little Brown Jug" (tune)
NOTES: This sounds like it ought to be a humorous song about a woman who so scares men that they head west -- but it seems to be "straight." - RBW
File: FMB147
===
NAME: Poor Little Jesus
DESCRIPTION: "It was poor little Jesus, yes, yes, He was born on Christmas... And laid in a manger...." Describes Jesus's humble birth, the song goes on to relate his death and resurrection. Stanzas end with "Wasn't that a pity and a shame?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926
KEYWORDS: religious Bible Jesus poverty
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Lomax-FSUSA 101, "Po' Lil Jesus" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 373, "Poor Little Jesus" (1 text)
File: LxU101
===
NAME: Poor Little Joe (The Dying Newsboy)
DESCRIPTION: The singer is in New York when he meets a newsboy -- "Although he was singing, he wanted for bread; Although he was smiling, he wished himself dead." The poor newsboy is ignored by the well-to-do, and is at last found dead in the street
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: death poverty hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Randolph 716, "Poor Little Joe" (1 text plus a fragment)
JHCox 152, "Poor Little Joe" (1 text)
JHCoxIIB, #33, p. 209, "Poor Little Joe" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 482, "Poor Little Joe" (source notes only)
Roud #3111
RECORDINGS:
Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, "Poor Little Joe" (Victor 35874, 1928)
James Ragan [pseud. for Roy Harvey], "Poor Little Joe" (Challenge 394, c. 1928)
Earl Shirkey & Roy Harper [Roy Harvey], "Poor Little Joe" (Columbia 15376-D, 1928)
Arnold Keith Storm, "Poor Little Joe" (on AKStorm01)
File: R716
===
NAME: Poor Little Johnny
DESCRIPTION: The cotton is rotten, so Johnny "won't get his hunderd" (pounds) today.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940
KEYWORDS: worksong
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 742, "Poor Little Johnny" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: John Lomax recorded this from Aunt Harriet McClintock, who said it was sung in the days of slavery. - NR
File: BSoF742
===
NAME: Poor Little Kitty Puss
DESCRIPTION: Fiddle tune with lyrics: "Pore little Kitty Puss, Pore little feller, Pore little Kitty Puss, Died in the cellar." "Pore little Fido, Pore little Fidie, Pore little Fidie Died last Friday." Possible chorus: "Don't you hear them wolves a-howling..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: animal death nonballad dancetune
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
BrownIII 108, "Poor Little Kitty Puss" (1 text)
Hudson 146, p. 293, [no title] (1 fragment)
ST Br3108 (Full)
File: Br3108
===
NAME: Poor Little Lamb Cries Mammy: see All the Pretty Little Horses (File: LxU002)
===
NAME: Poor Little Laura Lee
DESCRIPTION: Floating stanzas of two songs which mention Laura Lee. The first seems to be a song of parting as Laura's lover goes to the wars (?), but with an "I won't marry" ending; the other perhaps involves a shotgun wedding.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: courting separation
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 102, "Poor Little Laura Lee" (2 fragments)
NOTES: The Brown texts (the only ones I've seen) are very short and perhaps unrelated; the description is partly from the headnotes. This entry probably does not adequately describe the song. - RBW
File: Br3102
===
NAME: Poor Little Sailor Boy, A: see The Soldier's Poor Little Boy [Laws Q28] (File: LQ28)
===
NAME: Poor Lonely Widow
DESCRIPTION: The "poor lonely widow" reports that "Three husbands I've had but they're all dead and buried." The first choked to death in bed, the second drank too much (?), the third hit her and she hit him back. She wonders "if anyone will marry me now."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: husband wife death loneliness oldmaid
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 228-229, "Poor Lonely Widow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1197
File: CoSB228
===
NAME: Poor Lonesome Cowboy
DESCRIPTION: "I'm a poor lonesome cowboy (x3) And a long way from home." "I ain't got no father To buy the clothes I wear." "I ain't got no mother To mend the clothes I wear." "I ain't got no sweetheart To sit and talk with me." (And so on for other missing persons)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: cowboy loneliness family
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Sandburg, p. 273, "Poor Lonesome Cowboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Larkin, pp. 112-115, "Poor Lonesome Cowboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 84, "The Poor Lonesome Cowboy" (4 texts, 1 tune; the "C" and "D" texts are Spanish -- "Soy Pobre Vaquero" -- but with plots similar to this piece)
Lomax-ABFS, p. 418, "Poor Lonesome Cowboy" (1 text)
DT, POORLONE*
Roud #4643
File: San273
===
NAME: Poor Lucy Anna
DESCRIPTION: hanty, Negro origin. "Oh the mounten's so high, an' de ribber's so wide, Poor Lucy Anna! De mounten's so high and de ribber's so wide, Ise just gwine ober de mountains." Sung in a slow 3/4 tempo.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (Bullen, _Songs of Sea Labor_)
KEYWORDS: shanty worksong
FOUND_IN: West Indies
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Hugill, pp. 378-379, "Poor Lucy Anna" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, p. 287]
Roud #9127
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Susiana" (similar wording in some verses)
NOTES: Bullen stated that this was so mournful a song that "one suspects it of being the lament of some just sold slaves sent from one state to another without reference to any human ties they may have possessed. This chantey was very seldom used except where negroes formed a considerable portion of the crew." - SL
File: Hugi378
===
NAME: Poor Man
DESCRIPTION: "I worked all the winter time, I worked through the spring, I planted my corn and taters, Then it wouldn't rain. There ain't nothing for a poor man in this world." The singer catalogs his troubles: Drought, flood, poverty, and work every day
AUTHOR: Frank Proffitt
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: poverty nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Warner 117, "Poor Man" (1 text)
ST Wa117 (Partial)
Roud #5733
File: Wa117
===
NAME: Poor Man Blues
DESCRIPTION: "I never had a barrel of money... I'm gonna die and go to heaven, There I'll set and sing. Lord, this song ain't nothin'... But a poor man singin' the blues." The singer misses his girl. He will go home to East Virginia to stay. Other verses float
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: love separation home hardtimes poverty
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Silber-FSWB, p. 80, "Poor Man Blues" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Boll Weevil [Laws I17]" (floating lyrics)
File: FSWB081B
===
NAME: Poor Man, O Poor Man: see Jolly Thresher, The (Poor Man, Poor Man) (File: R127)
===
NAME: Poor Man's Family, The: see Longshoreman's Strike (The Poor Man's Family) (File: FSC101)
===
NAME: Poor Man's Labor's Never Done, The: see The Brisk Young Bachelor (File: ShH69)
===
NAME: Poor Man's Song: see Jolly Thresher, The (Poor Man, Poor Man) (File: R127)
===
NAME: Poor Married Man
DESCRIPTION: "You may talk about the joys of the sweet honeymoon... But almost every case they're gone too soon." The troubles and burdens of the married man are listed; "You can tell by his clothes wherever he goes That he is a poor married man."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: marriage family hardtimes work
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 309, "Poor Married Man" (1 text plus a fragment)
Roud #16861
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "I Wish I Were Single Again (I - Male)" (theme)
File: Br3309
===
NAME: Poor Mary Sits A-Weeping: see What's Poor Mary Weepin' For (Poor Jenny Sits A-Weeping) (File: MSNR070)
===
NAME: Poor Mary Sits A-Weeping (I)
DESCRIPTION: "Poor Mary sits a-weeping, A-weeping, a-weeping, Poor Mary sits a-weeping All on a summer's day." "I'm weeping for a sweetheart." "Pray, Mary, choose a sweetheart." "I'll chose (X) for a sweetheart."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Linscott)
KEYWORDS: playparty courting
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Linscott, pp. 47-49, "Poor Mary Sits A-Weeping" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Lins047 (Partial)
Roud #1377?
File: Lins047
===
NAME: Poor Mary Sits A-Weeping (II): see Little Sally Walker (File: CNFM157)
===
NAME: Poor Naomi: see Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4] AND Naomi Wise [Laws F31] (File: LF04)
===
NAME: Poor Old Couple, The
DESCRIPTION: "There was an old couple, and they were poor."  The wife is afraid to stay alone; when the man goes away, she locks the doors and goes to bed. When he returns, she complains of his absence and asks for an (apple). He falls off the ladder. She insults him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1895 (Baring-Gould, _A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes_)
KEYWORDS: husband wife separation disease food age disease request dialog husband wife
FOUND_IN: Britain(England) US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SharpAp 184, "The Poor Couple" (1 text, 1 tune)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #821, pp. 305-306, "(There was an old couple, and they were poor)"
Roud #491
NOTES: It sounds like a "spark" is some sort of supernatural creature [in the SharpAp version, after she request the fruit, "up jumped a spark and he run like a hare"], but none of my dictionaries lists any such definition. Local dialect for "spook"? Or has the lady been two-timing the "poor old fool," and is the spark her paramour? Now if she'd asked the old man to fetch a cabbage-head, we'd know for sure. - PJS
My guess is that it's an error for "up HE jumped [like?] a spark...." Or maybe it's an oblique reference to Job 5:7, "Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward." - RBW
File: BGMG821
===
NAME: Poor Old Granuaile
DESCRIPTION: Granuaile appears in a dream. She supports those jailed "in O'Connell's time in '29 ... 'we'll Home Rule get.'" She plays the patriotic tunes. She says "we'll have freedom yet." The dreamer wakes in jail.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (OLochlainn); 1870s? (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: Ireland patriotic prison dream
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
OLochlainn 3A, "Poor Old Granuaile" (1 text)
Zimmermann 77, "Poor Old Granuaile" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Anne Chambers, Granuaile, 1986, pp. 197-198, "Poor Old Granuaile"
Roud #3068
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Erin's Green Shore" [Laws Q27] (theme)
cf. "Eileen McMahon" (aisling format)
cf. "Granuaile" (aisling format) and references there
cf. "Granuwale" (theme)
cf. "Erin's Lament for her Davitt Asthore" (theme)
cf. "The Blackbird of Avondale" or "The Arrest of Parnell" (theme)
NOTES: Zimmermann 77: "This text was the new version of an older ballad (first half of the nineteenth century." There are only a few words difference between Zimmermann 77 and OLochlainn 3A. An early date for these texts is set by the mention of tunes played by Granuaile including "God Save Ireland" (1867).
Zimmermann p. 55: "At the time of the United Irishmen, Granu Waile standing for Ireland was already celebrated by broadsides in English."
Two similar but different broadsides:
Bodleian, Harding B 19(25), "Granauile" ("One morning fair to take the air and recreate my mind"), J.F. Nugent & Co. (Dublin), 1850-1899
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 507A, "Granawail" ("[Come] all you Irish hero's that's craving for liberty"), E. Hodges (London), 1855-1861
"Granuaile O'Malley (Or Grace O'Malley, or Gr.inne Ni Mhaille or Gr.inne Uaile) is among the most illustrious of O'Malley ancestors. She was a 'Sea Queen' and pirate in the 16th century." (Source: The Official Web Site of The O'Malley Clan Association) - BS
The _Oxford Companion to Irish History_ gives her dates as c. 1530-c. 1603, observes that she was married twice and imprisoned 1577-1579 -- and notes that, on the whole, she strove for peaceful relations with the English.
For a discussion of this type of song as a example of the genre known as the "aisling," see the notes to "Granuaile." - RBW
File: OLoc003A
===
NAME: Poor Old Horse (I): see Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse) (File: Doe014)
===
NAME: Poor Old Horse (III)
DESCRIPTION: "My clothing once was linsey-woolsey fine, My hair unlinkt, and my coat it did shine; But now in open fields I'm forced for to go... Crying, 'Poor old horse, O poor old horse.'" The horse recalls the old days, and bequeathes its body to the huntsmen
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Sharp); the Stokoe/Reay versions apparently was published in Topliff before 1850
KEYWORDS: age ritual horse
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Sharp-100E 85, "Poor Old Horse" (1 text, 1 tune)
Stokoe/Reay, pp.  60-61, "The Poor Old Horse" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST ShH85 (Full)
Roud #513
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse)" (plot)
cf. "Pawkie Paiterson's Auld Grey Yaud" (theme)
cf. "Mon Cher Voisin (My Dear Neighbor)" (theme)
cf. "The Old Blind Horse" (theme)
NOTES: Hobbyhorse rituals have been commonplace in rural Britain for centuries. This song was sung as part of these rituals.
Although there are a few parallels between this song and "Poor Old Man" (notably the description of the horse's decrepitude), I believe that this is a related but separate song with a thoroughly different gestalt. As we are being splitters in this index, this song deserves its own entry. -PJS
Roud lumps the two; personally, I wonder a little if even this song might not need splitting. The description above is taken mostly from Stokoe's text; Sharp, which begins "When I was young and in my prime," has a quite distinct look -- but exactly the same plot, and apparently both were used for hobbyhorse rituals. - RBW
File: ShH85
===
NAME: Poor Old Joe: see Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse) (File: Doe014)
===
NAME: Poor Old Lazarus (I've Got a Home; Don't You See)
DESCRIPTION: "Poor ol' Lazarus, poor as I, Don't you see? When he had a home on high, Don't you see?" ""Rich man, rich man lived so well, When he died he had a home in hell, Don't you see, don't you see?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Wings Over Jordan)
KEYWORDS: religious death Bible home
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 628, "Poor Old Lazarus" (1 text)
Roud #11929
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Dives and Lazarus" [Child 56] (subject) and references there
NOTES: Jesus's story of the rich man and Lazarus is found in Luke 16:19-31 (the Lazarus of John 11, 12 is unrelated).
It's worth remembering that this is not something that actually happened in the Bible; rather, it is a story Jesus told as a warning. - RBW
File: Br3628
===
NAME: Poor Old Maid
DESCRIPTION: Fragment: "We're a lonely dismal crew, Poor old maid!/We're a lonely dismal crew/All dressed in yellow, pink and blue/Nursing the cats is all we do...." "Three scores and ten of us/And not a penny in the purse/So something must be done for us...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1876 (Christie, _Traditional Ballad Airs, vol. 1_)
KEYWORDS: loneliness poverty clothes money nonballad political oldmaid
FOUND_IN: Britain(England), US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SharpAp 229, "Poor Old Maid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3337
NOTES: Sharp refers to a manuscript in his collection with the additional lyrics, "We'll apply to George the Third/And our petition shall be heard./George the third unto us he said: 'And here's a penny to buy some bread.'" Sharp adds, "This is, no doubt, an allusion to the Bread Riots." He adds a verse from Christie, "But we'll apply to James our King/And to him a petition bring/That he may get us wed wi' ring/Poor auld maidens." - PJS
The "Bread Riots," also known as "Bread of Blood Riots," took place in 1816. In the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars, Britain's immense spending led to an intense round of inflation, with devastating effects on the poor. The most intense uprising came in Liverpool, where protesters bore placards saying "Bread or Blood." 24 rioters were sentenced to death, though in the end only five were hanged and none more transported.
This is in the reign of George III -- but the other side of the coin is, George III by this wime was permanently insane (with what is now believed to have been porphyria); the future George IV had been regent since 1811 (and at times before that). So I rather suspect the song it older -- perhaps, as implied by Christie, to the reign of James I (1603-1625), the only significant King James of England, whose reign did see a lot of economic trouble, partly because of the high spending of Elizabeth's reign (which ended with an economic downturn) and partly because James didn't understand money at all well. - RBW
File: ShAp2229
===
NAME: Poor Old Man (II)
DESCRIPTION: The poor old man warns the Connors's from Kerry that they will rue stopping in Ross Town. He barricades his door [in "real life" that apparently led to a disaster for him].
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1985 (IRTravellers01)
KEYWORDS: feud derivative
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #2509
RECORDINGS:
"Pops" Johnny Connors, "Poor Old Man" (on IRTravellers01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (form, tune) and references there
NOTES: Jim Carroll's notes to IRTravellers01: "According to the singer, this song refers to a fight that took place in the town of New Ross, Co Wexford, sometime in the nineteen-thirties, between two travelling families.... The song is a parody of 'An Sean Bhean Bhoct,' (The Poor Old Woman) [The Shan Van Voght]." - BS
File: RcPoOMan
===
NAME: Poor Old Man (Poor Old Horse; The Dead Horse)
DESCRIPTION: Shanty. Characteristic line: "For they say so and they know so... Oh, poor old (horse/man)." The sailor meets an old man with an old horse; they exchange comments about the horse's (and humanity's) fate. Alternate chorus: "And I say so/And we hope so"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1857 (Bell)
KEYWORDS: shanty horse
FOUND_IN: US(MA,NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (12 citations)
Doerflinger, p. 14, "Poor Old Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 63-64, "Poor Old Man" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow, pp. 68-69, 84, "Poor Old Man," "The Dead Horse," "Poor Old Joe" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Hugill, pp. 554-555, "The Dead Horse" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 389-392]
Sharp-EFC, XLVII, p. 52, "The Dead Horse" (1 text, 1 tune)
Linscott, pp. 134-135, "The Dead Horse" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, p. 406, "The Dead Horse" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, p. 25, "Say Old Man" (1 text)
Bone, p. 50, "The 'Dead Horse' Chanty" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Shay-SeaSongs, p. 16, "The Dead Horse" (1 text)
DT, DEADHORS*
ADDITIONAL: Captain John Robinson, "Songs of the Chantey Man," a series published July-August 1917 in the periodical _The Bellman_ (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919). A fragment titled "Poor Old Joe" is in Part 2, 7/21/1917.
Roud #513
RECORDINGS:
Capt. Leighton Robinson, "The Dead Horse" (AFS, 1951; on LC26)
Leighton Robinson w. Alex Barr, Arthur Brodeur & Leighton McKenzie, "Poor Old Man" (AFS 4229 B, 1939; in AMMEM/Cowell)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Poor Old Horse III" (plot)
cf. "Old Marse John" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Charleston Gals (Clear the Kitchen)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Johnny Booker" (lyrics)
cf. "The Salt Horse Song"
cf. "I Whipped My Horse"
cf. "Dumpty Moore"
NOTES: When a boarding master supplied a sailor to a ship, he received an advance from the sailor's pay. Thus the sailor had to work for some weeks or months before he began to earn money for himself. This was known as "working off the dead horse." Often sailors celebrated in some way when the dead horse was finally disposed of, and this song celebrates the process. - RBW
Thirty days out, sailors would sometimes make a horse-figure from rags and tar, hoist it to the yardarm, cut it loose and let it drift away on the sea, a ritual known as "burying the dead horse." A good captain would break out a ration of rum at this time. A sailor of my acquaintance reported that 100 days out, on a U.S. Navy carrier, the men would be given a ration of two cans of beer, and this was still known as the "dead horse." - PJS
Bone says of this that it is "the only chanty I know composed definitely for entertainment." - RBW
For another version see Robert Bell, editor, [The Project Gutenberg EBook (1996) of] Ancient Poems, Ballads and Songs of the Peasantry of England (1857), "'The Mummers' Song' or 'The Poor Old Horse' as sung by the Mummers in the Neighbourhood of Richmond, Yorkshire, at the merrie time of Christmas" ("You gentlemen and sportsmen"). - BS
File: Doe014
===
NAME: Poor Old Robinson Crusoe
DESCRIPTION: "When I was a lad, my fortune was bad, My grandfather I did lose." As in the book, he, Robinson Crusoe, is shipwrecked, lands on an island with gun and sword. He builds a hut, lives there with Friday, until he is rescued by a passing ship.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1797 (Oh poor Robinson Crusoe sheet music, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: rescue sea ship wreck
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Opie-Oxford2 455, "Poor old Robinson Crusoe!" (2 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #216, p. 146, "(Poor old Robinson Crusoe)"
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(66), "Robinson Crusoe," W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Harding B 28(66), "Robinson Crusoe"; Johnson Ballads 2559, "Life and adventures of Robinson Crusoe"
LOCSinging, sb40455b, "Robinson Crusoe," H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878; also as203020, as111820, "Robinson Crusoe"
NOTES: _Robinson Crusoe_ was written by Daniel Dafoe and published in 1719. [Based loosely on the actual adventures of a sailor named Alexander Selkirk. - RBW]
The source for the description is broadside Bodleian Harding B 28(66).
Broadside LOCSinging sb40455b: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: OO2455
===
NAME: Poor Old Sailor, The
DESCRIPTION: An old sailor begging tells his story: his death, falsely reported, caused his wife to die of a broken heart and his daughter to wander "I know not where." A woman listening reveals herself as his daughter and she takes him home until he dies.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1846 (broadside, Bodleian Johnson Ballads 457)
KEYWORDS: age disability begging children sailor reunion
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 59-60, "The Worn-Out Sailor" (1 text)
Roud #1971
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 457, "The Poor Old Worn-Out Sailor," E.M.A. Hodges (London), 1844-1845; also Harding B 11(3099), Harding B 20(177), Firth c.12(399), "The Poor Old Worn-Out Sailor"; Harding B 11(2622), Harding B 11(2623), "The Poor Old Worn Out Sailor"; Harding B 25(1540), 2806 c.18(253), "The Poor Old Sailor"
LOCSinging, cw106810, "The Worn Out Sailor," H. De Marsan (New York), 1864-1878
NOTES: Smith/Hatt: Fowke notes that "John Moulden has located a broadside copy entitled 'The Poor Old Sailor' in the National Library of Ireland." That led me to look for the same in Bodleian.
Bodleian, Harding B 40(12), "The Poor Old Soldier" ("'Twas on a summers eve all labour was o'er"), J.F. Nugent and Co.? (Dublin?), 1850-1899 appears to be the same -- or closely related--but I could not download the text image to verify that.
Broadside LOCSinging cw106810: H. De Marsan dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: SmHa059
===
NAME: Poor Old Slave, The
DESCRIPTION: "The poor old slave is dead and gone, We know that he is free. Disturb him not, but let him rest, Away down in Tennessee." "The poor old slave is gone to rest, No master does he fear, Disturb him not...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1944 (Wheeler)
KEYWORDS: slave death burial humorous wordplay
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
MWheeler, p. 118, "Th Po' Old Slave" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, POORSLAV
ST MWhee118 (Full)
Roud #10049
NOTES: The Digital Tradition has a (camp?) version of this in which the singer inserts nonsense syllables. But Wheeler's text, though short, seems to ensure that this is a parody -- or rather an expansion -- of a serious song (perhaps a spiritual). - RBW
File: MWhee118
===
NAME: Poor Oma Wise: see Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4] (also Naomi Wise [Laws F31]) (File: LF04)
===
NAME: Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise) [Laws F4]
DESCRIPTION: John Lewis, to free himself of his pregnant sweetheart, offers to marry her but instead plans to drown her. She begs for her life, promising to go begging, but he throws her in the river. The body is found and Lewis imprisoned. (He escapes into the army.)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1874
KEYWORDS: pregnancy murder rejection prison drowning
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1808 - Drowning of Naomi Wise in North Carolina
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (18 citations)
Laws F4, "Poor Omie (John Lewis) (Little Omie Wise)"
Belden, pp. 322-324, "Oma Wise" (2 texts)
Randolph 149, "Poor Oma Wise" (5 texts plus 2 excerpts and 1 fragment, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 163-166, "Poor Oma Wise" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 149A)
BrownII 300, "Poor Naomi (Omie Wise)" (5 texts plus 1 excerpt and mention of 2 more; it appears that Laws places texts "A" and "D" here, but "H" is also this song, with "F" and "G" being "Naomi Wise" [Laws F31])
Hudson 63, pp. 187-188, "Poor Omie" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 793-795, "Naomi (Omie) Wise" (2 texts)
Friedman, p. 202, "Naomi Wise" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 116, "The Ballad of Naomi Wise" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 138, "Omie Wise" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 51, pp. 119-120, "Poor Omie" (1 text)
SharpAp 123, "Poor Omie" (7 texts, 7 tunes)
Burt, pp. 25-28, "Omie Wise" (1 text plus some fragments, 1 tune; also an excerpt from another Naomi Wise song, seemingly neither this nor Laws F31)
Darling-NAS, pp. 200-201, "Omie Wise" (1 text)
Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 42 "Ommie Wise" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 149, "Deep Water" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 225, "Omie Wise" ; p. 227, "Deep Water" (2 texts)
DT 627, OMIEWISE* OMIWISE2*
Roud #447
RECORDINGS:
Finley Adams, "Omie Wise" (AAFS 2796 B1)
Clarence Ashley, "Naomi Wise" (Columbia 15522-D, 1930; rec. 1929)
Clarence Ashley & Doc Watson, "Poor Omie" (on Ashley03)
Dock Boggs, "Little Omie Wise" (on Boggs3, BoggsCD1)
Mrs. W. R. Buchanan, "Little Omie Wise" (AAFS 2857 B3)
Ruth Clark Cullipher, "Little Onie" (AAFS 1031 A1)
Morgan Denmon, "Naomi Wise" (OKeh 45075, 1927; rec. 1926)
Minnie Floyd, "Naomi Wise" (AAFS 1301 A1)
Cleophas Franklin, "Omie Wise" (AAFS 2891 B2)
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "Ommie Wise" (Victor 21625, 1927; on AAFM1, GraysonWhitter01, ConstSor1)
Goldie Hamilton, "Little Omie Wise" (AAFS 2829 A1)
Aunt Idy Harper & the Coon Creek Girls, "Poor Naomi Wise" (Vocalion 04354 [or 04345], 1938)
Roscoe Holcomb, "Omie Wise" (on Holcomb1, HolcombCD1)
A. J. Huff, "Omie Wise" (AAFS 2877 B3)
Sarah Ison, "Little Omie Wise" (AAFS 2810 B1)
Aunt Molly Jackson, "Oma Wise" (AAFS 824 B2, 1935) (AAFS 3340/3341 A)
Polly Johnson, "Poor Omie" (AAFS 2760 A4)
Mrs. Esco Kilgore, "Oma Wise" (AAFS 2772 A2)
Alexander Kirkheart, "Naomi Wise" (AAFS 1700 A1)
Alec Moore, "Poor Omie Wise" (AAFS 57 B1)
Johanna Shepherd, "Omie Wise" (AAFS 1405 B2)
Lillian Short, "Naomi Wise" (AFS; on LC12)
Della Sibert, "Omie Wise" (AAFS 1486 A2)
Doug Wallin, "Omie Wise" (on Wallins1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Naomi Wise" [Laws F31] (plot)
cf. "Tragic Romance" (tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Naomi Wise
File: LF04
===
NAME: Poor Paddy Works on the Railway: see Paddy Works on the Railway (File: LxU076)
===
NAME: Poor Parker
DESCRIPTION: The singer laments, "Ye gods above, protect us widows!" She recalls her husband [Richard] Parker, "hanged for mutiny." She recalls how she was not allowed to his execution, and how she and friends dug up his grave and gave him a decent burial
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1824 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 28(42))
KEYWORDS: ship navy mutiny punishment execution husband wife burial mourning
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1797 - Nore mutiny, ending in the execution of Richard Parker and others
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland) US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownII 117, Poor Parker"" (1 text)
Roud #1032
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(42), "Parker's Widow," W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824 (barely legible)
NOTES: Living conditions in sailing ships were rarely pleasant, but conditions in the British Navy in the eighteenth century were particularly bad; pay hadn't been raised for over a century, and the sailors (most of them, of course, recruited by press gangs) were held in service for very long periods. The result, in 1797, was a series of mutinies -- at a time when Britain's very independence depended on the fleet holding off a French invasion.
The first mutiny took place at Spithead (April 16-May 14, 1797), and has been aptly described as a strike for better conditions. It ended when pardons were granted and parliament voted increased funds. (See Arthur Herman, _To Rule the Waves_, pp. 349-351.)
It is ironic to note that the Spithead strike was settled largely by the actions of Richard Howe (1726-1799), who previously had been co-commander with his brother William during the revolt of the American colonies. The Spithead outcome demonstrated fully his sympathy with ordinary people against the government of George III.
But the Spithead strike inspired the Nore mutiny (May 10-June 16). Not every ship had been given the same rewards as the Spithead strikers (who not only were granted improved conditions but even got to kick out some of their worst officers).
The ships at the Nore wanted the same terms, and didn't get them, and what they got, they got slowly. Nor was it clear that they were covered by the Spithead pardon. They were a mixed lot in any case. Many of the sailors there -- including Parker -- were "quota men." With the navy being manned so heavily, it was almost impossible to impress enough sailors, so enlistment officers were sweeping the streets and alleys. Often the men they got were marginally fit -- older and unused to sea conditions.
Adding to the complexity was the fact that the Nore (near the mouth of the Thames off the Isle of Sheppey) wasn't a fleet base the way Portsmouth was; it was a rendezvous point. Ships weren't based there, really, and the docking facilities were limited. (Herman, p. 351.) The ships there were mostly in transit; they were not whole fleets. There was no unit cohesion. There was no competent admiral to convey their demands, either. So they mutinied.
And, somehow, they put themselves in the hands of Richard Parker -- an unusual man even in this mixed-up flotilla. He was about 30, a quota man, and seemingly a troublemaker. He had actually served at one time as a junior ship's officer, but had been cashiered and sent to serve belowdecks. Eventually he left the navy, and ended up in trouble with the law. But even though he was a "political," as we might say these days, he had sea experience, so he was accepted -- even freed from prison and paid a bounty -- as a quota man.
Parker at one point had 13 ships of the line, plus auxiliaries, under his command. (Though ships joined the rebellion and gave it up at odd intervals; by the end, only two ships were still under his control.)
But the Nore simply could not support such an action; the facilities weren't there. The mutineers eventually found themselves starved out. (They blockaded London, and the Admiralty blockaded them, but many of the ships in the rebellious fleet had been poorly supplied to begin with.)
Parker, by the time the embargo started, found himself in an impossible situation. The authorities didn't trust him -- but several of his rebellious ships were wavering; many wanted to return to government authority. Parker himself seemed willing to compromise -- and the fleet delegates responded by inducing a system where they elected a new Fleet President every day! If Parker gave in, he would be set aside.
Gradually, though, ships started slipping away. Parker himself gave in while half a dozen ships were still holding out.
The government didn't take any of that into account. Nor did they accept that this was another strike for better conditions -- at every stage, the ships had protested their loyalty to the crown, but they were treated as rebels pure and simple. And Parker was the official scapegoat.
What followed reflected very badly on Georgian justice. Parker was charged with civil offenses, but was treated as a mutineer and subjected to court-martial rather than set him before a jury (which might acquit him). The officers trying him clearly had conflicts of interest. He had no lawyer. He was denied access to evidence -- including even the transcripts of the trial. He was given little time to prepare a defence, and was in a dark prison when not in court. All he could do was operate by memory.
Reading the summary of the trial in James Dugan's _The Great Mutiny_, I suspect he would have been set free by a jury of the time. An honest military trial today would probably result in a bad conduct discharge and related penalties. This being Georgian England, Parker naturally was given a death sentence.
Such were the ways of Georgian justice that his wife was never officially told he was on trial, and she was denied a final meeting with him.
Parker was hanged June 30. At the scaffold, he appealed for mercy for all the other leaders of the revolt, and avoided any political references, to little effect -- about 30 others also went to the gallows (estimates cited by Dugan range from 24 to 36, most toward the middle to high end of the range), though over 300 of the 400+ alleged "ringleaders" were pardoned.
The song reportedly describes the disappearance of Parker's body fairly accurately. He was to be left in unconsecrated ground, but the widow and others stole the body and spirited it away. The authorities did catch up with her, but the church where the body was taken permitted a proper burial with appropriate ceremonies.
Mrs. Parker outlived her husband by nearly half a century; Dugan (p. 458) reports that, in 1840, she was "seventy, blind, and friendless."
A French invasion during the period of the mutinies might well have succeeded, but the French were too confused to bring one about. England, utterly mismanaged by her government, survived by raw force and a great deal of luck.
There were any number of broadsides about the Nore and Spithead mutinies, but few found their way into tradition, this amazingly widespread song being the primary exception. - RBW
File: BrII117
===
NAME: Poor Pat Must Emigrate: see The Irish Refugee (Poor Pat Must Emigrate) (File: OCon053)
===
NAME: Poor Rebel Soldier: see The Rebel Soldier (File: R246)
===
NAME: Poor Richard and the Serapis and Alliance: see Paul Jones's Victory [Laws A4] (File: LA04)
===
NAME: Poor Robin: see Old Roger is Dead (Old Bumpy, Old Grimes, Pompey) (File: R569)
===
NAME: Poor Rosy
DESCRIPTION: "Poor Rosy, poor gal, Rosy broke my poor heart, Heaven shall be my home. Before I stay in Hell one day, Heaven shall be my home." The singer has "hard troubles," and "trials"; he bids farewell to Brother Robert and Sister Lucy and turns to Heaven
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scott-BoA, pp. 199-201, "Poor Rosy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11856
File: SBoA199
===
NAME: Poor Schnapps
DESCRIPTION: A "dutch" song. Corporal Schnapps, who is perhaps not overly bright, patriotically enlists in the army. Having faced battle, horrid food, and the scorn (and spit) of southern women, he now faces the indignity of having his girl run off with another man
AUTHOR: Henry Clay Work
EARLIEST_DATE: 1864 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: humorous foreigner Civilwar battle hardtimes courting infidelity elopement
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 218, "The Yankee Dutchman" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 78, "Corporal Schnapps" (1 text)
DT, CRPSHNAP*
Roud #4872
File: R218
===
NAME: Poor Sinner, A
DESCRIPTION: "Hark, sinner, hark, while I relate, What happened in Kentucky state. A poor young woman lately died; She dropped from all her wealth and pride." Led astray by a young man, she turned ungodly. Dying, she bids farewell; her mother says she will go to hell
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: death hell
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
BrownIII 63, "A Poor Sinner" (1 text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, p. 73, (no title) (1 short text)
ST Br3063 (Full)
Roud #7846
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Wicked Polly" [Laws H6] (plot)
File: Br3063
===
NAME: Poor Smuggler's Boy, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a boy who is mourning his father. The father was a smuggler; caught in a storm, their ship was wrecked and his father drowned. The boy has clung to a plank and been swept ashore. A rich lady hears his complaint and adopts him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1888 (Ashton)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer, walking the beach on a stormy day, meets a boy who is mourning his father. The father was a smuggler who would, "venture out on the salt sea/For a keg of good brandy from the land of the free" (Holland). Caught in a storm, the ship has been wrecked and his father has drowned, despite the boy's efforts to save him. The boy has clung to a plank and been swept ashore. A rich lady hears his complaint, and adopts him
KEYWORDS: grief crime death drowning storm wreck father orphan
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #618
RECORDINGS:
Bob Roberts, "The Smuggler's Boy" (on LastDays)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fisherman's Boy" [Laws Q29] (plot)
cf. "The Soldier's Poor Little Boy" [Laws Q28] (plot)
cf. "The Farmer's Boy" [Laws Q30] (plot)
cf. "The Fisherman's Girl" (plot)
File: RcTSmBy
===
NAME: Poor Soldier (I)
DESCRIPTION: "All out in the snow they are tonight, Far away from kin and home. God help the ones who fight for the right, And them who are done gone on. Poor soldier, hungry and cold (x2)." The girl recalls her soldier's departure and prays he is safe wherever he is
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: soldier separation nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Warner 132, "Poor Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa132 (Full)
Roud #5734
RECORDINGS:
Frank Proffitt, "Poor Soldier" (on FProffitt01)
NOTES: The Warners claim this is a Civil War song, and so does the tradition in Frank Proffitt's family. They're probably right, but there is no reason why it could not have been sung in any other U.S. war fought in a cold climate.
The musical notes in Warner comment on how irregular the tune and meter are to this piece. It's simple truth; Frank Proffitt didn't really seem to have a tune; more of a sketch which he fleshed out irregularly to fit the words. - RBW
File: Wa132
===
NAME: Poor Soldier (II), The: see The Bold Soldier [Laws M27] (File: LM27)
===
NAME: Poor Stranger: see Poor Stranger, The (Two Strangers in the Mountains Alone) (File: R059)
===
NAME: Poor Stranger a Thousand Miles from Home: see Farewell, Sweet Mary AND The Poor Stranger (Two Strangers in the Mountains Alone) (File: E082)
===
NAME: Poor Stranger Far From Home, A: see Poor Stranger, The (Two Strangers in the Mountains Alone) (File: R059)
===
NAME: Poor Stranger, The (Two Strangers in the Mountains Alone)
DESCRIPTION: The singer wanders out alone and meets a girl, also alone. Each asks why the other is there. Both have had trouble with lovers at home and so ran away. They settle down to a happy life together
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1906 (Joyce)
KEYWORDS: courting rambling
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So) Ireland (Britain(England(South)) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Belden, p. 487, "Poor Stranger a Thousand Miles from Home" (1 text, a short item which seems to combine "The Poor Stranger," "Farewell, Sweet Mary," and perhaps some floating items)
Randolph 59, "Two Strangers in the Mountains Alone" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 107, "A Poor Stranger Far from Home" (1 text)
BrownII 138, "The Happy Stranger" (1 fragment)
SharpAp 157, "The Rebel Soldier, or The Poor Stranger" (7 texts, 7 tunes, but only "A" and probably "F" are this song; the rest are "The Rebel Soldier")
Manny/Wilson 95, "A Stranger Far From Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST R059 (Partial)
Roud #272
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lost Girl"
cf. "The Rebel Soldier" (meter, floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Poor Stranger
Sweet Europe
File: R059
===
NAME: Poor Thing
DESCRIPTION: "A maid all alone in a poor house did dwell.... Her hair was red and her age was nineteen -- Poor thing!" Her swain asks, "Will you fly by the light of yon star? For I am the i of the you that I are." Her father chases the man, who "flew up the flue."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Hudson)
KEYWORDS: love courting nonsense wordplay
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Hudson 88, p. 215, "Poor Thing" (1 text)
Roud #4479
File: Hud088
===
NAME: Poor Tramp Has to Live, The: see Remember the Poor Tramp Has to Live (File: RcRtPTHL)
===
NAME: Poor Wayfaring Pilgrim, A: see Wayfaring Stranger (File: FSC077)
===
NAME: Poor Wee Jockie Clarke
DESCRIPTION: Jockie Clarke sells newspapers and goes ragged; his father is a drinker and a tyrant. Jockie asks his mother to make him a jacket from his father's old coat. Jockie tells his mother that he looks uncommon neat since she has made him up the jacket
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1953 (MacColl)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Jockie Clarke sells newspapers and goes ragged; his father is a drinker, a tyrant to his wife and neglectful to his children. Jockie asks his mother to make him a jacket from his father's old coat; she does and it's a beauty, keeping him warm and holding plenty of potatoes in the pockets. Jockie tells his mother, 'You'd think I'd both mother, father, and a home," and that he looks uncommon neat since she has made him up the jacket
KEYWORDS: poverty pride request clothes commerce work father mother worker
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber),England(North))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 236, "Poor Wee Jockie Clarke" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2135
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Faither's Old Coat
Fairther's Old Coat
File: K236
===
NAME: Poor Widow
DESCRIPTION: Singing game: "Here's a poor widow, she (lives/lies) her lone... She wants a man and cannae get none." The widow or her daughter go seek a husband, "She may go round and choose her own"; the courting may or may not be successful
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1898 (Gomme)
KEYWORDS: playparty courting
FOUND_IN: Ireland Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H48f, p. 11, "Here's a Poor Widow" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST HHH048f (Full)
Roud #5105
File: HHH048f
===
NAME: Poor Working Girl, The
DESCRIPTION: "The poor working girl, may heaven protect her, She has such an awf'ly hard time, The rich man's daughter goes haughtily by, My God! Do you wonder at crime?" ("Her man drives his new model T And drinks rotten hooch till he's blind.")
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: work poverty hardtimes crime technology
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Sandburg, p. 195, "The Poor Working Girl" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Arnett, p. 151, "The Poor Working Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHJohnson, p. 18, "The Poor Working Girl" (1 text)
Roud #4271
NOTES: Not to be confused with the early twentieth century pop tune "Heaven Will Protect the Working Girl" - RBW
File: San195
===
NAME: Poor, But a Gentleman Still
DESCRIPTION: "Don't think by my dress that I come here to beg, Though the sharp pains of hunger I feel; The cup of misfortune I've drained to the dregs, Though poor, I'm a gentleman still." The singer describes how he became poor, pointing out that he is still honest
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1879 (stage performance, per FSCatskills)
KEYWORDS: poverty
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
FSCatskills 103, "Poor, But a Gentleman Still" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 829, "A Gentleman Still" (1 text)
Gilbert, pp. 151-152, "Poor, but a Gentleman Still" (1 text)
ST FSC103 (Partial)
Roud #7337
File: FSC103
===
NAME: Pop Goes the Weasel
DESCRIPTION: Words can be anything, as long as they have the phrase "Pop goes the weasel." The 1853 text talks of a weasel in a henhouse, temperance issues, and relations between Uncle Sam and John Bull
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1853
KEYWORDS: animal technology nonballad nonsense humorous political
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,NE,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Randolph 556, "Pop Goes the Weasel" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 408-409, "Pop Goes the Weasel" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 556A)
BrownIII 93, "Pop Goes the Weasel" (1 fragment)
Linscott, pp. 107-108, "Pop! Goes the Weasel" (1 tune plus dance instructions)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 176-179, "Pop Goes de Weasel" (1 text, 1 tune)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #872, p. 325, "(Up and down the city road)"
Montgomerie-ScottishNR 108, "(Round about the porridge pot)" (1 text)
Arnett, p. 40, "Pop Goes the Weasel" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 34, "Pop Goes The Weasel" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 440-441+, "Pop Goes the Weasel"
DT, WEASLPOP* POPWEAS2*
ST R556 (Full)
Roud #5249
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y1:060, "Pop Goes the Weasel," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C, possibly a parody on another version of the piece
NLScotland, L.C.178.A.2(032), "Pop Goes the Weael", James Lindsay (Glasgow), 1852-1859
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "A Ripping Trip" (tune)
cf. "The D & H Canal" (tune)
NOTES: The history of this piece is obscure. The earliest datable printings (British and American versions from 1853) have the tune; the American version also includes the phrase "Pop goes the weasel," but has little resemblance to the modern texts such as "All around the cobbler's bench The monkey chased the weasel" (this text does not appear until the twentieth century).
The English printing (the NLScotland broadside cited) is a dance tune with no text; it hints that the music is traditional. Interestingly, printer Lindsay has another version (the Murray broadside) which does have a text -- but it appears rewritten, since it refers to "Albert and the Queen" dancing to the tune, and girls being ruined by its melody.
It is generally agreed that, in the earliest versions, the "weasel" is the tool used by hatmakers, and to "pop" it is to pawn it. - RBW
File: R556
===
NAME: Popular Gag Song
DESCRIPTION: "I was born in Jersey City In Texas way down south And that is just the reason why My voice is in my mouth." Assorted verses of contradiction, exaggeration, tautology, and nonsense, e.g. "There was people dying lately Who had never died before."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: humorous nonsense talltale
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 447, "Popular Gag Song" (2 texts, but the "B" text is "The Barefoot Boy with Boots On")
Roud #6675
File: R447
===
NAME: Popular Gag Song (II): see The Barefoot Boy with Boots On (File: FSC154)
===
NAME: Popular Wobbly, The
DESCRIPTION: "I'm as mild-mannered man as can be, And I've never done no harm that I can see..." but the singer ends up in jail, where "they go wild, simply wilder over me." They "go wild" because he is a union man; he suffers much in prison
AUTHOR: Words: T-Bone Slim
EARLIEST_DATE: Early 1950s (recording - Pete Seeger)
KEYWORDS: IWW prison
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 70, "The Popular Wobbly" (1 text)
DT, POPWOBB*
Roud #9822
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "The Popular Wobbly" (on PeteSeeger05)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "They Go Wild, Simply Wild Over Me" (tune)
NOTES: The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW or "Wobblies") was a radical syndicalist labor union. Founded in the late 1800s, it fought for the 8-hour day and for "One Big Union" rather than separate unions in various crafts or industries. It achieved its greatest successes in the American Northwest, particularly in the lumber trades (although it also fought hard in the textile-workers' strike in Lowell, Mass.) and inspired many songs and poems that have entered folk tradition. While membership has declined in recent decades, the union is still active and still radical.
"They Go Wild, Simply Wild Over Me" was a popular vaudeville song of the early 1900s. - PJS
File: FSWB070
===
NAME: Pore Mournah: see Mourner, You Shall Be Free (Moanish Lady) (File: San011)
===
NAME: Pork in the Cupboard
DESCRIPTION: "Oh there's pork in the cupboard, there's beef on the shelf If no one don't eat it I'll eat it myself." The rest is all "chin music."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: floatingverses nonballad food
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, p. 91, "Pork in the Cupboard" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9956
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bridle and Saddle" (lyrics)
NOTES: Most of Peacock's version is "chin music". Specifically, a text verse is "La da diddle la diddle la diddle dum da...."  Peacock explains, "'Chin' or 'mouth' music is a vocal imitation of instrumental music and is used for dancing when a fiddle or accordion is not handy. Some singers ... become so proficient that they are often called upon even when instruments are available."
Newfoundland "chin music" is like, and serves the same purpose, as Irish "lilting" and Traveller "tuning." See, for example, Hall, notes to Voice11. - BS
This is evidently a local version of "Bridle and Saddle" or one of its equivalents. Ideally, we'd have a mechanism for tracking these floating elements. But we don't, and this version is localized enough to get its own entry. - RBW
File: Pea091
===
NAME: Pork, Beans and Hard Tack
DESCRIPTION: "Our volunteers are soldiers bold, so say the people all... They leave their homes on starving pay to take the nitchies' (Indians') life." Fed poor rations, they are sent all around Canada by train, boat, and foot
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1887
KEYWORDS: soldier hardtimes Canada
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1885 - Second Metis uprising, which collapsed despite the failure of Canadian troops to defeat the enemy
FOUND_IN: Canada
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 127-129, "Pork, Beans and Hard Tack" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4516
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Riel's Song" and references there (subject)
NOTES: For the historical background to the Metis uprisings, see "Riel's Song." This song (which appeared in the University of Toronto Songbook only two years after the revolt) accurately describes the fate of the soldiers sent to pursue Riel.
Sent west by rail, the troops had to finish their trek by boat and foot, with rations even worse than they enjoyed on the train. Having reached Metis country, they had great difficulty finding the enemy, and spent time as laborers. Then they were sent back, primarily by boat, to Winnipeg. - RBW
File: FMB127
===
NAME: Portlairge
DESCRIPTION: Irish Gaelic: The singer stops in Waterford for drinks and at "the full house of women there." He is visited by four women and will take a girl with him to Carrick in the morning.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (IRClancyMakem01)
KEYWORDS:  foreignlanguage drink sex
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "Portlairge" (on IRClancyMakem01)
NOTES: The description is based on the cover notes to IRClancyMakem01 by Patrick Clancy. "Portlairge" is one of the songs his grandmother learned at her pub. - BS 
File: RcPortl
===
NAME: Portland County Jail
DESCRIPTION: "I'm a stranger to your city, My name is Paddy Flynn. I got drunk the other night; The coppers pulled me in. Had no one to... go my bail. They locked me up for ninety days In the Portland County Jail." The song describes the hard cases in prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: prison hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Sandburg, pp. 214-215, "Portland County Jail" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 69, "Portland County Jail" (1 text)
DT, PORTJAIL*
Roud #9858
RECORDINGS:
Art Thieme, "Portland County Jail" (on Thieme04)
File: San214
===
NAME: Porto Rico [Puerto Rico]
DESCRIPTION: Fragment: "Must I go to Porto Rico/Must I sail the dark blue sea?/Must I fight for you, my darling/Until death shall set me free?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917 (Cecil Sharp collection)
KEYWORDS: love travel fight war battle death lover soldier nonballad
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1898: Spanish-American War, in which the U. S. captures Puerto Rico and other territories from Spain
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SharpAp 249, "Porto Rico" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #3659
NOTES: Barely even a fragment, but I include it on the chance it may turn out to be part of a full song that we find some day. - PJS
Roud lumps this with a fragment in Brown, which mentions Virginia rather than Puerto Rico, and which otherwise looked to me like "East Virginia (Dark Hollow)." Which just shows how mysterious the thing is.
File: ShAp249
===
NAME: Portrush Fishing Disaster (I), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls going to sea in fine weather. As the ship sails home, a storm blows up. The singer asks that the sailors' names not be named, buds farewell to home, and tells his friends they will meet on "yonder shore"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: death ship disaster wreck storm
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb. 24, 1826 - The Portrush Disaster
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H27b, p. 105, "The Portrush Fishing Disaster (I)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9047
File: HHH027b
===
NAME: Portrush Fishing Disaster (II), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer calls listeners to hear of four sailors who died at Portrush. The singer names the four. He notes that they died despite their skill; the wind was too strong. The singer hopes that the dead and their families will meet in heaven
AUTHOR: Daniel McIlreavy?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: death ship disaster wreck storm
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb. 24, 1826 - The Portrush Disaster
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H27c, p. 105-106, "The Portrush Fishing Disaster (II)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9044
File: HHH027c
===
NAME: Possim Sits on 'Simmon Tree, De
DESCRIPTION: "De possim sits on 'simmon tree And feeds himself quite fat, Put Manly on de stump for me, I'm dog he'll soon leave dat." "I now must go an' pick my toof, It akes so very bad, but since Reid's our Governor forsooth, I feels my pain so bad."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1850 (North Carolina Gazette)
KEYWORDS: animal political
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 164, "De Possim Sits on 'Simmon Tree" (1 text)
NOTES: There is no reason to think this is a traditional song; it seems to have been a political piece from the 1850 North Carolina gubernatorial election, in which Democrat David Settle Reid (1813-1891) succeeded Charles Manley. If there was a significant issue in this campaign, I have been unable to discover it.
It does appear that Manley was a rather unimportant figure, compared to the distinguished Reid, who was congressman, governor, and Senator. - RBW
File: Br3164
===
NAME: Possum Am a Cunning Thing, De: see Raccoon (File: R260)
===
NAME: Possum and the Banjo, The: see De Fust Banjo (The Banjo Song; The Possum and the Banjo; Old Noah) (File: R253)
===
NAME: Possum Song, The: see Carve that Possum (File: R276)
===
NAME: Possum Sop and Polecat Jelly: see Black-Eyed Susie (Green Corn) (File: R568)
===
NAME: Possum Up a Gum Stump
DESCRIPTION: "Possum up a gum stump, Cooney in a holler, Little gal at our house, Fat as she can waller." The first two lines are characteristic (though the animals can vary); the last two lines can seemingly be anything.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: nonballad animal
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
BrownIII 415, "Lynchburg Town" (3 texts plus 2 fragments, 2 excerpts, and mention of 2 more, all with the "Lynchburg Town" chorus, but "A" and "B" have verses from "Raccoon" and "Possum Up a Gum Stump and "D" and "E" are partly "If I Had a Scolding Wife" ("Lucy Long (I)"); only "C" seems to be truly "Lynchburg Town")
Randolph 280, "Possum Up a Gum Stump" (1 short text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 161, "Possum Up a Simmon Tree" (6 texts, all of a single stanza; some are probably not this piece, but they're too short to classify)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 177, (no title) (1 fragment)
Lomax-ABFS, p. 238, "Little Gal at Our House" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7782
RECORDINGS:
Hiter Colvin, "Rabbit Up the Gum Stump" (Victor V-40239, 1930/Montgomery Ward 8148, 1939)
Henry Truvillion, "Come On, Boys, and Let's Go to Huntin'" (AFS 3983 B2; on LC8)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Uncle Reuben" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: Lomax reports this as a "patting chant" -- sung to the accompaniment of hands clapping or slapping against the thighs. - RBW
File: R280
===
NAME: Post-Rail Song
DESCRIPTION: "Put 'em up solid, they won't come down! Hey, ma laddie, they won't come down!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: work nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Sandburg, p. 138, "Post-Rail Song" (1 short text, 1 tune)
File: San138
===
NAME: Pot Wrassler, The
DESCRIPTION: The camp cook tells cowboys he spent years riding the range but "now I'm a-wrassling the pots for a change." He can make sourdough and sort the big rocks out of the beans, and doesn't wipe the frying-pan on his jeans. He's old now and prefers this life
AUTHOR: Curley Fletcher
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (Curley Fletcher, "Songs of the Sage")
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer, a camp cook, tells cowboys he has put in a lot of years riding the range but "now I'm a-wrassling the pots for a change." He doesn't claim to be Delmonico, but he can make sourdough and sort the big rocks out of the beans, and doesn't wipe the frying-pan on his jeans. He's old and stiff now and prefers staying by the fire to riding and getting thrown
KEYWORDS: age disability work food nonballad cook worker
FOUND_IN: US(Ro)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Harry Jackson, "The Pot Wrassler" (on HJackson1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Punchin' the Dough" (theme)
NOTES: The cook on a cattle run was usually an old cowboy who could no longer do the work. It's hardly surprising that he looked on the cowboys as "kids" -- nor that he used his control over the chuck to keep the cowboys in line.
"Delmonico" is Lorenzo Delmonico (1813-1881), a Swiss immigrant who came to the United States in 1832 and largely established the upscale restaurant as a business form in America. - RBW
File: RcPotWra
===
NAME: Potato Bug, The
DESCRIPTION: "It's just past ten years ... Since we heard of that plague of a fly." Every morning "I'll shake every stalk" and the bugs fall into his pan. As quickly as he catches them "they'll be over the sides" and escape. He should "carry a pan of hot coals"
AUTHOR: Lawrence Doyle
EARLIEST_DATE: 1969 (Ives-DullCare)
KEYWORDS: farming ordeal nonballad bug hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ives-DullCare, pp. 202-203, 253, "The Potato Bug" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13994
NOTES: Ives-DullCare: "[The potato bug] began arriving on the Island in significant numbers in the late 1880s." - BS
File: IvSC202
===
NAME: Potato, The
DESCRIPTION: "We have a loyal little friend, the potato," brought by Sir Walter Raleigh. Though there are varieties with fancy names, all are good. The singer hopes "our planters will plant more ... They are a vital food today in which we all must share"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1950 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: food Ireland nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 81, "The Potato" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Was this song written before or after 1845? The answer would be interesting.
The legend that Sir Walter Raleigh brought the potato to Europe is just that: Legend. There is no doubt that the plant came originally from South America, but no one knows who transported it across the Atlantic.
The dependence of Ireland on the potato was of course not voluntary. With the English having subdivided the Catholic lands into areas too small for proper farming, and with the rent laws making land improvements impossible (if a Catholic improved the land, his rent went up), there was no choice but to grow potatoes; it was the only food productive enough to support a family on the tiny plots the Irish were allowed.
Of course, potatoes needed little help from the growers, so the English accused the Irish of laziness -- but they had little choice. Especially with the population so high; even on improved land, it would have been hard to support the people of Ireland in the 1840s without the potato.
All that, of course, changed with the Great Hunger in the 1840s. - RBW
File: OLcM081
===
NAME: Potter and Robin Hood, The: see Robin Hood and the Potter [Child 121] (File: C121)
===
NAME: Poulduff Fishermen, The
DESCRIPTION: On July 11 "a maid divine in tears approached me." Three sons had been drowned when their boat struck the wrecked Perseverance and sank. Some were rescued by "James Fitzsimmons and ... his worthy crew." The drowned men are named.
AUTHOR: Mogue Doyle
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck fishing
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: July 1, 1880 - "Poulduff fishermen were lost ... when their craft struck the wreck of the Perseverance" (source: Bourke in _Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast_ v1, p. 52)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, pp. 18-20, "The Poulduff Fishermen" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Poulduff is on the northeast coast of County Wexford. - BS
File: Ran018
===
NAME: Poulshone Fishermen, The
DESCRIPTION: A maid reports the disaster: April 3, 1863, at Courtown Harbour, four Poulshone boys drown "when a sudden squall capsized their yawl." Redmond and Kelly are rescued by "young Clancy and his crew" but Earle and Leary are lost.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1946 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: drowning sea ship storm wreck fishing
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, pp. 102-103, "The Poulshone Fishermen" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Poulshone and Courtown are on the northern coast of Wexford. - BS
File: Ran102
===
NAME: Poupore's Shanty Crew
DESCRIPTION: Describing life at the lumber camp of Tom Poupore "on the twenty-eighth of October in 1884." The crew builds a shanty. They celebrate the cook. The leaders of the team, and some of the members, are named. The singer concludes with a toast to the crew
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966 (Fowke)
KEYWORDS: logger lumbering work
FOUND_IN: Canada(Que)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke-Lumbering #9, "Poupore's Shanty Crew" (1 text, tune referenced)
ST FowL09 (Partial)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lumber Camp Song" (theme, tune)
File: FowL09
===
NAME: Pourquoi: see The Bird's Courting Song (The Hawk and the Crow; Leatherwing Bat) (File: K295)
===
NAME: Powder Monkey, The (Soon We'll Be in England Town)
DESCRIPTION: Jim was powder monkey killed on board Victory. In '98 "we chased the foe right into Bourky Bay" and destroyed their flag ship Orient. Jim was killed by musket "as the fight was just on won." He asks the crew "Give a kiss to dear old mother."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1932 (Creighton-NovaScotia); 19C (broadside, Bodleian LOCSinging as111260)
KEYWORDS: battle navy death sea ship mother
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug 1, 1798 - Nelson defeats the French in Aboukir Bay, Egypt
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Creighton-NovaScotia 57, "Chanty Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, p. 148, "The Powder Monkey" (1 text, 1 tune-chorus only)
ST CrNS057 (Full)
Roud #1799
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as111260, "The Powder Monkey," unknown, 19C
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Heiland Laddie" (similar chorus)
NOTES: Creighton-NovaScotia has a verse and chorus as a chanty.
The "powder monkey" job could be handled by women and boys "whose task it was to pass gunpowder up from the magazine to the gunners" (see source for Aboukir Bay, below)
Nelson in Vanguard led the defeat of the French and their flagship L'Orient at Aboukir Bay in the Egyptian campaign in August 1798. (Source: _Nelson and the Nile; Part 3: A victory at Aboukir Bay_ by John Woolford "originally published in Military History Magazine August 1998" per the African History site) 
HMS _Victory_, while commissioned in 1778, was not in service in 1798. Nelson's [service in] _Victory_ began in 1803 and continued until his death at Trafalgar in 1805 (Source: HMS Victory site) - BS
Hugill calls this a "shore sea-song" possibly from the music-hall, believes that it dates from the 1840s, and that it bears some relationship to "Donkey Riding." - SL
File: CrNS057
===
NAME: Powder River (I - Lazy River)
DESCRIPTION: "Last time on that lazy old river... I met a girl who was more like heaven And her smile will last forevermore." He courts her and plans to take her away from the river, but a "spirit of the water" struck back; he mourns her amid the ruins of the flood
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: love courting river disaster flood death grief
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fife-Cowboy/West 61, "Powder River" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11076
File: FCW061
===
NAME: Powder River Jack
DESCRIPTION: A description of Powder River Jack Lee, the cowboy singer, and his wife Kitty Lee. Jack was "not a boozer, and he never cared for cards," and he "loved his pretty Kitty" -- but "the old Sky Boss was needin' One more top hand," and Jack is killed
AUTHOR: "Colorado Bill"
EARLIEST_DATE: 1946 ("Hoofs and Horns" magazine)
KEYWORDS: death cowboy recitation
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1946 - Death of Powder River Jack Lee in a car accident
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 38, "Powder River Jack" (1 text)
File: Ohr038
===
NAME: Powder River, Let 'Er Buck
DESCRIPTION: "Powder river, let 'er buck, A surgin' mass of cattle, Roundup wagons full of chuck, Horns and hooves a-rattle...." A description of the cows, horses, and cowboys to be met during a cattle drive.
AUTHOR: Powder River Jack Lee?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (recording, Powder River Jack & Kitty Lee)
KEYWORDS: cowboy horse work travel nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 40, "Powder River, Let 'er Buck" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11524
RECORDINGS:
Powder River Jack & Kitty Lee, "Powder River, Let 'Er Buck" (Victor 23527, 1930; Montgomery Ward M-4462, 1934; on AuthCowboys)
NOTES: The phrase "Powder River, let 'er buck" was the motto of a Wyoming division (comprised largely of cowboys) during World War I. Powder River Jack Lee claims to have composed the song, and there is no evidence to the contrary -- but the slogan must have come from somewhere. - RBW
File: Ohr040
===
NAME: Powderhorn
DESCRIPTION: "Out in the West you have often heard said The only good paint horse is one that is dead." The singer sets out to disprove the rule, describing the purchase of a cutting horse, Miss Aledo, that does a spectacular job
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: horse work cowboy commerce
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fife-Cowboy/West 70, "Powderhorn" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11075
NOTES: A cutting horse is used to cut off a steer from the herd. A good horse can make a cowboy's task much easier by outguessing the cattle. - RBW
File: FCW070
===
NAME: Prairie Grove
DESCRIPTION: "Come ye gallant sons of I-o-way, come listen to my song... About the gallant charge at Prairie Grove, An' we an' Southern rebels on equal numbers strove." The singer describes a federal victory, the burial of the southern dead, and their widows' mourning
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Randoph)
KEYWORDS: battle soldier death Civilwar
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec 7, 1862 - Battle of Prairie Grove
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 222, "Prairie Grove" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 205-207, "Prairie Grove" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 222)
Roud #4032
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Give the Dutch Room" (subject)
NOTES: The battle of Prairie Grove was one of the more confusing messes of the Civil War. It had little effect on the main war effort (though it contributed significantly to the Union conquest of Arkansas), and so is rarely mentioned in the histories. The battle came about because the Union forces of Schofield's "Army of the Frontier" were scattered.
Two divisions, under Herron, were located near Springfield, Missouri; another, under Blunt, was in an advanced position south of Fayetteville, Arkansas.
The Confederate general Hindman, observing this deployment, saw an opportunity to defeat the Unionists in detail. He took his force -- somewhat smaller than the combined Union forces but much stronger than Blunt alone -- and on Dec. 6 attacked Blunt.
Unknown to Hindman, Herron's force had been ordered forward a few days earlier. When Hindman learned that Herron was approaching, he tried to get between the two Union forces.
It didn't work. Herron managed to hold off Hindman until Blunt arrived. The Confederates -- many of them raw Arkansas troops who deserted at the beginning of the battle -- wound up abandoning the field. The battle was not a great Union success, but neither was it a great defeat. In the aftermath, they were able to occupy a large part of northern Arkansas.
This song is item dA38 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW- RBW
File: R222
===
NAME: Praise of Christmas, The: see Drive the Cold Winter Away (In Praise of Christmas) (File: Log293)
===
NAME: Praise of Ploughmen, The
DESCRIPTION: "Ye lads and lasses a' draw near, I'm sure it will delight your ear... To sing the praise o' ploughmen." Workers at other occupations may regard themselves as better, but the ploughman feeds them. The girl choruses, "Happy is the ploughman's jo."
AUTHOR: John Anderson
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord); Grieg reports that it was written c. 1850
KEYWORDS: farming worker food
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 242-243, "The Praise of Ploughmen" (1 text)
Roud #5579
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Laddie That Handles the Ploo" (theme)
cf. "The Farmer is the Man" (theme)
File: Ord242
===
NAME: Praties They Grow Small, The: see Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small) (File: SBoA148)
===
NAME: Praties, The: see Over There (I - The Praties They Grow Small) (File: SBoA148)
===
NAME: Preacher and the Bear, The
DESCRIPTION: (Black) preacher goes hunting; he meets a grizzly bear. He climbs a tree and pleads with God (who delivered Daniel, Jonah, etc.) "if you can't help me/for goodness sakes don't help that bear" The limb breaks; he gets his razor out and fights
AUTHOR: Officially credited to Joe Arzonia
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (recordings, Arthur Collins, although he may have recorded it as early as 1903)
KEYWORDS: hunting humorous animal clergy
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 425, "The Preacher and the Bear" (2 short texts)
Roud #4967
RECORDINGS:
Al Bernard, "The Preacher and the Bear" (Brunswick 312, 1929; Supertone S-2057, 1930; rec. 1928) (Harmony 645-H, 1928) (Vocalion 15643, 1927)
Virgil Childers, "Preacher and the Bear" (Bluebird B-7487, 1938)
Arthur Collins, "The Preacher and the Bear" (Victor 4431, 1905) (Victor 17221, 1912; Montgomery Ward M-8128, 1939; rec. 1908) (Zon-O-Phone 120, 1905) (Columbia A307/Standard A307, 1909; Kalamazoo 7016, n.d.; Oxford 120, c. 1911; rec. 1905) (Columbia A2290, 1917) (Busy Bee D-27, n.d.; Busy Bee A-1076, c. 1903) (Rex 5073, c. 1913) (Edison 50520, 1919) (Silvertone 2026, c. 1920) (CYL: Edison 9000, 1905) (CYL: Edison [BA]18, 1908) (CYL: Albany 3193, n.d.) (CYL: Edison [BA] 1560, 1912) (Majestic 105, 1917) (Par-O-Ket 28, 1917) (CYL: Columbia 32720, prob. 1905)
Golden Gate Jubilee Quartet, "Preacher and the Bear" (Bluebird B-7205, 1937; Victor 27322, 1941; Victor [Canada] 27322, 1941)
Honeyboy & Sassafras, "The Preacher and the Bear" (Brunswick 585, 1931; rec. 1930)
Kentucky Thorobreds, "Preacher and the Bear" (Paramount 3036, 1927; Broadway 8128 [as Old Smokey Twins], n.d.)
John McGhee, "The Preacher and the Bear" (Gennett 6403/Challenge 392 [as George Holden], 1928)
Poplin Family, "The Preacher and the Bear" (on Poplin1)
Jesse Oakley, "Preacher and the Bear" (Supertone 9256, 1928)
Riley Puckett, "The Preacher and the Bear" (Columbia 15045-D, 1925) (Bluebird B-8083/Montgomery Ward M-7904, 1939)
Uncle Joe & his Banjo, "The Preacher and the Bear"  (Cameo 1272/Romeo 506, 1927)
Unidentified baritone [prob. Arthur Collins], "The Preacher and the Bear" (CYL: Busy Bee 241, prob. 1905)
Albert Whelan, "The Preacher and the Bear" (Zonophone [UK], 1911)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel" (theme)
SAME_TUNE:
Golden Gate Quartet, "Stalin Wasn't Stalling" (OKeh 6712, 1943)
NOTES: According to a biographer of Arthur Collins, although the song is often credited to Joe
Arzonia, he seems to have purchased the rights from the actual composer, George Fairman, a piano player who worked in the cafe Arzonia owned.
This song has become popular in the folk revival, inevitably without the reference to the preacher as a "coon" which places this in the minstrel tradition. (The Poplins use the word, though.) Its vaudeville/minstrel/coon song origins are clear in the earliest recording by Arthur Collins, a well-known performer in those genres.
Clearly Arthur Collins had little use for exclusive contracts in 1905 or thereafter.
The World War II parody, "Stalin Wasn't Stalling," has Hitler begging, "Oh Lord, if you can't help me, don't help that Russian bear." - PJS
File: RcPatB
===
NAME: Preacher and the Slave, The
DESCRIPTION: The preacher comes and tells the hungry, downtrodden workers, "You will eat, by and bye, In that glorious land above the sky. Work and pray; live on hay. You'll get pie in the sky when you die." The song calls on workers to overthrow the system
AUTHOR: Words: Joe Hill/Music: "Sweet By and By"
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911
KEYWORDS: clergy political work food rebellion labor-movement IWW derivative
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Sandburg, p. 221, "The Preacher and the Slave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 222, "Pie in the Sky" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 856-857, "Pie in the Sky" (1 text, 1 tune)
Arnett, p. 146-147, "Pie in the Sky" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, p. 185, "The Preacher and the Slave" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, pp. 375-376, "The Preacher and the Slave" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 306, "The Preacher and the Slave" (1 text)
DT, PRCHRSLV*
Roud #9612
RECORDINGS:
Arkansas Charlie (Charlie Craver), "You'll Get Pie In The Sky When You Die" (Brunswick 392, c. 1929)
Bud Billings [pseud. for Frank Luther] & Carson Robison: "You'll Get Pie in the Sky When You Die" (Victor V-40221, 1930)
Harry "Mac" McClintock, "Long Haired Preachers (Preacher and the Slave)" (on McClintock01) (on McClintock02)
Pete Seeger, "Pie in the Sky" (on PeteSeeger05)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Sweet By and By" (tune)
NOTES: For the life of Joe Hill, see "Joe Hill." - RBW
File: San221
===
NAME: Preacher in the Pulpit (I)
DESCRIPTION: "Preacher in the pulpit, Bible in his hand (x3), Devil in the meal-sack, shaking out bran." "Oh, Lordy, come this way (x3), Never let the (devil carry?) you away."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious devil nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 342, "Preacher in the Pulpit" (1 short text)
File: Br3342
===
NAME: Preacher in the Pulpit (II)
DESCRIPTION: "Preacher's in de pulpit, Preachin' mighty bold, Preachin' for de money To save de sinner's soul." "I'm gwine de land on de shore (x3) And rest forevermo'." "When I gits in Heben, Want you to be there too; When I say, Thank God, I want you to say so too."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 343, "Preacher in de Pulpit" (1 short text)
Roud #11742
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "We Will Land on Shore" (lyrics)
File: Br3343
===
NAME: Preacher's Legacy, The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, if poor sinners did but know How much for them I undergo, they would not treat me with contempt...." The preacher sets out to work in other areas, knowing that it will bring challenges. He hopes to go to heaven in the end
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922
KEYWORDS: clergy travel
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
LPound-ABS, 105, pp. 216-217, "The Preacher's Legacy" (1 text)
ST LPnd216 (Full)
Roud #6560
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Dying Preacher (Hick's Farewell)" (theme)
NOTES: The nineteenth century seems to have seen several of these "departing-preacher-tells-folks-what's-wrong" songs. Reading this piece, I thought of a Baptist preacher who was kicked out by his congregation for being too strict. - RBW
File: LPnd216
===
NAME: Precious Jewel
DESCRIPTION: "A jewel on earth and a jewel in heaven/She'll brighten the kingdom around God's great throne." Singer mourns the girl  who promised to marry him. "The angels called her to heaven one night." Earth has troubles and treasures, but is missing one jewel
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (recording, Roy Acuff)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer mourns girl he once loved; when she was 16 they courted, and promised to marry, but "the angels called her to heaven one night." He laments that Mother Earth has troubles and treasures, but is missing one jewel. Cho: "A jewel on earth and a jewel in heaven/She'll brighten the kingdom around God's great throne...She's broken my heart and she's left me to roam"
KEYWORDS: grief loneliness courting love ring death mourning lament lover
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Roy Acuff, "The Precious Jewel" (Conqueror 9324, 1939/Okeh 05956, 1940)
Frank Bode, "Precious Jewel" (on FBode1)
Elton Britt, "The Precious Jewel" (Bluebird B-8666, 1941)
Delmore Bros. "Precious Jewel" (Decca 5970, 1941)
Wade Mainer, "The Precious Jewel" (Bluebird B-8887, 1941)
Esco Hankins, "The Precious Jewel" (King 648, 1947)
File: RcPrecJe
===
NAME: Precious Lord
DESCRIPTION: "Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am lost...." The sing prays that the Lord guide and protect him or her, and "lead me (home/on)" (to heaven)
AUTHOR: Thomas A. Dorsey
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (recording, Alphabetical Four)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 255-257, "" (1 text, probably partial; 1 tune)
DT, PRECLORD*
RECORDINGS:
Alphabetical Four, "Precious Lord Hold My Hand" (Decca 7546, 1938; partial version on AlphabFour01)
Elder Effie Hall & congregation "Precious Lord, Hold My Hand" (on MuSouth09, Babylon)
Five Soul Stirrers, "Precious Lord" (Bronze 103, n.d.)
Selah Jubilee Quartet, "Precious Lord" (Decca 48003, rec. 1939)
Kinsey West, "Precious Lord, Take My Hand" (on BlackAmRel1)
File: CNFM255
===
NAME: Precious Memories
DESCRIPTION: The singer looks back on events of the past: "Precious memories, how they linger, How they ever flood my soul." The singer gives thanks for the reminders
AUTHOR: probably John Wright
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Harbor Bells)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
Roud #4934
RECORDINGS:
Ellis & Dixon Spiritual & Vocal Group, "Precious Memories, pts. 1 & 2" (Chess 1642, 1956)
Wade Mainer, "Precious Memories" (Bluebird B-8848, 1941)
McDonald Quartet, "Precious Memories" (OKeh 45517, 1931; rec. 1930) (Conqueror 8009, 1932)
Simmons Sacred Singers, "Precious Memories" (OKeh 45299, 1929; rec. 1928)
Sister Rosetta Tharpe, "Precious Memories" (Decca 48070, c. 1948)
Turkey Mountain Singers, "Precious Memories" (Bluebird B-5532, 1934)
Uncle Henry's Original Mountaineers, "Precious Memories" (Capitol 48035, 1949)
SAME_TUNE:
Dreadful Memories (by Aunt Molly Jackson and/or Sarah Ogun Gunning) (Greenway-AFP, pp. 274-275; DT, DREDMEM; Darling-NAS, pp. 385-386)
NOTES: Richard Dress writes, "Penned by Texas songwriter John Wright in 1877, this Roy Acuff hit and Wade Mainer favorite was first published in V. O. Stamps first songbook Harbor Bells in 1925.  The McDonald Quartette recorded it for Banner in 1932, the Royal Quartet for Decca in 1935, Claude Sharpe & the Old Hickory Singers for Columbia in 1945, and the Johnson Family Singers for Columbia in 1951 (crediting J. Wright)." - RBW
File: oooPrecM
===
NAME: Prentice Boy (I), The: see The Sheffield Apprentice [Laws O39] (File: LO39)
===
NAME: Prentice Boy (II), The: see The Apprentice Boy [Laws M12] (File: LM12)
===
NAME: Prentice Boy in Love, A: see The Sea Apprentice (File: HHH739)
===
NAME: Prentice Boy, The: see The Sea Apprentice (File: HHH739)
===
NAME: Prentice's Drinking Song: see My Father Gave Me a Lump of Gold (Seven Long Years) (File: R834)
===
NAME: Presbyterian Cat, The (The Cameronian Cat)
DESCRIPTION: "There was an auld Seceder's cat, Gaed hunting for a prey, And ben the house she catched a mouse Upon the Sabbath day." The cat, returning home, is condemned by her owner for violating the Sabbath, read a lesson -- and executed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: animal trial execution clergy
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland) US(NE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 319-321, "The Cameronian Cat" (1 text)
DT, CAMERCAT
Roud #4576
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Auld Seceder's Cat
NOTES: Murray Shoolbraid, in his extensive notes in the Digital Tradition, observes that this is usually sung to a psalm tune. - RBW
File: FVS319
===
NAME: Prescott's Confession
DESCRIPTION: Broadside. "Ye people all assembled here To see me suffer death, Draw near the guilty wretch and hear...." The singer denies insanity, tells how he lured his victim into the fields, describes his murder, and bids farewell
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder punishment execution
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 1833 - "Prescott" murders his benefactor Sally Cochran and is apprehended by her husband
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Burt, pp. 66-67, "Prescott's Confession of the Murder of MRS. SALLY COCHRAN, By a Private Individual at the Bar" (1 text, excerpted)
File: Burt066
===
NAME: Presidents, The (The Presidents in Rhyme)
DESCRIPTION: To the tune of "Yankee Doodle": "George Washington, first President, by Adams was succeeded, And Thomas Jefferson was next, For the people's cause he pleaded...." And so on, through as many presidents as the teacher can think up rhymes for
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: nonballad political derivative
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1789-1797 - Administration of George Washington
1797-1801 - John Adams
1801-1809 - Thomas Jefferson
1809-1817 - James Madison. War of 1812. (1815: Battle of New Orleans, fought by Andrew Jackson)
1817-1825 - James Monroe
1825-1829 - John Quincy Adams
1829-1837 - Andrew Jackson (who previously won the Battle of New Orleans)
1837-1841 - Martin Van Buren
1841 - William Henry Harrison (died in office)
1841-1845 - John Tyler (filled out Harrison's term; he was a near-Democrat in Whig's clothing, and his succession led to constitutional and legislative crises)
1845-1849 - James K. Polk (began the war with Mexico and annexed Texas)
1849-1850 - Zachary Taylor (died in office)
1850-1853 - Millard Fillmore
1853-1857 - Franklin Pierce
1857-1861 - James Buchanan
1861-1865 - Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)
1865-1869 - Andrew Johnson (a Democrat who succeeded Lincoln. The partisan Republicans in congress impeached him on trivial grounds and tried to deprive him of office, failing by only one vote in the Senate)
1869-1877 - Ulysses S. Grant (the victor, more or less, at the Battle of Shiloh in 1862)
1877-1881 - Rutherford B. Hayes
1881 - James A. Garfield (assassinated)
1881-1885 - Chester A. Arthur
1885-1889 - Grover Cleveland (first term)
1889-1893 - Benjamin Harrison
1893-1897 - Grover Cleveland (second term)
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 877, "The Presidents" (1 text)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 390-391, "The Presidents" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 877)
Roud #7542
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Yankee Doodle" (tune) and references there
NOTES: This song probably originated some time in the nineteenth century, and has been periodically extended. Randolph's version, for instance, extends into the second administration of Cleveland, but it has been extended at least as far as Franklin Roosevelt. - RBW
It's been further extended, by Oscar Brand (up through Eisenhower) and yours truly (through Bush [Senior]). No doubt the Clinton verse will be, er, interesting. - PJS
Given the political tendencies of most folk singers, I suspect Bush Junior will get some interesting verses of his own....
Another anonymous poem on this general theme, "Our Presidents" (which runs through Wilson) is found on p. 603 of Hazel Felleman's _The Best Loved Poems of the American People_. - RBW
File: R877
===
NAME: Press Gang (I), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a press gang in London who ask if he'd join the fleet. He agrees after they tell "shocking lies" to him about life on board. Once on board he is flogged. He had run away from his wife but now would be happy not to go to sea again.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915 (ENMacCollSeeger02)
KEYWORDS: sea ship ordeal sailor pressgang lie abuse
FOUND_IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, PRSSGANG
Roud #662
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, "The Press Gang" (on ENMacCollSeeger02)
File: RcTPrGan
===
NAME: Press Gang (II), The: see Disguised Sailor (The Sailor's Misfortune and Happy Marriage; The Old Miser) [Laws N6] (File: LN06)
===
NAME: Press Gang Sailor, The: see Polly on the Shore (The Valiant Sailor) (File: Wa057)
===
NAME: Pretoria: see Marching to Pretoria (File: Hugi425)
===
NAME: Prettiest Little Baby In The County-O: see What'll I Do with the Baby-O (File: R565)
===
NAME: Prettiest Little Song of All, The
DESCRIPTION: "When the pretty little birds are singing In the evening by the pale moonlight... It speaks to me in accents free Of one that's ever far and yet so near... The sweetest song I ever heard is one of home and mother."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: home mother nonballad separation
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 848, "The Prettiest Little Song of All" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7449
File: R848
===
NAME: Pretty Betsey [Laws M18]
DESCRIPTION: Betsey loves William; her father so despises him that he brutally abuses Betsey. With Betsey's mother's help, William is able to pay a last visit, only to have Betsey die in his arms
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952
KEYWORDS: courting abuse death
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws M18, "Pretty Betsey"
BrownII 75, "Pretty Betsey" (1 text)
DT 722, PRETBETS
Roud #1911
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Andrew Lammie" [Child 233] (plot)
NOTES: This presence of this song in Laws is rather a curiosity: Laws knows only of the copy in Brown, and the notes to that book admit of no other version -- but Laws not only lists it as traditional but as being of British origin. - RBW
File: LM18
===
NAME: Pretty Betsy the Milkmaid (Blackberry Fold) [Laws O10]
DESCRIPTION: The squire sees Pretty Betsy, and offers to marry her. She begs him not to tease a poor girl. He gives her half of a broken ring as a token. He tries to seduce her, then rape her, but she fends him off. He gives in and marries her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(2146))
KEYWORDS: beauty courting seduction virtue marriage
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Britain(England(All),Scotland) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws O10, "Pretty Betsy the Milkmaid (Blackberry Fold)"
Kennedy 314, "Blackberry Fold" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 23, "Blackberry Fold" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 831, BESSMILK
Roud #559
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(2146), "Young Squire" ("It's of a rich squire in Bristol doth dwell"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 25(2147)[some illegible lines], "The Young Squire"; Harding B 28(140), "Squire and Milk Maid"; 2806 c.16(44), Harding B 25(1836), "Squire and Milkmaid"; 2806 b.11(240), Firth c.18(168), "Squire and Milkmaid" or "Blackberry Fold"
NOTES: Not to be confused with "Blackberry Grove," despite their sharing a milkmaid and blackberries. Incidentally, one of the reasons milkmaids were held in such romantic esteem was for their smooth, fair, and un-pockmarked skin, which came from their contact with cowpox and resultant immunity to smallpox. - PJS
File: LO10
===
NAME: Pretty Bird: see Little Bird (File: Fus089)
===
NAME: Pretty Boy Floyd
DESCRIPTION: "Come gather 'round me children, a story I will tell, About Pretty Boy Floyd, the outlaw; Oklahoma knew him well." The singer tells how Floyd turned outlaw when a deputy attacked his wife, and describes Floyd's many charities
AUTHOR: Woody Guthrie
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (recording, Woody Guthrie)
KEYWORDS: outlaw police robbery help
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 227, "Pretty Boy Floyd" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 296-297, "Pretty Boy Floyd" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BOYFLOYD*
Roud #11504
RECORDINGS:
Woody Guthrie, "Pretty Boy Floyd" (on Struggle2)
Pete Seeger, "Pretty Boy Floyd" (on PeteSeeger19) (on PeteSeeger41)
File: LoF227
===
NAME: Pretty Caroline
DESCRIPTION: A sailor tells Caroline that her parents had "pressed me on board of a man-o-war from pretty Caroline." He has returned rich. She asks that he show the gold ring and lock of hair that would identify him. He does. They marry.
AUTHOR: G. Brown? (source: broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(3147))
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1867 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(3146))
KEYWORDS: courting marriage ring return sailor brokentoken
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lehr/Best 88, "Pretty Caroline" (1 text, 1 tune)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3146), "Pretty Caroline," Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866; also Harding B 11(3147), Firth b.26(129), Firth c.13(265), Harding B 11(3148), Harding B 11(3149), Firth c.12(184), "Pretty Caroline"
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(050), "Pretty Caroline," unknown, n.d.
File: LeBe088
===
NAME: Pretty Crowing Chicken: see The Grey Cock, or, Saw You My Father [Child 248] (File: C248)
===
NAME: Pretty Fair Damsel, A: see Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token) [Laws N42] (File: LN42)
===
NAME: Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token) [Laws N42]
DESCRIPTION: A girl refuses to be courted by a stranger, saying she will wait for her love. The stranger counters that he may be slain, drowned, or unfaithful; she says she will be faithful anyway. He pulls out his locket, revealing him as her lost, and now rich, love
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1822
KEYWORDS: courting separation brokentoken
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(England,Scotland) Ireland Bahamas
REFERENCES: (33 citations)
Laws N42, "Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token)"
Belden, pp. 148-151, "A Sweetheart in the Army" (3 texts plus references to 2 more, 1 tube)
Randolph 55, "The Maiden in the Garden" (3 texts plus 1 fragment and 1 excerpt, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 97-99, "The Maiden in the Garden" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 55A)
Eddy 51, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 92, "A Pretty Fair Maid in the Garden" (1 text)
Chappell-FSRA 68, "Betty Fair Miss" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 12, "Madam, I Have Gold and Silver" (1 text, starting with "Wheel of Fortune" but ending with a "Ripest of Apples" verse and ending with a Riley stanza, from this or some other ballad of this type)
Hudson 36, pp. 160-151, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text); also 37, pp. 151-152, "Annie Girl" (1 text, which conflates 2 verses of "The Drowsy Sleeper" [Laws M4], 2 or 3 of "Wheel of Fortune (Dublin City, Spanish Lady)" or "No, John, No: or similar, and 3 verses probably of this)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 260-264, "The True Sweetheart," "Pretty Fair Maid," "A Pretty Fair Damsel," "A Lily Fair Damsel," The True Sweetheart" (5 texts, mostly rather short; 4 tunes on pp.423-425); in addition, p. 265, "A Soldier Boy," opens with stanzas from this song, but the conclusion is "William Hall (The Brisk Young Farmer)" [Laws N30]
SharpAp 98, "The Broken Token" (6 texts, 6 tunes)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 134-139, "Broken Ring Song" (5 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-NovaScotia 28, "Broken Ring" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 59, "Broken Ring Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 24, "Broken Ring Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 584-589, "Seven Years I Loved a Sailor" (3 texts, 3 tunes; the "C" text, "Flowery Garden," grafts the "Poison in a Glass of Wine" theme (cf. "Oxford City" [Laws P30]) as the ending)
Fowke/MacMillan 65, "The Sailor's Return" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 63, "The Single Sailor" (2 texts)
Leach, pp. 701-703, "A Sweetheart in the Army" (2 texts)
OLochlainn 2, "A Lady Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
McBride 47, "The Lady Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 88, "The Sweetheart in the Army" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, pp. 77-78, "Soldier, Won't You Marry Me?" (1 text, in which, despite the title, the soldier asks the girl to marry, not the reverse)
FSCatskills 22, "Johnny Riley" (1 text, 1 tune)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 80-81, "Miss Mary Belle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 68-69, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 326-327, "The Brisk Young Sailor" (1 text)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 104-105, "The Young and Single Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 117-118, "A Pretty Fair Miss All in a Garden" (1 text, 1 tune); also pp. 222-223 (1 tune, partial text)
JHCox 92, "A Pretty Fair Maid" (2 texts plus mention of 4 more; the "B" text includes stanzas from "Wheel of Fortune (Dublin City, Spanish Lady)")
SHenry H471, p. 317, "The Broken Ring" (1 text, 1 tune); also probably H818, pp. 317-318, "Green Garden" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 27, "The Sailor's Return" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
DT 462,  JREILLY* JREILLY3* JREILLY5
Roud #264
RECORDINGS:
Mary Cash, "Lady in Her Father's Garden" (on IRTravellers01)
Cousin Emmy [Cynthia May Carver], "Pretty Fair Miss Out In the Garden" (Decca 24213, 1947; on ConstSor1)
Louise Foreacre, "Down in Grandma's Garden" (on Stonemans01)
Warde & Pat Ford, "The Soldier's Sweetheart" (AFS 4204 B1, 1938; tr.; in AMMEM/Cowell)
Sarah Hawkes, "Returning Sweetheart" (on Persis1)
Roscoe Holcomb, "Fair Miss in the Garden" (on Holcomb1) (on FOTM)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Pretty Fair Miss Out in the Garden" (on NLCR06)
Sarah Anne O'Neill, "Standing in Yon Flowery Garden" (on Voice10)
Mrs. William Towns, "A Fair Maid Walked in her Father's Garden" (on Ontario1)
Doug Wallin, "Pretty Fair Miss in a Garden" (on Wallins1)
Martin Young & Corbett Grigsby, "Pretty Fair Miss in the Garden" (on MMOKCD)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(180a), "The Loyal Sailor," J. Ferraby (Hull), 1803-1838; also Harding B 11(4354), Firth c.12(335), "Young and Single Sailor"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Sailor's Return
The Single Sailor
The Single Soldier
John Riley (III)
Flowery Garden
NOTES: Eddy's version of this piece may be the only one of these disguised love songs in which the man admits what he is: A creep who sneaks up on his faithful true love.
The second Sam Henry version, "Green Garden," is marked as Laws N42 but with a question mark. I understand the editors' hesitation, but there are enough links to other texts of the song that I think we can list it here. It's not as if we need another Broken Token ballad....
Paul Stamler suggested filing Art Thieme's song "That's the Ticket" here. Since this index occasionally pretends to something resembling scholarship, I couldn't bring myself to do it. But if you want to see the essence of Broken Token absurdity, that song (on Thieme03) probably sums it up as well as is humanly possible. - RBW
The last three verses of Mary Cash's version on IRTravellers01 are the "Phoenix Island" verses from "O'Reilly from the County Leitrim": as a result, the suitor is finally rejected. Jim Carroll's notes to IRTravellers01 cite another version from Mary Delaney who "had the suitor even more fimly rejected:
For it's seven years brings an alteration,
And seven more brings a big change to me,
Oh, go home young man,
choose another sweetheart,
Your serving maid I'm not here to be."
Mary Delaney's "Phoenix Island" on IRTravellers01 is even more extreme (see notes to "O'Reilly from the County Leitrim," which generally ends unfavorably for the suitor). - BS
File: LN42
===
NAME: Pretty Fair Miss All in a Garden, A: see Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token) [Laws N42] (File: LN42)
===
NAME: Pretty Fair Widow, The (Lillie Shaw II)
DESCRIPTION: Pretty widow Lillie Shaw goes out one day but does not return. A search party fails to find her, but finally traces of blood are found, and then her body. "They searched the Preston house" and find her clothes; E.B. Preston is tried and hanged
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: murder trial execution
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Warner 115, "The Pretty Fair Widow (or, Lillie Shaw)" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa115 (Partial)
Roud #4628
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lillie Shaw" (subject)
NOTES: Although there are two songs on this subject, and this one at least spread enough to be collected three times, no one seems to have found details on the fates of Lillie Shaw and Jim Wilcox/E. B. Preston.
Frank Proffit, who supplied the Warner ballad, claimed the murder took place in the 1880s in Mountain City, Tennessee. - RBW
File: Wa115
===
NAME: Pretty Four-Leaf Shamrock from Glenore, The: see The Shamrock from Glenore (File: HHH034)
===
NAME: Pretty Four-Leaved Shamrock from Glenore, The: see The Shamrock from Glenore (File: HHH034)
===
NAME: Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow, The
DESCRIPTION: "O 'twas on a bright mornin' in summer When I first heard her voice singin' low As he said to a colleen beside him, 'Who's the pretty girl milkin' the cow?'"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1835 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.26(457))
KEYWORDS: love work
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Ireland
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
O'Conor, pp. 58-59, "The Pretty Maid Milking Her Cow" (1 text)
OLochlainn 57, "Cailin Deas Cruite Na MBo" (1 text, 1 tune)
McBride 14, "Cailin Deas Cruite na mBo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 13, "Cailin Deas Cruite na mBo" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, p. 40, "Who's the Pretty Girl Milkin' the Cow?" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #3139
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "Cailin Deas Cruite Na mBo" (on IRClare01)
J. W. Myers, "Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" (Berliner 1772, late 1890s)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.26(457), "The Pretty Maid Milking her Cow," G. Walker (Durham), 1797-1834; also Harding B 25(1563), Firth c.18(163), Harding B 11(2386), Harding B 11(2846), "[The] Pretty Maid Milking her Cow"; 2806 b.11(99), "Colleen Dhas Crutha Na Mho" ("It was on a fine summer's morning"), W. Birmingham (Dublin), c.1867; also 2806 c.15(127), Harding B 19(79), "Colleen Dhas Crutha Na Mho"
Murray, Mu23-y1:029, "Colleen Dhas Crutha na Mho," James Lindsay Jr (Glasgow), 19C 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Peistie Glen" (tune)
NOTES: O'Conor seems more complete than Sandburg. He hears her singing and professes to be "your captive slave for the future." She is not taken in by his profession, nor by his claim that "The Indies afford no such jewel" or that he would trade "the wealth of great Omar... Devonshire's treasure ... the lamp of Aladdin" to "live poor on a mountain With colleen dhas cruthin amoe." He warns "a young maid is like a ship sailing, She don't know how long she may steer" and he asks her to marry.
Samuel Lover in _Rory O'More_ (1836) quotes this fragment: "I saw a young damsel--'twas Noreen; Her ringlets did carelessly flow Oh: how I adore you, ma voureen Ma Colleen dhas crutheen na mbho." - BS
File: San040
===
NAME: Pretty Little Miss [Laws P18]
DESCRIPTION: The singer courts a young girl, eventually talking his way into her bed. In the middle of the night he prepares to leave. She reminds him of his promise to marry her. He tells her that sleeping with him was her choice. She bewails her fate
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Cecil Sharp collection); +1818 (Garret, _Right Choyse and Merrie Book of Garlands I_)
KEYWORDS: seduction separation betrayal pregnancy
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So) Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Laws P18, "Pretty Little Miss"
MacSeegTrav 67, "Too Young" (1 text, 1 tune)
SharpAp 107, "Good Morning, My Pretty Little Miss" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 49, "Good-Morning My Pretty Little Miss" (1 text, 1 tune -- an abridged composite version)
DT 500, PRETMISS
Roud #564
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Rosemary Lane" [Laws K43] (floating lyrics)
cf. "Seven Years O'er Young" (plot)
NOTES: I place [the MacColl/Seeger song "Too Young"]  with "Pretty Little Miss" (Laws P18) because MacColl & Seeger do, explicitly citing Laws. But it has few of the plot elements of the canonical Laws version, and tacks on a couple of stanzas that I'd swear came from "Blackwaterside." - PJS
Laws himself says the song has "much textual instability," even though he quotes only four versions -- two from Sharp and two fragments from JFSS.  And his sample stanzas do look a bit like "Blackwaterside."
For additional notes on the problems with this piece, see the notes to "Seven Years O'er Young." - RBW
File: LP18
===
NAME: Pretty Milkmaid, The: see Rolling in the Dew (The Milkmaid) (File: R079)
===
NAME: Pretty Mohea, The: see The Little Mohee [Laws H8] (File: LH08)
===
NAME: Pretty Mohee, The: see The Little Mohee [Laws H8] (File: LH08)
===
NAME: Pretty Nancy of London (Jolly Sailors Bold)
DESCRIPTION: The singer writes to tell his love of the hardships endured by sailors. He describes a horrible storm he recently endured; "a sailor must yield to whatever may come." He assures Nancy he is remembering her as best he can
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1920 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: storm sea love separation floatingverses
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(Lond)) US(SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Randolph 78, "Pretty Nancy of London" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 568-570, "Nancy from London" (1 text, 3 tunes)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 53, "Nancy of London" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 130, "Sweet William and Nancy" (1 text, mixed with "Green Grows the Laurel" and other material)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 33, "Nancy from London" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Leach-Labrador 49, "Lovely Nancy from England" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #407
RECORDINGS:
Cyril Poacher, "Nancy of Yarmouth" (on Voice12)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ye Gentlemen of England (I)" [Laws K2]
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Tall Grow the Rushes
NOTES: Leach-Labrador 49: "This song should not be confused with 'Nancy of Yarmouth' or 'Jimmy and Nancy,' and so forth.  Although it borrows heavily from other songs, it is a distinct and separate piece."
The "green grow the laurels" verse is
  Green grow the laurels and the tops of them small,
  For love is a flower that hangs o'er us all,
  For the green leaves will wither and the roots will decay, 
  But the red rose will flourish when my love comes from sea
The "ship in distress" theme is from "Nancy of Yarmouth". The "Green grow the laurels" verse has only those four words in common with Green Grows the Laurel (Green Grow the Lilacs)  - BS
Classifying versions of this song is indeed very difficult; Roud in fact includes a number of versions titled "Nancy of Yarmouth." The title also adheres frequently to "William and Nancy (II) (Courting Too Slow)" [Laws P5]. There are some fragments beyond classification. This is the best we can do. - RBW
File: R078
===
NAME: Pretty Pear Tree, The: see The Rattling Bog (File: ShH98)
===
NAME: Pretty Peggy (II): see My Generous Lover (File: RcMGL)
===
NAME: Pretty Peggy of Derby: see Bonnie Lass of Fyvie, The (Pretty Peggy-O) (File: SBoA020)
===
NAME: Pretty Peggy-O: see Bonnie Lass of Fyvie, The (Pretty Peggy-O) (File: SBoA020)
===
NAME: Pretty Ploughboy, The: see The Jolly Plowboy (Little Plowing Boy; The Simple Plowboy) [Laws M24] (File: LM24)
===
NAME: Pretty Plowboy, The: see The Lark in the Morning (File: ShH62)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (I) (Moll Boy's Courtship) [Laws O14]
DESCRIPTION: A married man comes courting Polly. While she is attracted, she cannot wed a married man. He offers to kill his wife; she begs him not to, promising to wait seven years for him. His wife conveniently dies just before the deadline; the two are married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1861 (Bell)
KEYWORDS: courting love marriage death floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,SE) Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws O14, "Pretty Polly (Moll Boy's Courtship)"
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 10-11, "Sir Arthur and Charming Mollee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Eddy 56, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, with one floating verse from "The Cuckoo" and two from "On Top of Old Smokey")
Gardner/Chickering 68, "The Charming Moll Boy" (1 text)
Logan, pp. 348-349, "Moll Boy's Courtship" (1 text)
DT 594, PRETPOL
ST LO14 (Full)
Roud #195
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Noble Lord Hawkins
NOTES: According to Stokoe (slightly amplifying Bell), "the Sir Arthur named is no less a personage than Sir Arthur Haslerigg, the Governor of Tynemouth Castle during the protectorate of Oliver Cromwell." Bell seems to be the only source for this assertion.
"Kittredge discusses the use of the cuckoo stanza (number 8 [in the Eddy text]) in Journal 30, PP7 350-j52, i 'Ballads and Songs'" (note from the Digital Tradition). - RBW
File: LO14
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (II) [cf. Laws P36]
DESCRIPTION: Willie urges Polly to go riding with him "some pleasure [to] see" before they get married. Although she is "afraid of [his] ways," she comes, only to find her new-dug grave awaiting her. Willie kills and buries her and heads home (or out to sea)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Wyman-Brockway I)
KEYWORDS: murder burial betrayal
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,So) Canada
REFERENCES: (15 citations)
Randolph 153, "Pretty Polly" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 1 tune)
BrownII 64, "The Gosport Tragedy" (3 texts plus 1 excerpt and mention of 1 more; Laws lists the "A" text as P36A, and the rest as P36B, but "D" and probably "C" are "Pretty Polly")
Brewster 64, "Pretty Polly" (1 text plus a fragment)
Leach, pp. 698-700, "The Gosport Tragedy" (2 texts, but only the second goes with this piece; the first is, obviously, "The Gosport Tragedy")
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 79, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Wyman-Brockway II, p. 110, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, pp. 69-70, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 140-141, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 89, "Come, Pretty Polly" (3 texts, 1 tune)
JHCoxIIA, #17A-C, pp. 73-78, "Pretty Polly," "Come, Polly, Pretty Polly" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 2 tunes; the "A" text is the full "Cruel Ship's Carpenter" version; "B" is the short "Pretty Polly (II)"; the "C" fragment is too short to tell but has lyrics more typical of the latter)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 128-134, collectively titled "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter" but with individual titles "Pretty Polly," "Dying Polly," "Pretty Polly," "Pretty Polly," "Pretty Polly," "Oh, Polly!" (6 texts; 5 tunes on pp. 395-398; of these only the "C" text has a ghost; in "D" and "E" there is no ghost but Willie's ship sinks;  these presumably should file with Laws P36, while "A," B," and "F" go here)
Lomax-FSUSA 84, "Pretty Polly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 143-144, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 227, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
DT 311, PRETPOL2*
Roud #15
RECORDINGS:
Estil C. Ball, "Pretty Polly" (on LomaxCD1701, LomaxCD1705); "Pretty Polly" (AFS, 1941; on LCTreas)
Frank Bode, "Pretty Polly" (on FBode1)
Dock Boggs, "Pretty Polly" (Brunswick 132A, 1927); (on Boggs1, BoggsCD1)
Coon Creek Girls, "Pretty Polly" (Vocalion 04659, 1939; Perfect 16102, 1935?)
Bill Cornett ,"Pretty Polly" (on MMOKCD)
Cranford & Thompson, "Pretty Polly" (Melotone 45092, 1935)
John Hammond, "Purty Polly" (Challenge 168, 1927)
Lester McFarland & Robert Gardner, "Pretty Polly" (Brunswick 116, 1927)
 Ivor Melton & band, "Pretty Polly" (on Persis1)
Pleaz Mobley, "Pretty Polly" (on JThomas01)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Pretty Polly" (on NLCR13)
Jean Ritchie, "Pretty Polly" (on RitchieWatson1, RitchieWatsonCD1)
Sauceman Brothers, "Pretty Polly" (Rich-R-Tone 457, n.d.)
Pete Seeger, "Pretty Polly" (on PeteSeeger16)
Lee Sexton, "Pretty Polly" (on MMOKCD)
B. F. Shelton "Pretty Polly" (Victor 35838, 1927; on BefBlues1)
Stanley Brothers, "Pretty Polly" (Columbia 20770, 1951)
Pete Steele, "Pretty Polly" (AAFS 1587/1702, n.d.) (on PSteele01)
Turner & Parkins, "Pretty Polly" (Superior 2635, 1931)
Jack Wallin, "Pretty Polly" (on Wallins1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. esp. "The Cruel Ship's Carpenter (The Gosport Tragedy; Pretty Polly)" [Laws P36A/B], from which this ballad is descended at a great distance
cf. "Fair Eleanor (II)" (plot)
cf. "Pastures of Plenty" (tune)
SAME_TUNE:
Pastures of Plenty (File: Grnw293)
NOTES: This much-shortened form of "The Gosport Tragedy" has now taken on a life of its own. Although no clear line between the two can be drawn, I tend to call the piece "The Gosport Tragedy" if it includes the ghost and "Pretty Polly" if it omits.
One of Cox's texts (the C text, which also has a tune) was called by the informant "Young Beeham." There is no basis for this in the text of the song. One has to think this the result of some sort of confusion with "Young Beacham." - RBW
Many if not most American versions are probably traceable back to B. F. Shelton's recording, which was enormously (and deservedly) popular.
According to J. M. Jarrell of Wayne Co., WV, cited by J. B. Cox in "Traditional Ballads Mainly From West Virginia," in the early 19th century one Polly Aldridge was murdered by William Chapman, who was convicted and executed in Martin Co., KY, and this ballad was being sung about the killing c. 1850. - PJS
File: LP36B
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (III): see Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight [Child 4] (File: C004)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (IV)
DESCRIPTION: Polly will not marry the singer; his poverty would grieve her parents. He replies, "Some say I am rakey... But I'll prove... that I'm guilty of nothing but innocent love." He sets out for New Orleans to marry another, but decides he loves Polly too much
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924
KEYWORDS: love courting separation virtue rambling return
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Combs/Wilgus 133, p. 144, "Pretty Polly" (1 text)
Roud #4296
NOTES: Although this piece consists largely of floating verses, the combined effect is unique and deserves to be considered a separate song. - RBW
File: CW133
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (IX): see If I Were a Fisher (File: HHH709)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (V): see Creeping and Crawling (File: RL033)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (VI): see Polly Oliver (Pretty Polly) [Laws N14] (File: LN14)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (VII): see The Irish Girl (File: HHH711)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly (VIII): see The Female Warrior (Pretty Polly) [Laws N4] (File: LN04)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly Anne: see Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight [Child 4] (File: C004)
===
NAME: Pretty Polly Perkins of Paddington Green: see Polly Perkins of Paddington Green (File: HHH132)
===
NAME: Pretty Sairey: see Pretty Saro (File: R744)
===
NAME: Pretty Sally: see A Rich Irish Lady (The Fair Damsel from London; Sally and Billy; The Sailor from Dover; Pretty Sally; etc.) [Laws P9]; also "The Brown Girl" [Child 295] (File: LP09)
===
NAME: Pretty Sally of London: see A Rich Irish Lady (The Fair Damsel from London; Sally and Billy; The Sailor from Dover; Pretty Sally; etc.) [Laws P9]; also "The Brown Girl" [Child 295] (File: LP09)
===
NAME: Pretty Saro
DESCRIPTION: The singer loves Pretty Saro, but she shows no interest in him: "She wants a freeholder and I have no land." Nor can he write her a letter "in a fine hand" as he would wish to. In despair he vows to "wander by the river" (or kill himself?)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911 (Lomax, North Carolina Booklet)
KEYWORDS: love poverty river
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (12 citations)
Randolph 744, "Pretty Saro" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune); cf. 745, "In Eighteen-Forty-Nine" (2 texts, 2 tune) and the Hudson text cited below
BrownIII 252, "Pretty Saro" (2 texts)
Hudson 48, pp. 164-165, "Pretty Saro" (1 text, beginning with stanzas from "In Eighteen-Forty-Nine" and ending with "Pretty Saro," plus mention of 1 more text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 327-328, "Pretty Saro" (2 texts, with local titles "Pretty Saro," "Pretty Sarah"; 2 tunes on p. 443)
Brewster 99, "Pretty Sairey" (1 text)
SharpAp 76, "Pretty Saro" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 39, "Pretty Saro" (1 text, 1 tune, with one stanza omitted)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 68, "Pretty Saro" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, p. 115, "Lone Valley" (1 text)
Chase, pp. 152-153, "At the Foot of Yonder Mountain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 148, "Pretty Saro" (1 text)
DT, PRETSARO* YONDRMTN
Roud #417
RECORDINGS:
Horton Barker, "At the Foot of Yonder's Mountain" (on Barker01)
Glen Neaves, "1809" (on Persis1)
Ritchie Family, "Pretty Saro" (on Ritchie03)
Jean Ritchie, "Pretty Saro" (on RitchieWatsonCD1)
Pete Seeger, "Pretty Saro" (on PeteSeeger40)
Cas Wallin, "Pretty Saro" (on OldLove)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "In Eighteen-Forty-Nine" (floating lyrics, tune)
cf. "If I Were a Fisher" (floating verses)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Pretty Sarah
NOTES: This piece seems to break up into two families, "Pretty Saro" (which appears to be more popular) and "At the Foot of Yonder Mountain." In the latter, the woman is "Mary," not "Saro." Broadwood and Gilchrist argued that all this is based on an ancient hymn to the Virgin Mary. If so, that would argue that the "Yonder Mountain" form is older. But we all know how active some folklorists' imaginations are. - RBW
File: R744
===
NAME: Pretty Susan, the Pride of Kildare [Laws P6]
DESCRIPTION: A sailor tries to win Susie's love; she rejects him because he is poor. Instead she gives her love to a rich man. The sailor goes back to sea but never finds another woman as beautiful as Susie
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1847 (Journal of William Histed of the Cortes); before 1844 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(3331))
KEYWORDS: courting poverty beauty
FOUND_IN: US(SE) Britain(England(South)) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Laws P6, "Pretty Susan, the Pride of Kildare"
BrownII 132, "Pretty Susie, The Pride of Kildare" (1 text)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 131-133, "The Pride of Kildare" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn-More 83, "Pretty Susan the Pride of Kildare" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 48, "Pretty Susan" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 88, "Pretty Susan" (1 text, 1 tune)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 481, "Little Susin, the Pride of Kildore" (source notes only)
DT 724, PRETSUSI
Roud #962
RECORDINGS:
Angelo Dornan, "Pretty Susan" (on Miramichi1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3331), "Pretty Susan the Pride of Kildare," J. Howe (Hull), 1835-1843; also Harding B 17(246b), Harding B 11(3169), Harding B 11(3168), Firth c.18(89), Harding B 11(3167), 2806 c.16(68), Firth b.26(293), Johnson Ballads 3196, Firth c.16(437), Harding B 11(1717), Firth b.27(339), Firth b.25(496), Harding B 11(1110), Firth c.16(437), "Pretty Susan the Pride of Kildare"
Murray, Mu23-y1:118, "Pretty Susan the Pride of Kildare," unknown, 19C
File: LP06
===
NAME: Pretty Susie, the Pride of Kildare: see Pretty Susan, the Pride of Kildare [Laws P6] (File: LP06)
===
NAME: Pretty Sylvia: see The Female Highwayman [Laws N21] (File: LN21)
===
NAME: Pretty Three-Leaved Shamrock from Glenore, The: see The Shamrock from Glenore (File: HHH034)
===
NAME: Pretty Wench: see I Am a Pretty Wench (File: BGMG082)
===
NAME: Prickilie Bush, The: see The Maid Freed from the Gallows [Child 95] (File: C095)
===
NAME: Prickle-Holly Bush: see The Maid Freed from the Gallows [Child 95] (File: C095)
===
NAME: Prickly Bush, The: see The Maid Freed from the Gallows [Child 95] (File: C095)
===
NAME: Pride of Glencoe, The: see MacDonald's Return to Glencoe (The Pride of Glencoe) [Laws N39] (File: LN39)
===
NAME: Pride of Glenelly, The
DESCRIPTION: In flowery verse and classical allusions, the singer praises the beauty of Glenelly and the woman who lives there. He describes her appearance. He claims that all the ancient beauties made their reputations with jewelry; the woman of Glenelly is real
AUTHOR: James Devine
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: beauty nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H607, pp. 249-250, "The Pride of Glenelly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13339
NOTES: Hard to believe that anyone voluntarily sing this thing. The words are incredibly ornate, and it's littered with classical allusions. And it doesn't even *say* anything. But Sam Henry reportedly got it from a source other than the author. - RBW
File: HHH607
===
NAME: Pride of Kildare, The: see Pretty Susan, the Pride of Kildare [Laws P6] (File: LP06)
===
NAME: Pride of Kilkee, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a maid going to Kilkee. He offers her a seat and asks her home. She rejects him as a seducer. He claims to be honorable. She agrees only to marry him. "Oh, her name I won't mention at all But I'll style her the Pride of Kilkee"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1974 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 32, "The Pride of Kilkee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5217
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "The Kilkee Maid" (on IRTLenihan01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ar Eirinn Ni Neosfainn Ce hi (For Ireland I Will Not Tell Whom She Is)"  (tune, according Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
NOTES: In spite of the line "Who would blame me to make her my own" it is not clear, at the end, that they marry.
Kilkee is in County Clare, Ireland.
For other examples of hidden names see "Ar Eirinn Ni Neosfainn Ce hi (For Ireland I Will Not Tell Whom She Is)" and "Drihaureen O Mo Chree (Little Brother of My Heart)" and its notes. Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan: "Obviously, the writer of Tom's song ["the Pride of Kilkee"] was familiar with the English version of 'Ar Eirinn Ni Neosfainn Ce hi.' Writing more than two decades after hearing these songs for the first time, I have not re-encountered them in oral tradition since, and know of no printed sources for either of them." But, in the notes to "Ar Eirinn Ni Neosfainn Ce hi," Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan: "The Clare Gaelic scholar Eugene O'Curry stated that this song was written originally about 1810 .... The song in English which Tom sings has been about for a good many years likewise, as is witnessed by the similar version which Freeman noted down in London in 1915...." - BS
File: RcPriKil
===
NAME: Pride of Logy Bay, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer is in love. His love's father comes to him and threatens to send his daughter away if the two continue to see each other. Her father arranges for her exile, but -- after many years of seeking -- the two find each other and are married.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: love exile separation reunion father
FOUND_IN: US(MA) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
FSCatskills 61, "The Pride of Logy Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 47, "The Star of Logy Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 134, "The Star of Logy Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle2, p. 25, "The Star of Logy Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doyle3, pp. 59-60, "The Star of Logy Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, p. 110, "The Star of Logy Bay" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, STARLOGY*
Roud #4421
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "The Star of Logy Bay" (on NFOBlondahl01,NFOBlondahl05)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Maid of Sweet Gurteen" (lyrics)
cf. "I Am a Newfoundlander" (tune)
SAME_TUNE:
I Am a Newfoundlander (File: RySm089)
NOTES: Logy Bay is in Newfoundland, a short way north of Saint John's - RBW
According to GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador site the author is "unknown, but probably Mark Walker." - BS
File: FSC061
===
NAME: Pride of Newry Town, The
DESCRIPTION: Orphans William and Mary promise to wed, but poverty forces William to sea. He is long away, and Mary (thinking him dead) weds another. He returns; Mary drops dead when he arrives. Old and new suitors do battle; William kills his rival and returns to sea
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation sailor reunion husband death fight betrayal
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H190, pp. 420-421, "Killeavy's Pride"; H798, pp. 421-422, "The Pride of Newry Town" (2 text, 2 tunes)
Roud #4390
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Susan Carr" (plot)
File: HHH190
===
NAME: Pride of Pimlico, The
DESCRIPTION: Kitty Quinn comes to town "And made of every other lass about the place a foe Because she took their sweethearts." The men can't work, the drinkers give up drink, and the teetotalers take up alcohol. Soon there'll be 10000 victims of the Pride of Pimlico.
AUTHOR: Arthur Griffith
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS:  love humorous drink
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More, pp. 265-266, "The Pride of Pimlico" (1 text)
File: OLcM265
===
NAME: Pride of the Prairie
DESCRIPTION: "On the wild and woolly prairie, Not far from old Pueblo town, Lived a little girl named Mary, Eyes of blue and tresses of brown." A cowboy comes up and asks her to marry him. They agree, and ride off stealing kisses
AUTHOR: Words: Henry J. Breen/Music: George Botsford
EARLIEST_DATE: 1907 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: cowboy love marriage
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ohrlin-HBT 25, "Pride of the Prairie" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Ohr025
===
NAME: Pride of the Shamrock Shore, The: see Mary, the Pride of the Shamrock Shore (File: Pea630)
===
NAME: Priest and the Nuns, The
DESCRIPTION: Pumping Shanty. A priest goes to France and finds seven nuns lying sick in the convent yard. He claims to be a doctor with a cane/stick that will cure them. He treats all the nuns and says he'll call again. choruses of "Ho, ho ho" and "Hal-ler-al-le-re."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1945 (Harlow)
KEYWORDS: shanty bawdy clergy trick
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Harlow, pp. 166-167, "The Priest and the Nuns" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9146
NOTES: The pattern of text and choruses is reminiscent of "Able Brown the Sailor" even though the words are completely different and for a shanty, rather tame. Harlow gives no notes or history on this, though it would be easy to imagine much coarser versions. - SL
File: Harl166
===
NAME: Prince Boys, The: see The Bold Princess Royal [Laws K29] (File: LK29)
===
NAME: Prince Charles He Is King James's Son: see The White Cockade (File: R120)
===
NAME: Prince Charlie (I): see So Dear Is My Charlie to Me (Prince Charlie) (File: HHH533)
===
NAME: Prince Charlie (II): see The Bonnie House o Airlie [Child 199] (File: C199)
===
NAME: Prince Edward Island Murder
DESCRIPTION: William Millman was "his mother's hope and joy" He "led [Mary Tuplin] astray," then murders her and sinks her body in the river with a heavy stone. The body is discovered and Millman executed on the gallows. 
AUTHOR: Mrs. C. A. Barren?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1932 (Creighton-NovaScotia)
KEYWORDS: seduction execution murder mother punishment
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jun 28, 1887 - Murder of Mary Tuplin by William Millman
1888 - Execution of Millman
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-NovaScotia 140, "Prince Edward Island Murder" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CrNS140 (Partial)
Roud #1837
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Millman Song" (subject)
cf. "The Murder of Mary Tuplin" (subject)
cf. "The Millman and Tuplin Song" (subject)
NOTES: This song is item dF59 in Laws's Appendix II.
Roud has at least five different numbers for this event:
Roud #1837: Creighton-NovaScotia 140, "Prince Edward Island Murder" [Laws dF59]
Roud #4129: Doerflinger, pp. 285-286, "The Millman Song" (also Ives-DullCare, pp. 180-181, "The Millman Murder Trial") [LawsdF60]
Roud #9179: Ives-DullCare, pp. 46-47, "The Millman and Tuplin Song" (also Manny/Wilson 50, "Young Millman")
Roud #9552: Shea, pp. 174-179, "The Millman Tragedy"
Roud #12463: Dibblee/Dibblee pp. 72-73, "The Murder of Mary Tuplin" - BS
File: CrNS140
===
NAME: Prince Edward Isle, Adieu: see The History of Prince Edward Island (File: Doe256)
===
NAME: Prince Heathen [Child 104]
DESCRIPTION: Prince Heathen takes a girl against her will. He rapes her and offers her  extreme cruelty, all to break her will. She never yields. At last her babe is born. After further abuse, bringing her close to death, her spirit fails; at last he acts human
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: rape abuse pregnancy
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Child 104, "Prince Heathen" (2 texts)
DT 104, PRINHEAT
Roud #3336
File: C104
===
NAME: Prince of Morocco, The (The Sailor Boy II) [Laws N18]
DESCRIPTION: A rich lady is in love with a sailor. Her father promises his daughter 12,000 pounds if she will leave her sailor. The sailor disguises himself as the Prince of Morocco to fool her father. They are married. The girl collects. The sailor reveals himself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: love disguise trick marriage
FOUND_IN: US(NE,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Laws N18, "The Prince of Morocco (The Sailor Boy II)"
Randolph 88, "The Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 61, "The Young Prince of Spain" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 63, "The Prince of Morocco; or, Johnnie" (1 text)
DT 449, PMOROCCO
Roud #554
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(64a), "The Sailor Boy," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890?
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Kitchie-Boy" [Child 252] (plot)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Poor Sailor Boy
File: LN18
===
NAME: Prince Robert [Child 87]
DESCRIPTION: Prince Robert asks his mother's blessing on his marriage; instead she poisons him. He sends for his wife. Arriving after the burial, she desires only a ring, but the mother will give nothing. She dies. From the graves grow a birch and brier which entwine.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1802 (Scott)
KEYWORDS: marriage poison murder burial ring flowers stepmother
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Child 87, "Prince Robert" (4 texts)
Bronson 87, comments only
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 453-454, "Prince Robert" (notes only)
OBB 58, "Prince Robert" (1 text)
Combs/Wilgus 26, pp. 121-123, "Prince Robert" (1 text)
Roud #55
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Harry Saunders
File: C087
===
NAME: Prince William and Lady Margaret: see Fair Margaret and Sweet William [Child 74] (File: C074)
===
NAME: Princess Royal, The: see The Bold Princess Royal [Laws K29] (File: LK29)
===
NAME: Prison of Newfoundland
DESCRIPTION: "... listen to my sad tale, While I relate the hardship attending St. John's jail." Doyle lands at "Harvey's Wharf a cargo for to land." A witness lies; Doyle is sentenced to six months. From a cell he watches "the lads and lassies" and dreams of Ireland
AUTHOR: Johnny Doyle?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (Doyle)
KEYWORDS: homesickness prison trial shore sailor prisoner Ireland
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Doyle3, pp. 48-49, "Prison of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lehr/Best 90, "The Prison of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, pp. 46-47, "The Prison of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, PRSONEWF*
Roud #4409
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "Prison of Newfoundland" (on NFOBlondahl02)
NOTES: Blondahl: "Mention of the Black Ball Line ... would seem to date the song in the vicinity of the late 1880's." - BS
File: Doyl3048
===
NAME: Prisoner at the Bar, The (The Judge and Jury)
DESCRIPTION: "The judge was there, the jury too, And people from afar, A fair young lad of tender youth Was a prisoner at the bar." The young man's sweetheart argues the case; she simply asks judge and jury to remember their youthful love. The prisoner is freed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Peg Moreland)
KEYWORDS: love judge trial reprieve freedom crime
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 828, "The Prisoner at the Bar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3543
RECORDINGS:
Arkansas Woodchopper [pseud. for Luther Ossenbrink], "Prisoner at the Bar" (Supertone 9639, 1930)
Lulu Belle & Scotty, "The Prisoner At the Bar" (Conqueror 8594, 1935; Melotone 6-03-59, 1936; Vocalion 05487, 1940)
Peg Moreland, "The Prisoner at the Bar" (Victor 21548, 1928)
Doc Williams' Border Riders, "Prisoner at the Bar" (Wheeling DW-1016, n.d.)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Geordie" [Child 209] (plot)
NOTES: Barry and Henry thought this might be a derivative of "Geordie" (Child 209). To call this a stretch is to be generous. - RBW
File: R828
===
NAME: Prisoner for Life (II), A: see Irish Mail Robber, The [Laws L15] (File: LL15)
===
NAME: Prisoner for Life, A (I - Farewell to Green Fields and Meadows)
DESCRIPTION: "Farewell (to) green fields and (green) meadows, adieu; Your rocks and your mountains I now part from you." The singer, condemned to (life in) prison, laments all the various things -- nature, friends, whatever springs to mind -- he will be separated from
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1919 (J. Lomax - Cowboy Songs)
KEYWORDS: prison separation lament
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 164, "A Prisoner for Life" (4 texts, 3 tunes, of which the "B,"  and "D" texts and the "C" excerpt go with this piece; the "A" text is "The Irish Mail Robber" [Laws L15])
DT, PRSNRLIF* PRSNRLF2*
Roud #4312
RECORDINGS:
Jules Allen, "A Prisoner for Life" (Victor V-40068, 1929)
Betty Laferty, "Farewell to Sweet Beaver" (on Crisp01)
NOTES: Ozark folklore credits this to one William Alexander, who on January 21, 1890 was convicted of murder by Isaac Parker (known as the "Hanging Judge"). Originally sentenced to death, this was reduced to life imprisonment, and the story is that Alexander was eventually freed when the dead man turned up alive!
Several scholars have pronounced this story true, or at least possible, but Laws, and others, suspect this piece to be of Irish origin. - RBW
File: R164
===
NAME: Prisoner's Hope, The: see Tramp! Tramp! Tramp! (File: RJ19214)
===
NAME: Prisoner's Song (I), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer laments his time in prison, and thinks of all that he would do if free. He recalls his crime. He misses his family and his sweetheart. He describes his hopes for freedom in complex metaphors: a ship on the sea, an eagle's wings, etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (recording, Vernon Dalhart)
KEYWORDS: prison lament love family
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW,So) Ireland Canada
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
FSCatskills 100, "The Prisoner's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 746, "Meet Me Tonight" (4 texts, 1 tune, with the "C" text being probably this piece although the other three appear to go with "Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight")
BrownIII 350, "The Prisoner's Song" (7 texts plus 1 fragment, 2 excerpts, and mention of 1 more; "A"-"C," plus probably the "D" excerpt, are "The Prisoner's Song (I)"; "E" and "G," plus perhaps the "H" fragment, are "Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight"; "J" and "K" are "Sweet Lulur"); also probably 351, "Seven Long Years" (1 text, certainly mixed but containing elements characteristic of this song)
JHCoxIIB, #27, pp. 193-194, "The Prisoner's Song" (1 text, 1 tune, collected in 1925 and almost certainly Dalhart-influenced)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 346-351, "New Jail/Prisoner's Song/Here's Adieu to all Judges and Juries" (1, not collected by Scarborough, of "Judges and Juries," plus 6 texts from her collections: "New Jail," "I'm Going To My New Jail Tomorrow," "New Jail," "Meet Me in the Moonlight," "The Great Ship," "Prisoner's Song"; 3 tunes on pp.449-450; the "A" fragment is probably "Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight"; "B" and "D" are "New Jail" types; "C" is too short to classify; "E" is a mix of floating verse, "If I had a great ship on the ocean," "Let her go, let her go and God bless her," "Sometimes I'll live in the white house, sometimes I live in town..."; "F" may well have some Dalhart influence)
Fuson, p. 143, "Meet Me in the Moonlight" (1 text)
Sandburg, pp. 218-219, "Seven Long Years in State Prison" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H746, p. 62, "Gaol Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FSC100 (Partial)
Roud #11730
RECORDINGS:
Clarence Ashley & Tex Isley, "Prisoner's Song" (on Ashley01)
Wilf Carter, "The Prisoner's Song" (Bluebird [Canadian] 55-3202, 1943)
Vernon Dalhart, "The Prisoner's Song" (Victor 19427-B, 1924) (Columbia 257-D, 1924) (Perfect 12164, 1924) (Edison 51459 [as Vernon Dalhart & Co.], 1925; rec. 1924) (Brunswick 2900, 1925) (OKeh 40328 [as Tobe Little], 1925) (Bell 340, 1925) (Regal 9795, 1925) (Cameo 703 [708?], 1925; Perfect 12644/Supertone S-2000, 1930) (Apex [Can.] 8428, 1926) (CYL: Edison [BA] 4954, n.d. [as Vernon Dalhart & Co.]) (Ajax [Can.] 17115, 1925 - probably a reissue of another recording, but it's not clear which)
Kaplan's Melodists w. Vernon Dalhart, voc. "The Prisoner's Song" (Edison 51666, 1925)
Buell Kazee [untitled fragment, under "On Top of Old Smokey"] (on Kazee01)
Bill Monroe & his Bluegrass Boys, "The Prisoner's Song" (Decca 46314, 1951)
Ezra Paulette & his Beverly Hillbillies, "The Prisoner's Song" (Vocalion 03263, 1936)
George Reneau "The Prisoner's Song" (Vocalion 5056/Vocalion 14991/Silvertone 3045 [as George Hobson], 1925)
Arthur Smith, "Kilby Jail" (on McGeeSmith1)
The Texas Drifter, "The Prisoner's Song" (Panachord [U.K.] 25250, 1932)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" (tune)
cf. "Botany Bay"
cf. "Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight"
cf. "New Prisoner's Song"
cf. "The Prisoner's Song (II)"
cf. "Sweet Lulur" (floating verses)
NOTES: Disentangling the sources and versions of this song is almost impossible. Cazden et al believe that it was formed by the collation of two songs, one belonging to the "Botany Bay/Here's Adieu to All Judges and Juries" family and another being a variant of "Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight/I Wish I Had Someone to Love Me." Various floating verses added to the mix, and a portion of "The Red River Valley" supplied the tune. (Others say the tune is "The Ship That Never Returned." Another part of the family, the "Seven Long Years in State Prison/I'm Going to the New Jail Tomorrow" group, uses a slightly regularized form of "My Bonnie.")
Such an elaborate reconstruction can hardly be proved, but there is no doubt that this song has complex roots. The relationships between the texts can hardly be proved; I just hope we locate all of them!
Plus, of course, almost any version collected after 1924 may have been influenced by the Vernon Dalhart recording, which was certainly the first million-selling country side (exact numbers are uncertain, but sheet music sales exceeded one million, and at least two million discs were sold; some estimates put the total at 25 million or more!). The Carter Family also had "Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight" version, which adds to the complications.
The Dalhart version was copyrighted in 1924 by Dalhart in the name of Guy Massey, a cousin of the singer. At one point, Dalhart claimed Massey wrote the words and he himself the tune. On other occasions, Dalhart claimed the whole song. He also said at one point that it was public domain. Dalhart managed to collect author's royalties, though -- and gave very little to Massey.
The above is mostly from Walter Darrell Haden, in his biography of Dalhart in Malone & McCulloh, _Stars of Country Music_. But he also offers a more complicated tale:
When Dalhart planned to record "The Wreck of Old 97" for Victor (he had already recorded it for Edison, and it was his biggest success to that time), they needed a flip side. To that point, Dalhart had been doing mostly operatic pieces, and didn't have much of a country repertoire. He showed the studio's music director a few lines written out (but not necessarily composed) by Massey. The Victor official, Nathaniel Shilkret, padded out the text and added a tune.
Whatever the details of authorship (and I agree with Haden that this is a slightly-patched-up folksong), it launched Dalhart on a career in which he sold an estimated 50 million discs, cut some  3000 sides totalling about 1000 different songs, and recorded under dozens if not hundreds of names - RBW
Mike Seeger classes "Kilby Jail" as being a variant of this song. The words don't look like it to me, but certainly the gestalt is the same, so I'll go along with him. - PJS
File: FSC100
===
NAME: Prisoner's Song (II), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer envies a sparrow its liberty. He describes the hard lot of the prisoners, "reduced to skin and bone," bound to ball and chain. He warns others not to keep bad company, or they'll be like him, serving 27 years in the penitentiary
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1962 (collected from Christina McAllister)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: The singer, a prisoner, strolls to see a sparrow, envying the bird its liberty; he imagines it saying, "Cheer up, my lads, and don't be sad; some day you will be free." He describes the hard lot of the prisoners, "strapping fellows reduced to skin and bone," bound to ball and chain. He warns others not to stay out late or keep bad company, or they'll be like him, serving 27 years in the penitentiary
KEYWORDS: captivity warning prison punishment freedom bird prisoner floatingverses
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
MacSeegTrav 99, "The Prisoner's Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #16638
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Prisoner's Song (I)" (subject)
cf. "The Boston Burglar" (lyrics)
NOTES: Despite the identical title and subject, this is a completely different song from "The Prisoner's Song (I)"; the latter has the distinguishing verse beginning "If I had the wings of an eagle." It does share a final warning verse with many other songs, however. - PJS
File: McCST099
===