NAME: Ballad of New Orleans (II), The
DESCRIPTION:  In 1814 Andrew Jackson recruits pirate Jean Lafitte to help his American backwoodsmen-soldiers defeat Pakenham's forces at New Orleans. They do, with many humorous tales (including an alligator converted to a cannon), then celebrate with the local girls
AUTHOR: Words: Jimmy Driftwood
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (recording by author)
KEYWORDS: army battle war food humorous animal soldier pirate
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 was killed in the battle.
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, BATNEWOR
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Battle of New Orleans" (on PeteSeeger25)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of New Orleans" [Laws A7] (subject)
cf. "The Hunters of Kentucky" [Laws A25] " (subject)
cf. "Pakenham" (subject)
cf. "The Eighth of January" (tune)
NOTES: I think this song is in the process of entering American tradition, and as such it deserves a place in the Index. - PJS
For background on this battle, see the traditional song "The Battle of New Orleans" [Laws A7]; also "The Hunters of Kentucky" and other songs celebrating the battle. - RBW
File: DTbatnew
===
NAME: Ballad of New Scotland, A
DESCRIPTION: "Let's away to New Scotland, where Plenty sits queen O'er as happy a country as ever was seen." The abundant riches of Nova Scotia are praised, and the lack of duties and landlords is pointed out
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1750 ("The Gentleman" magazine)
KEYWORDS: emigration Canada nonballad
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1749 - First large group of English colonists embark for New Scotland. The town they built is Halifax, Nova Scotia
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 44-45, "A Ballad of New Scotland" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Although fitted with an excellent melody (the magazine reports it to be "to the tune of 'King John and the Abbot of Canterbury'" -- the Derry Down tune), this song does not seem ever to have been found in tradition.
According to Laura M. McDonald, _The Curse of the Narrows_, p. 4, Halifax was founded  in 1749 by 2576 (Protestant) settlers. It was intended primarily as a fortress against the French. It was a hard place to settle -- a basin in the midst of relatively infertile hills, with trees growing all the way down to the water -- but with a fine, sheltered, ice-free harbour that made it a natural seaport. - RBW
File: FMB044
===
NAME: Ballad of Sealing Ships and Sealers
DESCRIPTION: "Come all ye hearty Newfoundlanders, join your voices now with me: Of our sealing ships and sealers let us sing." The speaker describes how the fleet leaves port, hunts the seals, survives problems; he urges listeners to pray for crew and captains
AUTHOR: A. C. Wornell ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1954 (Wornell, Rhymes of a Newfoundlander)
KEYWORDS: hunting ship nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ryan/Small, pp. 147-148, "Ballad of Sealing Ships and Sealers" (1 text)
File: RySm147
===
NAME: Ballad of Springhill: see Springhill Mine Disaster (1958) (File: FSWB124A)
===
NAME: Ballad of the Braswell Boys
DESCRIPTION: The Braswell Boys have been sentenced to death for murder. They attempt to escape from prison, but are captured. At the scaffold, among prayers and sad relatives, they confess to the crime. They are executed and buried
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder trial execution burial
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Nov 29, 1875 - Murder of Russell and John Allison of Putnam County, TN. They were allegedly killed by Joe and George "Teek" Braswell (and two others) as the Braswells attempted a robbery
Mar 27, 1878 - Hanging of the Braswells. Joe confessed to his crimes, but Teek maintained his innocence to the end
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 48-52, "The Ballad of the Braswell Boys" (1 text, 1 tune)
Burt, pp. 204-206, "(The Braswell Boys)" (1 excerpted text, 1 tune)
Roud #4772
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Life's Railway to Heaven (Life is Like a Mountain Railroad)" (tune)
File: MN1048
===
NAME: Ballad of the Drover (Death of Harry Dale)
DESCRIPTION: Harry Dale, the drover, is heading home after many months away. He comes to a river in flood. He tries to cross, but is swept from his horse. His dog leaps in to save him, but is also washed away. Now "in the lonely homestead the girl shall wait in vain"
AUTHOR: Henry Lawson
EARLIEST_DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: death river drowning dog horse Australia
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 191-192, 206, 269-270, "Ballad of the Drover" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Martha Dexter" (theme)
cf. "The Mother's Malison, or Clyde's Water" [Child 216] (theme)
NOTES: This piece has often been included in school readers in Australia, and has therefore achieved popularity perhaps beyond what its merits warrant. - RBW
File: MA191
===
NAME: Ballad of the Erie Canal: see A Trip on the Erie (Haul in Your Bowline) (File: Wa035)
===
NAME: Ballad of the Frank Slide
DESCRIPTION: "On a grim and tragic morning In nineteen hundred three A little babe lay weeping... There in the shiv'ring morning." A rockslide buries the town; a few miners dig their way out of the mine to find the little girl -- and everything else ruined and dead
AUTHOR: Robert Gard
EARLIEST_DATE: 1949 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: disaster mining death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: April 29, 1903 - A rockslide on Turtle Mountain falls on Crow's Nest Pass. Despite the legend that only one little girl survived the slide, in fact over two hundred of the town's three hundred inhabitants came out alive, and the town was only partly ruined
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 192-194, "Ballad of the Frank Slide" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Although this piece apparently fits in well with the folklore of the Frank Slide, there is no evidence that it has ever gone into oral tradition. - RBW
File: FMB192
===
NAME: Ballad of the Kelly Gang
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of the large rewards offered for the Kelly Gang, but claims "if the sum were doubled, sure, the Kelly boys would live." The song goes on to describe in great detail the 1878 robbery at Euroa
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: outlaw Australia robbery fight escape
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1855 - Birth of Ned Kelly
1880 - Execution of Kelly. His last words are reported to have been "Such is life."
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 108-111, "The Ballad of the Kelly Gang" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 73-75, "The Ballad of Kelly's Gang" (1 text, in two parts; 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 87-91, The Ballad of the Kelly Gag"" (1 text)
DT, KELLBYRN
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wearing of the Green (I)" (tune)
cf. "The Kelly Gang" (subject)
cf. "Ye Sons of Australia" (subject)
cf. "Kelly Song (Farewell Dan and Edward Kelly)" (subject)
cf. "Kelly Was Their Captain" (subject)
cf. "My Name is Edward Kelly" (subject)
cf. "Stringybark Creek" (subject)
cf. "The Kelly Gang Were Strong" (subject)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Kellys, Byrne, and Hart
The Kelly Gang
NOTES: Lloyd states that the song must have been made up between 1878 (when the robbery took place) and 1880 (when Kelly was hanged).  Lloyd's tune for this song is not "The Wearing of the Green," but the Irish tune "Mary from Murroo", sometimes known in Australia as "The Cherry Tree." - PJS
The association with "The Wearing of the Green" is very early, though, as several texts of the song begin with a verse such as
Sure Paddy dear and did you hear the news that's going round?
On the head of bold Ned Kelly they've placed five thousand pound'
For Dan, Steve Hart, and Joey Byrne a thousand each they'll give,
But if the sum was double sure the Kelly boys would live. - RBW
File: FaE108
===
NAME: Ballad of the Tea Party
DESCRIPTION: "Tea ships near to Boston lying, On the wharf a numerous crew, Sons of freedom, never dying, Then appeared in view." (The Sons of Freedom) attack the British vessel and dump the "cursed weed of China's coast."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: rebellion ship patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec. 16, 1773 - Boston Tea Party. Americans protest the British tax on tea by dumping a shipload into Boston Harbor
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 538-539, "Ballad of the Tea Party" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, TEAPART
File: BNEF538
===
NAME: Ballad of the Virgin Sturgeon, The: see Caviar Comes from the Virgin Sturgeon (File: EM240)
===
NAME: Ballad of White-Water Men, A
DESCRIPTION: Singer tells of Mike Corrigan, the best white-water man. Among his deeds: breaking up logjams at Sour-na-Hunk and Ambejejus Falls, flying like a bird, landing on his pike-pole and whizzing around so fast that his hair scorched the air and fried the wind
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: lumbering work logger talltale river
FOUND_IN: US(NE,MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Beck 26, "A Ballad of White-Water Men" (1 text)
Roud #8858
File: Be026
===
NAME: Ballad of William Bloat, The
DESCRIPTION: William Bloat's wife "got his goat" so he cut her throat. "To finish the fun so well begun He resolved himself to kill" He hangs himself with a sheet. He died but she survives: "for the razor blade was German made But the sheet was Belfast linen"
AUTHOR: Raymond Calvert (1830-1883) (source: Hammond-Belfast)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1978 (Hammond-Belfast)
KEYWORDS: marriage murder suicide humorous wife shrewishness
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Hammond-Belfast, p. 59, "The Ballad of William Bloat" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, WMBLOAT*
NOTES: In an interesting twist, the Clancy Brothers made the (ineffective) razor English rather than German, and the (effective) sheet an Irish product. I am somewhat surprised to find such hostility to Germany from an author who died in 1883; at that time, English relations with Germany were relatively cordial. It was only after Wilhelm II started messing around that they turned bad.
The one thing that occurs to me is that the English royal family itself was German; George I (reigned 1714-1727) and George II (reigned 1727-1760) both spoke German as their primary language, and George III (1760-1820) was the first of the Hannoverian kings to speak English without a German accent; even Victoria (1837-1901) spoke German as her native language. So a slam on Germany, if made before about 1850, could be a dig at the Royal Family.
I was reminded a bit of this controversy in reading a story about George III, found on page 17 of James Dugan's _The Great Mutiny_ (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1965): "Although he had never visited Germany, as the Elector of Hannover-Braunschweig George believed that everything German was superior to everything British, including discipline and underwear. He wore only German linen, unaware that one suit had been forged in Dublin as a secret joke on a monarch otherwise difficult to link to anything humorous." - RBW
File: Hamm059
===
NAME: Ballad to a Traditional Refrain
DESCRIPTION: "O the bricks they will bleed and the rain it will weep, And the damp Lagan fog lull the city to sleep; It's to hell with the future and live on in the past: May the Lord in His mercy be kind to Belfast" and other political statements.
AUTHOR: Maurice James Craig (b.1919) (source: Hammond-Belfast)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1978 (Hammond-Belfast)
KEYWORDS: nonballad political
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Hammond-Belfast, p. 63, "Ballad to a Traditional Refrain" (1 text, 1 tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Be Kind to Belfast
File: Hamm063
===
NAME: Ballan Doune Braes
DESCRIPTION: "The laird o' the town" tells Betsy "that a father, a brother, and a husband he'd be" But "short was his courtship ... When he cam' to his own he wad own me nae mair" People mock her. Left forlorn with children she returns to die on Ballan Doune braes
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(677)
KEYWORDS: seduction promise home betrayal childbirth death
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #6819
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(677), "Sweet Barren Doun Braes" ("As I walked out one morning, one morning in spring"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 26(24), "Ballandine Braes" ; Firth b.28(31a), "Ballandine Breas"; Harding B 19(30), 2806 c.15(173), "Ballintown Brae"; 2806 c.14(89) , "Sweet Ballenden Braes"
Murray, Mu23-y1:049, "Ballandine Braes!" ("Over yon moorlands and down by yon glen"), James Lindsay Jr. (Glasgow), 19C 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bessie of Ballington Brae" [Laws P28] (sequel)
NOTES: Broadside Harding B 11(677) is an abbreviated version of the story but shares its chorus ("False was his promise guile was his way, He decoyed me far far from sweet Barren Down Brae") with the longer versions.  By the time it was collected in GreigDuncan6 those lines were only in the first verse. The GreigDuncan6 first line is the line from the broadsides listed other than Harding B 11(677): "Over yon moorlands and down by yon glen." - BS 
File: BdBaDoBr
===
NAME: Ballentown Brae: see Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28] (File: LP28)
===
NAME: Ballet of de Boll Weevil, De: see The Boll Weevil [Laws I17] (File: LI17)
===
NAME: Ballinderry
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls the joys of living in (Balinderry) and spending time with "(Phelim), my (diamond/demon)." But now she is sad and lonely, as Phelim died (at sea)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1840 (Bunting)
KEYWORDS: love separation death burial
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
SHenry H80, pp. 386-387, "Phelimy Phil" (1 text, 1 tune)
Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 78-79, "Ballinderry" (1 text)
Hayward-Ulster, pp. l5-16, "Oh! 'Tis Pretty to be in Ballinderry" (1 text)
DT, BALNDERY*
ADDITIONAL: Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland (Mineola, 2000 (reprint of 1840 Dublin edition)), #56 and p. 88, "Ballinderry"
Alfred Percival Graves, The Irish Poems of Alfred Perceval Graves (Dublin, 1908), Vol II (Songs and Ballads), pp. 78-79, "'Twas Pretty to Be in Ballinderry"
Roud #2983
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "Tis Pretty to be in Ballinderry" (on IRRCinnamond03)
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "Ballinderry" (on IRClancyMakem02)
NOTES: Tunney-SongsThunder: "This form of song or lament is perhaps the best example of keening, or caoineadh, present in the English language. That it is derived from the Irish, there is not the slightest doubt. A most highly developed and sophisticated form of crying after the dead existed in Gaelic-speaking Ireland for centuries and had a degree of professionalism about it."
Also collected and sung by David Hammond, "'Tis Pretty To Be in Ballinderry" (on David Hammond, "I Am the Wee Falorie Man: Folk Songs of Ireland," Tradition TCD1052 CD (1997) reissue of Tradition LP TLP 1028 (1959)). According to Sean O Boyle's notes to that album, "Ballinderry is a beautiful district on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh, in which lies the lovely little Ram's Island." O Boyle quotes Bunting about the song: "it has been a favourite performance with the peasantry of the counties of Down Antrim, the words being sung by one person, while the rest of the party chant the CRONAN (ochone!) in consanance."
O Boyle's note refers to Bunting, p. 88. "CRONAN" refers to the chorus. Bunting notes that "[t]here are numerous other sets of words sung to 'Ballinderry;' they are all of a very rustic character, and uniformly refer to localities along the rivers Bann and Lagan, such as, ''Tis pretty to be in Ballinderry, 'Tis pretty to be at Magheralin,' &c. [and] ''Tis pretty to be in Ballinderry, 'Tis pretty to be at the Cash of Toome,' &c." - BS
File: HHH080
===
NAME: Ballinderry Marriage, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls the marriage. After the priest arrives, "with long rakes and pitchforks they welcomed the bride." The feast is fine. The bride is "small round the waist as a two year old mare." They seek the bride, who has "trotted off"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: wedding humorous abandonment separation party food
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H805, p. 73-74, "The Ballinderry Marriage" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9049
File: HHH805
===
NAME: Ballindown Braes: see Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28] (File: LP28)
===
NAME: Ballintown Brae: see Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28] (File: LP28)
===
NAME: Balls to Mister Banglestein
DESCRIPTION: "Balls to Mister Banglestein, Banglestein, Banglestein, Balls to Mister Banglestein, Dirty old man. For he keeps us waiting While he's masturbating, So balls to Mister Banglestein, Dirty old man."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960
KEYWORDS: bawdy nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Cray, pp. 338-339, "Balls to Mister Banglestein" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ach, Du Lieber, Augustin" (tune)
File: EM338
===
NAME: Bally James Duff: see Ballyjamesduff (File: RcBalJDu)
===
NAME: Ballyburbling
DESCRIPTION: The singer escapes the world to head for Ballymackleduff. The friends of his youth meet him. They have a wonderful time at places with improbable names. The factories are all shut, the bars open, with kissing and dancing. "Why did I stay away so long?"
AUTHOR: Paul Jennings (source: OLochlainn-More)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (first published in _The Observer,_ according to OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: dancing drink music Ireland humorous reunion
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 46A, "Ballyburbling" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OLochlainn-More 46A is headed by the note "Ballymackleduff, Derryfubble, Benburb.--Address of subscriber in N. Ireland Telephone Directory." An explanatory note at the end is "A skit on Ulster place names ...." - BS
File: OLCM046A
===
NAME: Ballycastle, O!
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls Ballycastle, noting, "That place is ever dear to me, no matter when or where I be." He says that no soldier has found a place more hospitable, no land knows plants so fair. Those from far away sigh because they cannot find its like
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H28b, pp. 158-159, "Ballycastle, O!" (1 text with many variant readings, 1 tune)
Roud #13455
File: HHH028b
===
NAME: Ballyeamon Cradle Song
DESCRIPTION: The mother bids her child, "Rest tired eyes a while, sweet is thy baby smile, Angels are guarding and watch o'er thee." Birds sing, fairies dance, "for very love of thee." Mother loves the child, too, and bids him sleep and dream
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: mother lullaby nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H596, pp. 6-7, "Ballyeamon Cradle Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: HHH596
===
NAME: Ballyjamesduff
DESCRIPTION: "The garden of Eden has vanished, they say, But I know the lie of it still": Its image survives in Ballyjamesduff. Paddy Reilly tells that he was a quiet baby because he knew he was born there. Now grown, every breeze tells him to come back
AUTHOR: Percy French
EARLIEST_DATE: 1953 (recording, Margaret Barry); French died 1922
KEYWORDS: home exile baby
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
DT, BALLYJAM*
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 32, #4 (1987), pp, 24-25, "Come Back, Paddy Reilly" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Margaret Barry, "Ballyjamesduff" (on IRMBarry-Fairs)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Bally James Duff
NOTES: In addition to a transcription of this song, there was an interesting article about Percy French, who was an Irish-born engineer and entertainer, in _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 32, #4 (1987), pp, 18-20, It quotes extensively from James N. Healy, _Percy French and His Songs_, 1966, a book which I have not seen.
Apparently this song was based on the story of a real person.
The "Sing Out!" article reports a story that French was challenged to write a song containing the name "Ballyjamesduff," and this is the result. But it may also have been based on the line of one of French's friends, who for economic reasons went the Scotland. - RBW
File: RcBalJDu
===
NAME: Ballymonan Brae
DESCRIPTION: The singer bids farewell to Ballymonan, land of green leaves and pretty girls. He recalls the pleasant nights there. He gives his name as John by counting through the alphabet. He bids success to Ballymonan
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home farewell wordplay nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H643, p. 159, "Ballymonan Brae" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13456
File: HHH643
===
NAME: Ballynure Ballad, The
DESCRIPTION: On the road to Ballynure the singer "heard a wee lad behind a wee ditch That to his wee lass was talking" He asks her to give him a kiss. She says "kisses are not for giving away But they are for the taking." Remember that when you go to kiss a girl
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Hayward-Ulster)
KEYWORDS: courting humorous
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Hayward-Ulster, pp. 43-44, "The Ballynure Ballad" (1 text)
DT, BALLYNUR*
Roud #6549
File: HayU043
===
NAME: Ballyshannon Lane, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer stops at Ballyshannon Lane and thinks of "scenes of ninety-eight," recalling Scullabogue on the one hand and the death of rebels on the other. Many are named. The singer says "in Ireland's need I am here to bleed in Ballyshannon Lane" 
AUTHOR: Michael O'Brien (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1998 (Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "1798 the First Year of Liberty," Hummingbird Records HBCD0014 (1998))
KEYWORDS: rebellion Ireland death patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1798 - Irish rebellion against British rule
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 75, "The Ballyshannon Lane" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Moylan: "This somewhat confused song seems to relate a series of outrages by government troops against the narrator's neighbors and relations." 
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, "Ballyshannon Lane" (on Franke Harte and Donal Lunny, "1798 the First Year of Liberty," Hummingbird Records HBCD0014 (1998)) - BS
It sounds as if the idea is to measure Scullabogue against the atrocities committed by the British in 1798. This is suprisingly hard to do, given the nature of feelings about the matter (see the notes to "Father Murphy (II) (The Wexford Men of '98)"). Nonetheless, I'd have to say that Scullabogue, in which a handful of Irish killed a hundred or more loyalists in cold blood, was the single worst atrocity of 1798, and it would take quite a few acts againstt the Irish to balance this particular act of non-civilization.
File: Moyl075
===
NAME: Balm in Gilead
DESCRIPTION: "There is a balm in Gilead to make the wounded whole; There is a balm... to heal the sin-sick soul." "Sometimes I feel discouraged... But then the Holy Spirit Revives my soul again." "If you can preach like Peter... Go and tell your neighbour...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (recording, Fisk University Jubilee Quartet)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
MWheeler, pp. 68-70, "I Come Up Out uv Egypt" (1 text, 1 tune, with this verse and several others not found in the common versions of this song; the result is sort of a bluesy spiritual)
Fuson, pp. 199-200, "The Little Shepherd" (1 text, with this chorus and verses of the form "I am a little (shepherd/scholar/watchman/etc.), I (feed my master's sheep), Over the hills and mountains I daily do them keep")
Silber-FSWB, p. 360, "Balm in Gilead" (1 text)
DT, BALMGIL*
Roud #11967
RECORDINGS:
Harry C. Browne, "Balm of Gilead" (Columbia A-2179, 1917)
Campbell College Quartet, "There Is a Balm in Gilead" (OKeh 8900, 1931; rec. 1930)
Fisk University Jubilee Quartet, "There is a Balm in Gilead" (Victor 16487, 1910; rec. 1909)
Beverly Green, "Balm in Gilead" (on BlackAmRel1)
The King's Heralds, "Balm in Gilead" (Chapel CR 23, n.d.)\
Utica Institute Jubilee Singers, "Balm in Gilead" (Victor 21842, 1929)
NOTES: The Book of Jeremiah refers twice to Gilead's balm (Jer. 8:22, 46:11), but there is no real discussion of what it is used for nor why it is unusually effective (if it is; it is perhaps worth noting that, by Jeremiah's time, Gilead had been in foreign hands for about a century, and had been in Israelite rather than Judean hands for two centuries before that). - RBW
File: FSWB360A
===
NAME: Baltimore (Up She Goes)
DESCRIPTION: Shanty. "He kissed her on the cheek and the crew began to roar, Oh, oh, up she goes, we're bound for Baltimore." Verses continue with kissing on the neck, arms, legs, and other parts which the printed sources politely refrain from mentioning.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (Colcord)
KEYWORDS: shanty bawdy nonballad sailor
FOUND_IN: Germany US Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Colcord, p. 92, "Up She Goes" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, p. 418, "Baltimore" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, p. 319]
Roud #4690
RECORDINGS:
John Doughty, "Baltimore" (on Voice12)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "A-Roving" (theme)
cf. "Tickly My Toe" (theme)
NOTES: Colcord takes her version from Baltser's _Knurrhahn_, a book compiled for the German merchant marines. Hugill says that he never heard this on any British ships, but that it was very popular on German ones, and suggests that supports his theory that German and Scandinavian seamen adapted British and American shore-songs and turned them into shanties. - SL
Stan Hugill, _Shanties from the Seven Seas_ (2003), p. 319: "It was a shanty very popular in German sailing ships, usually sung at the capstan.... It was never heard in British ships, and it helps to strengthen my theory that German and Scandinavian seamen adapted British and American shore-songs and turned them into shanties long after the art of 'inventing' shanties had died out aboard British and American ships... Of course many of the final verses have had to be censored!" - BS
File: Hugi418
===
NAME: Baltimore Fire, The
DESCRIPTION: "It was on a silver falls by a narrow That I heard a cry I ever will remember... Fire, fire, I heard the cry From every breeze that passes by... While in ruin the fire was laying Fair Baltimore, the beautiful city." About the terrible fire in Baltimore
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (recording, Charlie Poole & the North Carolina Ramblers; first printed in Maury's Songster of about 1905)
KEYWORDS: disaster fire
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Feb. 7-8, 1904 - Fire wipes out practically the entire downtown section of Baltimore.
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 97, "Baltimore Fire" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rorrer, p. 87, "Baltimore Fire" (1 text)
DT, BALTFIRE*
Roud #12392
RECORDINGS:
New Lost City Ramblers, "Baltimore Fire" (on NLCR03)
Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, "Baltimore Fire" (Columbia 15509-D, 1930; rec. 1929; on CPoole02)
File: CSW097
===
NAME: Bamboo Briars, The: see The Bramble Briar (The Merchant's Daughter; In Bruton Town) [Laws M32] (File: LM32)
===
NAME: Banbury Cross
DESCRIPTION: "Ride a cock horse to Banbury cross To see a fine lady upon a white horse. Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes, And she shall have music wherever she goes."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1784 (Gammar Gurton's Garland, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: nonballad music horse
FOUND_IN: US(SE) Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
BrownIII 140, "Banbury Cross" (1 text, a composite of "Banbury Cross," "Ring Around the Rosie," and an item about learning to ride (?))
Opie-Oxford2 29, "Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross" (2 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #619, p. 247, "(Ride a cock-horse to Banbury cross)"; cf. #617, "(Ride a Cock Horse)"; #618, "(Ride a cock-horse)"
NOTES: This little item has prompted the usual wild speculation: That the lady is Lady Godiva, or Elizabeth I, or one Celia Fiennes (fl. 1697). - RBW
File: Br3140
===
NAME: Band o' Shearers, The
DESCRIPTION: As shearing season approaches, the lad asks, "My bonnie lassie, will ye gang, And shear wi' me the whole day long, And love will cheer us as we gang And join the band of shearers." The two find they are happy together, and decide to wed
AUTHOR: Robert Hogg ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: love courting work sheep
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 196-197, "The Band o' Shearers" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan3 406, "The Band o' Shearers" (8 texts, 5 tunes)
Ord, pp. 268-269, "The Band o' Shearers" (1 text)
DT, BANSHEAR*
Roud #1524
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(126), "The Band o' Shearers," Poet's Box (Dundee), n.d.
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gallant Shearers" (chorus)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Shearing
NOTES: This song and "The Gallant Shearers" share a chorus and a theme, and are undoubtedly connected, though it's not clear which is older. But the feel of the verses is different enough that I follow Ord in splitting them, as does Roud. - RBW
I'll follow Roud in putting GreigDuncan3 here rather than with "The Gallant Shearers" but it could go either way.
GreigDuncan3: "Learnt in Skene fifty-five years ago from an old Highlandman. Noted 19th December 1906." - BS
File: FVS196
===
NAME: Band Played On, The
DESCRIPTION: Known by the chorus, "Casey would waltz with a strawberry blonde, and the band played on...." The verses concern the social club founded by Matt Casey, and the kissing, courting, and dancing which took place there
AUTHOR: Words: John F. Palmer / Music: Charles B. Ward
EARLIEST_DATE: 1895 (New York World)
KEYWORDS: courting dancing music
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 163-164, "The Band Played On" (1 text, 1 tune)
Geller-Famous, pp. 75-80, "The Band Played On" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, p. 254, "The Band Played On" (1 partial text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 246, "The Band Played On" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, p. 123, "The Band Played On"
DT, PLAYEDON*
Roud #9615
RECORDINGS:
Dan Quinn, "The Band Played On" (Berliner 0961, 1898)
NOTES: According to Gilbert, Palmer could not sell this song to anyone. One day, Ward heard him humming the tune, took it and touched it up, and thus was a hit born.
James J. Geller's story is more detailed. Palmer's sister Pauline had ordered breakfast, but her servant did not respond quickly; there was a streat band performing. Pauline tried to hurry the servant, but Palmer said, "Let the band play on." Pauline told him that that would be a good song title.
Palmer eventually evolved the story of Matt Casey, his social club, and his wooing of his strawberry blonde wife. The rest is as in Gilbert.
An 1878 song by Harrigan and Braham was called "The Casey Social Club"; I don't know if it provided a degree of inspiration. - RBW
File: SRW163
===
NAME: Bandit Cole Younger: see Cole Younger [Laws E3] (File: LE03)
===
NAME: Bandyrowe: see Kemo Kimo (File: R282)
===
NAME: Bang Away, Lulu (I)
DESCRIPTION: A quatrain ballad that celebrates Lulu's sexual exploits, her peccadillos, and the singer's affection for the lady in question.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous scatological sex
FOUND_IN: Canada Britain(England) US(Ap,NW,So,SW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Cray, pp. 173-180, "Bang Away, Lulu I" (6 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 351-355, "Bang Away, Lulu" (7 texts, 1 tune, but the "F" text is "Bang Away, Lulu (II)")
Logsdon 25, pp. 154-159, "My Lula Gal" (1 text, 1 tune, of this form though it lacks the "Bang Lulu" chorus)
Roud #8349
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bang Away, Lulu II, III"
File: EM173
===
NAME: Bang Away, Lulu (II)
DESCRIPTION: A teasing-song version of "Bang Away, Lulu I," i.e.: "Lulu's got a rooster. / Lulu's got a duck. / She put them in the bathtub / To see if they would --." Chorus: "Bang, bang Lulu," etc. (Note that the last line of each verse is left unfinished)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous wordplay
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Cray, pp. 180-182, "Bang Away, Lulu II" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, p. 353, "Bang Away, Lulu" (the "F" text is this piece; the others are "Bang Away, Lulu (I)")
Roud #4835
RECORDINGS:
Bang Boys [pseud. for Roy Acuff] "When Lulu's Gone" (Vocalion 03372, c. 1937)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Bang, Bang Lulu" (on NLCREP3)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bang Away, Lulu I, III"
NOTES: I am guessing, on circumstantial evidence, that the Bang Boys recording falls under this entry rather than the other "Bang Away, Lulu" songs -- but you should look there, too. - PJS
Robert A. Heinlein, in _To Sail Beyond the Sunset_ (p. 144 of the Ace paperback edition) claims that this song was in existence some time before 1918. This seems likely enough, but of course (it being a work of fiction) Heinlein does not document it. And the book was written some seventy years after that, and Heinlein was only 11 years old in 1918. Sure, he might have learned it by then -- but I wouldn't bet on it. I mention it because it *might* be an earliest date, but point out how tenuous that dating is. - RBW
File: EM180
===
NAME: Bang Away, Lulu (III)
DESCRIPTION: This is a compromise between Lulu I and II. Typical stanza: "Lulu gave a party, Lulu gave a tea, Then she left the table To see her chicken peck."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous wordplay
FOUND_IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Cray, p. 182, "Bang Away, Lulu III" (1 text)
DT, BANGLULU? BANGLU2?
Roud #4835
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bang Away, Lulu I, II"
File: EM182
===
NAME: Bangidero
DESCRIPTION: Shanty. "To Chile's coast we are bound away, To my hero Bangidero. To Chile's coast we are bound away, We'll drink and dance fandango..." Verses sing the praises of Spanish girls and various sexual exploits.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1917 (_The Bellman_)
KEYWORDS: shanty bawdy
FOUND_IN: Britain US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Colcord, p. 98, "Bangidero" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 53-54, "The Gals O' Chile" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbrEd, pp. 49-50]
ST Hug053 (Partial)
Roud #3222
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Timme Heave-o, Hang Her, Hilo
To My Hero Bangidero
The Girls of Chile
NOTES: Colcord got this from Captain Robinson's collection, "Songs of the Chantey Man," published during July and August of 1917 as a series in the periodical _The Bellman._ (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919). Robinson stated that the refrain given was never actually sung, but substituted for the original which was too vulgar for publication. Hugill also states that he changed both the verses and refrains to make the song printable. In addition, he makes a comment on this and other so-called "rare" shanties, that they were not so much rare in use as they were difficult to clean up and camouflage for publication and so when an opportunity came to write things down, they were left out. - SL
File: Hug053
===
NAME: Bangor and No Surrender
DESCRIPTION: "Let craven hearts to tyranny Their coward homage render; The watchword of the brave and free Will still be "No Surrender!" "We kept our commemoration In honour of our Hero great Who freed the British nation" "We shall up and we shall on"
AUTHOR: William Johnston (source: OrangeLark)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1987 (OrangeLark)
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad patriotic political
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jul 12, 1867 - William Johnston leads an Orange March in Bangor and is subsequently jailed for breaking the Party Processions Act (source: OrangeLark)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OrangeLark 17, "Bangor and No Surrender" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: "This song was written by William Johnston of Ballykilbeg while a prisoner in Downpatrick prison. He was serving a two months sentence for breaking the Party Processions Act as he had led Orangemen from Newtownards to Bangor on the Twelfth [of July] 1867."
"On the morning of 12th July 1867, Johnston headed a procession from Newtownards which consisted of over 10,000 Orangemen. As the parade reached Bangor it increased to such an extent that it is estimated that between 30,000 and 40,000 people took part in the final march through the town." Johnston was among those sentenced to serve one month the following February. He was released early because of poor health. (source: "Johnston, Grand Lodge and the Party Processions Controversy" at Newtownards District [of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland] site).
"The Hero" of the song is William III and the commemoration is the Boyne celebration on July 12. It would not be clear without the OrangeLark comment. - BS
For the background of the phrase "No Surrender," which arose during the siege of (London)derry, see the notes to "No Surrender (I)" and "The Shutting of the Gates of Derry."
The Party Processions Act is just what it sounds like: An attempt by the British government to control the marches and demonstrations which so often ended in violence. According to the _Oxford Companion to Irish History_, it was passed in 1850 in the aftermath of the Dolly's Brae conflict (for which see "Dolly's Brae (I)"). The _Oxford Companion_ lists William Johnston (1829-1902), the author of this piece, as the measure's chief opponent. The Act was repealed in 1872. On the whole, it probably did help reduce violence -- but it also deepened the underlying resentment of both sides.
For background on William Johnston, who was once imprisoned for violating the Party Processions Act, see the notes to "William Johnston of Ballykilbeg." - RBW
File: OrLa017
===
NAME: Bangum and the Bo': see Sir Lionel [Child 18] (File: C018)
===
NAME: Bangum Rid by the Riverside: see Sir Lionel [Child 18] (File: C018)
===
NAME: Banished Defender, The
DESCRIPTION: "For the sake of my religion I was forced to leave my native home." "They swore I was a traitor and a leader of the Papist band, For which I'm in cold irons, a convict in Van Diemen's Land ... as a head leader of Father Murphy's Shelmaliers"
AUTHOR: "Most probably by James Garland [d. c.1842]" (according to Zimmermann)
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1800 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: rebellion transportation Ireland religious
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Zimmermann 24, "The Banished Defender" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 70, "The Banished Defender" (1 text, 1 tune)
Healy-OISBv2, pp. 56-58, "The Brave Defenders" (1 text)
Roud #13469
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.10(10), "The Banish'd Defender," H. Such (London), 1863-1885; also Harding B 15(5b), "The Banished Defender"; 2806 c.15(215), "The Brave Defenders"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Defender's Song" (some text)
NOTES: At the end of the eighteenth century the Catholic "Defenders" were opposed to the Protestant "Peep o'Day Boys" or "Orangemen" (source: Zimmermann). - BS
The attribution of this to a Defender is rather peculiar. The Defenders certainly took part in the 1798 rising (see, e.g., "Bold McDermott Roe"), and they, unlike the United Irishment, were definitely Catholic -- but they were almost all concentrated in Ulster. To encounter one serving under Father Murphy in Wexford seems somewhat improbable. One suspects the author didn't want the singer to be associated with the more secular United Irishmen.
Robert Kee quotes this in _The Most Distressful Country_ (being Volume I of _The Green Flag_), p. 126. This version is unlikely on at least two counts -- notably, if the singer had indeed been taken with his weapons, as described in the song, he would most likely have been killed on the spot.
"Harry's Breed" refers to Henry VIII, who converted England (but not Ireland, nor Scotland for that matter) to Protestantism. But the charge is false; most of the troops who put down the 1798 rebellion were Irish and Catholic.
Healy's version at least refers to "Moses and Ely." That should be "Eli," the High Priest at the end of the period of the Judges; his story is intertwined with that of his young attendant Samuel in the early chapters of I Samuel.
The song also states that Jesus was crucified with "rusty" nails. There is no evidence of this in the Bible (though it's likely enough).
The song refers to "Luther's breed and Calvin's seed." The Anglican church, however, derives its doctrines neither from Luther nor Calvin. There were Calvinists in Ireland (the Dissenters of Ulster), but at least some of them were on the side of the rebels.
Finally, I can't help but comment on the strange allusion to Transubstantiation. Yes, this was a Catholic doctrine not shared by Protestants, but even if you can accept the theological twisting behind the doctine, it is based primarily not on the sixth chaptier of John (which talks about the Bread of Life but doesn't say that the communion bread becomes the flesh of Jesus) but the Last Supper (Mark 1422fff. and parallels). Nor is it likely that one of the Irish rebels could quote the relevant scriptures. - RBW
File: Zimm024
===
NAME: Banished Lover, The (The Parish of Dunboe)
DESCRIPTION: The singer wanders out and recalls the home from which (his parents) banished him. He recalls how the locals dislike strangers. He meets a "pretty fair maid who sore lamented." She says that her lover has been taken away. He reveals that he is her lover
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation mother father reunion
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H23, p. 307, "The Banished Lover"; H726, pp. 307-308, "Learmont Grove" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #2963
NOTES: The second Henry text, "Learmont Grove," is a very worn down version in which the plot barely survives; it is identified with the first based primarily upon common lyrics.
The date of this text is given incorrectly in Henry/Huntington/Herrmann; it should be 1937, not 1927. - RBW
File: HHH023
===
NAME: Banishment: see My Dearest Dear (File: SKE40)
===
NAME: Banishment of Patrick Brady, The
DESCRIPTION: Patrick Brady is "forced to banishment ... for being an upright Irishman that loved the shamrock green." At Carmanrock fair he and his comrades fought against those who swore to pull down the church. Brady is arrested but rescued and escapes to America.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: first half 19C (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: battle emigration escape rescue America Ireland religious
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 33, "The New Song on the Banishment of Patrick Brady" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Pat Brady" (subject)
File: Zimm033
===
NAME: Banjo Pickin' Girl: see Going Around the World (Banjo Pickin' Girl) (File: RcGAtW)
===
NAME: Banjo Picking, The: see Go Slow, Boys (Banjo Pickin') (File: R278)
===
NAME: Banjo Song, The: see De Fust Banjo (The Banjo Song; The Possum and the Banjo; Old Noah) (File: R253)
===
NAME: Banjo Tramp
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you people that are here tonight... I've traveled this country over... But because I'm thin they call me slim, I'm a regular banjo tramp." The singer steals a man's trunk, is imprisoned, and vows to settle down but expects he'll ramble again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1936 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: rambling railroading food hardtimes prison judge home theft thief punishment
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 362, "Banjo Tramp" (1 text)
Roud #11732
File: Br3362
===
NAME: Banker Brown
DESCRIPTION: A girl tells her mother that she loves Jack but will marry old Banker Brown for his money. Mother advises her to "wed the man you love." Daughter marries Banker Brown and, a year later, admits to her mother that it was a mistake.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Leach-Labrador)
KEYWORDS: greed marriage husband mother money
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leach-Labrador 39, "Banker Brown" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST LLab39 (Partial)
Roud #9989
NOTES: The cynic in me thinks some wag rewrote this to reverse the speeches of mother and daughter. - RBW
File: LLab39
===
NAME: Banks o' Deveron Water, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer goes out to take the air by (Deveron) water, and chooses "a maid to be my love." He says her equal is not to be found elsewhere, describes her beauty, and says he would not trade her for great riches. He hopes they will someday wed
AUTHOR: Alexander Lesley ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love courting river
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, pp. 29-30, "The Banks o' Deveron Water" (1 text)
Roud #3784
NOTES: Ord reports that this was written in 1636 by Alexander Lesley. However, there are signs of oral tradition, so I can't say with certainty whether Lesley originated or transmitted the piece. - RBW
File: Ord029
===
NAME: Banks o' Doon, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer asks how the banks of bonnie Doon can bloom "sae fresh and fair" when she is separated from her love. She pulled a rose, which her lover took while leaving her the thorn
AUTHOR: Robert Burns
EARLIEST_DATE: 1792 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: love courting abandonment nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #55, "Ye Banks and Braes o' Bonnie Doon" (1 text)
DT, BNKSBRAE* BANKBRA2*
Roud #13889
RECORDINGS:
Henry Burr, "Ye Banks and Brae o' Bonnie Doon" (Columbia A339, 1909; rec. 1902)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.1269(108a), "Banks of Doon," unknown, c. 1880
NOTES: Burns, curiously, seems to have written two versions of this poem, both coming out in 1791. The first begins, "Ye flowery banks o' bonie Doon, How can ye blume sae fair"; it is to the tune "Cambdelmore," which is in 4/4 time.
The other version, more familiar to me and seemingly more popular in tradition, opens "Ye banks and braes o' bonie Doon, How can ye bloom sae fresh and fair"; the tune is "The Caledonian Hunt's Delight," in 6/8 time. The two are nonetheless obviously the same song. - RBW
File: CTbnksbr
===
NAME: Banks o' Skene, The
DESCRIPTION: "When I was just a rantin' girl, About the age of sixteen, I fell in love wi' a heckler lad Upon the banks o' Skene." The girl cuts her hair, puts on men's clothes, offers to be his apprentice. He sees through the disguise and offers to make her his wife
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan1)
KEYWORDS: love courting clothes cross-dressing marriage pregnancy
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
GreigDuncan1 164, "The Banks o' Skene" (12 texts, 5 tunes)
Ord, p. 395, "The Banks o' Skene" (1 text)
DT, BANKSKEN*
Roud #5613
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Soldier Maid" (theme)
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "Learnt from father more than fifty years ago. Noted 1905." - BS
This seems to exist in two versions: One very short, from Ord, which matches the description above; the other, much longer, known from Grieg, in which the heckler (flax-dresser) takes the girl as an apprentice and the other girls find the new apprentice attractive. But so does the heckler himself, getting her drunk and having his way with her. In either case, they end up married. The long version is very reminiscent of things like "The Soldier Maid" and even "The Handsome Cabin Boy." - RBW
File: Ord395A
===
NAME: Banks o' the Nile, The: see The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)
===
NAME: Banks of Allan Water, The
DESCRIPTION: "By the banks of Allan Water When the sweet springtime did fall, There I saw the miller's lovely daughter, Fairest of them all." By autumn, the girl has been betrayed by her soldier love and grieves; by winter, she is dead
AUTHOR: Matthew Lewis (1775-1818) ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1896 (Family Star & Herald)
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier betrayal death
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, ALANWATR*
Roud #4260
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(98b), "On the Banks of Allan Water," Poet's Boz (sic.) (Dundee), c.1890; same broadside as RB.m.143(211)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Allan Water
The Miller's Daughter
NOTES: Quoted by Hardy in _Far from the Madding Crowd_ (1874). - RBW
File: DTalanwa
===
NAME: Banks of Banna, The
DESCRIPTION: "Shepherds have you seen my love, Have you seen my Anna? Pride of every shady grove Upon the banks of Banna." The singer left home and herd for Anna; he will not return to them until he finds her. In some versions he finds her and they are happy.
AUTHOR: George Ogle (1739-1814) (source: Croker-PopularSongs)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1795 (Journal from the Joseph Francis)
KEYWORDS: love separation separation shepherd
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 236-237, "The Banks of Banna" (1 text, 1 tune)
Croker-PopularSongs, p. 134, "Banks of Banna" (1 fragment)
ST SWMS236 (Full)
Roud #2058
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.18(50)[many lines illegible], "Anna" ("Shepherds I have lost my love"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Bodleian, Harding B 25(56), "Anna" ("Shepherds, I have lost my love"), Jennings (?), (London),  n.d. (barely legible); Harding B 12(3)=Johnson Ballads 865 (damaged), "Anna," J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; Firth b.27(484a), Firth b.34(13), Johnson Ballads fol. 9, "[The] Banks of Banna"; Firth b.28(10a/b) View 2 of 8, "Shepherds, I Have Lost My Love"
NOTES: Huntington says that this song is found in Chappell. The closest equivalent I can find in that book is "Shepherd, Saw Thou Not." They do not appear to me to be the same song; "The Banks of Banna" is much simpler and has at least some of the qualities of a folk song, though field collections are rare - RBW
There are three variations among [the Bodleian broadsides]. All begin with the first four verses: she's lost and "perhaps she's gone For ever and for ever." Some stop there: Firth b.34(13), Johnson Ballads fol. 9 and Firth b.28(10a/b) View 2 of 8; some have her return ("Flocks did sport and lambs did play, All around my lovely Anna"): Firth c.18(50) and Harding B 25(56), named "Anna"; and one has him meet her by surprise ("With joy I clasp'd her round the waist"): Firth b.27(484a). - BS
Sir George Ogle the Younger (c. 1740-1814) was a poet and politician born in county Wexford. He served in the Irish parliament in the 1790s, and was briefly a Tory representative to Westminster. His best-known works are considered to be "Banna's Banks" (i.e. this piece) and "Molly Astore" (in this index as "Gramachree"); in this Index he is also contributed "The Hermit of Killarney." - RBW
File: SWMS236
===
NAME: Banks of Boyne, The: see The Lovely Banks of Boyne [Laws P22] (File: LP22)
===
NAME: Banks of Brandywine, The [Laws H28]
DESCRIPTION: The singer (a sailor) meets a girl and asks her to forget her lover -- telling her first that her lover is probably untrue and then that he's already married to another. She faints; he reveals that he is the long-lost lover
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1860 (broadside, LOCSinging sb10031a)
KEYWORDS: sailor disguise courting
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws H28, "The Banks of Brandywine"
Gardner/Chickering 72, "The Banks of Brandywine" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 64-66, "The Banks of Brandywine" (1 text)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 62-63, "Banks of Brandywine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 71, "The Banks of Brandywine" (1 text)
DT 811, BNKBRNDY
Roud #1970
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, sb10031a, "The Banks of Brandywine," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also as100580, as100590, "The Banks of Brandywine"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
NOTES: Broadside LOCSinging sb10031a: J. Andrews 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: LH28
===
NAME: Banks of Champlain, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer hears guns firing on Lake Champlain, but despite her patriotism laments the danger to her lover Sandy,without whom her life would not be worth living. The cannons cease, the British retreat; she waxes patriotic once more as other women celebrate
AUTHOR: unknown; attributed to the wife of Gen. Alexander "Sandy" Macomb
EARLIEST_DATE: 1838 (Journal from the Nautilus)
KEYWORDS: love army battle fight war separation patriotic lover husband soldier
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug/Sept 1814 - Plattsburg campaign.  As part of a three-pronged attack strategy (the other prongs being at Chesapeake Bay and the lower Mississippi), a British army of 11,000 regulars led by General Sir George Prevost and a naval force under Captain George Downie attack Lake Champlain.
Sept 6, 1814 - The British army reaches Plattsburg and awaits the navy
Sept 11, 1814 - Battle of Plattsburg. An American naval squadron under Captain Thomas Macdonough (1783-1825) defeats the British force in a fierce contest with very high casualties, compelling the British fleet to retreat in disorder. The British army retreats as well.
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 161-162, "The Banks of Champlain" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "The Banks of Champlain" (source notes only)
Roud #2046
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "The Banks of Champlain" (on PeteSeeger29), a somewhat abbreviated version
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Siege of Plattsburg" (plot)
NOTES: This should not be confused with "The Siege of Plattsburgh." - PJS
For historical background on this part of the War of 1812, see "The Siege of Plattsburg" and references there.
Alexander Macomb (1782-1841) was Brigadier General in field command at Plattsburg (his superior being absent at the time of the fight). He went on to command the U. S. Army (such as it was) from 1828-1841.
Collected tunes for this piece are very few (JAF apparently printed one in 1939), but it appears to be "The Banks of the Dee/Langolee." - RBW
File: RcTBOC
===
NAME: Banks of Claudie, The: see The Banks of Claudy [Laws N40] (File: LN40)
===
NAME: Banks of Claudy (II), The: see Ten Thousand Miles Away (On the Banks of Lonely River) (File: R697)
===
NAME: Banks of Claudy, The [Laws N40]
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a girl on the banks of Claudy. She is seeking her lover. He tells her Johnny is false, she rejects this. He tells her Johnny is shipwrecked; she is distressed. He tells her he is Johnny. She rejoices
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(1847))
KEYWORDS: separation reunion trick love
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar) Britain(Scotland) Australia Ireland
REFERENCES: (22 citations)
Laws N40, "The Banks of Claudy"
O'Conor, p. 39, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 317-319, "The Banks o' Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Belden, pp. 154-155, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
Chappell-FSRA 69, "Molly, I'm the Man" (1 text); 78, "On the Banks of Claudy" (1 fragment, which doesn't look much like this song, but it mentions the banks of Claudy, so it files here)
Randolph 47, "The Banks of Cloddy" (1 text plus 1 excerpt, 1 tune)
Hudson 38, p. 152, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 266-267, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, with local title "The Soldier's Return"; tune on p. 426)
Eddy 55, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 71, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 166-167, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H5+H693, p. 313, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-Ulster 2, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-Maguire 44, pp. 134-135,172-173, "The Banks of Clady" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 58, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 30, pp., "The Lover's Return" (1 text)
JHCox 321, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text plus mention of 1 more)
Ord, p. 130, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 65, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 19, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text, 1 tune); 20, "The Banks of Claudy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 70, "The Banks of Claudie" (1 text)
DT 465, BCLAUDIE CLAUDYBK
ST LN40 (Full)
Roud #266
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "The Banks of Claudy" (on IRRCinnamond02)
Bob & Ron Copper, "Claudy Banks" (on LastDays)
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "Where Are You Going, Alice?" (Victor V-40135, 1929; rec. 1928)
George Maynard, "The Banks of Claudy" (on Maynard1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(1847), "The Banks of Claudy", J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also 2806 c.15(164), Harding B 11(2261), 2806 b.9(257), Harding B 19(110), 2806 c.14(91), Firth b.26(281), 2806 c.18(12), 2806 c.17(15), Harding B 18(24), Firth b.25(188), Firth b.25(296), "The Banks of Claudy"; Harding B 16(22c), Harding B 11(266), "The Banks of Cludy" [only the title is spelled "Cludy"; else "Claudy"]
LOCSinging, as100610, "The Banks of Claudy!", Horace Partridge (Philadelphia), 19C; also as100600, as200200, "Banks of Claudy"
NLScotland, RB.m.143(129), "The Banks of Claudy," Lowdon McCartney/Poet's Box (Dundee), after 1905
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
cf. "Ten Thousand Miles Away (On the Banks of Lonely River)" (references to the Banks of Claudy in some versions)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Claudy Banks
NOTES: Date for Grayson and Whitter is from _Country Music Sources_ by Guthrie T Meade Jr with Dick Spottswood and Douglas S. Meade (Chapel Hill, 2002), p. 10.
Meade, Spottswood and Meade, page 10 has the comment that "Although no mention of the banks of Claudie is made on this recording, I feel it is closer to N40 than any other classification." I would make a stronger statement than that. Every line of "Where Are You Going Alice?" is substantially the same as, or clearly derived from a Bodleian broadside or some traditional version of "The Banks of Claudy" (such as Morton-Ulster). For example, "green lands" replaces the banks of Claudy for Grayson and Whitter ("Just stay with me in green lands, no danger need you fear.") where Morton-Ulster has "green woods" ("Oh tarry with me to yon green woods, no danger need you fear").
The matrix number for the Grayson and Whitter's "Where Are You Going Alice?" is V40135B; Meade, Spottswood and Meade has BVE 46636-2. The tune is close to, but not the same as, "Charles Guiteau." - BS
File: LN40
===
NAME: Banks of Cloddy, The: see The Banks of Claudy [Laws N40] (File: LN40)
===
NAME: Banks of Cloughwater, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer loves Ellen, and cannot sleep for the love of her. But her parents oppose their match; now he is forced to "stand on guard this night to shun your company." He promises to make her his own; he has money and fears no one
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting lover father mother
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H777, pp. 427-428, "The Banks of [the] Cloughwater" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7961
NOTES: This song, as it stands in the Henry collection, seems confused; if he is courting the girl, why does he stand guard against her. If her parents kept her hidden, how did he see her, and at last meet her to plan their escape? Presumably either something has been lost or extraneous material has entered this song. - RBW
File: HHH777
===
NAME: Banks of Dundee, The (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25]
DESCRIPTION: A rich girl, now living with her uncle, falls in love with Willie, a plowboy. Since her uncle wants her to marry a squire, he tries to have Willie pressed. The squire attempts to take Mary; she shoots him, then her uncle. Mary then is free to marry Willie
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Harding B 11(3942))
KEYWORDS: love death marriage poverty rape
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE,So) Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(England,Scotland) Ireland
REFERENCES: (24 citations)
Laws M25, "The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary)"
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 78-81, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greig #66, pp. 1-2, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan2 224, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (9 texts, 9 tunes)
O'Conor, p. 68, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
McBride 5, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Eddy 54, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Gardner/Chickering 69, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text plus an excerpt and mention of 1 more, 1 tune)
Belden, pp. 137-139, "The Banks of Dundee" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Chappell-FSRA 58, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Randolph 62, "On the Banks of Sweet Dundee" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 85-88, "On the Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 62A)
SharpAp 67, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 128-130, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 38, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 23, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 740-741, "The Banks of Dundee" (1 text)
Leach-Labrador 14, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lehr/Best 6, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 50, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 406-407, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (1 text)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 200-201, "The Banks of Sweet Dandee" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 119, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (2 texts)
DT 318, SWTDUNDE* SWYDUND2*
Roud #148
RECORDINGS:
Bob Brader, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (on Voice15)
Michael "Straighty" Flanagan, "Banks of Sweet Dundee" (on IRClare01)
Tony Wales, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" (on TWales1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3942), "Undaunted Mary" or "The Banks of Sweet Dundee", J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 15(339a), Harding B 11(67), Harding B 11(834), Johnson Ballads 612A, Harding B 11(3944), Firth c.12(262), Harding B 11(2540), Harding B 11(3943), "Undaunted Mary" or "The Banks of Sweet Dundee"; Harding B 11(91), Firth c.12(258), Harding B 11(92), 2806 c.16(53), Harding B 11(1429), Firth c.18(252), 2806 c.16(52), "Answer to Undaunted Mary" or "The Banks of Sweet Dundee"; Harding B 11(93), Harding B 17(10b), "Answer to Undaunted Mary"; Firth c.26(255), Harding B 18(25), 2806 c.14(15)[partly illegible], "Banks of Sweet Dundee" [same as LOCSinging as200230]; Firth c.12(260), "Undaunted Mary, On the Banks of Sweet Dundee"; 2806 c.16(263), "Undaunted Mary"
LOCSinging, as200230, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee", H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864; also as111340, "The Banks of Sweet Dundee" [same as Bodleian Harding B 18(25)]
Murray, Mu23-y1:094, "Undaunted Mary on The Banks of Sweet Dundee", James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(110a), "Banks of Sweet Dundee," unknown, c. 1890; also RB.m.143(034), "Banks of Sweet Dundee"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gardener Lad" (tune, according to GreigDuncan2)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Plooboy
NOTES: Greig: "There is another 'Banks of sweet Dundee,' but the story in it is different, although the hero is also William and a ploughboy." - BS
Broadside LOCSinging as200230: 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: LM25
===
NAME: Banks of Dunmore, The
DESCRIPTION: An Englishman falls in love with a poor farmer's daughter of Dunmore. She will not marry a non-Catholic. She convinces him, by reference to the Testament, of transubstantiation and the authority of Rome. He converts. They marry and settle in Dunmore.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1862 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.16(159))
KEYWORDS: courting marriage England Ireland religious Bible
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 43-44, "The Banks of Dunmore" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3109
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.16(159), "The Banks of Dunmore" ("Ye lovers of high and low station, and gentlemen of renown")," H. Such (London), 1849-1862; also Firth b.26(413), "The Bloom of Erin"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Protestant Maid" (subject: religious conversion) and references there
NOTES: Broadside Bodleian 2806 c.16(159) is the basis for the description.
Dunmore is in County Galway.
See "Garvagh Town" for a song in which a Roman Catholic suitor fails to convert the Protestant "star of Garvagh Town"; at the end they discuss their differences over a drink, shake hands, and part without either converting. - BS
The Catholic doctrine of Transubstantiation holds that the bread and wine of the communion service are transformed into the body and blood of Christ -- admittedly not in appearance or in demonstrable chemical contest but in some sort of unmeasurable reality called "substance" or "essence" or something like that. (Apologies for sounding scornful; the concept of something that is "real" but *by definition* unverifiable by science is beyond my feeble capacity to take seriously.)
This is based primarily on the gospel language (Matt. 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:17-20) saying that the disciples ate Jesus's body and blood, which is very loosely linked to later practice of the Lord's Supper by 1 Cornthians 11:24-26. Some see incidental support in chapter 6 of John, in which Jesus said that the bread of God comes down from heaven, and adds (6:35) that he is the Bread of Life.
It should be noted that this doctrine was not found in the early church; Radbertus propounded it in 831, and it did not become official Catholic doctrine until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 (see David Christie-Murray, _A History of Heresy_, Oxford, 1976, p. 99).
It is my experience that *no one* has ever been convinced of Transubstantiation by references to the Bible. It is also my experience that attempts to do so lead to bitter fights, with non-Catholics going as far as to call the Catholics cannibals. (Observe the sarcastic Protestant response in "The Protestant Maid.") If the guy went along in this case, it was out of infatuation, not Biblical logic.
Setting all that aside, though, there are interesting political undercurrents, depending heavily on the date of the song and where it originated. Obviously it must date before 1862. The feeling on the Ballad-L mailing list, in the absence of a more detailed analysis of the data, was that it was probably post-1798. This was an interesting period in both the Church of England and in the Irish church.
Chris Brennan, whose observations are based on Paddy Tunney's version and O'Boyle's notes to Tunney's recording, thinks it an Ulster song, and places it in the context of the evangelical upsurge among Ulster protestants in the first half of the nineteenth century. In that version, it appear to be an Ulster Catholic and Protestant who meet.
On the other hand, the H. Such broadside, which predates Tunney's version by a century, makes the Protestant half of the duo a presumed Englishman. This is interesting because the Church of England at this time was going in the exact opposite direction from the evangelical Dissenters of Ulster. This was the period of the "Oxford Movement," a time when many members of the Church of England were being attracted back to Catholic tradition and ritual. The single strongest example came in 1845, when John Henry Newman converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism. An Oxfordite might well be so pro-Catholic as to be open to arguments about Transubstantiation; a genuine Reformed churchman would see that as the same sort of bunk that it appears to be to me.
This opens up the interesting (though unlikely) possibility that this song could have originated in England as a sort of allegory on the Oxford Movement, with Ireland standing for Catholicism and England standing for Anglicanism (referred to loosely as Protestantism, though technically Anglicans are not Protestants; Protestant is a technical term for a different branch of non-Catholic non-Orthodox Christianity).
Even if we allow that that was its original form, though, it seems clear that that was not how it was understood. The song appears to be extinct in England -- but is preserved in Ireland. There, it seems clear, the song is seen as a demonstration of the superiority of Catholicism, and Catholic doctrine, to Protestantism. This would also explain why the theological argument, so nonsensical to a true member of a Reformed denomination, is allowed to pass essentially without comment. - RBW
File: TSF043
===
NAME: Banks of Glencoe, The: see MacDonald's Return to Glencoe (The Pride of Glencoe) [Laws N39] (File: LN39)
===
NAME: Banks of Green Willow, The: see Bonnie Annie [Child 24] (File: C024)
===
NAME: Banks of Inverurie (Inverary), The
DESCRIPTION: "One day as I was walking... On the banks of Inverurie I spied a bonnie lass." He asks her to wed. She replies that she knows he is a rake. He says he has reformed, and calls his servants to demonstrate his honesty. He again appeals to her to marry.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: courting servant rejection
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 258-259, "The Banks of Inverurie" (1 text)
Ord, pp. 199-200, "The Banks of Inverurie" (1 text)
DT, BNKINVER*
Roud #1415
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.168(021), "Banks of Inverary," Batchelar (London?), c. 1820; also APS.4.95.15(1), "The Banks of Inverury," unknown, c. 1840; RB.m.143(122), "The Banks of Inverurie," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890
File: FVS258
===
NAME: Banks of Kilrea (I), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer sees a beautiful girl (dressed in mourning?) by Kilrae. She explains that her parents are dead. He promises to care for her like a parent. She finally agrees to marry. He hopes to live happily, and prepares for an elaborate party
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting orphan marriage party beauty
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H150(a), pp. 466-467, "The Banks of Kilrae (I)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2495
File: HHH150a
===
NAME: Banks of Kilrea (II), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer hears a young man begging a girl to come over the sea with him. She says that it's too dangerous to cross the ocean, and her parents are old. He reminds her of promises made, but bids her farewell; they will not see each other again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting rejection emigration separation age
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H150b, pp. 361-362, "The Banks of Kilrae (II)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2495
File: HHH150b
===
NAME: Banks of Low Lee, The: see One Morning in May (To Hear the Nightingale Sing) [Laws P14] (File: LP14)
===
NAME: Banks of Mourne Strand, The: see Paddle the Road with Me (File: Wa032)
===
NAME: Banks of Mullen Stream, The
DESCRIPTION: Sandy Grattan sings about the camp "for the firm of Edward Sinclair On the banks of Mullen Stream." The crew and driving team are named. George Amos breaks a leg under a rolling log, showing that "In the woods you're facing danger As great as in the War"
AUTHOR: Sandy Grattan of Tabusintac (Manny/Wilson)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Manny/Wilson)
KEYWORDS:  lumbering injury moniker horse
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Manny/Wilson 4, "The Banks of Mullen Stream" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MaWi004 (Partial)
Roud #9205
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Edward Sinclair Song" (regarding Sinclair's lumber operation)
NOTES: Manny/Wilson: "The lumber operation probably took place between 1914 and 1920." Note the reference to World War I. - BS
This is a very peculiar song, probably indicating closeness to the original version. The scansion is weak, and the rhyme scheme defective. In most of the 8-line stanzas, the only rhymes are between lines 1 and 2 and between lines 5 and 6, and even this is violated on occasion -- including the first verse, though in dialect it might work. - RBW
File: MaWi004
===
NAME: Banks of My Native Australia, The: see Oxeborough Banks (Maids of Australia) (File: FaE044)
===
NAME: Banks of Newfoundland (I), The [Laws K25]
DESCRIPTION: The singer offers a warning to listeners: Don't sail the northern seas without stout clothes! (He and his friends had pawned their jackets in Liverpool). The singer's Irish fiancee tears up her petticoat to make him mittens. At last they reach New York
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927
KEYWORDS: sailor clothes storm
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland(Bord)) US(MA,NE,SE) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (16 citations)
Laws K25, "The Banks of Newfoundland"
Doerflinger, pp. 123-125, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 173-174, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 412-416, "The Banks o' Newf'n'land" (2 texts, 2 tunes) [AbrEd, pp. 315-316]
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 36-37, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 116, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 854-855, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, p. 18, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
Creighton-NovaScotia 103, "Banks of Newfoundland (1)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 161, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
Ranson, pp. 118-119, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 141, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 15-16, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scott-BoA, pp. 145-147, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 31, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 407, NWFNDLND* NWFNDLN3
Roud #1812
RECORDINGS:
Willie Scott, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (on Voice02)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Star of the County Down" (tune) and references there
cf. "The American Aginora" (plot)
cf. "You Pretty Girls of Michigan" (form)
NOTES: Peacock believes this is "a localized version of" Van Dieman's Land (I) [Laws L18]. I think that's grossly overstating the similarity. - BS
File: LK25
===
NAME: Banks of Newfoundland (II), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer bids landsmen to "bless your happy lot," since they are safe from storms. His ship is wrecked off Newfoundland; when food runs short, they cast lots to see who will be eaten. The Captain's son is picked, but another ship rescues them in time
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1883 (Smith/Hatt)
KEYWORDS: ship disaster cannibalism reprieve rescue starvation sailor
FOUND_IN: Ireland Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
SHenry H569, p. 112, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 11, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 56-58, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text)
DT, NWFNDLN2
Roud #1972
RECORDINGS:
O. J. Abbott, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (on Abbott1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Ship in Distress" (plot) and references there
cf. "The Kite Abandoned in White Bay" (probable tune)
cf. "The American Aginora" (plot)
SAME_TUNE:
The Kite Abandoned in White Bay (File: RySm103)
File: DTnwfndl
===
NAME: Banks of Newfoundland (III), The: see The Eastern Light [Laws D11] (File: LD11)
===
NAME: Banks of Newfoundland (IV), The
DESCRIPTION: Spring is time for fishing on the Banks. "Seas do roll tremendously ... midst heavy fog and wind." At night we risk being run down by "some large greyhound of the deep." At summer's end we return "to see our sweethearts and our wives"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: fishing sea ship lyric nonballad
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 108-109, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4434
File: Pea108
===
NAME: Banks of Newfoundland (V), The
DESCRIPTION: September 2, Irish seamen sail from Waterford for Newfoundland where "a dreadful storm is raging." Three men are lost and others are "washed from off the deck." At morning there was no help for the dead and dying; "Not a Christian here to bury the dead" 
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1987 (McBride)
KEYWORDS: grief death sea ship storm
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
McBride 4, "The Banks of Newfoundland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5088
NOTES: With only one text to work from, we have not been able to tie this to an actual disaster, it sounds as if "Christian" here means specifically "Catholic." - RBW
File: McB1004
===
NAME: Banks of Penmanah, The: see On the Banks of the Pamanaw [Laws H11] (File: LH11)
===
NAME: Banks of Red Roses, The: see The Banks of the Roses (File: Doe315)
===
NAME: Banks of Sacramento, The: see Ho for California (Banks of Sacramento) (File: E125)
===
NAME: Banks of Sullane
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets "a damsel of queenly appearance" and proposes; if he were king she'd wear a crown. Her father's angry looks discourages him. He will rove alone until death "for the sake of my charming fair Helen That I met in the town of Macroom"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (IRClare01)
KEYWORDS: courting separation father
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OCanainn, pp. 70-71, "The Banks of Sullane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9718
RECORDINGS:
Ollie Conway, "Banks of Sullane" (on IRClare01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Pretty Girl Milking Her Cow" (tune)
cf. "Heather Down the Moor (Among the Heather; Down the Moor)" (theme)
NOTES: OCanainn: "One of the most popular English ballads of the Ballyvourney and Coolea area in West Cork."
Macroom is in County Cork. - BS
File: RcBaOSul
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Dandee, The: see The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25] (File: LM25)
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Dundee, The: see The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary) [Laws M25] (File: LM25)
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Loch Rae, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a handsome soldier. He asks if she will come along with him. She says she cannot bear to leave (Loch Rae). He consents to have her stay if she will wait for him. She waits sadly for his return
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection); 19C (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 26(29))
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier separation
FOUND_IN: Ireland US(NE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H158, p. 295, "Banks of Sweet Lough Neigh" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3821
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(29), "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea" ("I am as poor a distressed maid as ever yet was known"), Haly (Cork), 19C; also 2806 c.8(164), 2806 c.8(195), "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea"
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Banks of Sweet Loch Ray
On the Banks of Sweet Loch Raw
NOTES: "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea" tells the story from the soldier's point of view. - BS
File: HHH158
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Loch Ray, The: see The Banks of Sweet Loch Rae (File: HHH158)
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Lough Neagh, The: see The Banks of Sweet Loch Rae (File: HHH158)
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Loughrea, The
DESCRIPTION: A soldier quartered in Boyle meets a charming lass while in Loughrae. He proposes that they marry in Boyle. She says she "never intended a soldier's wife." Devastated, he says he will ask to be discharged as he is no longer fit for service.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (IRRCinnamond01)
KEYWORDS: love courting soldier rejection
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #6990
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "The Banks of Sweet Loughrea" (on IRRCinnamond01)
NOTES: "The Banks of Sweet Loch Rae" tells the story from the woman's point of view.
Loughrea is in County Galway, not far from Galway city. Boyle is in County Roscommon and is about 65 miles from Loughrea. - BS
File: RcTBOSLo
===
NAME: Banks of Sweet Primroses, The
DESCRIPTION: Speaker, while walking by banks of primroses, sees and courts a lovely woman. She spurns him and declares her intention to separate from men. (He tells listeners that even a cloudy, dark morning turns into a sunshiny day.)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1891
KEYWORDS: courting rejection flowers
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North,South),Wales) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Sharp-100E 51, "The Sweet Primeroses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 17, "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 68, "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 127-128, "As I Rode Out" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, SWTPRIM*
Roud #586
RECORDINGS:
Bob & Ron Copper, "Sweet Primeroses" (on FSB1, HiddenE)
Louis Killen, "The Banks of Sweet Primroses" (on BirdBush2)
Phil Tanner, "The Sweet Prim-E-Roses" (Columbia FB 1570; on Voice01 as "The Sweet Primrose"; on Lomax41, LomaxCD1741)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(141), "The Banks of sweet Primroses," unknown, c. 1830-1850
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lovely Nancy (VI)" (floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Three Long Steps
File: ShH51
===
NAME: Banks of the Ayr, The: see Burns and His Highland Mary [Laws O34] (File: LO34)
===
NAME: Banks of the Bann (I), The [Laws O2]
DESCRIPTION: Delany recalls how, when he first came to (Ireland), he fell in love with a girl (on the banks of the Bann). Her parents disapproved of his poverty and sent him away, but she promised to prove true. (Now he is returned and promises to do well by her)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1862 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(2400))
KEYWORDS: courting poverty mother father exile
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Laws O2, "The Brown Girl"
SHenry H86, p. 443, "The Banks of the Bann" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 139-140, "The Brown Girl" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 37, "The Brown Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 9, "The Brown Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 355-356, "The Brown Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dean, pp. 75-76, "Brown Girl" (1 text)
DT, BNKSBAN2
ADDITIONAL: Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), p. 11, "The Banks of the Bann" (text, music and reference to Decca F-2603 recorded Oct 4, 1931)
Roud #889
RECORDINGS:
A. L. Lloyd, "Banks of the Bann" (on Lloyd1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(2400), "Brown Girl" ("When first to this country I came as a stranger"), E.M.A. Hodges (London) , 1855-1861; also 2806 b.11(255), 2806 c.8(168), "Brown Girl"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Frowns That She Gave Me" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Maid of Aghadowey" (plot)
cf. "The Greenwood Laddie" (lyrics)
cf. "When First To This Country (I)" ("When First Unto This Country" lyric) and references there
NOTES: In some versions of this song, the girl is compared to "Juno, the fair Grecian queen." Leaving apart the fact that Venus/Aphrodite, not Juno, was the goddess of beauty, it should be noted that Juno was a Roman goddess; the correct Greek name is Hera.
Paul Stamler notes that "[this] tune is also used for a classic Anglican hymn," which Paul Tracy reports to be "Lord of all hopefulness, lord of all joy."
Laws apparently decided to name this "The Brown Girl" on the basis of Creighton and some broadsides. I decided to use "The Banks of the Bann" instead; both titles refer to several songs, but the versions of this song I know don't call her a "Brown Girl," and the references to the Bann are certainly more prominent. And it seems to be the standard Folk Revival name. - RBW
The date and master id (GB-3357-1) for Hayward's record is provided by Bill Dean-Myatt, MPhil. compiler of the Scottish National Discography. - BS
File: LO02
===
NAME: Banks of the Bann (II), The: see Willie Archer (The Banks of the Bann) (File: HHH614)
===
NAME: Banks of the Boyne, The: see The Lovely Banks of Boyne [Laws P22] (File: LP22)
===
NAME: Banks of the Clyde (I), The
DESCRIPTION: A young man comes up to a pretty girl, who reports that her Willie has gone over the sea. He asks her to marry; she replies, "Though he prove unconstant, I'll always prove true." He reveals himself as Willie; they will marry shortly
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation reunion disguise marriage
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H812, p. 310, "The Banks of the Clyde/One Fine Summer's Morning" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3815
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
cf. "The Plains of Waterloo (I)" [Laws N32] (plot, lyrics)
cf. "The Maid of Dunmore" (partial plot, lyrics)
NOTES: Certain lyrics to the Sam Henry version of this song are effectively identical to the Greenleaf text of "The Plains of Waterloo," and of course there are also plot similarities. But "The Banks of the Clyde" is a much more generic song, with no references to a dead soldier. And the similarities in other texts of the song is less pronounced. It appears to be a case of cross-fertilization rather than actual common descent. - RBW
File: HHH812
===
NAME: Banks of the Clyde (III), The: see The Lad in the Scotch Brigade (The Banks of the Clyde) (File: LLab133)
===
NAME: Banks of the Condamine, The: see The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)
===
NAME: Banks of the Dee (I), The
DESCRIPTION: "'Twas summer, and softly the breezes were blowing, And sweetly the nightingales sang in the trees." The girl remembers her Jamie, now gone "to quell the proud rebels." She earnestly hopes for his speedy return to her and the banks of the Dee
AUTHOR: Words: John Tate / Music: "Langolee" (traditional)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1803 (The Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: love separation soldier
FOUND_IN: Britain
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "The Banks of the Dee" (source notes only)
DT, BNKSDEE*
Roud #3847
SAME_TUNE:
Langolee (DT, LANGLEE)
The Banks of Champlain (Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 161-162, probably originally sung to this tune)
Oliver Arnold's parody of Banks of the Dee (DT, BNKSDEE2, said by Spaeth to date from 1775)
NOTES: It's not absolutely clear that this song is traditional, but the tune assuredly is. The texts of "Langolee" (properly "new Langolee"; see Bruce Olson's notes in the Digital Tradition), however, are absolutely hopeless and untraditional. As a result, I decided to list "The Banks of the Dee" as the main entry.
It appears that "Banks of the Dee" was the main mechanism by which the tune became known. Huntington's song "The Banks of Champlain," for instance, although no tune is given, has "Langolee" written all over it -- and no doubt the title of Tait's piece inspired the American song.
It's interesting to note that, although there are several American songs about the American Revolution, this seems to be the only one from the British standpoint. Still more interesting, it shows little interest in the political aspect of that conflict; the girl just wants her Jamie to return. - RBW
File: DTbnksde
===
NAME: Banks of the Dee (II), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer "heard a maid a-sighing... And, 'Johnny,' she was crying, 'oh how could you leave me?" He recalls leaving her on the spot, and how they promised to be true. He tells her her love was slain in battle, then reveals that he is her love
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting separation soldier disguise reunion
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H583, p. 314, "The Banks of [the] Dee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3814
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. esp. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
NOTES: Huntington was of the opinion that this was the source for the song "The Banks of Champlain" which he found in the 1838 journal of the _Nautilus_. I disagree. There are several "Banks of the Dee" songs, and the other (to the tune "Langolee") fits "The Banks of Champlain" much better. - RBW
File: HHH583
===
NAME: Banks of the Dee (III), The
DESCRIPTION: On the banks of the Dee the singer meets a 56 year old coal miner who "can't get employment, 'cause my hair it's turned grey." When young he worked hard in the pit but now he's had his notice. Young miners should save their wages, not "hew them away"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951 (Lloyd in _Come All Ye Bold Miners_, according to Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 20" - 15.1.04)
KEYWORDS: age poverty mining unemployment nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #3484
RECORDINGS:
Jack Elliott, "The Banks of the Dee" (on Voice20)
File: RcBaDee3
===
NAME: Banks of the Dizzy, The: see The Banks of the Roses (File: Doe315)
===
NAME: Banks of the Don, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer pays sarcastic tribute to the "boarding-house" by the Don: rent and taxes are paid, food is free. Inmates must turn out and work in the stoneyard; knives and forks are counted after meals. To obtain residence, listeners can get publicly drunk
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (recording, O. J. Abbott)
KEYWORDS: prison punishment drink humorous nonballad prisoner
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1860s - Don Jail built
FOUND_IN: Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #3846
RECORDINGS:
Recordings: O. J. Abbott, "The Banks of the Don" (on Ontario1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Mountjoy Hotel" (subject)
cf. "Johnson's Hotel" (subject, lyrics)
cf. "Erin Go Bragh" (tune)
NOTES: Abbott reported learning the song as a teenager in 1890 from an Irish farmer in the Ottawa valley. - PJS
File: RcTBOTDo
===
NAME: Banks of the Gaspereaux, The [Laws C26]
DESCRIPTION: A logging crew comes to work the Gaspereaux. The singer (who is one of the loggers) meets a girl (nicknamed "Robin Redbreast" after her dress); they fall in love, but neither will leave home for the other, and they part
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940
KEYWORDS: logger courting separation
FOUND_IN: US(NE) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws C26, "The Banks of the Gaspereaux"
Doerflinger, pp. 246-247, "The Banks of the Gaspereaux" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 744-745, "The Banks of the Gaspereau" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 770-771, "The Banks of Gaspereaux" (1 text)
Manny/Wilson 2, "The Banks of the Gaspereaux (Robin Redbreast)" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 576, BNKSGASP GASPERAU
Roud #1925
NOTES: Manny/Wilson: "The Gaspereaux, or Gaspereau, is a river in Queen's County [New Brunswick], a branch of the St. John." - BS
File: LC26
===
NAME: Banks of the Inverness, The
DESCRIPTION: The sailor sees a girl sighing on the banks of the (Inver)ness. He asks her if she is available. She says she is engaged to Willie. He declares that Willie is "in cold irons bound" and will not return. She says she will remain faithful. He reveals himself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1911 (Grieg)
KEYWORDS: love courting separation reunion disguise
FOUND_IN: Ireland Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H205, pp. 319-320, "The Banks of the River Ness" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3813
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. esp. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Young William's Return
Young William's Denial
File: HHH205
===
NAME: Banks of the Lee, The: see Mary on the Banks of the Lee (File: DTbnksle)
===
NAME: Banks of the Little Auplaine, The: see The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine [Laws C2] (File: LC02)
===
NAME: Banks of the Little Eau Pleine, The [Laws C2]
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a schoolmarm who is seeking her lost lover Johnny. He tells her Johnny is drowned and buried far from home. The woman curses Wisconsin and Johnny's boss, and promises to give up teaching and any home near water
AUTHOR: W. N. "Billy" Allen (writing as "Shan T. Boy")
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Dean); the author said he wrote it c. 1875
KEYWORDS: river death drowning curse humorous
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Laws C2, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine"
Rickaby 5, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (2 texts plus a fragment, 3 tunes)
Dean, pp. 10-11, "The Banks of the Little Auplaine" (1 text)
Arnett, pp. 118-119, "The Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 578, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Beck 49, "The Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke-Lumbering #28, "Johnny Murphy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 61, "The Little Low Plain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 23-26, "The Banks of the Little Eau Pleine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 58, "The Banks of the Little Low Plain" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 699, EAUPLEIN
Roud #706
RECORDINGS:
John Leahy, "Johnny Murphy" (on Lumber01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Erin's Green Shore" [Laws Q27] (tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Little Auplaine
Johnny Murphy
NOTES: The Little Eau Pleine River (yes, there is also a Big Eau Pleine) flows into the Wisconsin River between Wausau and Stevens Point in central Wisconsin. About thirty miles long, it is hardly more than a creek.
Cazden et al regard this song as a parody of "Erin's Green Shore" [Laws Q27]. This is somewhat deceptive. It was set, by the author, to the tune of "Erin's Green Shore," but the lyrics are not derived from that piece, though they have links to assorted traditional pieces.
The plot description above sounds serious, and it is, but the song itself veers between humor and pathos -- e.g. the first verse notes that "the mosquito's notes were melodious," and the singer's clothes are described as "His pants were made out of two meal-sacks, with a patch a foot square on each knee."
Rickaby has extensive notes about William N. Allen, whom he met near the end of the latter's career.- RBW
File: LC02
===
NAME: Banks of the Miramichi, The
DESCRIPTION: There is no river "like the rolling tide that flows 'longside The banks of the Murrymashee." The sportsmen gather to see it and the trout, salmon, and birds. The singer wouldn't trade it for gold, silver or royal robes.
AUTHOR: Patrick Hurley of Cassilis, Nor'West Miramichi (Manny/Wilson)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1947 (Manny/Wilson)
KEYWORDS: lyric nonballad animal bird
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Manny/Wilson 3, "The Banks of the Miramichi" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MaWi003 (Partial)
Roud #4622
RECORDINGS:
Marie Hare, "The Banks of the Miramichi" (on MRMHare01)
Art Matchett, "The Banks of the Miramichi" (on Miramichi1)
File: MaWi003
===
NAME: Banks of the Mossen, The
DESCRIPTION: "As I was a walking down by some shady grove... Young lambs were a-playing on the banks of sweet Mossen... The lark in the morning... brings me joyful tidings of Nancy my dear." The singer asks for pen and ink to write to Nancy
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1954 (recording, Jim Swain)
KEYWORDS: love separation animal river
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(Lond,South))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 242-243, "The Banks of the Mossen" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1201
RECORDINGS:
Jim Swain, "The Banks of Sweet Mossing" (on Voice10)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Banks of the Mossom
The Banks of Sweet Mossom
NOTES: I'd bet a lot that this is one of those Johnny-the-sailor-separated-from-his-love type songs that's been collected about three hundred times -- but from the short text given (three short verses and a fairly generic chorus), I can't tell which one. - RBW
File: CoSB242
===
NAME: Banks of the Murray, The: see On the Banks of the Murray (File: MA258)
===
NAME: Banks of the Nile, The (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9]
DESCRIPTION: (William) has been ordered to the banks of the Nile. Molly offers to cut her hair, dress like a man, and go with him. He will not permit her to; (the climate is too harsh or women are simply not permitted). (He promises to return and they are parted)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1859 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(158))
KEYWORDS: soldier cross-dressing separation
FOUND_IN: US(MW,So) Britain(Scotland) Australia Ireland Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (26 citations)
Laws N9, "The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II)"
Greig #25, pp. 1-2, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan1 99, "The Banks of the Nile" (13 texts, 12 tunes)
Belden, p. 340, "Plains of Mexico" (1 text)
Randolph 42, "Men's Clothing I'll Put On" (Of Randolph's 6 texts, Laws assigns only the "A" version, with tune, to this group (and even this is hidden by a typographical error), but "B" and "E" might belong with this or "William and Nancy I")
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 92-93, "Men's Clothes I Will Put On" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 42A)
Chappell-FSRA 66, "The Dolphin" (1 text, probably a confused version of "The Dolphin," a song of a sea battle, and "The Banks of the Nile" [Laws N9] or similar)
Dean, pp. 105-106, "Banks of the Nile" (1 text)
Harlow, pp. 206-207, "Dixie's Isle" (1 text, 1 tune -- a version with American Civil War references)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 122-123, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text, 1 tune); probably also pp. 215-216, "The Banks of the Riverine" (the latter might go with "William and Nancy I")
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 154-155, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 273-275, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text)
Ord, p. 298, "The Banks o' the Nile" (1 text)
Hodgart, p. 231, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text)
SHenry H238a, pp. 296-297, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 50, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 170, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-Maguire 47, pp. 139-140,174, "Texas Isle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 130-132, "The Banks of the Condamine" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Fowke/MacMillan 72, "Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune, considered by Fowke states to be an abbreviated, localized version of "William and Nancy (I)" [Laws N8], but it could just as easily be a version of "The Banks of the Nile" [Laws N9])
Peacock, pp. 996-997, "Dixie's Isle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 147, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 35B, "The Banks of the Nile" (1 text); Mackenzie 36, "Dixie's Isle" (1 text)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 266-268, "Farewell My Dear Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune, a fragment lacking the beginning. The final three stanzas appear to belong here but might be something else)
PBB 98, "The Banks of the Condamine" (1 text)
DT, BANKNILE* (BANKNIL2*?)
Roud #950
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, "The Banks of the Nile" (on SCMacCollSeeger01)
Pat MacNamara, "Banks of the Nile" (on IRClare01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(158), "Banks of the Nile", J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1855-1858; also 2806 b.9(227), 2806 b.9(53), 2806 c.14(179), Firth b.25(245), Harding B 11(276), Firth b.26(269), Firth c.14(148), Firth c.14(149), Harding B 11(158), Harding B 11(2900), Harding B 11(2900A), Harding B 26(47)[some blurring], [The] Banks of the Nile"
LOCSinging, as100630, "The Banks of the Nile," P. Brereton (Dublin), 19C 
Murray, Mu23-y1:078, "The Banks of the Nile", James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C; also Mu23-y3:024, "The Banks of the Nile," unknown, 19C
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Jack Monroe" [Laws N7]
cf. "William and Nancy I" [Laws N8]
cf. "High Germany"
cf. "The Girl Volunteer (The Cruel War Is Raging)" [Laws O33]
cf. "When First To This Country (II)" (theme)
NOTES: What is the historical reference here? The earliest Bodleian broadside, Harding B 11(158), is printed between 1855 and 1858. One possibility (see Laws N9 notes relating that "Randolph observes that Ord" makes the connection) is the second Battle of Abukir in which "in March 1801, a British army of 5,000 under General Ralph Abercromby landed to dislodge a French army of 2,000 under General Louis Friant. They did so, but not before 1,100 British troops were lost." (Source: Wikipedia article _Battle of Abukir_ ) - BS
Possibly supporting this is the fact that there was also a battle at Abukir (Aboukir) Bay on August 1-2, 1798, in which Nelson annihilated a French force, allowing Britain to control entrance to Egypt. This was, of course, a sea battle -- but it's often called "The Battle of the Nile."
Britain again interfered in Egypt in 1807, and the nation (along with the Sudan) was formally freed from Ottoman rule in 1841, largely as a result of European meddling. There were enough British soldiers floating around that the song would be relevant at almost any time from 1798 until the first broadsides appeared. The song takes place *before* the battle; as a result, I never really thought to associate it with a particular event. Though I concede that Aboukir makes sense; it put Egypt "in the news." - RBW
Laws quotes Dixie's Isle as "a Civil War adaptation" of N9. The "adaptation" is illustrated by the change from
We are called up to Portsmouth, many a long mile,
All for to be embarked for the Banks of the Nile
to
They call me down to New Orleans for many a long mile
To fight the southern soldiers way down in Dixie's Isle. - BS
In some of the Australian versions, rather than Willie being a soldier, he becomes a shearer. But the plot and pathos of the song remain clear.
Belden's text appears to be an adaption of this song to the context of the Mexican War (1846-1848). In this version, the modification is so complete that the girl does not even ask to come along; Laws, in fact, does not list Belden's piece as an adaption of this song.
Nonetheless, the kinship with "The Banks of the Nile" is still patently obvious. And neither Belden nor I knows of another version of the Mexican version of the song. So it seemed sufficient to list it here. - RBW
File: LN09
===
NAME: Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5]
DESCRIPTION: The singer takes his sweetheart walking, hoping to discuss marriage. She seemingly refuses him (because she is too young?). Rather than wait, he throws her into the river to drown. In most versions he is not caught, though in some texts she haunts him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1915
KEYWORDS: murder river drowning
FOUND_IN: US(MW,Ro,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (13 citations)
Laws F5, "On the Banks of the Ohio"
Randolph 160, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (2 texts plus an excerpt, 2 tunes)
Eddy 104, "The Murdered Girl" (7 texts, 2 tunes, but Laws considers only the B text -- "On the Banks of the Old Pedee" -- to belong with this ballad)
Gardner/Chickering 20, "The Banks of the River Dee" (1 text plus 2 excerpts and mention of 2 more, 2 tunes)
BrownII 66, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text plus 2 excerpts and mention of 5 more)
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 76, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text)
Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 110, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text, 1 tune)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 138-139, "Banks of the Ohio" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 577, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 45, p. 108, "The Old Shawnee"; p. 109, "On the Banks of the Old Pedee" (2 texts)
Darling-NAS, pp. 201-202, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 180, "Banks Of The Ohio" (1 text)
DT 628, BNKSOHIO* BANOHIO2(*) (BANOHIO3)
Roud #157
RECORDINGS:
Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, Clint Howard & Jean Ritchie, "Banks of the Ohio" (on WatsonAshley01)
The Blue Sky Boys, "Down On The Banks of The Ohio" (Bluebird 6480, 1933)
Callahan Brothers, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio"  (Banner 5-12-60/Conqueror 8588 [as "On the Banks of the Ohio"], 1935)
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "I'll Never Be Yours" (Gennett 6373/Champion 15447 [as by Norman Gayle]/Silvertone 8160 [as by Dillard Sanders]/Supertone 9247 [as by Sanders]/Challenge 393 [as by David Foley], 1927; on GraysonWhitter01)
Clarence Green, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (Columbia 15311-D, 1928)
Bascom Lamar Lunsford, "On the Banks of the Ohio" (on BLLunsford02)
Monroe Brothers, "Banks of the Ohio" (Bluebird B-7385, 1938)
Glen & Jessie Neaves & band, "Banks of the Ohio" (on HalfCen1)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Banks of the Ohio" (on NLCR02)
Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (Victor 35874, 1928)
Pete Seeger, "Banks of the Ohio" (on PeteSeeger31)
Bill Shafer, "Broken Engagements" (Vocalion 5413, 1930, rec. 1929)
Frank Stanton [pseud. for Walter Coon], "On the Banks of the Ohio" (Superior 2544, 1930)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "Down on the Banks of the Ohio" (Edison 52312, 1928)
Ruby Vass, "Banks of the Ohio" (on LomaxCD1702)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. The Wexford Girl (The Oxford, Lexington, or Knoxville Girl; The Cruel Miller; etc.) [Laws P35]
File: LF05
===
NAME: Banks of the Pamanaw, The: see On the Banks of the Pamanaw [Laws H11] (File: LH11)
===
NAME: Banks of the Pleasant Ohio, The: see Lovely Ohio, The (File: LoF039)
===
NAME: Banks of the River Dee, The: see Banks of the Ohio [Laws F5]
 (File: LF05)
===
NAME: Banks of the River Ness, The: see The Banks of the Inverness (File: HHH205)
===
NAME: Banks of the Riverine, The: see The Banks of the Nile (Men's Clothing I'll Put On II) [Laws N9] (File: LN09)
===
NAME: Banks of the Roe, The
DESCRIPTION: "Too long have I travelled the land of the stranger...." The singer wishes to return to "the land of O'Cahan," whom he recalls with pride. But those free men are long dead; he is left, and in exile, but "How I long to return to the banks of the Roe"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: emigration exile homesickness
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1385 - Death of "Cooey-na-Gal" O'Cahan
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H24b, pp. 217-218, "The Banks of the Roe" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Scarborough Settler's Lament" (theme) and references there
cf. "The Benady Glen" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
cf. "Gelvin Burn" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
cf. "The River Roe (II)" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
cf. "Slieve Gallen Brae" (for Cooey-na-Gal)
NOTES: The monastery of Dungiven (in Ulster) is believed to have been established in the eleventh century, well before the English invaded Ireland. Many leaders of the O'Cahans were buried in what became Dungiven Priory.
The most famous of these O'Cahans was "Cooey-na-Gal" ("Terror of the Stranger"). Legend has it that "Cooey-na-Gal" was buried in a fine tomb in Dungiven, covered by an excellent carving of a warrior with a sword, surrounded by small figures of kilted soldiers. The work is regarded as one of the finest tomb sculptures in Ireland.
Unfortunately, the tomb is almost certainly not that of Cooey-na-Gal O'Cahan, because it is firmly dated to the fifteenth century. The best bet is that the man buried there is Aibhne O'Cahan, murdered in 1492.
Cooey-na-Gal has managed to get his name into a number of songs, mostly in the Henry collection and mostly obscure; see the cross-references. But there is also "The Benady Glen," recorded by Deanta. That song is listed as by Manus O'Kane, and another Cooey song ("Slieve Gallen Brae") is listed as by James O'Kane. Coincidence? - RBW
File: HHH024b
===
NAME: Banks of the Roses, The
DESCRIPTION: In full form, (Jeannie) meets (Johnny) on the banks of the Roses and bids him never leave her. (Her father opposes the relationship.) Johnny takes her to a (cave) containing her grave; he kills and buries her. Many versions leave out portions of this plot
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c. 1790 (Madden Collection); also a fragment as #7 in the _Scots Musical Museum_
KEYWORDS: courting love fiddle murder burial family father
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber)) US(MA) Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Doerflinger, pp. 315-316, "The Banks of the Roses" (1 text, 1 tune -- a lyric version)
MacSeegTrav 72, "The Banks of Red Roses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 105, "The Banks of the Dizzy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 497-498, "The Banks of the Roses" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 80, "The Banks of the Roses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 144, "Banks Of The Roses" (1 text -- a lyric version)
DT, BANKROSE BANKROS2* BANKROS3 BANKROS4* BANKROS5*
Roud #603
RECORDINGS:
Seamus Ennis, "The Banks of the Roses" (on Lomax42, LomaxCD1742)
Lizzie Higgins, "The Banks of Red Roses" (on Voice10)
NOTES: Evidently singers loved the tune of this song, and the first few verses, but didn't like the murder ballad aspect. As a result, the first half of the song circulates independently, with Jeannie and Johnny courting and either getting married or peacefully going their separate ways. The result is lyric, and I suspect survives only because of its strong melody. - RBW
Folktrax site includes the following note for "The Banks of the Roses" which might explain the Greenleaf/Mansfield title: "PETRIE 1902 #253 has Irish song to same air. 'Ta mo chleamhnas deanta' is alternative title to tune 'The Banks of the Daisies.'"  - BS
File: Doe315
===
NAME: Banks of the Schuylkill, The
DESCRIPTION: "On the banks of the Schuylkill so pleasant and gay, There blessed with my true love I spent a short day." The girl describes her happy time with the man. But now he has been taken for a soldier. She hopes they will be happily reunited
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1840 (Journal from the Fortune)
KEYWORDS: soldier love separation reunion
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 769, "The Banks of the Schuylkill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 160-161, "The Banks of the Schuylkill" (1 text)
Roud #2045
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Banks of the Dee" (theme)
File: R769
===
NAME: Banks of the Tweed, The
DESCRIPTION: Mary says that her Willie "plays on his flute" but he'd stop if he knew she were here. Willie meets her. She complains that she hasn't seen him recently. He proposes that they "straightway repair" "to the alter of Hymen" to "join hearts and hands"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (IRPTunney01)
KEYWORDS: sex nonballad sheep marriage music
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 111-112, "The Banks of the Tweed" (1 text)
RECORDINGS:
Paddy Tunney, "The Banks of the Tweed" (on IRPTunney01)
NOTES: Omitted from the description: Mary and Willie are both out tending their sheep. - BS
File: RcTBotT
===
NAME: Banks of the Wabash: see On the Banks of the Wabash, Far Away (File: FSWB045)
===
NAME: Bann Water Side, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer sees a pretty girl by the Bann. He offers her a comfortable life if she will marry him. She says she would rather be poor than beguiled. He promises that, if he becomes poor, he will split his last shilling with her. They are happily married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 b.11(265))
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage money promise beauty
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H685, p. 460, "The Bann Water Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
McBride 9, "The Blackwater Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3037
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "Bannwaterside" (on IRRCinnamond01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.11(265), "The Blackwater Side" ("As I roved out one evening fair down by a shady grove"), H. Such (London), 1863-1885
File: HHH685
===
NAME: Banna's Banks: see Gramachree (File: HHH204)
===
NAME: Bannocks o' Barley
DESCRIPTION: Highlanders are "the lads wi' the bannocks o' barley." They "drew the gude claymore for Charlie," "cowed the English lowns," "stood in ruin wi' bonny Prince Charlie" and suffered "'neath the Duke's bluidy paw"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1796 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: rebellion nonballad patriotic Jacobites
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Apr 16, 1746 - Battle of Culloden Muir ends the 1745 Jacobite rebellion: the Duke of Cumberland defeats the supporters of Charles Edward Stuart.
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Hogg2 AJ21, "Bannocks o' Barley" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: James Kinsley, editor, _Burns: Complete Poems and Songs_ (shorter edition, Oxford, 1969) #581, pp. 685-686, "Bannocks o' bear meal" (1 text, 1 tune, from the Scots Musical Museum)
Roud #5653
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Killogie" (tune, according to Burns)
cf. "Cakes o' Croudy" (tune [Hogg1 11], according to Hogg; the chorus is "bannocks of bear meal, cakes of croudy")
NOTES: The words from Hogg2 and Burns are different enough that, while both are the same song, it's not clear to me whether one is the source of the other. The description follows Hogg2. - BS
The Duke of Cumberland was known as "Butcher" Cumberland, and he was very fat, with a pushed-in face that really did cause him to resemble a bear; hence, presumably, the reference to his "bluidy paw." The reference to bannocks of bear (bare?) meal sounds to me like a reference to the poor rations of the Jacobite army.
For the Battle of Culloden, see especially the notes to "The Muir of Culloden."  - RBW
File: HoggAJ21
===
NAME: Bannocks o' Barley Meal
DESCRIPTION: (Donald) tells of "when he was a soldier wi' Geordie the Third,"  and boasts of the skill of Scottish soldiers; "when put to their mettle they're ne'er kent to fail" when given "well-buttered bannocks o' barley meal." He illustrates his point from history
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: soldier war food bragging
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 142-144, "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" (1 text)
GreigDuncan3 525, "The Land o' Cakes" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan3 526, "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" (2 texts, 1 tune)

Roud #5653
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lass o' Glenshee" (tune, per GreigDuncan3 526)
NOTES: GreigDuncan3 525: ." .. 1911. Learnt thirty-five years ago." 
Apparently broadside Bodleian, 2806 c.11(78), "Bannocks o' Barley Meal" ("An auld Highland couple sat bein by the ingle"), J. Scott (Pittenweem), 19C is this song but I could not download and verify it. - BS
File: FVS142
===
NAME: Bannow's Bright Blue Bay
DESCRIPTION: The singer recalls "where Bannow's Buried City lies beneath that bright blue sky." He remembers "one midnight as the moon went down beneath Rathdonnel's hill" when "the stormy sea" broke over it and it never woke again.
AUTHOR: Rev Philip Doyle, O.S.A. of Maudlintown, Wellingtonbridge
EARLIEST_DATE: 1943 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: sea storm disaster
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, p. 41, "Bannow's Bright Blue Bay" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Rising of the Moon" (tune; I assume not "The Wearing of the Green" - BS)
NOTES: Bannow is a Wexford townland and parish. There is a "buried city" but I have no details on how it is supposed to have been lost. The Wexford tourism site does list "the Buried city of Bannow" among Bannow's attractions. - BS
File: Ran041
===
NAME: Bannow's Lonely Shore
DESCRIPTION: "As on my pillow I recline in a foreign land to rest, The love of Bannow's flowery banks still throbs within my breast." The singer remembers his youth, plus ships, birds, and "youthful joys."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1948 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: homesickness emigration lyric nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, pp. 26-27, "Bannow's Lonely Shore" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Ranson: "It is believed that the song was composed by John Kane, a native of Grange, Bannow, when in exile in America." - BS
File: Ran026
===
NAME: Bantry Girl's Lament for Johnny, The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh who will plough the field now ... Since Johnny went a-thrashing the dirty King of Spain." Everyone, even the police, miss him. "His heavy loss we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn" if he dies "for Ireland's pride in the foreign land of Spain"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1884 (Graves)
KEYWORDS: grief war lament Ireland Spain separation soldier police
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
O'Conor, p. 132, "The Bantry Girls' Lament for Johnny" (1 text)
OLochlainn 77, "The Bantry Girls' Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 176, "The Bantry Girl's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BANTRYGL BANTRYG2
ADDITIONAL: H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 296, 509, "The Bantry Girls' Lament for Johnny"
Roud #2999
NOTES: Sparling: "Taken from Graves' collection; on ballad-slips I have only seen very confused versions." The Graves reference is to Alfred Percival Graves _Songs of Irish Wit and Humour_ (London, 1884). I must be misreading this badly if it is an example of "Irish Wit and Humour." There are clever lines though, like the reference to the police: "The peelers must stand idle against their will and grain, For the valiant boy who gave them work now peels the King of Spain."
If the reference to "peelers" has always been part of "Bantry Girls" then it puts an earliest possible date on the ballad: 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.)
Here is a note from the MySongBook site Suzanne's Folksong--Notizen English Notes: "Learned from Tim Lyons of Clare. I mistook the locale for years and didn't realise that there was another Bantry, in North Co. Wexford, where this love song from the Peninsular War comes from. (Jimmy Crowley, notes 'Uncorked!')" Jimmy Crowley is the source for the site's text. The Peninsular War, 1808-1814, is against Napoleon's brother Joseph, installed as king of Spain. The Peninsular War reference fails my peelers reference suggestion.
This seems not to refer to Irish participation on the Cristino [supporting Queen Christina] side in the First Carlist War (1835-1837), which has the right date but wrong facts. - BS
The other possibility, I suppose, would be the War of the Spanish Succession (1701-1714); the British troops fought almost entirely in the Low Countries, but they were fighting against France, which was supporting the Spanish monarchy. This again fails the "Peeler" test, though.
Even more improbable are the various suggestions (repeated also in the Digital Tradition, e.g.) that this dates from the Peninsular Wars against Napoleon. The Peninsular War is not only is too early for the Peelers, but it also has its kings backwards: The British in the Peninsula were fighting against Napoleon, who had pushed aside the Spanish king (replacing him with Napoleon's brother Joseph, but no one except Napoleon would have called Joseph the King of Spain). - RBW
File: OLoc077
===
NAME: Baptist, Baptist Is My Name: see Gabriel's Trumpet (Baptist Numbered in God) (File: MWhee071)
===
NAME: Bar the Door O: see Get Up and Bar the Door [Child 275] (File: C275)
===
NAME: Barbara Allan: see Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)
===
NAME: Barbara Allen: see Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)
===
NAME: Barbara Buck: see The Southern Soldier Boy (Barbro Buck) (File: R238)
===
NAME: Barber Song, The
DESCRIPTION: A young barber is admired in general and in particular by a maid named Matilda. A butcher is jealous and goes to the barber shop where they fight and the butcher is killed. Matilda commits suicide; the barber goes crazy and eventually poisons himself.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1945 (Harlow)
KEYWORDS: jealousy humorous murder suicide poison love
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Harlow, pp. 196-197, "The Barber Song" (1 text)
Roud #9158
NOTES: Harlow gives the source of this as the Vineyard Gazette (first published in 1846), but gives no date or issue. - SL
File: Harl196
===
NAME: Barbery Allen: see Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)
===
NAME: Barbro Allen: see Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)
===
NAME: Barbro Buck: see The Southern Soldier Boy (Barbro Buck) (File: R238)
===
NAME: Barbry Ellen: see Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)
===
NAME: Bard of Armagh, The
DESCRIPTION: "O, list to the tale of a poor Irish harper... Remember those fingers could once move much sharper To waken the echoes of his dear native land." The bard recalls the days of his youth and vigor, then makes requests for his death and burial
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1873 (broadside, LOCSheet sm1873 14657); c.1867 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.25(11))
KEYWORDS: harp music age death burial
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 320, "The Bard of Armagh" (1 text)
O'Conor, p. 50, "The Bard of Armagh" (1 text
Hayward-Ulster, pp. 65-66, "The Bard of Armagh" (1 text)DT, BARDARMA*
ADDITIONAL: Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), p. 10, "The Bard of Armagh" (text and music)
Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), p. 248, "Bold Phelim Brady, the Bard of Armagh" (1 text)
Roud #2654
RECORDINGS:
Margaret Barry, "The Bard of Armagh" (on IRMBarry-Fairs)
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "The Bard of Armagh" (on IRClancyMakem02)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.25(11), "The Bard of Armagh", P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867; also Harding B 26(35), "The Bard of Armagh"
LOCSheet, sm1873 14657, "The Bard of Armagh", E. H. Harding (New York), 1873 (tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Unfortunate Rake" (tune, subject) and references there
cf. "The Streets of Laredo" [Laws B1] (tune, subject) and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Brady's Lament
File: FSWB320B
===
NAME: Bard of Culnady, The/Charles O'Neill
DESCRIPTION: Listeners are asked to weep for the "Sweet Bard of Culnady," Charles O'Neill. We are told that although he received little support or patronage, O'Neill was a much better musician than those in high favor.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: music death
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H50, p. 139, "The Bard of Culnady/Charles O'Neill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9449
File: HHH050
===
NAME: Bardy Train, The: see The Duke of Buckingham's Hounds (File: Br3218)
===
NAME: Barefoot Boy with Boots On, The
DESCRIPTION: Tales of the odd life of the barefoot boy with boots on. Most of the song's lyrics are either paradoxical ("The night was dark and stormy and the moon kept shining bright") or tautological ("his pants were full of pockets and his boots were full of feet")
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (recording, Harry "Mac" McClintock)
KEYWORDS: paradox nonsense humorous family
FOUND_IN: US(MA,So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 447, "Popular Gag Song" (2 texts, but only the "B" text goes with this song)
FSCatskills 154, "The Barefoot Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FSC154 (Partial)
Roud #6676
RECORDINGS:
Bill Cox, "Barefoot Boy With Boots On" (Conqueror 8231, 1933; Melotone M-13058/Perfect 13014/Oriole 8349, 1934)
Otto Gray & his Cowboy Band, "Barefoot Boy with Boots On" (Vocalion 5256, 1928)
Bradley Kincaid, "Ain't We Crazy" (Decca 5025, 1934)
"Radio Mac" [pseud. for Harry "Mac" McClintock], "Ain't We Crazy?" (Victor V-40101, 1929; rec. 1928)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ain't No Bugs on Me" (floating lyrics)
cf. "At the Boarding House (Silver Threads; While the Organ Pealed Potatoes)" (floating lyrics)
File: FSC154
===
NAME: Bargain With Me
DESCRIPTION: The worker is accosted by a widow, who asks him to "bargain with me." They agree on a wage, then negotiate where he will sleep. He turns down a place with the chap and the maid; she offers herself. Learning that her husband is dead, he agrees to marry
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1950
KEYWORDS: worker courting marriage home bargaining
FOUND_IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 194, "Bargain With Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #366
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Tam Buie (Tam Bo, Magherafelt Hiring Fair)" (plot)
NOTES: In plot, this is identical with "Tam Buie (Tam Bo, Magherafelt Hiring Fair)," but the form of the latter resembles nothing so much as "My Good Old Man," while "Bargain With Me" -- though it has a similar sung-and-spoken mechanism, seems to have some inspiration from "Billy Boy."
It seems to me best to keep "Tom Buie" and "Bargain With Me" separate, while noting their extreme similarity. Roud of course lumps them. - RBW
File: K194
===
NAME: Bark Gay Head, The
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you young Americans and listen to my ditty..." The singer tells of the New Bedford whaler Gay Head, whose "rules and regulations They are most awful queer." The singer describes the builders and officers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1860 (Journal from the Stella)
KEYWORDS: whaler moniker
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 34-36, "The Bark Gay Head" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BRKGAYHD*
Roud #2008
File: SWMS034
===
NAME: Barking Barber, The: see references under Bow Wow Wow (File: ChWII183)
===
NAME: Barley Bree, The
DESCRIPTION: Old Robin goes to town to sell his wood but comes home drunk. His loving wife complains. He threatens to beat her and the children and burn the house. He falls off the chair and sleeps on the floor. Now "Robin's turned teetotaler" and she is happy.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1910 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: drink husband wife home commerce abuse injury
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig #153, p. 1, "The Barley Bree"; Greig #156, p. 2, "The Barley Bree" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan3 586, "The Barley Bree" (2 texts)
Roud #5876
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "There's Nae Luck Aboot the Hoose" (tune, per Greig)
NOTES: Greig: "Miss Robertson says that it is taken from a Temperance song-book published some 50 years ago." [1910] - BS
File: GrD3586
===
NAME: Barley Corn, The: see John Barleycorn (File: ShH84)
===
NAME: Barley Grain for Me, The: see John Barleycorn (File: ShH84)
===
NAME: Barley Mow, The
DESCRIPTION: Cumulative song toasting successive sizes of drinking vessels, and those who serve them: "The quart pot, pint pot, half-a-pint, gill pot, half-a-gill, quarter-gill, nipperkin, and the brown bowl/Here's good luck, good luck, good luck to the barley mow."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1609 (Ravenscroft's Deuteromelia, under the title "Give Us Once a Drinke")
KEYWORDS: ritual drink nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(Lond,South,West)) Australia
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Sharp-100E 99, "The Barley Mow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 70-71, "The Barley-Mow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 265, "The Barley Mow" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BARLEYMO
Roud #944
RECORDINGS:
George Spicer, "The Barley Mow" (on Voice13)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Good Luck to the Barley Mow
NOTES: The brown bowl is to get sick into.
Sharp cites a reference noting that this was sung after a pre-Christian ritual called "crying the neck". -PJS
It was my understanding (don't know where I heard it) that the "Barley Mow" was a challenge -- if you fail to sing it through accurately and/or in one breath, you have to take another drink and, perhaps, buy a round for the house. Naturally, things tend to go downhill rapidly after the first error.
Ravenscroft's version of this is fascinating, since the final words are not "barley mow" but "balla moy," which (depending on the language) could mean something like "throw to me." Even the English version has its archaic words -- the chorus runs
The Tunne, the Butt, the Pipe, the hogshead, the barrell, the kilderkin, the verkin, the gallon pot, the pottle pot, the quart pot, the pint pot,
for and the blacke bole, sing gentle Butler balla moy,-
And, yes, a pottle is a half gallon. But I know that only because of an Isaac Asimov science essay which sneered at it.  RBW
File: ShH99
===
NAME: Barley Raking (Barley Rigs A-Raking)
DESCRIPTION: The singer spies a couple "have a jovial treat" at hay-making time. After 20 weeks, "this fair maid fell a-sighing"; after 40 weeks, she is crying. She writes to her love. He rejects her, saying, "I dearly like my freedom."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: courting sex pregnancy rejection
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 218-219, "Barley Rigs A-Raking" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1024
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Oh, No, Not I" (plot) and references there
cf. "Corn Rigs (Rigs o' Barley)" (theme)
NOTES: Roud lumps this with Burns's "Corn Rigs" ("It was upon a Lammas night"). A source it may be, but Burns has done enough rewriting that I think they must be split. - RBW
File: Ord218
===
NAME: Barley Straw, The: see Davy Faa (Remember the Barley Straw) (File: K188)
===
NAME: Barnacle Bill the Sailor: see Bollochy Bill the Sailor (File: EM081)
===
NAME: Barney and Katie [Laws O21]
DESCRIPTION: Barney comes to his love Katie's door on a bitter winter night. Katie says that she is alone at home, and if she let him in she would tarnish her virtue. Despite the cold, he goes home proud of her pure name
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901 (O'Conor)
KEYWORDS: courting virtue nightvisit
FOUND_IN: US(MW,NE) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Laws O21, "Barney and Katie"
Eddy 143, "Barney and Katie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 222-223, "Barney and Katie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 26, "Barney Flew Over the Hills to his Darling" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 77, "When Barney Flew Over the Hills" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, pp. 97-98, "Katty Avourneen" (1 text)
DT 480, BARNKATE
Roud #992
RECORDINGS:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(303), "Katty Avourneen"/"Barney Avourneen," unknown (Belfast), 1846-1852
File: LO21
===
NAME: Barney Bodkin Broke His Nose: see A Bundle ot Truths (File: OO2034)
===
NAME: Barney Brallaghan
DESCRIPTION: "'Twas on a frosty night at two o'clock in the morning." Barney Brallaghan courts sleeping Judy Callaghan from under her window. He recounts her charms and his possessions. He leaves when the rain starts but promises to return until she marries him.
AUTHOR: unknown (see notes)
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1830 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(124))
KEYWORDS: courting humorous storm
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
O'Conor, p. 45, "Barney Brallaghan" (1 text); pp. 80-81, "Charming Judy Callaghan" (1 text)
Dean, p 100, "Barney Bralligan" (1 text)
Roud #9592
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(124), "Barney Brallaghan", T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Firth b.25(69), "Barney Bralaghan's Courtship"; Harding B 17(17b), Johnson Ballads 2333, "Barney Brallaghan"; Firth b.26(451), 2806 c.15(273), Harding B 11(168), Harding B 11(2267), Harding B 11(167), Harding B 11(3020), "Barney Brallaghan's Courtship"; 2806 c.17(20), "Judy Callagan"; Harding B 15(41a), "Charming Judy Callaghan"
LOCSinging, sb10019b, "Barney Brallaghan", H. De Marsan (New York), 1859-1860; also as112630, "Barney Brallaghan"
NOTES: O'Conor has almost identical texts as "Barney Brallaghan" and "Charming Judy Callaghan." He shows Samuel Lover as author of the second and has no attribution for the first. At South Riding Folk Network site _The South Riding Tune Book Volume 1_, "Notes on Judy Callaghan" says that "Barney Brallaghan and Judy Callaghan were the subjects of a whole series of 'Stage Irish' comic songs." The site then quotes the text printed in O'Conor and makes the author Thomas Hudson [(1791-1844)], about 1825-1830, to a tune by Jonathan Blewitt, written between 1811-1814. None of the broadsides show an attribution.
How reliable are O'Conor attributions? See also "The Angel's Whisper."
Broadside LOCSinging sb10019b: 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
Dean's text isn't much like O'Conor's, but I'massuming they're the same based on the unlikelihood of two songs with such a title. There is also a fairly well-known fiddle tune (a slip jig) with this title, though it's hard to prove that it's the same since our texts don't have tunes. - RBW
File: OCon045
===
NAME: Barney Bralligan: see Barney Brallaghan (File: OCon045)
===
NAME: Barney Buntline: see Sailor's Consolation (File: Hugi460)
===
NAME: Barney Flew Over the Hills to his Darling: see Barney and Katie (File: LO21)
===
NAME: Barney McCabe
DESCRIPTION: Young Mary and Jack go on a journey; Jack takes four grains of corn. They stop at a witch's house; she prepares to kill them. Jack throws out his grains of corn, one at a time; each turns into something which helps the children return home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1991 (Sing Out! magazine)
KEYWORDS: recitation magic escape children
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 35, #4 (1991), pp, 12-14, "Barney McCabe" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: This is a mix of spoken narrative with musical interludes. The source was Janie Hunter of Johns Island.
The tale is somewhat peculiar because nothing is ever explained. Why did the two young children go on their journey without their parents? Where were they going? Why did Jack take the corn? What made it magical? If he can himself make magic, why does he not use it more directly?
I rather suspect that the confusion arises because the tale is composite. The lost-children-and-witch motif of course comes from sources like "Hansel and Gretl." The magic talisman is common in stories such as "The Goose Girl." I suppose, when you mix them all up, you get this. - RBW
File: SOBarMcc
===
NAME: Barney McCoy
DESCRIPTION: "I am going far away, Nora darling... It will break my heart in two Which I fondly give to you, And no other is so loving, kind, and true." He is going away on a ship to seek his fortune; she stays to care for her mother. They do not expect to meet again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1879 (Journal from the A Hicks)
KEYWORDS: love separation emigration family parting
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SE,So) Australia Ireland
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Randolph 776, "Barney McCoy" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 113, "Barney McCoy" (1 text plus mention of 2 more)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 103-105, "Barney McCoy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 302-303, "Norah Darling" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 134, "Barney McCoy" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "Barney McCoi" (source notes only)
ST R776 (Full)
Roud #2094
RECORDINGS:
Arkansas Woodchopper [pseud. for Luther Ossenbrink], "Barney McCoy" (Champion 15897 [may also have been issued as by West Virginia Rail Splitter]/Supertone 9569, 1929)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "Barney McCoy" (Challenge 152/Challenge 309/Gennett 3381/Herwin 75528, 1926-1927; rec. 1926)
[Ernest Stoneman &] Uncle Eck Dunford, "Barney McCoy" (Victor 20938, 1927)
BROADSIDES:
LOCSheet, sm1881 15663, "Barney McCoy", T. Harms & Co. (New York), sm1881 15663; also sm1882 14475, sm1882 12650, "Barney McCoy" or "I'm Going Far Away Norah Darling" (tune)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Nora Darling
NOTES: Everything about this song says Ireland -- except the references; I have been unable to locate a single guaranteed-traditional Irish text. There is a copyright claim from 1881, but the song is evidently older. - RBW
Might it have been "stage-Irish," American-composed? - PJS
Possible, though it's an above-average job in that case. And note the lack of a happy ending. - RBW
O'Conor not only provides an Irish claim but an indeterminate and possibly happy ending
"I am going far away, Norah, darling, And the ship is now anchored at the bay, And before to-morrow you will hear the signal gun, So be ready--it will carry us away." - BS
File: R776
===
NAME: Barney McShane
DESCRIPTION: As Barney McShane is passing the widow's door it begins to pour down rain. She tells him to come in; she'll fix him some tea and they can cuddle. The song praises her beauty
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (recording, Warde Ford)
KEYWORDS: beauty courting storm
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SW)
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #15469
RECORDINGS:
Bogue Ford, "Barney McShane" (AFS 4209 B2, 1939; in AMMEM/Cowell)
Warde Ford, "Barney McShane" (AFS 4204 A3, 1938; tr.; in AMMEM/Cowell)
NOTES: This has a powerful flavor of the music hall about it, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn of a Harry Lauder recording. But in his introduction, Warde Ford reports learning it from a Nevada man, and his brother Bogue from someone from Los Angeles.So it's in the oral tradition, and it's narrative, so in it goes. - PJS
File: RcBaMcS
===
NAME: Barney O'Hea
DESCRIPTION: "Now let me alone" says the singer to Barney O'Hea. He had "better look out for the stout Corney Creagh" and don't be impudent. Don't follow me to Brandon Fair where I'll be alone. They meet at the fair. She promises to marry "impudent Barney O'Hea"
AUTHOR: Samuel Lover (1797-1868) (Source: Hoagland)
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1886 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 15(18b))
KEYWORDS: courting humorous rejection
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
O'Conor, pp. 65-66, "Barney O'Hea" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), pp. 413-414, "Barney O'Hea" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 15(18b), "Barney O'Hea", W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also Harding B 11(2155), Firth c.26(126), Firth c.19(205), "Barney O'Hea" 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Common Bill" (theme)
File: OCon065
===
NAME: Barney O'Lean
DESCRIPTION: The singer was to meet Barney at the gate by eight o'clock. She expects him to come to propose. But he has not appeared. She hopes he is not with another girl
AUTHOR: Words: Arthur W. French / Music: George A. Persley
EARLIEST_DATE: 1874 (sheet music, LOCSheet, sm1874 05564)
KEYWORDS: courting loneliness
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Eddy 152, "Barney O'Lean" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST E152 (Full)
Roud #5347
BROADSIDES:
LOCSheet, sm1874 05564, "Barney A'Leen," J. L. Peters (New York), 1874; also sm1885 23890, "Barney A'Leen," Oliver Ditson (Boston), 1885 (tune)
File: E152
===
NAME: Barns o' Beneuchies, The
DESCRIPTION: "My freens, ane an' a', I'll sing ye a sang... It's about a mannie Kempie... For he rages like the deevil in the mornin'." The crew that works the barns complains about Kempie and rejoices to leave; he too will be out of work soon
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming hardtimes food boss
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Greig #142, p. 2, "The Barns o' Beneuches" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan3 360, "The Barns o' Beneuches" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 231-232, "The Barns o' Beneuchies" (1 text)
DT, BENEUCHS*
Roud #2176
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Johnnie Cope" (tune)
NOTES: Greig: "Although we have no record of the tune we may safely take it that it is an adaptation of 'Johnnie Cope.'"
GreigDuncan3 has a map on p. xxxv, of "places mentioned in songs in volume 3" showing the song number as well as place name; Barnyards of Badenyouchers (360) is at coordinate (h6,v5-6) on that map [roughly 43 miles NW of Aberdeen]. - BS
File: Ord231
===
NAME: Barnyard Serenade: see Hen Cackle (File: RcOHCRGC)
===
NAME: Barnyard Song, The: see I Had a Little Rooster (Farmyard Song) (File: R352)
===
NAME: Barnyard Tumble
DESCRIPTION: Singer recounts his troubles in trying to take care of his animals. His dog is missing, his bull is 'doing the barnyard tumble' with the cows, his hens and roosters have gone on strike, his horse is in the neighbor's barn and his milk cow kicks him.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c. 1932 (recording, Bill Carlisle)
KEYWORDS: farming humorous animal chickens dog horse
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Bill Carlisle "Barnyard Tumble" (c. 1932; on CrowTold01)
NOTES: Just barely a ballad. - PJS
File: RcBarTum
===
NAME: Barnyards o' Delgaty, The
DESCRIPTION: The young man comes to Turra Market to seek work. A wealthy farmer promises him good conditions at Delgaty. The promises prove false; the horses are poor and lazy, and the working conditions bad. The man boasts of his abilities and cheerfully departs
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: work hardtimes abuse farming
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Greig "Folk-Song in Buchan," pp. 70-71, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty"; Greig #4, p. 1, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan3 347, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (13 texts, 14 tunes)
Kennedy 242, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (1 text, 1 tune)
DBuchan 65, "The Barnyards o Delgaty" (1 text, 1 tune in appendix)
Ord, pp. 214-215, "The Barnyards o' Delgaty" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 199, "Barnyards of Delgaty" (1 text)
DT, BARNDELG
Roud #2136
RECORDINGS:
The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem, "The Barnyards of Delgaty" (on IRClancyMakem02)
Jimmy McBeath, "The Barnyards O' Delgaty" (on Voice05)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Parting Glass" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The State of Arkansas (The Arkansas Traveler II)" [Laws H1] (theme)
cf. "The Feeing Time (II)" (theme)
cf. "Linton Lowrie" (tune)
cf. "Darahill" (tune)
cf. "Rhynie" (tune, chorus, theme)
SAME_TUNE:
Darahill (File: Ord276)
Linton Lowrie (File: HHH640)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Jock o' Rhynie
The Barnyards
Liltin Addie
Buchan Prodigal
NOTES: GreigDuncan3 has a map on p. xxxv, of "places mentioned in songs in volume 3" showing the song number as well as place name; Barnyards of Delgaty (347) is at coordinate (h5,v7-8) on that map [roughly 32 miles NNW of Aberdeen]; Turriff (347,386,682) is at coordinate (h5,v7) on that map [roughly 31 miles NNW of Aberdeen] - BS
File: K242
===
NAME: Baron o Leys, The [Child 241]
DESCRIPTION: The Baron of Leys leaves his home for another country, where he gets a girl pregnant. She confronts him, demanding that he marry her, pay her a fee, or lose his head. Since he is married, he perforce pays her what she asks (ten thousand pounds?)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1803 (Skene ms.)
KEYWORDS: sex pregnancy punishment
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Child 241, "The Baron o Leys" (3 texts)
Bronson 241, "The Baron o Leys" (2 versions)
Kinloch-BBook XXIII, pp. 74-76, "Laird o' Leys" (1 text)
Roud #343
File: C241
===
NAME: Baron of Brackley, The [Child 203]
DESCRIPTION: Inverey comes to Brackley's gate, calling for Brackley to come forth. The baron, with few men on hand, would stay within, but his wife shames him into going out (with 4 men against 400). Brackley is killed; Lady Brackley rejoices. (His son vows revenge)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1806 (Jamieson)
KEYWORDS: revenge death feud betrayal
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1666 - Reported date of the fatal feud between Brackley and Inverey.
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber,Bord)
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Child 203, "The Baron of Brackley" (4 texts)
Bronson 203, "The Baron of Brackley" (3 versions+6 in addenda)
GreigDuncan2 234, "The Baron o' Braikley" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Leach, pp. 544-546, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
OBB 149, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
Gummere, pp. 151-154+333, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
DBuchan 23, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 119-121, "The Baron of Brackley" (1 text)
DT 203, BRNBRKLY* BRNBRKL2
Roud #4017
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl, "The Baron of Brackley" (ESFB1, ESFB2)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Baron o' Braichley
NOTES: The feud between Brackley and Inverey seems to have arisen when the former raided Inverey's cattle and refused to give compensation. Inverey rode to Brackley's, and recovered both his own cattle and Brackley's own. Brackley, his brother, and two or three others rode forth and were killed.
It is worth noting that Margaret Burnet, Lady Brackley, married Brackley without her family's consent, implying that it was a love match. The rumour that she was untrue may have arisen because she later remarried. - RBW
File: C203
===
NAME: Baron of Gartley, The
DESCRIPTION: Gartley returns from war. At his gate he is told that he has died on the battlefield and that his wife has a new husband. The Baron asks "the weird sisters" to curse his lady and her leman. At morning the castle seems burnt and none in it are alive.
AUTHOR: Reverend William Robertson (1785-1836) (source: Greig)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1823 (Laing, _Thistle of Scotland_, according to Greig)
KEYWORDS: infidelity curse return death magic storm witch
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig #69, pp. 1-2, "The Baron of Gartley" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 344, "The Baron of Gartley" (2 texts)
Roud #5873
NOTES: This is a long ballad with lots of supernatural elements. The Baron's armour "we' witchin spell was bound" so that he could not be wounded in battle. The Baron is challenged on the way by a Kelpie [water spirit] who lets him pass because the youngest of his "weird sisters" loves the Baron. His trip after that is marked by "unholy sangs." When he arrives at the gate he is told by "Billy, born blind" [cf., "Billie Blin, a serviceable house-hold demon" in Child's glossary] the story of his death. When he goes to the weird sisters' home he is greeted by the porter, a goblin, who tells him the sisters are busy digging up the new laid dead in "the rotten kirkyard." When he calls on the "gaunt and grim sisters" he says "Ye promised to help a bauld Baronne, Now make your promise good. Now do to me, ye weird sisters, That deed without a name; My fause lady and her leman Hae brought my house to shame." Finally, after the curse, "lang has the castle bleached in the wing Yet whiter it cannot be." 
Greig: "The development of literary consciousness has told with fatal effect on the art of ballad-writing, till a ballad in the true traditional style has become an impossible acheivement. Among imitations, however, as all modern efforts are, 'The Baron of Gartley' holds a high place." - BS 
File: GrD2344
===
NAME: Barrack Street: see The Shirt and the Apron [Laws K42] (File: LK42)
===
NAME: Barrack's Song, The
DESCRIPTION: "On Wednesday morning, may the third, nineteen and forty-four, We left our homes seal hunting went." Their ship is jammed in the ice. The sealers try to set out for the barracks. The T-14 finds them the next day and takes them home 
AUTHOR: Nicolas Lane
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (collected from Nicolas Lane)
KEYWORDS: ship wreck rescue hunting
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ryan/Small, p. 132, "The Barrack's Song" (1 text)
NOTES: No tune is listed, but this appears to be based on "The Greenland Whale Fishery" [Laws K21].
Lane's song does not specify what sort of ship the T-14 is, but I believe it was a submarine. - RBW
File: RySm132
===
NAME: Barrin' o' the Door, The: see Get Up and Bar the Door [Child 275] (File: C275)
===
NAME: Barrosa Plains
DESCRIPTION: The Prince's Own sail from Cadiz to Gibraltar Bay and land at Algesir. Their Spanish allies at Tarifa Bay refuse to fight. General Graham leads the Britons and Irish to escape an ambush, defeat the French and capture an eagle standard.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1970 (Winstock's _Songs and Music of the Redcoats_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: army battle Spain patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: March [5], 1811 - "The battle of Barrosa took place in relief of Cadiz ... when General Sir Thomas Graham defeated a French force under Marshall Victor." (source: Moylan)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 177, "Barrosa Plains" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Moyl177 (Partial)
Roud #2182
BROADSIDES:
cf. "The Battle of Barossa" (subject)
cf. "Oliver's Advice (Barossa)" (subject)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Barrosa
NOTES: The "Prince's Own" is the 87th Prince of Wales Irish Regiment of Foot which captured the first French eagle standard to be taken in battle (source: "French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 1789-1815" in _The Royal Irish Regiment_ at The British Army site). - BS
This regiment is now the Royal Irish Fusiliers (Princess Victoria's); it has been combined with the 89th Foot. The 87th, according to the histories I've seen, was the regiment most praised for its work at Barrosa. The unit, in fact, earned *nine* battle honours for the Peninsular Campaign, and eventually adopted a tune called "Barrosa" (possibly this one, though I don't entirely trust that) as its quick march.
Lewis Winstock, _The Music of the Redcoats 1642-1902_, p. 125, writes, "[To] a French officer it was 'the most terrible bayonet fight I had ever seen' ... the 87th stabbing like demons and howling their war-cry -- 'Faught a ballagh,' ('clear the way') swung the balance of fortune to the British. Thomas Dibdin was one of several ballad writerswho celebrated the victory which cost the French 2,000 casualties out of a force of 7.000, but the song that has survived is the one the Irish themselves wrote. Its precise origin is unknown, but the Royal Irish Fusiliers have a set of handwritten verses which appear to date from early Victorian times."
For further background, see the notes to "The Battle of Barossa" (yes, that's the way it's spelled in that song, even though it's wrong). There are many parallels between that song and this; Roud lumps them, and I've thought about the same. But the differences are also substantial, since they involve different regiments. I very tentatively keep them separate. - RBW
File: Moyl177
===
NAME: Barrs' Anthem, The
DESCRIPTION: "Sunday the seventh of November Blackrock and Saint Finbarrs did play" St Finbarr's scored first but Blackrock led at half-time. "We pulled it right out of the fire ... The famous Blackrocks were defeated ... long life to the gallant old Blues"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1978 (OCanainn)
KEYWORDS: pride sports
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OCanainn, pp. 114-115, "The Barrs' Anthem" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OCanainn: "The Cork County Hurling Championship in 1926 was played between Blackrock and Saint Finbarr's. The match was generally regarded as a mere formality for Blackrock, who supplied ten players to the All-Ireland winning Cork team of the year. The result, a win for the Barrs, was a major upset." - BS
File: OCan114
===
NAME: Barry Grenadiers, The
DESCRIPTION: "You can tell we're bright young fellows, We're the elegants from the south, You can tell we're educated By the expressions from our mouths." The team boasts of its success in contests and with the ladies, and claim they can free Ireland
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1987
KEYWORDS: sports Ireland bragging
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 253-255, "The Barry Grenadiers" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bowery Grenadiers" (tune)
File: MCB253
===
NAME: Barry of Macroom
DESCRIPTION: After a dinner party the whisky-punch is brought out "and soon all 'neath the table lay" except Barry. He challenges all at each whisky shop with the same result. He comes sick, ignores doctor's warning to avoid drink, and lives many years.
AUTHOR: Richard Ryan (source: Croker-PopularSongs)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1839 (Croker-PopularSongs)
KEYWORDS: drink wife doctor disease
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Croker-PopularSongs, pp. 98-101, "Barry of Macroom" (1 text)
NOTES: In the first verse the singer claims no one compares to "bold Barry of Macroom" when it comes to punch-drinking. The song names two presumed champions of the past: Dan MacCarty and Jem Nash. Croker cites Smith's _History of Kerry_ where MacCarty, dead in 1751 at 112, is said to have drunk "for many of the last years of his life, great quantities ...."
Croker-PopularSongs: "The town of Macroom ... is about eighteen miles west of the city of Cork. Upwards of eighty years ago [before 1759], Smith, in his 'History of Cork,' observes that, 'in this town are some whisky distillers; a liquor and manufacture so pernicious to the poor, that it renders every other employment useless to them.'" - BS
File: CrPS098
===
NAME: Barrymore Tithe Victory, The
DESCRIPTION:  "There was a poor man, and he had but one cow, The Parson had seized her." depriving the family of milk. At auction, guarded by "the Watergrass Hill boys," "no human being would Drimon dare buy." The cow is returned.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1831 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: poverty farming Ireland political animal family
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 41, "The Barrymore Tithe Victory" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of Carrickshock" (subject: The Tithe War) and references there
cf. "The Moneygran Pig Hunt" (theme)
NOTES: The context is "The Tithe War": O'Connell's Catholic Association was formed in 1823 to resist the requirement that Irish Catholics pay tithes to the Anglican Church of Ireland. The "war" was passive for most of the period 1823-1836, though there were violent incidents in 1831 (source: _The Irish Tithe War 1831_ at the OnWar.com site)
Zimmermann: "The crops and goods seized when people refused to pay the tithes were auctioned; large crowds would often attend the forced sale, but refused to bid, and prevented anyone from purchasing."
Watergrass Hill and the barony of Barrymore are in County Cork.
See "Drimindown" for a discussion of Drimin, refering to a cow, as a metaphor for Ireland. In this case there is a chorus in Irish Gaelic that Zimmermann translates as "Dear brown fair-backed cow, O silk of the kine, Your people did not die but will survive, Daniel (O'Connell) and his friends are strong in the fight, And they will beat every strong man in the world that opposes them." - BS
For the Tithe War, see the notes and references under "The Battle of Carrickshock." For a later instance of Irish tenants outwitting those who would confiscate their livestock, see "The Moneygran Pig Hunt." - RBW.
File: Zimm041
===
NAME: Bas an Chroppi (The Dead Croppy)
DESCRIPTION: Gaelic. Singer finds a dying croppy. He seems transported to his mother's home. She tells him that his father has been killed. "Shall Eire never a tear bestow On the soldier who fought her fight?"
AUTHOR: Gaelic text by An Craoibhin Aoibhinn (Douglas Hyde, 1860-1949), translated by William Rooney (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1898 (according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage rebellion dying Ireland
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1798 - Irish rebellion against British rule 
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 139, "Bas an Chroppi" (1 Gaelic text); 140, "The Dead Croppy" (1 English text)
NOTES: The description is from the translation by William Rooney as Moylan 140, "The Dead Croppy." - BS
Douglas Hyde was the first president of the Gaelic League (though not its founder); he held the post from 1893 to 1915, when he resigned because he thought its political direction too dangerous. He joined the Senate of the Irish Free State in 1925, and was President of Ireland (the first to hold that post under the revised constitution) from 1938 to 1944/5. - RBW
File: Moyl139
===
NAME: Bashful Courtship, The: see Aunt Sal's Song (The Man Who Didn't Know How to Court) (File: LoF101)
===
NAME: Baskatong, The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, it was in the year eighteen hundred and one When I left my poor Kate all sad and alone" to work three months on the Baskatong. The singer praises the foreman Kennedy as fair, describes the men and the food, and prepares to write home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1957 (Fowke)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Describes life in Baskatong lumber camp. The foreman, Kennedy, is a fair man; when Kennedy's Dan is driving his old horses, the harness breaks, and Dan tells the old man to stick it in his eye. Morissette is a good loader; the herrings are over-salty, and keep the men running to the river all night. Singer writes his wife, tells her it won't be long until he's home
KEYWORDS: work separation logger lumbering curse return work food humorous moniker animal horse boss worker
FOUND_IN: Canada(Ont,Que)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke-Lumbering #16, "The Baskatong" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3681
RECORDINGS:
O. J. Abbott, "The Basketong" (on Lumber01)
NOTES: Like most moniker songs, this is a disjointed collection of anecdotes, but there's just enough narrative to avoid the "nonballad" keyword. Abbott confessed to having bowdlerized several lines. - PJS
Baskatong (correct spelling) is a wetland area (now a reservoir) in Quebec. - RBW
File: FowL16
===
NAME: Basket of Eggs, The
DESCRIPTION: Two sailors offer to carry a girl's basket. She says it contains eggs. The sailors go to an ale-house. The landlord opens the basket and finds a baby. The sailors offer to pay any woman who will take the child. The girl takes the money and the child
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1825 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 28(166))
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Two sailors, out walking, spy a young girl and offer to carry her basket for her. She accepts, telling them it contains eggs, and asking them to leave it for her at the Half-way House. The sailors, laughing at the maid's foolishness, go to an ale-house and order up bacon to go with the eggs they have stolen. The landlord opens the basket and finds, not eggs, but a baby. Appalled, the sailors offer 50 guineas to any woman who will take the child. The girl (sitting in the corner) takes the money and the child, then informs the sailor that he is the child's father. The sailor accepts his responsibility, but angrily kicks the basket, swearing he'll never like eggs anymore. 
KEYWORDS: seduction money humorous baby sailor trick landlord
FOUND_IN: Britain(England (Lond,South,West),Scotland (Aber,Shetland))
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Greig #100, pp. 2-3, "The Foundling Baby" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan2 307, "The Foundling Baby" (8 texts, 8 tunes)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 18-19, "The Basket of Eggs" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 49, "Eggs In Her Basket" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 144-145, "The Foundling Child" (1 text)
DT, BASKETEG*
Roud #377
RECORDINGS:
Minty Smith, "The Basket of Eggs" (on Voice11)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(166), "Basket of Eggs" ("Through Sandbach fields two sailors walking"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Quare Bungo Rye" (baby in basket motif)
cf. "The Child in the Budget" (baby in basket motif)
cf. "The Parcel from a Lady (Under Her Apron)" (plot)
cf. "I Wish My Granny Saw Ye" (plot)
cf. "The Brisk Young Butcher" (plot)
cf. "The Oyster Girl" [Laws Q13] (mysterious--read female--"box" motif)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Sailor's Child
Two Sailors Walking
File: VWL018
===
NAME: Basket of Onions, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer engages in various activities (e.g. playing the ghost in "Hamlet"), but always thinks of the girl: "Oh, she loves another and it's no use to try, When oh, she sings out 'Sound onions, who'll buy?'"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1982
KEYWORDS: love food
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 106-107, "The Basket of Onions" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Described as a music hall song, and I have no reason to doubt it. - RBW
File: MCB106
===
NAME: Basket of Oysters, The: see The Oyster Girl [Laws Q13] (File: LQ13)
===
NAME: Basket-Maker's Child, The
DESCRIPTION: "Where the green willow swayed by the brook... In a little cottage nestled in a quiet nook Dwelt the basket-maker's child." One Saturday night they told the singer that she must die. She asks to be buried by the brook, and happily goes to the Savior
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1862 (Beadle's Dime Song Book #9)
KEYWORDS: death love separation burial
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 714, "The Basket-Maker's Child" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 461-463, "The Basket-Maker's Child" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 714)
Roud #7379
NOTES: Is it just me, or have I heard this plot a few hundred times before? - RBW
File: R714
===
NAME: Basketong, The: see The Baskatong (File: FowL16)
===
NAME: Bastard King of England, The
DESCRIPTION: Philip of France is captured by a "thong on his prong"; when he is dragged to London, all the maids cheer him, for the Frenchman's pride has stretched a yard or more. The bastard king of En-ga-land is usurped.
AUTHOR: Attributed, probably falsely, to Rudyard Kipling
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927
KEYWORDS: bawdy disease humorous royalty disease jealousy courting homosexuality marriage sex wedding
FOUND_IN: Australia Britain(England) US(So,SW)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Cray, pp. 122-124, "The Bastard King of England" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 506-509, "The Bastard King of England" (2 texts, 1 tune); II, pp.655-658 (2 texts)
Silber-FSWB, p. 197, "The Bastard King Of England" (1 text)
DT, BSTDKING BSTDKNG2
Roud #8388
RECORDINGS:
Anonymous singer, "The Bastard King of England" (on Unexp1)
NOTES: Cray tells us, "As the story goes, Rudyard Kipling wrote 'The Bastard King of England' (pronounced En-ga-land') and that authorship cost him his poet laureate's knighthood. It is too bad that the attribution is apparently spurious; 'The Bastard King' would undoubtedly be Kipling's most popular work."
I'm sure none of you expect a song like this to be historical, but just in case you do, I'm going to prove it wasn't.
To start with a nitpick, there were no bastard kings of England. William the Conqueror (1066-1087) was illegitimate, and was even called "William the Bastard" as Duke of Normandy, but he won the throne of England by conquest, not birth. King Henry VII Tudor (1485-1509) also had questionable blood, but he himself was legitimate; it's just that his father was probably a bastard, and his mother's grandfather (through whom he traced his claim to the throne) was also of doubtful legitimacy. But, again, it hardly matters; Henry held the throne by right of conquest.
If you're looking for really *dirty* English monarchs, the obvious choice is the Hannoverians -- most especially George I (1714-1727). Not only was George incapable of presenting a pleasant appearance, he also was highly sexually active, and put away his wife (for having an affair) at a relatively young age.
Philip of France is only slightly clearer; France had six Kings Philip: Philip I (1060-1108, making him contemporary with William the Conqueror and his sons), Philip II Augustus (1180-1223, who warred with the English kings Henry II, Richard I, and John), Philip III the Bold (1270-1285), Philip IV the Fair (1285-1314, who also warred with England), Philip V (1316-1322), and Philip VI Valois (1328-1350).
This poses some problems. Several of these French kings were involved in wars with the English (notably Philip II, Philip IV, and Philip VI). And Philip IV, in particular, was regarded as the handsomest man in Europe. But it is noteworthy that the last of them died in 1350.
However -- the kingdom of Spain did not even come into existence until the marriage of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile in the latter half of the fifteenth century. Thus the first Queen of Spain, Isabella, did not ascend until a century after the death of the last Philip of France.
What's more, England and Spain had very few dealings. The only English queen from Spain was Catherine of Aragon (plus Mary I Tudor, who became Queen of Spain by marriage). In addition, Richard I the Lion-hearted married Berengeria of Navarre -- but there is no proof he ever slept with her! - RBW
Paul Stamler proposes to split this song in two, with the second having the following description: "The (unnamed) Bastard King of England is a man of dubious morals and hygiene. The amorous Queen of Spain cavorts with him; Philip of France tries to steal her away. The BKoE sends a duke with the clap to give it to Philip, after which the Queen of Spain dumps Philip and marries the BKoE. At the wedding all dance without their pants."
Paul's notes to this state, "Obviously this is a sibling (fraternal twin?) of 'Bastard King of England (I).' But since the plot elements of (I) don't appear in (II), and vice versa, I've split them. Besides, the other guy comes out on top, so to speak. 
"Incidentally, I've assigned the keyword 'homosexuality' because Silber's version, at least, makes it sound like the 'Duke of Zippity-Zap' gives Philip the clap directly rather than through a female intermediary."
I have to think, though, that the differences between the versions are the result of two sorts of rehandling: One to make the English come out ahead of some kind of furriner or other, and the other to clean up the song. After some vacillation, and a glance at the intermediate sorts of texts, I decided to keep the two together. This is one of those songs which invites self-parodying. - RBW, PJS
The recording on "The Unexpurgated Songs of Men" is of the song I consider "Bastard King of England (II)." I suspect this is Silber's source. - PJS
File: EM122
===
NAME: Bat Shay
DESCRIPTION: "Yes, Troy City was crowded On Independence Day All listening to the verdict of Bat Shay." "Do not electrocute Bat Say, The weeping neighbors said; It would break his mother's heart And kill his poor old dad." (Shay is condemned even so.)
AUTHOR: Tom Harrington ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder political punishment execution
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Burt, p. 240, (no title) (1 fragment)
NOTES: Reportedly based on an election brawl in 1894, in which Robert Ross was killed. Burt reports that no one really knows who fired the fatal shot, but Bartholomew Shay was the one tried and punished. - RBW
File: Burt240
===
NAME: Batchelor's Walk: see Bachelor's Walk (File: PGa055)
===
NAME: Batson [Laws I10]
DESCRIPTION: Batson has worked for Mr. Earle for years without being properly paid. At last he murders Earle. He is arrested and sentenced to die. Much of the ballad is devoted to details of Batson's hanging and his conversations while in prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934 (Lomax collection)
KEYWORDS: murder gallows-confession execution
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Laws I10, "Batson"
Roud #4178
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lamkin" [Child 93] (plot)
NOTES: As far as I know, [Batson] has been collected, in anything resembling complete form, only once, in Lafayette, LA, in 1934, by Lomax, from "Stavin' Chain"
(Wilson Jones). Jones said it was based on a crime that happened near Lake Charles, LA, but Lomax's inquiries failed to confirm the story.
Nearly ten years earlier, Gordon had received three verses from two informants and had briefly looked into the factual history, sufficient to establish that the ballad is based on a crime committed near Lake Charles, LA, in 1902 and the subsequent conviction and execution, by hanging, of Albert "Ed" Batson, age 22, a hired hand on the farm of one of the victims, Ward Earll. Batson was from Spickard, Grundy County, MO.
A book written about the crime in 1903 argued that Batson's conviction on purely circumstantial evidence was probably wrong and that other leads should have been investigated. The book also states that there was high prejudice against Batson and that local citizens who swore that they could be fair jurors also made statements indicating that they were convinced of his guilt. A motion for a change of venue was denied in the face of substantial indications that Batson could not get a fair trial in the venue of the crime.
I have now made contact with relatives of Ed Batson. They know about his case, and they believe him to have been innocent. They tell of a statement clearing Ed, made many years after the murder and trial by a "colored man" who had been afraid to come forward at the time. - JG
File: LI10
===
NAME: Battle Cry of Freedom, The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, we'll rally 'round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again, Shouting the battle cry of freedom... The Union forever, hurrah, boys, hurrah...." Sundry boasts about the might and patriotism of the Union army marching to overcome the rebels
AUTHOR: George F. Root
EARLIEST_DATE: 1862
KEYWORDS: Civilwar patriotic
FOUND_IN: US Australia
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Meredith/Anderson, p. 34, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune, thoroughly mixed with "Marching Through Georgia")
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 18-21, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 18-19, "The Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 346-347, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (1 text)
Hill-CivWar, p. 205, "The Battlecry of Freedom" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 285, "The Battle Cry Of Freedom" (1 text)
DT, BATTLCRY*
ST MA034 (Full)
RECORDINGS:
[Arthur] Harlan & [Frank] Stanley, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Victor 4099, c. 1904) (CYL: Edison 8805, 1904)
J. W. Myers, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Victor 3387, c. 1904)
John Terrell, "Battle Cry of Freedom" (Berliner 1854, 1898)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The People's Rally Cry" (tune)
SAME_TUNE:
The People's Rally Cry (Greenway-AFP, p. 61)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
We'll Rally Round the Flag
Rally Round the Flag
File: MA034
===
NAME: Battle Hymn of the Republic, The
DESCRIPTION: "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord...." A hymn of praise to a martial God, who sounds forth a trumpet "that shall never call retreat," and to Christ who "died to make men holy." The listener is reminded, "Our God is marching on."
AUTHOR: Words: Julia Ward Howe (1819-1910)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1861
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad patriotic war
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 22-24, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 36-37, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hill-CivWar, pp. 193-194, "Battle-Hymn of the Republic" (1 text)
Krythe 7, pp. 113-132, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 286, "The Battle Hymn Of The Rebublic" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 131-135+, "Battle Hymn of the Republic (Say, Brothers, Will You Meet Us? -- John Brown -- Glory Hallelujah -- John Brown's Baby Had a Cold upon His Chest")
DT, GLORYHAL*
ADDITIONAL: Charles Johnson, One Hundred and One Famous Hymns (Hallberg, 1982), p. 90-91, "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text, 1 tune)
Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #176, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (1 text)
ST RJ19022 (Full)
RECORDINGS:
100% Americans, "Battle Hymn of the Republic" (KKK 75005, c. 1924) 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John Brown's Body" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES: Yes, you read the recording listing correctly: a recording of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" issued by the Ku Klux Klan. I haven't heard the disk in question, but one would suspect it's been slightly, umm, folk-processed. - PJS
I'm not sure even that follows; there isn't much in the Hymn that is really anti-slavery, and military metaphors are common among reactionary conservatives.
The words to this piece were written by Julia Ward Howe in November 1861 (so Fuld; Johnson says December, as Howe watched a parade of Union troops). It was first published in 1862 with neither music nor the famous "Glory hallelujah" refrain. It was not until the text and music were combined (later in 1862) that the piece became a success. - RBW
File: RJ19022
===
NAME: Battle of Aboukir Bay, The: see The Powder Monkey (Soon We'll Be in England Town) (File: CrNS057)
===
NAME: Battle of Alford, The
DESCRIPTION: Covenanters attacked Alford and were hunted "until three hundred o' our men lay gaspin in their lair." A shot in the back -- from his own men? -- killed Gordon. "Altho' he was our enemy We grieved for his wrack" Scotland had no match for him.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan1)
KEYWORDS: battle rebellion death
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
GreigDuncan1 114, "The Battle of Alford" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3802
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "In this Aberdeenshire battle fought on 2 July 1645, the Royalists under Montrose defeated the Covenanters, but lost one of their leaders, Lord George Gordon."
For some background on the Covenanters and Montrose see "The Bonnie House o Airlie [Child 199]," "The Battle of Philiphaugh [Child 202]." and "The Haughs o' Cromdale." - BS
1645 was "the Year of Miracles" for Montrose, in which he nearly overcame the Covenanters of Scotland. The most important battle of the campaign was probably Auldern/Auldearn (May 8/9, 1645), which may well be the subject of "The Haughs o' Cromdale." Alford was much less significant -- I had to go through four histories before I found a description in Magnus Magnusson, _Scotland: The Story of a Nation_, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 440: "A few weeks after [Auldearn], after further sparring, the armies clashed again, on 2 July 1646 [typo for 1645], near the village of Alford, in Aberdeenshire. For once the opposing forces were almost equal in strength -- around two thousand men on each size. Montrose was able to lure the Covenanters out of a strong defensive position by feigning retreat. Once again the Royalists won the day, but this time at heavy cost to both armies." - RBW
File: GrD1114
===
NAME: Battle of Alma, The: see The Heights of Alma (I) [Laws J10] (File: LJ10)
===
NAME: Battle of Antietam Creek, The
DESCRIPTION: At Antietam, singer hears a wounded comrade tell of leaving his home, disliking his master, and running off to New Orleans, where he is concripted.After ten battles, he has been wounded. The singer realizes that the man is his own brother
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (recording, Warde Ford)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: At the battle of Antietam Creek, singer hears a wounded comrade tell of leaving his home and family for Ohio. The man tells of being an apprentice, disliking his master, then running off to New Orleans, where he is concripted into the army. He has been in ten battles, but has finally been wounded -- by his brother, he thinks. The singer realizes that the man is his own brother, and rushes to him as he dies. The singer buries him
KEYWORDS: army battle Civilwar war parting travel death dying burial work injury brother apprentice
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Sept 17, 1862 - Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg). Robert E. Lee's invasion of Maryland meets a bloody check at the hands of McClellan
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #15487
RECORDINGS:
Warde Ford, "The Battle of Antietam Creek" (AFS 4213 A, 1939; on LC29, in AMMEM/Cowell)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "General Lee's Wooing" (subject)
NOTES: The Battle of Antietam/Sharpsburg was hardly a victory for anyone. It produced the highest casualties of any single day of battle in the war. By the time it was over, every regiment in Lee's army was worn out, and he may have had fewer than 25,000 effective soldiers left. McClellan still had unused troops, but he refused to commit them; his losses had also been immense.
After the battle, Lee headed back across the Potomac. The wooing of Maryland was over. The one good result of Antietam was that it was enough of a victory -- barely -- to allow Lincoln to issue the preliminary Emancipation Proclamation.
Both the fact that the dying soldier was inducted in Louisiana and the fact that he had been in ten battles would imply that he was a member of Stonewall Jackson's corps. In all likelihood, we are to believe that he was a member of either Hays's "Louisiana Tigers" (division of Ewell/Early) or Starke's/Stafford's brigade (division of Jackson/Winder/Talliaferro/Stark; later commanded by Edward Johnson). These were, apart from a few artillerymen, the only Louisiana troops in Lee's army.
What's more, the divisions of Ewell and Jackson had had harder fighting than almost any others in the army. A truly veteran regiment from other parts of Lee's army -- say the First North Carolina -- might have fought seven or eight battles by then (First Bull Run, Fair Oaks/Seven Pines, Seven Days, Second Bull Run, and Antietam, plus perhaps one or two skirmishes such as Big Bethel or Williamsburg) -- but Jackson's and Ewell's troops had also had a part in the dozen or so battles of Jackson's Valley Campaign. - RBW
File: RcBoAC
===
NAME: Battle of Ballycohy, The
DESCRIPTION: Billy Scully "turn'd from the Church." He gave notice to tenants who had paid their rent. Armoured, he was shot by "the boys of Ballycohy" and Gorman and a peeler Scully had for help were killed. "Here's success to brave Moore, says the Shan Van Voch"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1868 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: battle death farming Ireland landlord police
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 7D, "The Battle of Ballycohy" (1 text, 1 tune)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.7(1), "The Battle of Ballycohy," P. Brereton (Dublin), c.1867; also Johnson Ballads 2243c, "The Battle of Ballycohy"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (tune)
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (1828) for Shan Van Voght song on another subject.
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" (1848) for Shan Van Voght song on another subject.
cf. "The Shan Van Voght" and references there, including Shan Van Voght broadsides on other subjects
cf. "Rory of the Hill" (subject:  the shooting of Billy Scully)
NOTES: Zimmermann 7D: "William Scully purchased a property in Ballycohey, County Tipperary. Scully soon became the terror of his tenantry. He turned Protestant when the Catholic priest remonstrated against his conduct. In 1868, he decided to evict his twenty-one tenants, but when he went to serve his notices, he was severely wounded. His steward and a constable were killed. It is believed that the landlord wore a suit of chain-mail which saved his life. Before Scully recovered from his wounds, Charles Moore, then Member for Tipperary, purchased the Ballycohey estate." - BS
File: Zimm07D
===
NAME: Battle of Barossa, The
DESCRIPTION: "On the second day of February, from Cadiz we set sail." They travel via Gibraltar and Algiers to "the Reef o' Bay." General Graham encourages the British army. The 92nd and 81st regiments fight valiantly. The soldiers anticipate seeing home and women
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(181))
KEYWORDS: soldier battle Spain
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: March 5, 1811 - Battle of Barrosa
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Greig #94, pp. 2-3, "The Battle of Barossa" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan1 148, "The Battle of Barossa" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
Ord, pp. 291-293, "The Battle of Barossa" (1 text)
Roud #2182
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(181), "Battle of Barossa" ("On the 21st of February from Cadiz we set sail"), J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 11(181), "Battle of Barossa"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Oliver's Advice (Barossa)" (subject)
cf. "Barrosa Plains" (subject)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Battle of Trafalgar
Barossa's Plains
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "Learnt twenty-five years ago. Noted 13th September 1907." - BS
Roud lumps this with the poorly-attested "Oliver's Advice (Barrosa)," but the two are clearly separate songs.
The "battle" of Barrosa was more of a skirmish; the forces involved were small, though the British won a clear victory. Most histories of the Napoleonic Wars don't seem even to mention it, and the sources can't even agree on whether to call it "Barrosa" or "Barossa." (The former seems to be correct.)
The battle was part of the attempt to relieve the French siege of Cadiz. By the time the British and Spanish arrived in March 1811, Cadiz had been under siege for 13 months. But shortly before (by coincidence), the besieging commander Claude Perrin Victor (1764-1841) had had to detach about a third of his forces for use elsewhere in Spain.
Thomas Graham (1748-1843) had meanwhile brought some 5000 troops from Britain (the fleet setting sail on February 21, not February 2); they landed at Algeciras (called "Algiers" in the song) and joined a rather larger Spanish force under La Pena.
When the combined force encountered French troops on March 5, the Spanish fled, as described in the song, but Graham rallied the British and shoved aside a somewhat larger French force. He was not able to relieve Cadiz, but the British had a nice little victory to boast about.
The siege of Cadiz finally ended in August 1812. Marshal Soult, French commander in Spain, had lost at Salamanca and decided to withdraw the troops to reinforce his weakened army.
For the 92nd Regiment (Gordon Highlanders), mentioned in the song, see the notes to "The Gallant Ninety-Twa." The 81st Regiment (Loyal Lincolnshire Volunteers), has had an even more complex history, being raised in 1741 and receiving its number in 1793. It was amalgamated into the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment in 1881, and then in 1970 into the Queen's Lancashire Regiment; obviously there isn't much continuity in its history. It fought throughout the Peninsular Campaign but did not serve in the Hundred Days.
Interestingly, the song (at least the versions I've checked) does not mention the 87th Regiment (Royal Irish Fusiliers), officially regarded as the unit most responsible for the British success, which captured an eagle and celebrate March 4 (Barrosa Day) as a regimental anniversary. That regiment is, however, strongly praised in "Barrosa Plains," also about this battle.
The spelling ÒBarossaÓ in the title is Ord's; and seems to occur a lot in traditional sources (so much so that I called the battle by that name in earlier editions of the Index); I have bestowed the name "The Battle of Barossa" on that basis, even though that is not the correct name of the battle. - RBW
File: Ord291
===
NAME: Battle of Boulogne, The
DESCRIPTION: "On the second of August, eighteen hundred and one, We sailed with Lord Nelson to the port of Boulogne." The forces attack a strongly entrenched position, and suffer heavy casualties. Nelson and crews work for better times for the wounded
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1826 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.18(216))
KEYWORDS: sea sailor battle death ship
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug 2, 1801 - Battle of Boulogne
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North),Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 178-179, "The Battle of Boulogne" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan1 145, "The Battle of Boulogne" (1 text)
ST StoR178 (Partial)
Roud #3175
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.18(216), "A new song, composed by the wounded tars at the seige of Boulogne" ("On the second of August eighteen hundred and one"), Angus (Newcastle), 1774-1825; also Firth c.13(46), Harding B 11(3670A), Firth c.13(45), Firth b.25(81), "The Battle of Boulogne"; Harding B 25(139), "The Battle of Boulougne"
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Second of August
NOTES: For a conflict involving Lord Nelson (1758-1805), most histories have little to say about the Battle of Boulogne -- many histories of the Napoleonic Wars don't mention it at all. Nelson, always aggressive, attempted an attack on the French fortifications, and was bloodily repulsed, much as described in the song.
This song is known primarily from broadsides, but Greig at least had a traditional version. - RBW
File: StoR178
===
NAME: Battle of Bridgewater, The
DESCRIPTION: "On the twenty-fifth of July, as you may hear them say, We had a short engagement on the plains of Chippewa." Although the British have 8000 men, and American generals Brown and Scott are wounded, the Americans win the day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: battle soldier death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: July 25, 1814 - Battle of Lundy's Lane (Bridgewater)
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
JHCox 61, "The Battle of Bridgewater" (1 text)
Roud #4030
NOTES: This is item dA32 in Laws's Appendix II.
The first year of the War of 1812 went very badly for the Americans on the Canadian front, with every move repulsed (see the notes to "The Battle of Queenston Heights" and "Brave General Brock [Laws A22]"). In 1813, things went better for the Americans, as they won the Battle of Lake Erie (see the notes to "James Bird" [Laws A5]) and managed to move into Canada. But that year also saw the war turn ugly. An American militia officer named George McClure, left to garrison Fort George on the Canadian side of the Niagara River, decided he had to evacuate -- and burned the town of Newark as he left. From then on, Canadian apathy turned to anger, and the British -- with Napoleon soon to be out of the picture -- were able to escalate the war. On December 30, they burned Buffalo (see Walter R. Borneman, _1812: The War That Forged a Nation_, pp., 170-171).
1814 saw the Americans start their last offensive; a new commander, Jacob Brown, sent his chief subordinate Winfield Scott across the Niagara River on July 3 (Borneman, p. 185; Donald R. Hickey, _The War of 1812_, p. 185). They quickly swallowed up the British garrison at Fort Erie. Major General Phineas Riall, the British commander at Fort George (the main base in the area), brought together what troops he could on the Chippewa River, but of course Brown was also bringing up troops. Brown's army on July 4 marched the 16 miles to the Chippewa River (Fort Erie is on the shores of Lake Erie, the Chippewa about half way between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, just above Niagara Falls)
The two armies met on July 5. It appears, from the numbers in Borneman (p. 189), that neither army was fully engaged; most of the fighting on the American side was done by Scott's brigade -- who, however, heavily pounded Riall's troops. That encouraged Brown to bring his entire force across the Niagara River (Hickey, p. 187).
Brown then started to march toward Queenston, the town near Lake Ontario which the Americans had signally failed to take in 1812. This time, they took Queenston Heights -- and retreated.. Brown requested naval support from Commodore Isaac Chauncey, the American commander on Lake Ontario. It was not forthcoming (Borneman, p. 189; HIckey, p. 187), meaning that Brown's supply line was the tenuous one from Fort Erie. The British, as it turned out, weren't getting naval support either -- but they were getting help. Lt. General Gordon Drummond, the British commander in Upper Canada, arrived to take charge, and troops were also trickling in. There were rumors that the British were sending forces to the American side of the Niagara. Brown fell back to the Chippewa (Borneman, p. 190).
Brown did not sit tight, though. On July 25, he sent Scott on a reconnaissance. Scott had marched only a couple of miles north toward Queenston when he ran into nearly  the entire British army in position at Lundy's Lane (which was just what it sounded like: A minor dirt road). Heavily outnumbered, Scott nonetheless stood his ground and called for help from the rest of the American army. Brown brought forward his other two brigades (though he committed only one of them).
The result was chaotic. On the American side, Scott was wounded, then Brown, leaving the army under the commandof a junior brigadier, who interepreted one of Brown's orders as a command to retreat. He did so, even leaving some British guns in the field (Borneman, p. 195). The British had their own casualties -- Riall had lost an arm and Drummond suffered a lesser wound -- but they held the field, and they had perhaps the slight advantage in casualties suffered: They lost about 875-900, representing probably 25-27% of their forces in the field (Borneman, p. 195; Hickey, p. 188); American losses were about 850, but thatÕs something like a third of their total force (I read somewhere that Amercain casualties may even have been in the 40-50% range).
The British later besieged Fort Erie (August 2-September 1); they were unable to capture it (they conducted a very costly assault on August 15, costing them another 900 or so casualties; Borneman, p. 197; Hickey, p. 189). But in November, the new Amerrican commander, George Izard, evacuated and blew up the post, and the Niagara front was finally quiet (Borneman, p. 198; Hickey, p. 189). - RBW
File: JHCox061
===
NAME: Battle of Bull Run, The [Laws A9]
DESCRIPTION: [Irvin] McDowell leads a Union army to defeat at Bull Run (Manasses Junction). The valiant rebels are compared with the cowardly Unionists, who are so completely routed that many fine Washington ladies must flee with them.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle patriotic
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
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws A9, "The Battle of Bull Run"
Randolph 210, "Manassa Junction" (2 texts, 1 tune)
DT 799, MANASJCT
Roud #2202
NOTES: Although the Confederates won the Battle of Bull Run (and its successor a year later), the insults they flung at their opponents were rather unfair. Both armies were raw, and had a number of inept general officers; the Confederates won more because they were on the defensive than because of any superiority on their part.
It is true, however, that the Federal army wound up in rout, and that many fine ladies who had gone out to see the show fled with them. They hardly need to have hurried, however; the Confederates were so disorganized that they could not follow up their victory.
The truth is, neither side was ready for the battle, and both fought rather poorly. Union commander Irvin McDowell was well aware that his men were not ready for combat. But it was a case of "use them or lose them"; the Federal government, in its folly, had initially enlisted soldiers for only ninety days, and by July, their terms were expiring (see, e.g., Bruce Catton, _The Coming Fury_, p. 445). So, ready or not, McDowell marched. At least he expected to have the advantage in numbers -- roughly 40,000 men to 25,000 Confederates (Catton, p. 444).
He did not realize that he would also have an enemy who played right into his hands. The Confederates were concentrated at Mannasses Junction, near a creek known as Bull Run, a few dozen miles south of Washington. Their commander was the famous Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard, who had commanded the bombardment of Fort Sumter that started the war. Beauregard had shown himself a competent engineer, and later would reveal some skill in defensive warfare. But whenever Beauregard was in position to plan a set piece battle, the results were pretty dreadful. Bull Run was his masterpiece. His objective was simply to hold off McDowell. But his battle plan made that nearly impossible.
The Federals would inevitably come down from Washington to a town called Centreville, about three miles away from Bull Run. From there, they would deploy and attack -- somewhere.
Beauregard had under his command the equivalent of about eight brigades. A logical approach would have been to spread them out along Bull Run, with a strong central reserve to resist where McDowell attacked. But a glance at Douglas Southall Freeman, _Lee's Lieutenants_, p. 47, shows that he did no such thing. His left was hanging in midair. In what should have been his center, he posted about two and a half brigades to guard the entire Bull Run front. The rest of his force, roughly two-thirds of the whole, he concentrated around Blackburn's Ford for a counterattack on Centreville once the Union force was defeated. Unless he received reinforcements, he had no general reserve; it was all at Blackburn's Ford.
And the Federals didn't go that way. They went around Beauregard's left, and were in position to roll up his flank (see Curt Johnson & Mark McLaughlin, _Civil War Battles_, p. 33).
Beauregard was lucky. Reinforcements were coming. There were actually two armies on the Virginia front: One between Washington and Richmond, commanded by Beauregard, and one in the Shenandoah Valley, commanded by Joseph E. Johnston. The Federals had an army in the Valley also, and it was supposed to pin Johnston down, but the Union army was commanded by an officer by the name of Robert Patterson, who had actually fought in the War of 1812 (Catton, p. 445). Patterson, old and confusing orders, simply sat, and Johnston took four brigades -- one led by a fellow by the name of Thomas Jonathan Jackson -- to Bull Run by railroad (Catton, pp. 446-449; James M. McPherson, _Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era_, pp. 339-340).
Few generals had even been luckier than Beauregard. With his army about to be defeated in detail, Johnston showed up, and they sent their troops to where the Federals were attacking. They set up a defensive line, anchored by Jackson whose brigade stood Òlike a stone wall" (earning him the nickname "Stonewall" Jackson; Catton, p. 460; McPherson, p. 342. There is controversy about exactly what happened there -- see Freeman, pp. 733-734 -- but no doubt that the Confederate line drawn by Jackson held).
Attacking is harder than defending. It's especially hard for inexperienced troops. The Union forces had done fine when they were rolling up the Confederate flank. Confronted with real opposition, they ran out of steam, and gradually the assault turned into a retreat, which turned into a rout (Freeman, p. 72; McPherson, pp. 344-345).
This should have been Beauregard's big hour. Those five brigades at Blackburn's Ford? If they could get to Centreville and hold it, they could capture nearly the entire Federal army.
No dice. Beauregard's command arrangements were so bad, and his planning so incomplete, and his forces so ill-trained, that nothing much happened (Freeman, pp. 73-78). Johnston would lter write, "Our army was more disorganized by victory than that of the United States by defeat" (McPherson, p. 345).  First Bull Run was an overwhelming Confederate victory. But it was a victory that accomplished almost nothing except to show that neither army was really ready to fight.
The Union flight back to Washington involved more than soldiers. A number of congressmen and other dignitaries had come out to see the show. After the battle, the various impedimenta they took along caused the retreat to become even more disorganized as their coaches and such fouled and blocked the bad and muddy roads. - RBW
File: LA09
===
NAME: Battle of Carrickshock, The
DESCRIPTION: The Irish are liberated: "They'll pay no more the unjust taxation, Tithes are abolished on Sliav na Mon." The Catholics exult. The battle was bloody and Luther's candle now is fading. We'll banish the oppressors and traitors.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: battle death Ireland political police
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec 14, 1831 - Carrickshock, County Kilkenny: Peasants attack tithe process servers, killing at least 13 (source: Zimmermann)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 91, "The Battle of Carrickshock" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9772
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "A Discussion Between Church and Chapel" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Sorrowful Lamentation of Denis Mahony" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "Daniel O'Connell (II)" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "Fergus O'Connor and Independence" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Castlepollard Massacre" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Barrymore Tithe Victory" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "The Ass and the Orangeman's Daughter" (subject: The Tithe War)
cf. "Slieve Na Mon" (subject: The Tithe War and the Carrickshock Riot)
cf. "The Three O'Donnells" (subject: The Tithe War)
NOTES: OLochlainn-More: "Our song celebrates a famous victory by the peasants over the 'Peelers' [police] in the Tithe war, 1831-4."
"The event occurred on an isolated road in south Kilkenny in December 1831 when an armed police column clashed with a large crowd, resulting in the deaths of 17 people. Unlike most incidents of this kind, the majority of the victims (13) were constables." (source: _1831: Social Memory and an Irish cause celebre_ by Gary Owens, copyright The Social History Society 2004, pdf available at the Ingenta site) - BS
Starting in 1778 and continuing through the nineteenth century, the British gradually liberalized its policy toward Catholics in Ireland, as it was also doing (more rapidly) in Britain itself. By the 1830s, only two major components were left: Catholics were barred from certain offices, and they were forced to pay the tithe.
The objectionable part of the latter was that the tithes were paid to Protestant priests of the established (Anglican) Church of Ireland.
Starting in 1830 in Kilkenny, many Catholics refused to pay the tithes. What followed wasn't really a war; it was more of a boycott, with people simply withholding their payment. But the British responded by seizing property to pay the tithes. Occasionally this led to scuffles, with this riot and one at Newtownbarry (June 18, 1831) being the biggest and best-known. There were also quite a few casualties at Castlepollard (see the notes to "The Castlepollard Massacre").
In June 1833, the government effectively gave in: It no longer forced payment of the tithe, paying off the Protestant clergy with revenue from other sources. (Unfortunately, for the next third of a century, the source was the Landlords, who raised rents accordingly, making the conflict between landlords and tenants even worse. It wasn't until the Disestablishment of the Church of Ireland -- for which see "The Downfall of Heresy" -- that Protestant clergy were entirely cut off from revenue derived from Irish Catholics.)
The Tithe War was famous. Carrickshock, however, wasn't particularly; I checked four histories of Ireland without finding an index reference.
And, of course, Anglicans are not Lutherans. They are not even, in formal terms, Protestant; they form one of the three major branches of post-Catholic Christianity (the others being Lutheran/Protestant and Reformed/Presybterian). - RBW
File: OLcM091
===
NAME: Battle of Corrymuckloch, The
DESCRIPTION: Gaugers and [six] Scottish Greys surround Donald the smuggler to seize his whisky. Donald and his men fight back with sticks and stones, knock a soldier from his horse until "the beardies quit the field [and] The gauger he was thumped"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan2)
KEYWORDS: fight Scotland injury drink soldier
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig #131, p. 2, "The Battle of Corriemuchloch" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 239, "The Battle of Corrymuckloch" (1 text)
Roud #5843
NOTES: The battle appears to have taken place in the first half of the 19th century. Greig: "Corriemuchloch [currently Balmashanner?] is a hamlet in the north of Crieff parish, Perthshire, and is within a mile and a half of Amulree. The story of the repulse of the Scots Greys by the smugglers is authentic, and is here vigorously rehearsed by the balladist, who must have had some fair measure of literary skill."
A "gauger" is an exciseman: one who collects alcohol taxes and enforces the law on people who don't pay those taxes. - BS
File: GrD2239
===
NAME: Battle of Elkhorn Tavern, The, or The Pea Ridge Battle [Laws A12]
DESCRIPTION: A Union/Confederate soldier (Dan Martin) tells of how he fled from the rebels/federals at Elkhorn Tavern
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar war
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Mar 7-8, 1862 - Battle of Pea Ridge (Elkhorn Tavern), Ark. Federal forces under Samuel Curtis had advanced into Arkansas, and were met by the larger Confederate forces of Earl Van Dorn. Van Dorn's envelopment strategy was too complex for his raw troops, and Curtis was able to beat them off and eventually counterattack
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws A12a, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern"/Laws A12b, "The Pea Ridge Battle"
Belden, pp. 368-369, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern" (1 text)
Randolph 209, "The Pea Ridge Battle" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 200-203, "The Pea Ridge Battle" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 209A)
Darling-NAS, pp. 162-163, "The Battle of Pea Ridge" (1 text)
DT 685, ELKHORNT
Roud #2201
NOTES: The officers referred to in this ballad include:
[Samuel] Curtis (1877-1866), Union commander at Pea Ridge. He was field commander of Union forces in Missouri and Arkansas for most of the war. Although badly outnumbered at Pea Ridge, he asked far less of his raw troops than Van Dorn, and so was able to win the battle
"Mackintosh" (so Belden): Probably James McIntosh (1828-1862), a Confederate general killed March 7.
[Ben] McCulloch (1811-1862), who had held field command of Confederate forces west of the Mississippi until the arrival of Van Dorn. Now relegated to command of a de facto division, he was killed on March 7
[Sterling] Price (1809-1867), former governor of Missouri and commander of Missouri's Confederate troops
"Rain": Neither army had a general named "Rain," but the Confederates had three generals named "Rains," The reference is probably to James E. Rains (1833-1862), who served in the west though he was still only a colonel (11th Tennessee) at the time of Pea Ridge
[Franz] Sigel (1824-1902), a wing and division commander under Curtis. He had attained his rank by bringing many German immigrants to the Union colors; other soldiers (both Union and Confederate) had a very low opinion of his "Dutchmen." Generally inept, Sigel had his one good day of the war at Pea Ridge. He is probably Belden's "Segal"
[William Y.] Slack (died 1862), a Confederate brigadier killed on March 7
[Earl] Van Dorn (1820-1863), commander of Confederate forces beyond the Mississippi. He was appointed to soothe the squabbles between Price and McCulloch over who was senior (the two had been squabbling about this for over a year; Price was made Major General earlier, but by the government of Missouri; McCulloch was appointed by the Confederate government). For more on his rakish personal life, see the notes to "Oh You Who Are Able...." - RBW
File: LA12
===
NAME: Battle of Fisher's Hill
DESCRIPTION: "Old Early's Camp at Fisher's Hill Resolved some Yankee's blood to spill, He chose the time when Phil was gone." Early attacks the Union troops, but Sheridan hears the fight, rides back, and rallies his troops to brush Early aside
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: battle Civilwar
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Sep 22, 1864 - Battle of Fisher's Hill.
Oct 19, 1864 - Battle of Cedar Creek
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Thomas-Makin', p. 58, "Battle of Fisher's Hill" (1 text)
ST ThBa058 (Partial)
NOTES: This song appears to conflate two battles, Fisher's Hill and Cedar Creek. Phil Sheridan (the "Phil" of the song) was appointed in August 1864 to command Union forces in the Shenandoah. They had about a 3:1 edge over the understrength corps of Jubal A. Early, who had earlier raided Washington and continued to be viewed as a major threat.
The campaign began in earnest in September, with Sheridan winning a battle at Winchester on September 19 and following it up with another at Fisher's Hill on September 22.
The Union forces thought Early no longer a threat, but he regrouped and counterattacked at Cedar Creek a month later. Sheridan was away at the time, and made his famous ride back to his army to rally the troops. Early's forces (most of them starving) had scattered to plunder the Union camp, and Early had not tried hard enough to rally them to finish off the Federals; as a result, Sheridan was able to gather his forces and crush Early finally and completely.
As "Old Early Camped at Fisher's Hill," this is item dA40 in Laws's Appendix II. Thomas doesn't indicate a tune, but I suspect "Old Dan Tucker." - RBW
File: ThBa058
===
NAME: Battle of Fredericksburg, The: see The Last Fierce Charge [Laws A17] (File: LA17)
===
NAME: Battle of Gettysburg (I), The: see The Last Fierce Charge [Laws A17] (File: LA17)
===
NAME: Battle of Harlaw, The [Child 163]
DESCRIPTION: A Highland army marches to Harlaw (to claim an earldom for their leader). The local forces oppose them on principle, and a local chief kills the Highland commander. The battle is long and bloody, but the defenders hold their ground
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1823 (Laing)
KEYWORDS: battle nobility
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1411 - Donald, Lord of the Isles, gathers an army to press his (legitimate) claim to the Earldom of Ross. Both sides take heavy losses, but the Highlanders suffer more and are driven off
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber),England(South))
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Child 163, "The Battle of Harlaw" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #7}
Bronson 163, "The Battle of Harlaw" (21 versions+1 in addenda)
GreigDuncan1 112, "The Battle of Harlaw" (14 texts, 11 tunes) {A=Bronson's #6, B=#8, C=#11, E=#9, F=#3, G=#5, H=#12, I=#10, J=#4}
Ord, pp. 473-475, "Harlaw" (1 text)
DT 163, BATHARLW*
Roud #2861
RECORDINGS:
Jeannie Robertson, "The Battle of Harlaw" (on FSBBAL2) {Bronson's #14}
Lucy Stewart, "The Battle of Harlaw" (on FSB5, FSBBAL2) (on LStewart1) {Bronson's #13}
NOTES: Most ballad books discussing Harlaw mention only the immediate cause: The conflict over the Earldom of Ross. This follows Child (whose notes, in this case, are rather inadequate).
The conflict was real but hardly the whole story: The only heir of William, Earl of Ross, was a daughter Euphemia Ross. (Not to be confused with the Euphemia Ross who was the wife of King Robert II.) There were some questions about the legality of this -- the Earldom of Ross had been a male entail (see, e.g., Stephen Boardman, _The Early Stewart Kings_, p. 47), but that could be changed.
Interestingly, there was a question about whether she would marry at all --  Oliver Thomson, _The Great Feud: The Campbells & The Macdonalds_, Sutton Publishing, 2000, p. 23, says that she possessed "severe disabilities," adding on p. 24 that she was a hunchback; apparently she was at one time destined for a convent. But given the land she controlled, that could hardly stand. King David II married her to Walter Lesley, an elderly crusader, in 1366, and changed the entail so that the earldom could pass in female line (Boardman, pp. 46-47). All might have been well had not Euphemia outlived Lesley.
In 1382, Euphemia married Alexander the "Wolf of Badenoch," a younger son of King Robert II. (Boardman, pp. 77-79). In any case, the marriage to Alexander had ended in divorce (Boardman, pp. 179-180). Magnus Magnusson, _Scotland: The Story of a Nation_, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 211, says that the Wolf was "flagrantly unfaithful," leading Euphemia to denounce the marriage and demand her land back. In the end, Euphemia left no heir.
The exact date of Euphemia Ross's death is unknown, but it was probably around 1395. Alexander of Badenoch, being the sort of man he was, held onto the earldom after her death, but he died in 1406 -- and while he had sons, they were not by Euphemia and not heirs to Ross. Donald of the Isles (died 1423), as husband of Mary/Margaret Lesley, the sister of the old Earl of Ross (Euphemia's father), was the obvious heir -- and he set out to make good that claim. Hence the events resulting in the Battle of Harlaw.
But the conflict was in fact much more important than a conflict over an earldom. Since the death of Robert Bruce, Scotland's central government had been weak even by Scottish standards: David II Bruce had spent much of his reign in English hands, his successor Robert II the Steward was a tired old man, Robert III was crippled and had limited ability to rule, and the King at the time of Harlaw was James I, who was still only a teenager and in English custody as well. The country, since the time of Robert III, had been ruled by Robert Duke of Albany, the younger brother of Robert III (they shared the name Robert because Robert III was born John but took a different throne name; he thought "John" unlucky).
Albany was energetic, but his government was not strong; Scotland was degenerating into a collection of quarreling baronies. (The mess was so bad that, when James I got loose, he would destroy as many of Albany's descendants as he could lay his hands on; see Maurice Ashley, _The House of Stuart_, J. M. Dent, 1980, p. 41) The Highlands were almost completely beyond central control. The Lords of the Isles were in effect independent kings, with a dynasty going back to the Irish-born prince Somerled (c. 1105-1164), who during the 1150s managed to lay claim to most of the Hebrides by conquest or negotiation (see Mike Ashley, _British Kings and Queens_, Barnes & Noble, 2002 [originally published as _The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens_, 1988], p. 432). The title of "Lord of the Isles" became official with "Good John," Lord of the Isles 1330-1387 (see Thomson, p. 16). Donald, the Lord of the Isles in this song, was John's heir.
The Lords of the Isles were often very conservative, holding fast to the old Gaelic ways, and they were willing to ally with anyone or anything, including the English, against the lowland government (Thomson, p. 17). As a result, they had great influence in the western Highlands. Give them control of Ross, in the central Highlands, and Scotland would likely have split into two nations -- or, possibly, the Lords of the Isles could have been able to take control of the whole thing. After all, Donald was the grandson of Robert II by his daughter Margaret (see the genealogy in Boardman, p. 41). He stood rather low in the succession -- he trailed the current king James I, James's successors if he had any, Albany and his son Murdoch and his heirs, John earl of Mar (the son of the Wolf of Badenoch, and hence Donald's step-nephew or something like that) and Mar's heirs. (Note that Mar was the leader of those who fought MacDonald at Harlaw.). Still, a sufficiently strong lord could easily get around that. Harlaw allowed the government to retain just enough control to prevent either possibility.
Magnusson, p. 231, says of the battle itself that it "has become a byword for savagery and valour... and became known in ballad and folk-tale as the Battle of Red Harlaw.... It was the fiercest and bloodiest battle ever fought by the Gaels; it was also a battle which nobody won."
Magnusson, p. 232, claims that MacDonald selected six thousand men at a Christmas feast in the Isles and shipped them to the mainland. There he picked up four thousand more followers. Thus he had perhaps ten thousand men to fight at Harlaw -- fully half the figure typically quoted in the battle, which makes the song relatively accurate compared to some histories of the time.
Magnusson adds that Mar's forces, though outnumbered, were better-armed. The uncoordinated fight consisted mostly of mobs of Highlanders charging the massed lowlanders, who held off the attacks by staying in tight formation (Magnusson, p. 233). Magnusson estimates MacDonald's losses at one thousand, Mar's at six hundred -- ten percent or more of the forces engaged.
That was Donald's last serious attempt to claim the Earldom of Ross. Albany managed a strong counter-push after that, and the Lord of the Isles was mostly quiet for the remaining dozen years of his life. Though it was a tactical draw, Harlaw was a great strategic victory for Mar and the lowlanders -- and for Albany and the central government. As well as for the Earl of Mar, who in the aftermath picked up the Earldom of Ross as well (Thomson, p. 29).
It was not the end of the conflicts between the Lords of the Isles and the central government; Alexander, the successor of Donald MacDonald, rebelled against King James I almost as soon as his father died. He had a great deal of success, and almost managed to capture Inverness -- but James I was not Albany. He gathered an army and captured Alexander MacDonald (Thomson, p. 30). It seemed as if the power of the Lords of the Isles would be broken. It probably would have been, had James lived longer. But he was murdered, and his heir was a minor, and the pro-government Earl of Ross was killed at Verneuil (the last great victory of the English over the French in the Hundred Years' War; Thomson, p. 32, says Ross died in 1436, but Verneuil was fought in 1424 -- and Desmond Seward, _The Hundred Years War: The English in France, 1337-1453_, 1978 [I used the 1982  Atheneum edition], p. 201, says explicitly that John Stewart, Earl of Mar, was one of many killed at Verneuil.)
Alexander of the Isles -- who seems to have escaped his captivity quickly (Maurice Ashley, p. 42) was able to regain much of his power as a result. The regency, to earn his support, finally gave him the Earldom of Ross (Thomson, p. 32; Maurice Ashley, p. 47, adds that he was appointed Judiciar as well, the idea being to get him to control the Highlands). He supported the regency (probably out of self-interest) until his death in 1449. But John MacDonald, who succeeded him as Lord of the Isles and Earl of Ross while still a teenager (Thomson, p. 35), was reckless and not particularly wise in his gambles. When his correspondence with the English was revealed, he lost the Earldom of Ross (Thomson, p. 37). And his (political) marriage was childless (Thomson, p. 36). John had illegitimate children, including a son Angus Og whom he managed to have legitimized, but Angus Og rebelled against his father. In the aftermath of the war between James III and James IV, Angus Og was murdered, meaning that John's heir was his grandson Donald Dhu -- a young man already a prisoner in a Cambell castle (Thomson, p. 40).  John was by now so distrusted (and so ineffective) that he was stripped of the title "Lord of the Isles"; the title was never really revived (Thomson, p. 41). Donald Dhu's death in 1845 marked the effective end of the MacDonald dynasty in any event; there were collateral branches, of course, but no longer a true clanleader. The Battle of Harlaw thus marked, in a sense, the pinnacle of MacDonald power. And, hence, the turning point that would ultimately make the Campbells the great clan of Scotland.
This ballad is generally regarded as historically unreliable, on several counts -- a charge dating back to Child. David Buchan, however, takes a different view (see "History and Harlaw," printed in E. B. Lyle, ed., _Ballad Studies_).
The first objection to the song lies in the prominence of the Forbeses in a battle directed by the Earl of Mar. Buchan, however, alludes to Dr. Douglas Simpson's book _The Earldom of Mar_, which attempts to reconstruct this battle.
According to this view, the citizens of Aberdeenshire were concerned about the invasion by Highlandmen, and sought to block it. But they could not know which route MacDonald would take to the city -- via Harlaw or Rhynie Gap, several hours' march apart. Simpson argues that Mar garrisoned Harlaw and assigned the Forbeses, strong vassals situated in the area, to guard Rhynie.
When the Highlandmen arrived at Harlaw, Mar sent for the Forbeses. They arrived on the scene, defeated the nearest Highland forces, and partly retrieved the battle. The ballad then makes sense if seen as a description from the Forbes standpoint.
The second objection, to the presence of Redcoats, Buchan meets by assuming the song has been confused with an account of the Jacobite rebellions. This strikes me as less convincing.
The third argument that the song is recent comes from the similarity of versions. Buchan argues that this could have been caused by broadsheets distributed by Alexander Laing, who printed the earliest (B) fragment known to Child. This is possible though by no means sure (no such broadsheet, to my knowledge, has been found) -- but in any case the objection is weak, because Bronson's #15, at least, represents a text well removed from the common stream. Most texts of "Harlaw" are from Aberdeenshire; they could be close together simply because many singers knew the song and could compare their texts.
Ord reports a claim that the chorus is derived from a druidic chant. Uh-huh. - RBW
File: C163
===
NAME: Battle of Jericho: see Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho (File: LxU110)
===
NAME: Battle of Kilcumney, The
DESCRIPTION: The rebels are routed at the Battle of Kilcumney. Afterwards, nine British troops burn John Murphy's house. Four Wexford pikemen kill five of the nine. Teresa Malone escapes from the house to rebel lines after shooting one more of the attackers.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1998 (Kinsella, Moran and Murphy's _Kilcumney '98--its Origins, Aftermath and Legacy_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: battle rebellion escape death soldier
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: June 26, 1798 - "The western division of the United army, under Fr John Murphy, was attacked upon Kilcumney Hill, near Goresbridge, by General Sir Charles Asgill, and dispersed. The troops did not confine their attention to the rebel army, but carried out a slaughter of the inhabitants of Kilcumney itself." (source: Moylan)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 93, "The Battle of Kilcumney" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Father Murphy (I)" (subject of Father Murphy) and references there
NOTES: This particular affair was the last spasm of a dying cause, and hardly is mentioned in most histories. The Big Event had been five days earlier, at Vinegar Hill, where General Lake had dispersed the Wexford rebels. But his encirclement had been incomplete, and a handful including Father Murphy fled toward Kilkenny (see Robert Kee, _The Most Distressful Country_, being volume I of _The Green Flag_, p. 122). Their victory at Kilcolmney (as Kee spells it) was only a skirmish, an did no real good; the locals offered no help, and the rebels continued their flight, ending eventually in the death of Murphy and others (see the notes to "Father Murphy (I)" and "Some Treat of David").
General Asgill, it is generally agreed, is as brutal as Moylan's note implies; even the pro-British Thomas Pakenham calls him "as insensitive and negligent as [British Commander in Chief General] Lake." (Pakenham, _The Year of Liberty_, p. 282). Given that Lake could at least as well have been called "snake" (with apologies to all reptiles, which possess neither guile nor treachery nor Lake's peculiar stupidity), this will give you a clear view of Asgill. - RBW
File: Moyl093
===
NAME: Battle of Mill Springs, The [Laws A13]
DESCRIPTION: A wounded soldier speaks fondly of his family and sweetheart. He wonders who will care for them. He recalls how soldiers looked so gallant when he was a little boy. He kisses the (Union) flag and dies.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: patriotic battle death Civilwar
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jan 19, 1862 - Battle of Logan Cross Roads (Mill Springs), Kentucky. A small battle (about 4000 troops on each side) which ended in a Confederate retreat but little substantial result except for the death of the Confederate commander Zollicoffer 
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws A13, The Battle of Mill Springs
JHCox 65, "The Battle of Mill Springs" (1 text)
Thomas-Makin', pp. 83-86, "Wounded Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 775, MILSPRNG
Roud #627
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Young Edward
Young Edwards
NOTES: This isn't really about the Battle of Mill Springs, or any other battle; that's just a convenient title. Thomas's text, e.g., calls the conflict "Humboldt Springs," which is no battle at all (at least according to Phisterer's comprehensive list of 2261 Civil War battles) and implies that the boy is from England. It's really just a platform for a lot of familiar themes: The dying soldier bidding his family farewell, etc.
Mill Springs may have been chosen because it was one of the first battles of the war (the only prior battles of significance were First Bull Run and Wilson's Creek; Mill Springs was the first real battle on the Kentucky front). - RBW
File: LA13
===
NAME: Battle of New Orleans, The [Laws A7]
DESCRIPTION: American troops under Andrew Jackson easily repulse the British attempt to capture New Orleans. After three unsuccessful charges, the British are forced to retire.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Brewster in SFQ 1)
KEYWORDS: war battle
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 was killed in the battle.
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws A7, "The Battle of New Orleans"
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 560, "The Battle of New Orleans" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 380, BATNWOR2*
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hunters of Kentucky" [Laws A25] " (subject)
cf. "The Battle of New Orleans (II)" (subject)
cf. "Pakenham" (subject)
NOTES: Not to be confused with the Jimmy Driftwood song of the same name. - PJS
For the general background of the final campaigns of the War of 1812, see the notes on "The Siege of Plattsburg."
The force which attacked New Orleans had previously been involved in the Chesapeake campaign; see the notes to "The Star-Spangled Banner." The British thought to send them to Louisisana in no small part because they thought the French and Spanish residents would be unhappy with the Americans running things (see Donald R. Hickey, _The War of 1812_, p. 204). They don't seem to have done much to take advantage of that, though, and Robert Ross, who was initially supposed to command the attack, had been ordered not to make any substantial promises to the locals (Hickey, p. 205). It was one of many advantages the British voluntarily handed over to Andrew Jackson, the American commander on the Gulf of Mexico.
Jackson had had a difficult time in the War of 1812; the administration distrusted him (see Walter R. Borneman, _1812: The War that Forged a Nation_, p. 136) and tried to keep him in the background. But he had been lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to fight the Creek War (for which see "Andrew Jackson's Raid"), and after that, he was too politically significant to be shuttled aside. When the final thrust of the war began, it came in Jackson's district.
Jackson wasn't the greatest strategist; when the British force headed for New Orleans, he was convinced it was heading for Mobile, and tried to distribute his forces accordingly (Borneman, p. 265. To be sure, the British had made an earlier probe at Mobile, which was easily repulsed; Hickey, p. 206). Fortunately, his subordinates resisted, which in the end saved Jackson a great deal of trouble. When the British arrived at the mouth of the Mississippi, Jackson's forces were scattered -- but the British were slow to attack, and Jackson was able to concentrate. Jackson also did a good job of instilling discipline into the disastrously disorderly Appalachian militia, though it took several executions to bring it about. (As it was, most of those famous "Hunters of Kentucky" would break when they first faced British troops in December.) Plus he fortified the city and its approaches, something which had been neglected until then (Hickey, p. 206).
The British failure was one of those things that was no one person's fault. The campaign had begun as early as November 26, 1814, when British Admiral Alexander Cochrane set sail from Jamaica (Borneman, p. 276). He ha with him a new Army commander; the veteran Robert Ross had been killed in Maryland. His replacement was Sir Edward Pakenham, Wellington's brother-in-law, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars whose record till then had been good (Hickey, p. 208) but who was new to the Americas and whose command experience was limited. And the weather was generally to prove terrible, much debilitating the attackers (Hickey, p. 209).
The biggest single problem was logistic. The British fleet was not really equipped for Louisiana operations -- it needed shallow-bottomed vessels to maneuver in the marshes, and it didn't have them. This closed off some of the best routes into New Orleans. (There were three basic routes to New Orleans: By shallow boat across Lake Ponchartrain, by ship up the Mississippi, and by land across the Plain of Gentilly. The lack of boats closed off Lake Ponchartrain, an there were enough forts along the Mississippi that the admirals didnÕt want to try that. That left Gentilly, which unfortunately for the British was both marshy and narrow).
On December 23, the British advance guard met the first American militia, and routed them. The British veterans won a quick victory (Hickey, p. 209, says that the British suffered more casualties while conceding that they held the field), but their commander, not knowing the size or location of JacksonÕs main force, failed to push on (Borneman, p. 277). It would eventually prove a fatal decision by the British brigade commander John Keane.
It is rarely mentioned that Jackson brought up his troops that evening and tried a counterattack, which failed (Borneman, pp. 277-278). Still, as general Pakenham discovered when he arrived on Christmas Day, the British troops had put themselves in something of a box: The Mississippi was on their left, the impassible swamps not-quite-connecting Lakes Ponchartrain and Borgne on their right, and the Americans in their front. There were only two ways out: To go through Jackson, or to retreat -- and, by this time, with Jackson alert to their presence, it would be much harder to mount a new attack. Still, Pakenham was not ready to give up (Hickey, p. 210).
Pakenham did his best to improve the situation. His plan did not call for a simple head-on attack. Rather, he planned to send a brigade to the west bank of the Mississippi, to take over the American guns there and use them to enfilade the American lines. He also had a regiment equipped with fascines to get his troops across the Rodriguez Canal which guarded the American front. He set up several artillery batteries in field fortifications of sugar barrels to attack the American lines. (Hickey, p. 210). And he planned to attack in darkness and fog (Borneman, pp. 280-282).
None of it worked. The sugar barrels set up to guard the artillery were a disaster; it had been thought that sugar would be as good a protection as sand. It wasnÕt. The American batteries, which were emplaced in real fortifications, quickly silenced the British guns (Hickey,  pp.210-211).
The lack of transport ruined the move across the Mississippi -- a canal intended to bring up boats, demanded by the navy, proved impossible to build in the mud; instead of enough boats for a brigade, the western force crossed only a few hundred men. And the Mississippi current washed them so far downstream that they were hours late. They eventually did reach and capture the American gun emplacements -- but they were few enough that the Americans managed to spike the guns, so the west bank artillery could not have participated in the battle even had they been on time (Borneman, pp. 290-291; Hickey, p.211)
Worse still, the regiment with the fascines apparently disappeared for a time. Daylight on January 15 was approaching, and the key to Pakenham's assault was missing (Borneman, p. 285). Pakenham probably should have called off the assault, but he cannot have known all the details of the situation across the river -- a trick he could probably try only once. He ordered the attack to go ahead, somewhat late. By the time the assault was fully underway, the sun was rising. And then the fog burned off (Borneman, p. 286; Hickey, pp. 211-212).
And even the attack was botched. There were two brigades involved in the assault: GibbsÕs and Keane's. Keane started late and also ended up cutting across the field rather than attacking straight on; it was slaughtered and the commander wounded. Gibbs went straight on, and found his front ranks slaughtered. Pakenham showed up, having finally found the troops with the fascines, but was wounded. He ordered up his reserves -- but, before they could arrive, he was killed. General Gibbs also fell at the head of his troops. That left no general officers in the field (Borneman, p. 289). When General Lambert arrived with the reserve brigade, he decided to rescue what he could rather than try another fatal assault. Half an hour after Pakenham had fired the signal rocket to start the assault, the battle was over (Borneman, p. 290).
With their commander and two out of four brigadiers dead or wounded, the British reports on the battle were not especially clear, but they probably suffered about 300 killed, 1300 wounded, and 500 captured. ThatÕs roughly two-thirds of the forces committed to the actual assault on the American lines, and nearly half their total force. Jackson listed his losses as seven killed and six wounded -- though, because much of his force was militia that came and went at will, he probably didn't know the exact numbers (Borneman, p. 291). And the forces across the river had taken fifty or sixty casualties (Hickey, p. 212).
In partial defence of Pakenham (1778-1815), he was in a very unfamiliar situation; most of his best work had been as a staff officer, and although he had served in the line (including some time as a division commander in the Peninsular War), he didn't have any real experience as an independent commander. And this *was* the era of commission by purchase.
Had the war gone on, the British might still have done some damage. Lambert and Cochrane took their surviving forces to Mobile, and the city was in danger of falling when word came that peace had been made (Hickey, p. 214). - RBW
File: LA07
===
NAME: Battle of Otterbourn, The: see The Battle of Otterburn [Child 161] (File: C161)
===
NAME: Battle of Otterburn, The [Child 161]
DESCRIPTION: As armies under Earls Douglas of Scotland and Percy (aka Hotspur) of Northumberland battle, the dying Douglas asks Montgomery to conceal his corpse under a bush.  Percy refuses to surrender to the bush but does yield to Montgomery
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c. 1550
KEYWORDS: battle borderballad death nobility
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1388 - Battle of Otterburn. Scots under Douglas attack England. Although Douglas is killed in the battle, the Scots defeat the English and capture their commander Harry "Hotspur" Percy
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Child 161, "The Battle of Otterburn" (5 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #1}
Bronson 161, "The Battle of Otterburn" (2 versions)
Percy/Wheatley I, pp. 35-51+notes on pp. 53-54, "The Battle of Otterbourne" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 436-446, "The Battle of Otterburn" (2 texts)
OBB 127, "The Battle of Otterburn" (1 text)
Gummere, pp. 94-104+323-325, "The Battle of Otterburn" (1 text)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 88-93, "The Battle of Otterburn" (1 text)
DT 161, OTTRBURN*
Roud #3293
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hunting of the Cheviot" (subject)
NOTES: Needless to say, despite texts such as Child's "A" and "C," it was not Harry "Hotspur" Percy who killed Douglas at Otterburn. It is likely that Douglas's raid would not have been so successful had not the English been divided; as often happened, the Percies of Northumberland were feuding with the other great border family, the Nevilles (of Raby and Westmoreland).
Scottish sources are not really clear what was happening here. Stephen Boardman, in _The Early Stewart Kings_, notes that the Scots and French were creating a semi-coordinated attack on the English, with the inept government of Richard II not really able to do much about it (John of Gaunt had recently conducted a very damaging raid on Scotland, but the war in France was going badly).
It appears that the Scots sent down two armies, one into Cumbria toward Carlisle and one toward Northumberland. 
It has been theorized that the two Scottish armies were supposed to meet for an attack on Carlisle. But Douglas decided to go his own way. Without Douglas's troops, the western army ended up turning back. Possible, but hard to prove. For that matter, it might have been the other way: The western army might have been intended to turn east; Boardman argues that all our Scottish sources are biased by a political quarrel in Scotland between pro- and anti-Douglas factions.
Indeed, the death of Douglas almost certainly caused Scotland more harm than his victory gained them; apart from pushing Richard II of England to try harder to defeat them, the Earl had no son, and the quarrels over the Douglas succession led to many political difficulties. - RBW
File: C161
===
NAME: Battle of Pea Ridge: see Laws A12, "The Battle of Elkhorn Tavern" (File: LA12)
===
NAME: Battle of Philiphaugh, The [Child 202]
DESCRIPTION: Sir David [Leslie] comes to Philiphaugh with 3000 Scots. They find a man to lead them to Montrose's army. The man, concerned by Leslie's small numbers, reveals why he hates Montrose and reveals how to defeat him. The defeat duly takes place
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1803 (Scott)
KEYWORDS: battle hate
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Sept 13, 1645 - Battle of Philiphaugh
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Child 202, "The Battle of Philiphaugh" (1 text)
Bronson 202, comments only
Roud #4016
NOTES: The Battle of Philiphaugh saw a royalist force under Montrose defeated by Scottish Covenanters led by David Leslie. This was almost the only time Montrose was defeated in battle (Leslie's forces, hidden by a mist, surprised Montrose).
This was hailed as a great victory for the Covenanters, even though Montrose's was outnumbered (by an even larger factor than usual, since the best of his MacDonald allies had deserted him, according to Oliver Thomson, _The Great Feud: The Campbells & the MacDonalds_, Sutton, 2000, p. 75), ill-supplied, and surprised. Still, Montrose had won a half dozen battles against equally long odds in the preceding year. so any victory against him was treated as a triumph.
In fact, Montrose was only slightly worse off than if he had won another of his unlikely victories; his armies always disintrigrated win orlose. But it took only one battle to ruin his reputation as invincible. From that time on, King Charles I's position in Scotland deteriorated rapidly, and of course the situation in England was very bad for other reasons. - RBW
File: C202
===
NAME: Battle of Point Pleasant, The
DESCRIPTION: "Let us mind the tenth day of October, Seventy-four, which caused woe." "Captain Lewis and some noble Captains" engage in battle with the Indians by the Ohio River; "seven score," including the officers, are casualties, but the battle is won
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1913 (Aplington)
KEYWORDS: Indians(Am.) battle death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Oct 10, 1774 - Battle of Point Pleasant
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
LPound-ABS, 40, p. 93, "The Battle of Point Pleasant" (1 text)
Roud #4029
NOTES: This song is item dA31 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
The Battle of Point Pleasant was the culmination of "Lord Dunmore's War." John Murray, Earl of Dunmore (1732-1809), was governor of Virginia, but determined to control territories beyond the Appalachians (a plan completely contrary to official British policy). His maneuvers pushed the Shawnee and Ottowa Indians to war.
The Battle of Point Pleasant was fought when the Shawnee chief Cornstalk was caught between two converging columns of Virginia soldiers, led by Dunmore and Colonel Andrew Lewis. Cornstalk, realizing his plight, attacked Lewis's force at Point Pleasant (at the mouth of the Great Kanawha River), but was defeated.
After Point Pleasant, there was little the Shawnee could do, and diplomats had already convinced other tribes to leave them to their fate. Negotiations secured the Europeans free passage of the Ohio and hunting rights in Kentucky. - RBW
File: LPnd093
===
NAME: Battle of Prestonpans, The: see Tranent Muir (File: DTtranmu)
===
NAME: Battle of Queenston Heights, The
DESCRIPTION: "Upon the heights of Queenston one dark October day, Invading foes were marshalled in battle's dread array." General Brock, intent on repelling the invaders, leads his troops up the hill and is killed. The soldiers mourn
AUTHOR: Music: Alan Mills
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Fowke/Mills/Blume)
KEYWORDS: Canada soldier death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: October 13, 1812 - American troops cross the Niagara River and take up a position on Queenston Heights in Canada. General Brock, the victor at Detroit, moves to drive them off. His soldiers succeed, but Brock is killed
FOUND_IN: Canada
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 66-67, "The Battle of Queenston Heights" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4524
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Brave General Brock" [Laws A22] (for the earlier career of General Brock)
NOTES: Theoretically, the Americans wanted to open the War of 1812 by attacking Canada on three fronts simultaneously (see Donald R. Hickey, _The War of 1812_, p. 80; John K. Mahon, _The War of 1812_, p. 38). The main thrust was intended to be toward Montreal, with diversions along the Detroit and Niagara fronts. The idea was to cut off traffic on the Saint Lawrence, isolating Canada from Britain.
Very little of it worked. The Montreal assault started late, and the other two probes, which might have amounted to something had they been simultaneous, instead took place weeks apart -- long enough that Isaac Brock could personally deal with both of them. (Indeed, there was actually a cease-fire on the Niagara front while the Detroit campaign was going on; Mahon, pp. 75-76.)
For Brock's first success in the War of 1812, see "Brave General Brock" [Laws A22]. Having bluffed the Americans out of Michigan, and captured their army with vastly inferior forces, Brock hurried back to defend the Niagara front. Here again the Americans muffed a chance to use their superior forces.
Queenston Heights was one of those battles where the key was which side made the last mistake. The British forces were on the north side of the Niagara River (actually the west side, given that the river flows south to north), the Americans on the south (east), with their leaders itching to invade but suffering from divided command between officers who did not get along (see Walter R. Borneman, _1812: The War That Forged a Nation_, pp. 70-72; Hickey, p. 86). What was supposed to be a double-pronged assault on Queenston and Fort George (the latter to the south and the former to the north) turned into a single assault on Queenston, led by the political appointee Stephen Van Rensselaer (who had no military experience; Borneman, p. 70); General Alexander Smyth (himself a political appointee some years earlier), who should have attacked Fort George, refused direct orders to cooperate in the attack (Mahon, p. 76, tells of how Smyth avoided meeting van Rensselaer so he couldn't possibly be given orders).
The Canadian town of Queenston is about eight miles north of Niagara Falls, about half way between the Falls and Lake Ontario. The Americans in the vicinity had 3500 troops to face Brock's 2000, most of whom were about six miles away at Fort George (near Lake Ontario) rather than at Queenston, but the Americans had a horrid time finding boats to get across the river and for a time lost all their oars (Hickey, p. 87); they never did find enough transportation to move their full force (Mahon, p. 77).
The Americans eventually managed to push about 200 soldiers across the river west of the town. There was a British redoubt part-way up the Heights, which inflicted heavy casualties on the forces in its front, but Captain John Wool's company of regulars circled up the heights and came at it from above. Brock gathered the forces he could and counter-attacked. The motley crew did retake the redoubt, but Brock was dead on the field (Borneman, p. 73; Mahon, p. 79).
That wasn't the end of the battle. General Van Rensselaer sent Winfield Scott's troops across to reinforce Wool. Wool had by then retaken the redoubt (Borneman, p. 74), and Scott had 600 men to hold the position (though only 350 of them were regulars; Mahon, p. 80). Had they been reinforced, Queenston Heights might have held. But the rest of the American militia refused Van Rensselaer's pleas to cross the river (Hickey, p. 87), and British artillery was making the crossing perilous anyway, so few of the boatman were willing to go on the river (Mahon, p. 80).
From that time on, it all went bad for the Americans. Brock's second-in-command, Major General Hale Sheaffe, brought up the garrison of Fort George, giving him probably a three to one edge over Scott's forces on the Heights.
Van Rensselaer ordered Scott to retreat, and promised to have boats to evacuate his troops. But he had no boats. Scott, pinned on the river bank rather than in the strong position on the heights, was forced to surrender (Borneman, p. 75; Hickey, p. 87; Mahon, p. 80). In terms of casualties, it was an overwhelming British victory: 14 British killed, 84 wounded, and 15 missing; the Americans had 90 killed, 100 wounded, and 958 prisoners (Mahon, pp. 80-81). The only thing spoiling it for the British was the death of Brock.
In the aftermath, Van Rensselaer asked to be relieved, and Smythe (who blamed Van Renssalaer for not using his troops when he by his own actions made cooperation impossible; Mahon, p. 81) took his place and produced an even bigger mess at Fort Erie, after which he too was out of a job (Hickey, p. 88; Mahon, pp. 83-85. Mahon on p. 85 reports that his reputation after this was so bad that he was threatened by some of his own troops).
The third thrust of the American offensive, the one toward Montreal (led by Henry Dearborn), was so badly organized that it didn't start until November, never made it past the Canadian border, and at one point on the way American troops fired on each other (Hickey, p. 88). So Brock, even though dead, had won another victory -- and by doing so permanently saved Canada from American occupation. The Americans would try again in 1813 (see the notes to "The Battle of Bridgewater") but while that involved much heavier fighting, it still left the Americans on their side of the Niagara. By 1814, it was the British who were invading New England (see "The Siege of Plattsburg").
These lyrics are associated with the memorial raised to General Brock in 1824. There is no reason to believe they were ever sung.
And yes, Brock's charge is the incident Stan Rogers wrote a song about (but from the standpoint of Lt. Colonel John Mcdonell, the #2 man in the field behind Brock, who also died at Queenston). I have to dispute that song's contention that Mcdonell, had he lived, "might be what Brock became"; Brock had already done far more by his campaigns in the Ontario peninsula -- victories which had earned him a knighthood, though word had not reached Canada when he died (Borneman, p. 75). And Mcdonell would soon have been superseded by Sheaffe even had he lived. And, at best, Mcdonell might have drrven the Americans back into the river before Scott could cross. But, given how the battle turned out, that would probably have made the campaign less of a British victory. - RBW
File: FMB066
===
NAME: Battle of Shiloh Hill, The [Laws A11]
DESCRIPTION: A survivor of the Battle of Shiloh describes the difficult and bloody campaign, hoping that there will be no more such battles. The sufferings of the wounded men are alluded to, as are the prayers of the dying.
AUTHOR: Words credited to M. B. Smith, 2nd Texas Volunteers
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (cf. Brown)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 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)
FOUND_IN: US(So,SE)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws A11, "The Battle of Shiloh Hill"
Randolph 220, "The Battle on Shiloh's Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 229, "The Battle of Shiloh Hill" (1 text)
Lomax-FSNA 181, "The Battle on Shiloh's Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 56-57, "The Battle of Shiloh Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 674, SHILOHIL
Roud #2200
NOTES: The battle of Shiloh is named for Shiloh Church, around which much of the fighting centered. It is also called Pittsburg Landing, after the site where Grant made his last stand before reinforcements arrived from Buell.
Some versions of this song refer to the "second battle that was fought on Shiloh hill." This actually refers to the second day of the battle, when the reinforced Yankees drove the Confederates back.
To tell this song from Laws A10, consider this first stanza:
"Come all you gallant soldiers, a story I will tell
About the bloody battle that was fought on Shiloh hill;
It was an awful struggle and will cause your heart to chill,
It was the famous battle that was fought on Shiloh hill." - RBW
File: LA11
===
NAME: Battle of Shiloh, The [Laws A10]
DESCRIPTION: A southerner tells of the southern "victory" at Shiloh and the Yankee "retreat"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1918 (Cecil Sharp collection)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 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)
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws A10, "The Battle of Shiloh"
SharpAp 136, "The Battle of Shiloh" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 587, BATSHILO*
Roud #2199
NOTES: The Confederates could claim victory on the first day at Shiloh (Pittsburg Landing); they had thrown Grant's army back to the edge of the river and left him with only a few thousand soldiers in hand. On the second day of the battle, however, reinforcements from Buell allowed Grant to counterattack and repel the Confederates.
What's more, while the battle was close to a draw in terms of casualties, it was an overwhelming strategic defeat for the Confederates; had Grant's superior General Halleck pursued his win, the war might have been over in 1862. - RBW
File: LA10
===
NAME: Battle of Stone River, The
DESCRIPTION: Confederate General Bragg tells his men to hold the line at Stone River. Union Gen. Johnson is prepared to cut and run, but Rosecrans and Van Cleve stand firm. Singer sees the ground red with blood; Sills is killed. They fight until the rebels retreat
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: Late 1930s (AFS recording, Oscar Parks)
KEYWORDS: army battle Civilwar fight violence war 
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec 31, 1862-Jan 2, 1863 - Battle of Stones River/Murfreesboro
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #16820
RECORDINGS:
Oscar Parks, "The Battle of Stone River" (on AFS 1727, late 1930s) (on FineTimes)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ohio" (subject)
NOTES: The battle took place along the banks of the Stone River near Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The generals: Braxton Bragg, of the Confederate Army of the Tennessee; William Rosecrans, Richard Johnson, Horatio Van Cleve and Joshua Sills, of the Union Army of the Cumberland. Gen. Sills was killed by one Col. Perry, a rebel in an area with Union sympathies. Parks tells of singing a snatch this song in the woods one day when Col. Perry himself came up and made him sing the whole thing, then said, "I'm the very goddam man that shot him." - PJS
Despite the title of the song, the correct name of the battle was not Stone River but Stones River, or Murfreesboro to the Confederates -- and it was actually a multi-part battle spread over three days. On the first day, Bragg's Confederate army hit the Union right flank. The division of Richard W. Johnson (1827-1897) was the extreme flank element in the union line, and naturally was driven hardest in the assault in which Hardee's Confederate corps drove McCook's through a 180 degree angle and almost back onto the Union left rear.
It's odd to see Van Cleve (Horatio Phillips Van Cleve, 1809-1891) mentioned as one of the key props of the Union line (if we had to name one officer, it would surely be Philip Sheridan); his troops were on the Union left, intended to attack the Confederate right, and served only to strengthen the final Union line.
"Sills" is properly Joshua Woodrow Sill (1831-1862), a brigadier killed on December 31.
December 31 was the big day at Stones River, but Bragg did mount a minor second assault on January 2, 1863, which failed. The Confederates had achieved a significant tactical victory, having driven the Union troops badly, but they could not exploit the win, and Bragg retreated after the battle. On the other hand, Rosecrans and his army had been so stunned that they spent six months licking their wounds -- a lull that the Confederates could have made good use of had they had a true central command to coordinate their efforts. - RBW
File: RcTBoSR
===
NAME: Battle of the Boyne (I), The
DESCRIPTION: Battle began "upon a summer's morn, unclouded rose the sun." Williamites Schomberg, Walker, and Caillemotte are killed. James deserts his supporters who are "worthy of a better cause and of a bolder king." William would not pursue the fleeing Jacobites
AUTHOR: Lieut. Colonel William Blacker (1777-1853)
EARLIEST_DATE: battle Ireland royalty rebellion
LONG_DESCRIPTION: "It was upon a summer's morn, unclouded rose the sun." On William's side, Duke Schomberg ["the veteran hero falls, renowned along the Rhine"], Rev George Walker ["whose name, while Derry's walls endure, shall brightly shine"], and Caillemotte were killed. James deserted his supporters ["O! worthy of a better cause and of a bolder king ... many a gallant spirit there retreats across the plain, Who, change but kings, would gladly dare that battle field again"]. William would not pursue the fleeing Jacobites [.".. vanquished freemen spare"].
KEYWORDS: battle Ireland royalty rebellion
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: July 1, 1690 - Battle of the Boyne. William III crushes the Irish army of James, at once securing his throne and the rule of Ireland. Irish resistance continues for about another year, but Ireland east of the Shannon is his, and the opposition is doomed.
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
O'Conor, pp. 71-72, "Battle of the Boyne" (1 text)
Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859 (reprint of 1855 London edition)), Vol I, pp. 210-211, "The Battle of the Boyne"
DT, BATLBOYN
ST PGa014A (Full)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Boyne Water (I)" (subject: The Battle of the Boyne)
cf. "The Boyne Water (II)" (subject: The Battle of the Boyne)
cf. "Schomberg" (subject: The Battle of the Boyne)
cf. "The Bright Orange Stars of Coleraine" (subject: The triumph of William of Orange)
NOTES: Hayes's footnotes on p. 210 confirm that the allusions are to Schomberg and Walker.
Huguenot Colonel Caillemotte was killed just before noon, at about the same time Schomberg was killed. James left the field and de Lauzun sent Sarsfield's Horse and Maxwell's Dragoons to insure his safety, compromising the remaining forces's effectiveness against the Williamite cavalry (source: Michael McNally, _Battle of the Boyne 1690: the Irish Campaign for the English Crown_ (Oxford, 2005), pp.82, 86). - BS
Panic and indecision was, indeed, a strong characteristic of James VII and II (1633-1701) -- easy traits to understand in a younger son of an imperious father whose self-importance was thoroughly dealt with when he was deposed and executed when James was still only 16.
After the Restoration of the Monarchy, James's older brother Charles II (reigned 1660-1685) had managed to control parliament by many years of skillful maneuvering, and the use of French subsidies to allow him to rule without parliament. But Charles had advantages James did not: He had come in on the groundswell of support following the downfall of Oliver Cromwell's "Protectorate" (religious dictatorship) -- and Charles was, at least nominally, Protestant. Whereas James was Catholic, and there were rumors that he was behind the "Popish Plot" -- a story concocted in 1678 by one Titus Oates, which claimed the Catholics were trying to assassinate Charles and bring a Catholic takeover (see Clark, pp. 88-92. For references, see the Bibliography at the end of this note). It was basically a series of lies by Oates for personal gain, but it made the whole nation nervous.
Of James II, Clark writes (p. 111), "If tragedy is the story of a man of high worldly rank whose sufferings are due to his virtues as well as to his vices, then the reign of James II was tragic, and it is not surprising that historians... should take his personal share in them as the guiding thread through the events." Clark describes Charles as an "easy, clever temporizer" and James as "inadaptable, indeed obstinate."
James faced a rebellion at the very beginning of his reign by Charles II's illegitimate son the Duke of Monmouth; it was easily crushed (see, e.g. the notes to "Bothwell Bridge" [Child 206] and, for this whole messy period, the notes to "The Vicar of Bray."). But then James made the first of his many mistakes: Rather than disband his army, he kept it together, even giving it many Catholic officers. This at the very time that Louis XIV of France was revoking the Edict of Nantes which had granted toleration to Protestants (Clark, p. 116). Naturally the Protestants were afraid. But this did not keep James from appointing more and more Catholics to high offices (Clark, p. 117).
According to Foster, p. 141, "[T]he uneasy political strife was tipped over by a _deus ex machine_ from another quarter. This was the birth of a Catholic heir in June 1688, and the escalation of the political tempo caused by James's importation of Irish regiments in the autumn."
The heir was the real surprise. James's second wife Mary of Modena had long been barren, but now she gave birth to a son. James had two daughters by his first wife who were safely Protestant. But this child -- the so-called Old Pretender, or James III -- would be Catholic. This came as a "bombshell" to the Protestants, including the supporters of James's protestant daughter Mary and her Protestant husband William III of Orange (see Prall, p. 173). So concerned were many of the Protestants that they invited William III -- who was King of the Netherlands in his own right -- to invade England and depose James. And, by sheer luck, William was able to do so -- Louis XIV of France, who had been planning to invade Williams's kingdom, went haring off after other objectives in 1688 (Clark, p. 129) when the German princes came to William's support (Bardon, p. 151). William then was free to sail to England, helped by the famously fortunate "Protestant wind" (Clark, p. 132). Representatives of Parliament came to him after his landing (Prall, p. 234), and in effect a new form of government was agreed upon -- a much more limited monarchy, and one which placed greater stress on what we would call "human rights."
But it placed James in a difficult position. He could stay and try to convince parliament to stay on his side -- and, in the opinion of Kenyon, p. 251, he was likely to have succeeded: "James's position was still strong, probably stronger now that the idea of a military campaign had virtually been abandoned. William was in the position of aggressor, and James was free to renounce any settlement at a later date on the grounds that it had been imposed on him by force."
But James was afraid. Kenyon, p. 252, points out that all the Protestants' problems would be solved if James were dead --they could raise the infant James as a Protestant (perhaps with William and Mary as regents), or they could simply crown William and Mary as king and queen in their own right; either way, Protestantism would prevail. It was true that no sitting English king had been assassinated since at least 1100 (when William Rufus died in suspicious circumstances) and possibly since 978 (when Edward the Martyr was killed) -- but Edward II, Richard II, Henry VI, and Edward V had all died after being deposed. And there were still alive men who had ordered James's father executed forty years before. James simply didn't want to risk it; he took his family and fled England (Clark, pp. 136-138), burning the wrists of summons to the parliament while he was at it (Prall, pp. 237-238).
Technically, it was a smart move; Parliament was not in session, and had not been called, so formally the government was non-functional; it could not take action without James (see Trevelyan, p. 67). But England was not as bureaucratically paralyzed as, say, France; Parliament in effect summoned itself (Prall, p. 247), calling the meeting a "convention" to satisfy the legal niceties (Clark, p. 139). It was decided that James had abdicated (Clark, p. 140; Kenyon, pp. 254-257; Prall, p. 261; Trevelyan, p. 77). With the Old Pretender also missing, it was decided that he could not be the heir; in February the throne was awarded jointly to William III and Mary II (Bardon, p. 151) with the understanding that William was in charge for the moment, but that Mary would succeed him if she outlived him, and their children after her, and the princess Anne if William and Mary had no children. (And, as it would turn out, William and Mary didn't have offspring. Anne had quite a few, but they all predeceased her, which would lead to another set of problems.)
But James, not too surprisingly, wasn't willing to give up that easily. His mistakes meant that England was almost universally happy with the settlement the Parliament created (the Whigs had of course long wanted to reduce the power of the monarchy, which they had, and even the Tories, who would ordinarily have supported James, were Protestants and so preferred a Protestant monarch). But there was discontent in Scotland -- and then there was Catholic Ireland.
Plus there was Louis XIV of France. In the reign of Charles II, he had used cash to keep England out of his way. But William III would not be bought -- so Louis used distraction instead. Foster, p. 141, notes that "[t]he impetus that led to James's last stand at the Boyne came from Louis XIV's encouragement rather than his own ambition." Clark, p. 291, adds that "Within three months of his arrival [in France,James] was packed off again, and on 22 March he landed at Kinsale.
"His aims still diverged from those of the Irish. He wanted to return to Britain, merely taking Ireland on his way, and once he had got back to England or Scotland, he would no doubt have looked on Ireland as before" [i.e. as a dependency].
James spent the next few months fiddling around with Irish politics. His military situation deteriorated badly in that time; the siege of Londonderry failed (see the notes to "The Shutting of the Gates of Derry"), and his troops had been defeated at Newtownbutler (Clark, p. 294); the battle ended in a massacre which almost destroyed the Jacobites of Ulster (Bardon, p. 159).
James lasted as long as he did only because William of Orange didn't really think his invasion was of much significance: "King William had at first been disposed to regard [Ireland] as altogether subsidiary to the continental was, and he did not yield to the English statesmen who urged him to lead an army against James in person. It was even with reluctance that he sent his best general, Schomberg, with a force which should have amounted to 20,000 men, or more than double the contingent sent in that year to the Low Countries. Schomberg landed on August 23 on the cost of County Down near Bangor. His army was far below its nominal strength, ill-provided and, except for the foreign regiments, untrained and badly officered.... None the less he made a good start, capturing Carrickfergus and moving forward in September to Dundalk. Here, however, he had to halt. Rain and very heavy losses from disease were added to his troubles" (Clark, pp. 294-295).
Schomberg landed in Ballyhome Bay on August 13, 1689 by the modern calendar; there was no opposition, only a great crown of Protestants  giving thanks for their deliverance (Bardon, p. 159). Unfortunately, Schomberg -- who was 74 or 75 and a former Marshal of France expelled for being a Protestant (Hayes-McCoy, p. 222) -- was slow to follow up his success that year (Bardon, p. 160). Some of the soldiers on James's side thought that Schomberg was trapped, but James refused to do anything about it. Schomberg, his forces reduced to about 7000, sat tight for the winter (Hayes-McCoy, p. 223).
After half a year of inaction, the English King decided that Schomberg was not getting the job done (William reportedly met him with coldness; Bardon, p. 161); on "24 June 1690 William himself landed at Carrickfergus" (Clark, p. 295), not long after Schomberg had captured Charlemont, the last holdout for James in Ulster. (Fry/Fry, p. 161, and Bardon, p. 161, however, give William's landing date as June 14, and most other sources I checked say simply "June 1690." It appears this is the usual difference between Old Style and New Style dates, since Clark also uses the date of July 11 for the Battle of the Boyne itself.)
The Battle of the Boyne soon followed. Clark, p. 295, reports, "The Protestant army numbered something less than 40,000 men, including six Dutch, eight Danish, and three hugenot battalions, so that the greater part of the infantry were foreign. Against them James had a somewhat smaller force, of which seven battalions were Frenchmen who had come over in the winter under the command of the romantic and incompetent duc de Lauzun."
However, the Irish force was ill-equipped and ill-trained; Hayes-McCoy, p. 218, reports "There was no lack of men, 'the finest men one could see,' said D'Avaux, strong, tall and capable of enduring fatigue; but they were poorly armed -- some whom D'Avaux saw carried only staves; their opponents noticed that 'some had scythes instead of pikes' -- and they were inadequately trained and most inadequately equipped." And this at a time when even pikes were going out of use -- although the habit for some time had been to mix muskets and pikes, the ratio of muskets to pikes was steadily increasing -- a ratio of 5:1 or more was becoming standard in the regiments in William's army (Hayes-McCoy, p. 219), since the only purpose of the pikes was to resist cavalry. A portion of William's troops had the new flintlock muskets; the rest of his forces, and nearly everyone on James's side, had to use matchlocks (Hayes-McCoy, p. 220).
Foster, p. 148, observers, "The most striking thing about this confused battle is the internationalism of both sides: Irish, French, German, and Walloon [for James] versus Irish, English, Dutch, Germans, and Danes [for William]." Bardon, pp. 162-163, adds French Huguenot to this list; William's's army "represented the Grand Alliance against France."
According to Fry/Fry, p. 161, "William review his army of 36,000 men in Co. Down on 22nd June. Then he moved south toward Dublin, which was the immediate prize, and reached Dundalk. James decided to make his stand upon the river Boyne. He was only slightly outnumbered, he had had all winter to train his Irishmen, and he picked his ground well." The battlefield site is just west of the town of Drogheda (Bardon, p. 162). Hayes-McCoy, p. 224, reports that "To defend the line of the Boyne was the only practicable course open to James if he was to prevent an opponent who had come as far as Dundalk from reaching Dublin. The ground between Dundalk and the capital is in general low lying and easily traversed." The Boyne was the only significant east-west obstacle in the area.
Hayes-McCoy, p. 225: "The Boyne was fordable in many places in 1690; still, William's progress might be contested on its banks. The Jacobite army which occupied the south bank with its centre at Oldbridge, Co. Meath, its right at Drogheda and its left towards Slane was in position to make the attempt. It would have been impossible for William, if the Jacobites were to stand, and he was to retain anything of his reputation, to avoid the battle. Unfortunately, the Jacobite position, although it was the only one that could have been taken up on the river, had two serious defects. The river Boyne... forms a large loop around [a] ridge of high ground...." In other words, there was a salient in the center of James's line, which William could attack from three sides with his artillery.
"The second weakness of the terrain as far as James was concerned lay in the fact that an enemy force on the south bank at Rosnaree would be nearer to Duleek [a town in James's rear that offered the only good crossing of the river Nanny] than he was at Donore" (Hayes-McCoy, p. 226). In other words, a maneuver around James's left could block his retreat to Dublin and take him in rear. As a result, "James's security depended on guarding his left." And, according to Hayes-McCoy, he had only about 25,000 men. That meant that William would have a big advantage somewhere along the line.
William himself nearly became the first casualty of the batle; he was among his Dutch Guards when they came under Jacobite artillery fire, and his shoulder was grazed -- but he continued his inspection (Hayes-McCoy, p. 226).
Reportedly the day began with mist, "but the day brightened with the mounting sun and the words of the song that the victors were to sing -- 'July the first, in a morning clear' -- were justified" (Hayes-McCoy, p. 230).
There is a map of the battle on p. 217 of Hayes-McCoy, William, though not known for his generalship, fooled James: He sent a feint upstream (west), around James's left, which drew off James's Frenchmen, meanwhile using his much-superior artillery to bombard James's front at Oldbridge. William's army then crossed the stream for a frontal attack on the Jacobite center (Bardon, p. 163).
According to Hayes-McCoy, p. 228, about two-thirds of the army made the attack at Oldbridge, and one-third made the encircling movement. The latter proved a smashing success; James had only a regiment of dragoons guarding the crossings on his left, and they were forced back and their commander killed (Hayes-McCoy, p. 230). The entire 10,000 troops of William's flanking maneuver were soon across the stream. James responded by sending roughly half his army there. But, of course, that left that big salient in his center relatively weak -- and under attack by twice its numbers.
The main attack went in at 10:00, timed to coincide with a tide that lowered the river somewhat. The first assault was met by an Irish counterattack that stopped them. (For a brief moment, the lack of pikes in the Williamite army helped the Irish cavalry.) It was at this point that Caillemotte, the Huguenot commander of a regiment in the second line, was killed; his troops had neither pikes nor bayonets nor any sort of obstacles to stop cavalry. (Hayes-McCoy, p. 232).
There is confusion about what happened to Schomberg, though he too fell at about this time; Bardon, p. 163, reports, "Schomberg was killed by mistake by a French Huguenot who 'shot him in the throat, and down he dropped dead,' according to Southwell; however, Danish and Irish accounts say the Duke was slain by one of Tyrconnell's Life Guards. The Reverend George Walker was also killed." (Walker was, according to Bardon, p. 154, "Church of Ireland rector of Donoughmore," famous for his part in organizing the successful defence of Derry; he managed to find time before his death to write a _True Account of the Siege of Derry_.)
But William had other troops available, and a second column crossed the Boyne (at a place the Jacobites thought unfordable) and attacked at 11:00. A third force joined the attack around noon. Finally, the Jacobite center was forced back. The left, now threatened with attack in front and back, had to follow. The Irish cavalry performed magnificently -- but they were not enough (Hayes-McCoy, pp. 234-235).
Fry/Fry, p. 162: "James' Irish infantry could not hold them, though his cavalry under Tyrconnell (now a duke) charged with reckless valour again and again. The French had been positioned too far away to be of much help; they only lost six men in the whole battle, but hey checked William's men sufficiently to give James the chance of a fairly orderly retreat. Dublin was evacuated, and Tyrconnell ordered the French and Irish forces to Limerick, while James slipped quietly back to France."
Clark, p. 295, estimates James's losses at 1500 (or 6% of his force), and William's at 500 (less than 2%).
Clark, p. 296: "[James] himself, despairing too soon, spent only one night in Dublin, made off to Waterford and Kinsale, and landed in France before the end of the month."
The fight in Ireland continued until the Battle of Aughrim -- which, unlike the Boyne, was a complete defeat for the Irish and French. For the aftermath, see "After Aughrim's Great Disaster."
Bardon notes, pp. 163-164, "The Battle of the Boyne was not a rout.... The Irish and French retired in good order to fight doggedly behind the Shannon for another year. Yet the battle was decisive; it was a severe blow to Louis XIV's pretensions to European hegemony... James, who made a precipitate flight to France, could no longer think of Ireland as a springboard for recovering his throne; for the English the Glorious Revolution and parliamentary rule were made secure... and for Ulster Protestants the battle ensured the survival of their plantation and a victory for their liberty to be celebrated from year to year."
Hayes-McCoy, pp. 235-236: "The Boyne was a significant rather than a great battle. As a result of it William won Dublin and Leinster and more than half of Munster -- priceless advantages. It was reckoned a great victory by that part of Europe that opposed Louis XIV... but its real significance was, after all, Irish. Although the defeated army continued to fight for more than a year after the date of its discomfiture, it did so with diminishing hope of success. Militarily the Boyne was the decisive battle of the war. Yet the fact that it became the rallying cry of the ascendancy that it served to set up was to suggest that it hadn't really been decisive after all."
Trevelyan, p. 121: "The destruction of James's army [at the Boyne]... and his own too early flight first from the field and then back to France, put the victors in possession of Dublin and three-quarters of Ireland. The English Revolution was saved, and England had set her foot on the first rung of the latter that led her to heights of power and prosperity in the coming years. And by the same action Ireland was thrust back into the abyss."
Author Blacker also wrote "No Surrender (II)" in this Index.
>>BIBLIOGRAPHY<<
Bardon: Jonathan Bardon, _A History of Ulster_, Blackstaff Press, 1992
Clark: G. N. Clark, _The Later Stuarts 1660-1714_, Oxford, 1934, 1944
Foster: R. F. Foster, _Modern Ireland 1600-1972_ Penguin, 1988, 1989
Fry/Fry: Peter and Fiona Somerset Fry, _A History of Ireland_, Barnes & Noble, 1988, 1993
Hayes-McCoy:  G. A. Hayes-McCoy, _Irish Battles: A Military History of Ireland_ (Barnes & Noble, 1969, 1997)
Kenyon: J. P. Kenyon, _Stuart England_, being part of the Pelican History of England, Pelican,1978
Prall: Stuart Prall, _The Bloodless Revolution: England, 1688_, Anchor, 1972
Trevelyan: G. M. Trevelyan, _The English Revolution 1688-1689_, Oxford, 1938 - RBW
File: PGa014A
===
NAME: Battle of the Boyne (II), The
DESCRIPTION: "July the first, in Oldbridge town ...." "In vain they marched to slaughter;For oh! 'tis lost what William won That day at the Boyne Water" "Fear has lost what valour won" May "days return when men shall prize The deeds of the Boyne Water"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1895 (Graham)
KEYWORDS: battle Ireland nonballad patriotic
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Graham, p. 9, "The Battle of the Boyne" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Girl I Left Behind Me (II - lyric)" (tune)
cf. "The Boyne Water (I)" (lyrics)
NOTES: The beginning of the first verse is the beginning of "Boyne Water (I)".  Home Rule for Ireland had been defeated in 1885 and 1893; is this about fear of its approach?  (See, for example, "A Loyal Song Against Home Rule.") - BS
Alternately, perhaps, it's a reference to the elimination of the Protestant Ascendency, under which Catholics were required to pay tithes to support the Protestant clergy (for which see, e.g., "The Downfall of Heresy").. The answer probably depends on the date of the song. The Church was disestablished in 1869. The Home Rule issue came up soon after; it never passed in the nineteenth century, because any time the Liberals came close to putting it through, the Conservatives would win an election and suppress the matter. But that made it a constant irritant to the people of Ulster. - RBW
File: Grah009
===
NAME: Battle of the Diamond, The
DESCRIPTION: "We men of the North" defeated a brand-wielding "lawless band" in a deadly battle on Diamond Hill. For the singer, that battle is the model for future encounters. "We have bided our time -- it is well nigh come! It will find us stern and steady"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1987 (OrangeLark)
KEYWORDS: battle death Ireland patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Sep 21, 1795 - The Battle of the Diamond [at Diamond Crossroads] between the Roman Catholic Defenders and the Protestants of the area (source: _The Orange Institution - The Early Years_ at Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland site.)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OrangeLark 11, "The Battle of the Diamond" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Not a Drum Was Heard" (tune, according to OrangeLark)
cf. "The Battle of the Navvies" (tune)
NOTES: OrangeLark: "The song itself is an account of a battle which was to have a profound effect on Irish history. It was between the Roman Catholic "Defenders" and the Protestant "Peep o' Day Boys." The Defenders who had some thirty men killed were frustrated in their intention to expel the Protestants from Co. Armagh. The Protestants defeated their enemies without loss of life. The victors, with joined hands pledged themselves to defend the Crown, the Country and the Reformed Religion. Shortly afterwards they founded the Loyal Orange Institution of Ireland."
For some background on Defenders and Peep o' Day Boys, see the notes to "Bold McDermott Roe" and "The Noble Ribbon Boys." For more on the Loyal Orange Institution see the notes to "Dialogue Between Orange and Croppy." - BS
According to Robert Kee, _The Most Distressful Country_ (being Volume I of _The Green Flag_), Penguin, 1972, 1989, p. 71, "The new outbreak of feuding in the North reached its cllimax in September 1795 at the so-called Battle of the Diamond, a piece of ground near the town of Armagh. A large party of Defenders attacked  party of Peep o' Day Boys there and got the worst of it, leaving twenty or thirty corpses on the field. The incident, which by itself constituted nothing new, is a historical landmark since it led the Peep o' Day boys to reorganize under a name which was to play an increasingly significant role in the future of Ireland: the Orange Society -- the colour orange having long been a popular symbol with which to celebrate the victory of William of Orange over James II a century before."
Kee's assertion that the battle was "nothing new" is supported by Jim Smyth, _The Men of No Property_ (St. Martin's Press, 1992, 1998), pp. 110-111: "In December 1794, for example, Defenders and Peep O'Day Boys, 'young boys and idle journeymen weavers', clashed at a fair. After the twelfth of July celebrations the following year a group of Catholic were attacked near Portadown. The tenions which such incidents revealed culminated in the set-piece battle at the Diamond.... Although heavily reinforced by contingents from the neighbouring areas of Down, Derry, and, particularly, Tyrone, the Defenders were badly beaten, suffering between seventeen and forty-eight casualties. This rout was then followed by the mass expulsion of catholics. At least one church was burned down and catholic homes and property -- looms, webs, and yarn -- were destroyed.... Estimates of the number of refugee ran from 3,500 to 10,000.... The Defenders at the battle of Randalstown in 1798 carried a banner inscribed 'REMEMBER ARMAGH'."
R. F. Foster, in _Modern Ireland: 1600-1972_ (Penguin, 1988, 1989), p. 272, describes the aftermath: "Defenderism was in one sense a 'defence' against [Protestant aggresion]. By the mid-1790s, local _causes celebres_ like the battle of the Diamond near Loughgall, County Armagh, on 21 September 1795, which inaugurated the Orange Order, had taken a definitively sectarian tinge. Protestants wanted to ban Catholics from the local linen industry; Protestants were colonizing traditionally Catholic areas in the Ulster borderlands; and, most importantly, local Protestant gentry from the mid-1790s abandoned what one of them called 'the farce of impartiality between the parties' and openly supported the Orangemen. In these conditions, Defenderism rapidly became an 'anti-Protestant, anti-state ideology', it was also anti-English and capable of spectacular violence."
Peter and Fiona Somerset Fry, _A History of Ireland_ (Barnes & Noble, 1988, 1993), p. 194, note that in the aftermath "The Orangemen attacked Ulster Catholics with merciless brutality. They assaulted them, turned them out of their homes, or 'papered' them pinning notices on their doors telling them to go 'To hell -- or Connacht' [a reminiscence of Cromwell's ethnic cleansing of a century and a half earlier].... Poor catholic weavers had their looms broken, and labourers' houses were burned down; sometimes as many as a dozen houses would be burned in a night. At the end of 1795 the governor of Armagh wrote: 'No night passes that houses are not destroyed, and scarce a week that some dreaadful murders are not committed. Nothing can exceed the animosity between Protestant and Catholic at this moment in this country.'"
This was to have significant consequences during the 1798 rebellion, when religious differences badly hampered the Ulter rising; see e.g. the notes to "General Monroe." - RBW
File: OrLa011
===
NAME: Battle of the Kegs, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of the battle between the British fleet and a flotilla of American barrels. As the barrels float downstream, the British fear they contain bombs or commandos, and blast the kegs to smithereens -- then boast of their victory
AUTHOR: Francis Hopkinson
EARLIEST_DATE: 1778
KEYWORDS: technology war rebellion battle humorous
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jan 5, 1778 - "The Battle of the Kegs"
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Scott-BoA, pp. 77-80, "The Battle of the Kegs" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BATTKEGS*
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Yankee Doodle" (tune) and references there
NOTES: After the British took over Philadelphia during the Revolutionary War, the Colonials tried various expedients to harass their shipping. One of these was the use of what we would
now call floating mines -- kegs filled with gunpowder and intended to explode among the British ships.
The most intense combat of this sort took place in the winter of 1778. When the British saw a large number of kegs floating downriver, they naturally did all they could to explode them in advance (and, in fact, they were highly successful). The residents of Philadelphia, however, derived great amusement from watching the British attack a bunch of barrels. Hence this song. - RBW
File: SBoA077
===
NAME: Battle of the Navvies, The
DESCRIPTION: "We burnt the Bully Beggarman." Led by Mick Kenna "the Navvies left their work" firing pistols and throwing rocks through the windows of a school. When they saw us they fled. Challenged, we beat them again. Now we help "to crush those fearful Riots"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1864 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.34(12))
KEYWORDS: violence Ireland political
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug 8-23, 1864 - Sectarian Belfast riots about Dublin Daniel O'Connell statue (source: Leyden)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leyden 41, "The Battle of the Navvies" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.34(12), "Battle of the Navvies" ("We burnt the Bully Beggarman, for him our scorn expressed"), The Poet's box (Glasgow), Sep 3, 1864
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
cf. "Battle of the Diamond" (tune)
cf. "The Orange Riots in Belfast" (subject)
NOTES: Leyden: "The protagonists in these disturbances were the Protestants of Sandy Row and the Catholics of the nearby Pound area (now the Divis Flats area)." [And still, a century later and more, a border between Catholic and Protestant areas, and a trouble spot - RBW] The Catholic navvies were "engaged in the excavation of the New Docks." "Never before had there been rioting on such a scale with widespread shooting, intimidation and looting of gunsmiths, resulting in death, injury and destruction."
The conflict began when the foundation stone for a statue of Daniel O'Connell, "the Bully Beggarman," was laid in Dublin. That evening Sandy Row Protestants burned an effigy of O'Connell in Belfast. The next day a crowd of more than 400, mostly navvies, rushed Brown Square School while it was full of children. The Protestants in the fights were workers from foundries and shipyard. Mick Kenna was editor of the nationalist _Ulster Observer_. (source: Leyden) For notes on Daniel O'Connell see "Erin's Green Shore [Laws Q27]."
See the notes to "The Boys of Sandy Row" for comments on sectarian riots earlier and later in the same Belfast area. - BS
File: Leyd041
===
NAME: Battle of the Nile, The [Laws J18]
DESCRIPTION: Nelson's fleet attacks the French near the Egyptian shore. Although the singer's ship Majestic suffers severely, the British are completely victorious, with 13 ships destroyed or taken and the rest fled
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: war Napoleon
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug 1, 1798 - Nelson's British fleet mauls the French forces at the Battle of the Nile
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Laws J18, "The Battle of the Nile"
DT 550, BATTNILE
Roud #1892
NOTES: Napoleon's first truly independent expedition was his attack on Egypt. He took an army and fleet to attack the British protectorate there. However, Lord Horatio Nelson's squadron of 14 ships of the line trapped the French fleet (13 ships of the line plus four frigates) and destroyed or captured 12 of them. Napoleon was cut off; he himself fled to France, but nearly all the rest of the expeditionary force was captured.  - RBW
File: LJ18
===
NAME: Battle of the Windmill, The
DESCRIPTION: "On Tuesday morning we marched out In command of Colonel Fraser... To let them know, that day, below, We're the Prescott Volunteers." The soldiers come to the Windmill Plains and, boldly led, drive off the invaders
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1942
KEYWORDS: battle soldier Canada rebellion
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Nov 11, 1838 - Roughly 170 men of "The Hunters," a group devoted to republican government in Canada, invade Canada near Prescott under Colonel Von Schultz
Nov 13, 1838 - Loyalist forces (Glengarry militia under Capt. George Macdonall, Dundas militia under Colonel John Crysler, and Grenville militia Colonel Richard Duncan Fraser) gather and attack the invaders
Nov 16, 1873 - The loyalists receive artillery reinforcements, while the invaders are out of ammunition and have not received expected reinforcements. The invaders are forced to surrender. Von Schultz and ten others will be hanged, and others transported
FOUND_IN: Canada
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 78-81, "The Battle of the Windmill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 3, "The Battle of the Windmill" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BATWNDML*
Roud #4523
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "An Anti-Rebel Song" (theme)
cf. "The Girl I Left Behind Me (lyric)" (tune & meter) and references there
NOTES: For the history of the Canadian rebellion, which led to the events in this song, see the notes on "An Anti-Rebel Song" and "Farewell to Mackenzie."
The Canadian rebellion/invasion resembled most of the border raids of this period: So badly planned that it would have been funny if lives had not been lost.
1837 was a troubled time in Canada; a series of bad harvests had produced hardship and discontent (Brown, p. 211. For references, see the Bibliography at the end of this note) William Lyon Mackenzie, long a foe of the government, took advantage to raise a rebellion. In December 1837, they tried to march on Toronto -- but they were completely disorganized; a few volleys by the local militia put them to flight (Bourrie, p. 57). Mackenzie fled to the United States; two of his followers were hanged (Brown, p. 213). Brebner/Masters, p. 240, observes that "The protest [Mackenzie and followers] personified so feebly and pathetically was widespread and deep, but too immature to find voice in either a solid party program or in truly substantial revolt." McNaught, p. 89, points out that the very fact that Mackenzie made it to the U. S. with all the power of the local government against him shows how much sympathy he had among ordinary Canadians.
A small-scale reign of terror followed as Colonel Allan MacNab worked to burn out the protests by employing Indians to kill alleged rebels.
A motley band of Americans, lured as always by the prospect of taking Canada from the British, decided to support the rebels. But their leaders, General Sutherland and Colonel von Rensellaer, were both "frauds," according to Bourrie, pp. 57-58. They shoved Mackenzie out to Navy Island in the Niagara River, made him a provisional president, promised land in Canada to his supporters -- and waited. The British managed to burn Mackenzie's support ship, the _Caroline_, and send it over Niagara Falls (Bourrie, pp. 59-61). That was pretty much the end of the Niagara rebellion. The action then shifted to the far end of Lake Ontario.
In November 1838, a more serious menace arose, in the form of the Hunters' Lodges, groups of unofficial soldiers trying to gain a foothold in Canada. They weren't really supporting Mackenzie (he in fact said that they never consulted him; Bourrie, p. 62) -- but he gave them an excuse.
Exactly how many men invaded Canada in 1838 is uncertain; Brebner/Masters, p. 241, claims there were about a thousand, but Bourrie, p. 63, offers a figure of 300, of whom a hundred (including their commander John Ward Birge) turned back when one of their ships ran aground. On the whole, it seems most likely that 150-200 men came ashore in Canada and occupied a windmill in Prescott. They were now under the command of Nils von Schultz -- yet another of the fake military men who seemed to swirl around these efforts (Bourrie, p. 64).
The British brought up over a thousand troops, many of them militia but all of them more regular than the Americans. Their first attack failed, but they pulled back their lines and let the Americans stew (Bourrie, pp. 65-66). Four days later, on November 16, the British went in again. They had been reinforced up to 2000 men, and they had supplies, which the Americans did not. (It will tell you something bout how messed-up the Americans were that their commander was styled a "colonel" though he had fewer than 200 men; the British, who outnumbered them ten to one, were commanded by Lt. Colonel Dundas).
Von Schultz was realistic enough to offer surrender if the British would treat his troops as prisoners of war. Dundas, properly I think, refused (Bourrie, p. 67); the invaders were not troops of the U. S. government but a private army. The British brought up artillery and bombarded the Windmill; the invaders eventually surrendered even without the promise of POW starus.
Give Von Schultz this much credit: Tried for treason and sentenced to hang, he left four hundred pounds in his will to the widows and orphans of the Windmill battle. Ten others were also hanged, perhaps thirty of the Hunters escaped, those under 21 were sent back to the U. S., and the rest -- 82 in all -- transported to Van Diemen's Land. (Bourrie, p. 70).
Mackenzie survived, but had to remain in exile until 1849. In that time, his property was plundered, so that he went from well-to-do to a near-pauper when he died in 1861 (Bourrie, pp. 71-72). He was nonetheless fondly remembered by anti-aristocratic forces in Canada.
This sort of filibustering was largely halted in 1842 as the Webster/Ashburton treaty resolved many border issues (Brebner/Masters, p. 241). The Fenians would later try to invade Canada -- but that was an independent excursion, not something with broad American support.
>> BIBLIOGRAPHY <<
Bourrie: Mark Bourrie, __Many a Midnight Ship: True Stories of Great Lakes Shipwrecks_, University of Michigan Pres, 2005
Brebner/Masters: J. Bartlett Brebner, _Canada_, revised and enlarge by Donald C. Masters, University of Michigan Press, 1970
Craig Brown, editor, _The Illustrated History of Canada_, Key Porter, 1987-2000.
McNaught: Kenneth McNaught, in _The Pelican History of Canada_ (enlarged edition, Pelican, 1982) - RBW
File: FMB078
===
NAME: Battle of Trenton, The
DESCRIPTION: "On Christmas day in seventy-six Our gallant troops with bayonets fixed For Trenton marched away." The Americans cross the Delaware River and attack and scatter the Hessian garrison. The soldiers toast the memory of that day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: war rebellion battle river patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec. 25, 1776 - The colonial army under Washington crosses the Delaware River and successfully attacks a force of Hessian mercenaries in their winter quarters at Trenton
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scott-BoA, pp. 72-74, "The Battle of Trenton" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: SBoA072
===
NAME: Battle of Vicksburg, The
DESCRIPTION: "On Vicksburg's globes and bloody grounds A wounded soldier lay, His thoughts was on his happy home Some thousand miles away." The dying man recalls mother and sweetheart and prepares for the end
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: death battle separation Civilwar
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 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)
Nov 1862 - Union general Ulysses S. Grant begins his Vicksburg campaign. His first four attempts to reach the city fail
Apr 16, 1863 - Porter's gunboats run past Vicksburg, opening the way for Grant's final successful campaign
May 12-17, 1863 - Grant fights a series of minor battles which bring him to the defences of Vicksburg
May 22, 1863 - Grant's attempt to take Vicksburg by storm is a bloody failure. The Union army settles down to a siege
July 4, 1863 - Lt. General Pemberton surrenders Vicksburg
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 225, "The Battle of Vicksburg" (1 text, 1 tune, plus a fragmentary  text of the original song, "On Buena Vista's Battlefield")
Hudson 120, p. 261, "The Vicksburg Soldier" (1 text)
Fuson, p. 93, "Shallows Field" (1 text, clearly this song although the battle site is "Shallows Field"="Shiloh's Field"; this may come from confusion with "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh")
ST R225 (Partial)
Roud #4500
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "On Buena Vista's Battlefield" (tune & meter, theme)
cf. "Victorious March" (subject)
cf. "Late Battle in the West" (subject)
cf. "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh" [Laws A15] (lyrics)
NOTES: This song is a clear rewrite of the Mexican War song "On Buena Vista's Battlefield." The choice of Vicksburg is perhaps curious; although the Vicksburg campaign led to even more deaths by disease than usual, battle casualties were relatively light compared to the great battles in Virginia and Tennessee. On the other hand, the "Buena Vista" song seems to have spawned other Civil War pieces, e.g. about Shiloh (see Fuson's "Shallows Field," which I lump here but which Roud splits off; it's his #4284)
And it should be admitted that Vicksburg was important -- arguably the single most important Union victory of the war. In the early spring of 1863, the Union war effort seemed stalled. In Virginia the Army of the Potomac had had a two to one advantage in manpower at Chancellorsville, but still managed to lose. William S. Rosecrans's Army of the Cumberland, operating in central Tennessee, had been inert since the bloody draw of Stones River/Murfreesboro.
That left only the western army of Ulysses S. Grant. And even he seemed to be stuck. A major part of the Federal plan for the war was to capture the Mississippi. A large part of this had been done; New Orleans had fallen early in 1862 (for this see "The New Ballad of Lord Lovell (Mansfield Lovell)"). Memphis had been lost almost without a struggle; the navy moved in and the Confederates moved out (see James M. McPherson, _Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era_ [part of the Oxford History of the United States], Oxford, 1988, p. 418). The only thing still linking the Confederate east with Arkansas, Texas, and the trans-Mississippi portion of Louisiana was Vickburg.
The city was still young; Newet Vicks, the founder, had first seen Walnut Heights above the river in 1814, the site of a ruined military encampment called Fort Nogales (see Samuel Carter III, _The Final Fortress: The Campaign for Vicksburg 1862-1863_, St. Martin's, 1980, p. 12). Settlers began to move there around 1819. But it was an incredibly strong military position. The bluffs guarded the city on the north and west, with the river an additional barrier on those sides. (although it stands along the Mississippi, the river here ran almost west to east; the river made a great bow here, like a reverse letter C, with Vicksburg on the lower right part of the curve; for details, see the map on the frontispiece of Carter. This curve also meant that boats trying to make it past Vicksburg could not build up  much head of steam.). Plus there were great marshes to the north which made it impossible to bring supplies down the east side of the Mississippi.
Flag Officer Farragut, who had taken New Orleans and gone on to capture Natchez and Baton Rouge, eventually took his fleet to Vicksburg. He called on the city to surrender, received a contemtuous reply (McPherson, pp. 421-422) -- and tried to attack it with gunfire, as he had attacked New Orleans. But Vickburg, high on its bluff and guarded by 10,000 Confederates, was too tough for him. He didn't have enough soldiers to attack. and while he could damage the city, he couldn't seriously soften it up. Eventually, after his ships had suffered enough damage, he had to give up.
What it meant was that there was only one really practical way to get at Vicksburg: An army had to come at it by land from the east or southeast -- and that meant that somehow the Union army had to get itself to the south or east of the city. And *that* meant being cut off from their supply lines from Memphis.
If the Union had moved fast enough, it might not have mattered; they could have come from the south. But in the aftermath of Farragut's repulse before Vicksburg, the Confederates had retaken Port Hudson south of Vicksburg. It was too weak a position to hold if Vicksburg fell -- but, as long as Vicksburg stood, Port Hudson guarded its vulnerable side.
Farragut in 1862 made the first of many attempts to lever the Confederates out: He started a canal to route the Mississippi away from the town. If he had managed to create a usable waterway, then then Union navy could get around Vicksburg and supply an army to the south of the town. The idea failed; before the canal could be more than begun, summer drought lowered the level of the Mississippi. Farragut's ships were ocean vessels, and in danger of being stranded, and his men were sick. He gave up and headed back to New Orleans.
The problem stymied Ulysses S. Grant, the commander of the forces along the Mississippi, for more than half a year. An attempt to build a supply line from the north failed when Confederate cavalry destroyed his depot at Holly Springs (see Bruce Catton, _Never Call Retreat_, the third volume of the Centennial History of the Civil War, 1965; I use the 1967 Pocket Books edition; p. 33). Two attempts to work an army through the rivers and marshes northeast of the town nearly ended in disaster. An attempt to dig a canal to bypass the town failed (Catton, pp. 80-85). By the spring of 1863, Grant seemed stymied.
But Grant would not have been Grant had he been willing to give up. Finally he ran his river fleet past Vicksburg, marched his army south of the town on the western bank of the Mississippi, and crossed to attack Vicksburg from the south and east. It meant that, for several days, he had no supply line, but he was able to carry what his scavengers could not find. The Confederate general Pemberton, who had done little to prevent Grant's crossing, fought a small battle, was beaten, and retreated into the Vicksburg defences (against the orders of the theater commander, Joseph E. Johnston, who correctly saw that if Pemberton went into Vicksburg, both the town and the army would be lost; if he abandoned Vicksburg, at least the army would be saved).
Grant encircled the town, and began to starve it out; had the defenders had more supplies, they might have held out indefinitely, but by July 1863, they were starving. Pemberton surrendered on July 4, 1863 -- the day after the end of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Grant had captured the third-largest army in the Confederacy. He had also eliminated the strongest fortress guarding the Mississippi. Within days, there would be no Confederate forces left along the river; the Confederacy would be split in two -- meaning that men and supplies from Texas and Arkansas and western Louisiana could no longer reach the armies further east. It was not immediately decisive, but it was a deadly blow -- far more deadly than Gettysburg, which was strategically very nearly a draw(Lee was forced out of Pennsylvania but still had his army intact).
It's one of those little ironies that Gettysburg, the most written-about battle of the Civil War, has almost no place in traditional song, and Vicksburg, the most decisive battle, has only a slightly stronger place in the folk repertoire. - RBW

File: R225
===
NAME: Battle of Waterloo (I), The: see The Plains of Waterloo (V) (File: LJ03A)
===
NAME: Battle of Waterloo (II), The: see The Plains of Waterloo (V) (File: LJ03)
===
NAME: Battle of Waterloo (III), The: see The Plains of Waterloo (III) [Laws J4] (File: LJ04)
===
NAME: Battle of Waterloo (IV), The: see Scots Soldiers True (File: GrD1154)
===
NAME: Battle on Vinegar Hill, The
DESCRIPTION: The English army of 20000 defeat 10000 Wexford pikemen in a fierce battle. The pikemen were brave and valiant; the English were stubborn and warlike. The singer comments on the pity that freeborn Englishmen "should strike fair freedom down"
AUTHOR: Rev. P. F. Kavanagh (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 2000 (Moylan)
KEYWORDS: army battle rebellion death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jun 21, 1798 - Battle of Vinegar Hill (source: Moylan)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Moylan 89, "The Battle on Vinegar Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Moylan dates "The Battle on Vinegar Hill" to about 1880. - BS
The battle of Vinegar Hill was the final end of the Wexford rebellion. The rebels, having failed at New Ross and Arklow, made a last stand on the hill. Ill-equipped and, in many cases, sick, they faced a British army some 10,000 strong under General Lake, and were slaughtered (see Thomas Pakenham, _The Year of Liberty_, pp. 256-258). For more details on the battle, see, e.g., the notes to "Father Murphy (I)." - RBW
According to Kathleen Hoagland, _1000 Years of Irish Poetry_, p. 784,
Moylan's dating is problematic. I assume this is the Patrick Kavanagh (1904/05-1967) who was best known for his poem "The Great Hunger." Thus he can hardlyl have written the poem in the nineteenth century! - RBW
File: Moyl089
===
NAME: Battle That Was Fought in the North, The
DESCRIPTION: Orangemen come to Tyrone to celebrate July 12, "but our loyal-hearted Catholics soon made them run away." "We'll still be faithful to George the Fourth, and loyal to his crown, But not afraid, nor yet dismay'd, to keep those Brunswickers down"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1830 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: violence death Ireland political
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 35, "The Battle That Was Fought in the North" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Owen Rooney's Lamentation" (subject: "party fights")
cf. "The Lamentation of James O'Sullivan" (subject: "party fights")
cf. "The Noble Blue Ribbon Boys" (subject: Ulster quarrels)
NOTES: July 12 is the Gregorian Calendar (adopted in England in 1752) date for celebrating the victory of William II of Orange in the Battle of the Boyne, July 1, 1690.
Zimmermann: "This ballad ... [was] perhaps also inspired by the 'party fights' in July 1829. Upwards of twenty men were said to have been killed in County Tyrone.... There was more fighting near Stewartstown in July 1831."
Zimmermann 35: "'Brunswicker' was then more or less synonymous with 'Orangeman' or simply 'Protestant'." - BS
This song is presumably dated by its internal references. If the reference is to the Party Fights, then it must be after July 1829, but since the King is George IV, who died in 1830, it must be before that.
On the other hand, the most noteworthy of the party fights came later, at Dolly's Brae (July 12, 1849; for this battle, see "Dolly's Brae (I)" and "Dolly's Brae (II)"), at which several dozen Catholics were killed. This led England to pass the Party Processions Act in 1850. On still another hand, there was also the earlier clash at Garvegh (1813; see "March of the Men of Garvagh"). The king at this time was George III, but he was in his final madness and the future George IV was regent.
So while the 1830 date is likely, there are plenty of other possible dates if one allows for the possibility of anachronism. - RBW
File: Zimm035
===
NAME: Battle with the Ladle, The: see A Rich Old Miser [Laws Q7] (File: LQ07)
===
NAME: Battlecry of Freedom, The: see The Battle Cry of Freedom (File: MA034)
===
NAME: Battleship Maine (I), The: see On the Shores of Havana (File: FSC021)
===
NAME: Battleship Maine (II), The: see My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine (File: R689)
===
NAME: Battleship of Maine
DESCRIPTION: Humorous song about a country boy caught up in the Spanish-American war, for which he has little sympathy. He describes bad conditions in the army, notes that the "Rough Riders" wear $5.50 shoes, while the poor farmers wear dollar-a-pair shoes.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: army war humorous soldier cowardice
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1895 - Cubans rebel against Spain
Feb 15, 1898 - Explosion of the battleship "Maine" in Havana harbour
April 25, 1898 - Congress declares war on Spain
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
BrownII 239, "That Bloody War" (4 texts, of which the first two are this piece; the final two fragments appear to be "That Crazy War")
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 100-101, "Battleship of Maine" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 288, "Battleship of Maine" (1 text)
DT, BTTLMAIN*
Roud #779
RECORDINGS:
Mary C. Mann, "The Battleship of Maine" (AFS A-526, A-527, 1926)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Battleship of Maine" (on NLCR01, NLCRCD1) (NLCR12) (NLCR16)
Red Patterson's Piedmont Log Rollers, "Battleship of Maine" (Victor 20936, 1927)
Wilmer Watts and the Lonely Eagles, "Fightin' in the War with Spain" (Paramount 3254, 1931; on StuffDreams1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Mister McKinley (White House Blues)" (tune)
cf. "If I Lose, I Don't Care" (tune, floating lyrics)
cf. "Joking Henry" (tune)
cf. "That Crazy War" (lyrics)
cf. "My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine" (theme) and references there
NOTES: For further information about the _Maine_ and the Spanish-American War, see the notes on "My Sweetheart Went Down with the Maine." - RBW
File: CSW100
===
NAME: Bawbee Allen: see Bonny Barbara Allan [Child 84] (File: C084)
===
NAME: Bawdy Alphabet, The
DESCRIPTION: A variation of the standard Alphabet songs (Logger's, Sailor's, etc.) with A to Z references to matters sexual or private parts
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: bawdy wordplay
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph-Legman II, pp. 616-621, "The Alphabet Song" (5 texts)
Roud #159
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Logger's Alphabet" (subject) and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Whore's Alphabet
The Tramp's Alphabet
NOTES: Legman in Randolph-Legman II offers extensive notes to this widely known song, and particularly to the obscene and/or bawdy versions. - EC
File: RL616
===
NAME: Bay of Biscay
DESCRIPTION: A ship is wrecked at night in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. At daybreak "a sail in sight appears" and the crew is rescued.
AUTHOR: Andrew Cherry (1762-1812) (source: Bodleian notes to broadside Harding B 25(903); also John Bartlett,_Familiar Quotations_, 15th ed (1980))
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1825 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 28(73))
KEYWORDS: rescue sea ship storm wreck
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: ()

BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(73), "The Bay of Biscay, O" ("Loud roard the dreadful thunder"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Harding B 11(3128), Harding B 25(903), "In the Bay of Biscay O"; Firth b.25(71), Harding B 11(196), Harding B 15(17a), Harding B 11(192), Harding B 11(193), Harding B 25(148), "[The] Bay of Biscay O[!]"; Firth b.25(82), Firth c.12(305), Harding B 11(194), Harding B 11(195), 2806 b.10(79), 2806 c.17(22), Firth c.21(118), Firth b.27(72), "[The] Bay of Biscay"
LOCSinging, as108370, "Bay of Biscay," L. Deming (Boston), n.d.
NOTES: The tune was at least well enough known to be used for a parody (Bodleian, Harding B 16(198c), "Paddy's Wake" ("Loud howl'd each Irish mourner")) and, years later, another wreck broadside (Bodleian, Harding B 14(335), "Wreck of the ship Reform, commanded by commodore Russell" ("Loud roared the dreadful thunder")). - BS
Not to be confused with "Bay of Biscay, Oh (Ye Gentlemen of England II) (The Stormy Winds Did Blow)" [Laws K3], which also involves a rescued crew but in different circumstances, nor with the song about a sailor's life, "The Bonny Bay of Biscay-O."
Andrew Cherry's other noteworthy piece iss "The Green Little Shamrock of Ireland.' - RBW
File: BdBaOBis
===
NAME: Bay of Biscay O, The: see Willy O! (File: CrMa113)
===
NAME: Bay of Biscay, Oh (Ye Gentlemen of England II) (The Stormy Winds Did Blow) [Laws K3]
DESCRIPTION: The singer's ship and the Rameley set out from Spithead. The two ships are separated by a storm in the Bay of Biscay. The Rameley, arriving at Gibraltar, reports the other ship lost, but at last it comes in, having lost mast, captain, and ten crewmembers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan1)
KEYWORDS: sea ship storm
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar) Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws K3, "Bay of Biscay, Oh (Ye Gentlemen of England II) (The Stormy Winds Did Blow)"
GreigDuncan1 35, "The Bay of Biscay" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 52, "Bay of Biscay Oh" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 399, BAYBISC*
Roud #524
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ye Gentlemen of England (I)" [Laws K2]
cf. "The Plains of Waterloo" (tune, according to GreigDuncan1)
NOTES: Not to be confused with the lover's-ghost-returned song "Bay of Biscay." - (PJS)
Creighton-NovaScotia: Also not to be confused with "[The] Bay of Biscay [O]" ["Loud roared the dreadful thunder"] by Andrew Cherry about a disabled ship rescued.
For what may be the first of this family of ballads see broadside Bodleian, Douce Ballads 2(167b), "Neptune's Raging Fury" or "The Gallant Seaman's Sufferings" ("You gentlemen of England, that live at home at ease"), C. Brown (London), 1695-1707, by Martin Parker. The first verse is
You Gentlemen of England that live at home at ease,
Full little do you think upon the danger of the Seas;
Give ear unto the Marriners[sic] and they will plainly show,
The cares and the fears when the stormy winds do blow.
The subject is the general plight of seamen, as compared to that of landsmen. No specific incident is mentioned. - BS
File: LK03
===
NAME: Bayou Sara, The
DESCRIPTION: The Bayou Sara (Bicera) is a fine boat, but catches fire and burns down, taking many people with her. The song may mention all the crew she lost, or the singer's own escape and watching for angels to come for him.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: ship river fire death disaster
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Belden, pp. 423-424, "The Burning of the Bayou Sara" (1 text)
MWheeler, pp. 40-41, "B'y' Sara Burned Down" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BAYOUSAR* BAYOUSA2
ST DTBayous (Full)
Roud #10010 and 4139
RECORDINGS:
Art Thieme, "Bayou Sara" (on Thieme05)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Burning of the Bayou Sara
The Bicera
NOTES: As "The Burning of the Bayou Sara," this song is item dG39 in Laws's Appendix II.
Belden, who collected the version known to Laws, reported that a ship called the Bayou Sara burned at the dock on December 5, 1885. Mary Wheeler, however, reports that the name of the ship was the "City of Bayou Sara," built in 1884; she burned at New Madrid. All passengers were reportedly saved, though a few crew members died.
The versions of this song are extremely diverse in form (apart from the confusion that caused the ship to be called "The Bicera" by Belden's informant), and it's possible that there are two ballads involved. Laws, for instance, failed to identify Wheeler's text with Belden's, and Roud gives the pieces two numbers. But since the texts are all unique, I place them all here without rendering a final judgment on the matter; this may be just a piece that went through a lot of blues metamorphosis. - RBW
File: DTBayous
===
NAME: Be at Home Soon Tonight, My Dear Boy: see Be Home Early Tonight, My Dear Boy (File: R851)
===
NAME: Be Home Early Tonight, My Dear Boy
DESCRIPTION: The singer's has worked hard all his life, and occasionally goes to town for fun. But his mother regularly tells him, "Be home early tonight." Once, when she is sick, he goes out partying and returns to find her dead. He warns against ignoring mother
AUTHOR: John Gibbons ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (Wehman Brothers' Good Old Time Songs #3); reportedly first published 1882
KEYWORDS: work mother death warning
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Randolph 851, "Be Home Early Tonight, My Dear Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 534-536, "Be Home Early Tonight, My Dear Boy" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 851)
BrownIII 27, "Be Home Early" (1 text)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 174-175, "Be Home Early Tonight, My Dear Boy" (1 text)
Roud #7451
RECORDINGS:
Kelly Harrell, "Be at Home Soon Tonight, My Dear Boy" (OKeh 40505, 1925; on KHarrell01)
File: R851
===
NAME: Be Kin' to Yer Nainsel, John
DESCRIPTION: His dying wife says to John: there are three spoons, three cows, three carts,.... Give one of each to the lassie, one to the laddie, and one to yourself. His wife dies. John "I maun hae anither, I've plenty for to keep her, An be kind tae my nainsel"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1927 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: bequest death humorous nonballad parody husband wife derivative
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig 114, p. 2, "Be Kin' to Yer Nainsel, John"; Greig 116, pp. 2-3, "Be Kin' to Yer Nainsel, John"; Greig 119, p. 3, "Be Kin' to Yer Nainsel, John"  (4 texts)
GreigDuncan3 706, "Be Kin' to Yer Nainsel, John" (10 texts, 5 tunes)
Roud #2480
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Land o' the Leal" (basis for parody [see notes])
NOTES: Greig 114: "The song appears to be a parody on 'The Land o' the Leal' [Text]. In this way she goes over the beasts and articles in the house, always telling him to give away the best and keep the worst, but still every now and again bidding him be kind to himself, for she is wearin' awa'." 
Greig 116: "[The Rev. Mr Duncan] says:- 'At least one of my versions goes back a hundred years or more. In this case, the suggestion of parody is the first and most obvious, but there are difficulties.'  Yes, there are difficulties. Miss Robertson's - 'Fy, gar heat a sup drink, John,' is older than Lady Nairne's day." [1910]
Greig 119: "[Miss Robertson] says that she never heard her mother say where she got her version of the song, but she feels sure that her aunt had got hers from her mother who would have been a girl about 1780. Miss Robertson refers to the controversy that once arose (and has been repeated since) as to the authorship of 'The Land of the Leal,' some people claiming it for Burns, and she recalls that one correspondent referred to the earlier song about the unmanly John." 
GreigDuncan3 quoting Duncan: "Now Lady Nairne's 'The Land o' the Leal' goes back to 1798, and contains these coincidences with this:- (1) the use of the expression 'the land o' the leal' for heaven; (2) the combination of this with the words 'I am wearin awa,' (3) the address to the husband as 'John' and (4) the use of all these in an address from a dying wife to her husband." Duncan goes on to ask whether Lady Nairne borrowed from the popular song, or vice versa. - BS
File: GrD3796
===
NAME: Be Kind to Your Web-Footed Friends
DESCRIPTION: "Be kind to your web-footed friends, For a duck may be somebody's mother...." Listeners are urged to be kind to swamp animals and perhaps other ecologically unfortunate creatures
AUTHOR: Music ("The Stars and Stripes Forever") by John Philip Sousa
EARLIEST_DATE: 1975
KEYWORDS: humorous parody animal nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 52, "Be Kind to Your Web-Footed Friends" (1 text, tune referenced)
cf. Fuld-WFM, p. 535, "The Stars and Stripes Forever"
DT, WEBFOOT
Roud #10248
NOTES: Of *course* it's a folk song. Think about where *you* learned it. - RBW
File: DTwebfoo
===
NAME: Beach of Strablane, The: see Braes of Strathblane (File: McCST053)
===
NAME: Beam of Oak
DESCRIPTION: A farmer's daughter loves a servant man. Her father has him sent to sea. He is killed in battle. His ghost visits the father. The daughter hears about it. She hangs herself. Father finds her hanging. Her note blames the father, who goes mad
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Leach-Labrador)
KEYWORDS: battle navy death suicide father lover ghost
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leach-Labrador 15, "Beam of Oak" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST LLab015 (Partial)
Roud #60
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Butcher Boy" [Laws P24] (theme)
NOTES: This is not "The Butcher Boy" [Laws P24] in spite of the suicide by hanging, the father finding the body and the suicide note. Consider the differences: the lover is faithful, the father causes the separation, the lover is killed and his ghost returns, and the suicide note blames the father. - BS
Roud lumps it with "Love Has Brought Me to Despair" [Laws P25], but this is a much more detailed song than that. At most, it might be the inspiration, but even that seems forced. The feeling seems very different -- more like "The Suffolk Miracle" than "The Butcher Boy." - RBW
File: LLab015
===
NAME: Beans, Bacon, and Gravy
DESCRIPTION: The singer, born in 1894, has "seen many a panic," but the worst distress is in (1931). He is on a work crew, being fed a daily ration of "beans, bacon, and gravy," which "almost drive me crazy." He describes the hard times and hopes for better
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: hardtimes food work
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Arnett, pp. 170-171, "Beans, Bacon, and Gravy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 64-65, "Beans, Bacon, and Gravy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 380-381, "Beans, Bacon, and Gravy" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 289, "Beans, Bacon And Gravy" (1 text)
DT, BBGRAVY*
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Beans, Bacon and Gravy" (on PeteSeeger04) (on PeteSeeger13)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Little Joe the Wrangler" [Laws B5] (tune) and references there
cf. "Jesse James (I)" [Laws E1] (tune)
File: Arn170
===
NAME: Bear Chase, The
DESCRIPTION: Hunters and dogs go out to hunt the (bear/deer). Most of the song is about the activities of the dogs. Chorus: "Way, away, We're bound for the mountain (x3), Over the hills, The fields and the fountains, Away to the chase, Away!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: dog hunting animal
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
BrownIII 219, "The Wild Ashe Deer" (1 text)
Lomax-FSNA 81, "The Deer Chase" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 741, "Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6675
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Bear Chase" (on PeteSeeger09, Pete SeegerCD02)
NOTES: The text in Brown is noticeably literary, and the notes mention a printed song, "The Wild Ashe Deer," from 1854. Whether the traditional song derives from the printed version, or the printed version was taken from tradition and "improved," is by no means clear. - RBW
File: LoF081
===
NAME: Bear in the Hill, The
DESCRIPTION: "There's a bear in yon hill, and he is a brave fellow." The bear goes out to seek a wife. He meets and courts a possum. She will marry him if her uncle (the raccoon) agrees. The agreement is made and the couple married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934
KEYWORDS: animal talltale courting marriage love request
FOUND_IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 162-163, "The Bear in the Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #15552
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Frog Went A-Courting" (plot)
NOTES: Looks to me like a deliberate rewrite of "Frog Went A-Courting." In support of this, we note that it is very rare in oral tradition. Maybe somebody's kid wanted a song about a bear getting married instead of a frog? - RBW
File: LxA162
===
NAME: Bear River Murder, The
DESCRIPTION: "About a brutal murder I now say a word, I mean that Bear River murder No doubt of it you've heard." Detective Power discusses the murder and why he thinks Wheeler is the murderer and how it happened. Wheeler confesses and is to be hung September 8.
AUTHOR: S. Smith
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Mackenzie)
KEYWORDS: execution murder punishment police
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1895 - Anne Kempton murdered by Peter Wheeler at Bear River, Digby County (source: Mackenzie; Creighton says 1896)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Mackenzie 152, "The Bear River Murder" (1 text)
Roud #3286
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Peter Wheeler" (subject: the same murder)
NOTES: Creighton has extensive notes about this event, which seem largely folklore though she talked with people who knew Annie Kempton. The dates are uncertain; Mackenzie dates the murder to 1895, and Creighton says that Smith wrote his song in that year -- but notes in the same sentence that people in Bear River dated the murder to January 27, 1896. They dated Wheeler's execution to September 1896.
Creighton also reports that Wheeler was not from Digby County; locals thought him Portugese, though one wonders how a non-Englishman would acquire the name "Wheeler." - RBW
File: Mac152
===
NAME: Bear Song, The
DESCRIPTION: A bear is discovered and chased by men two days through the snow. Part of the story is told by the bear: "it's the shot makes me run" It dies. "It is rumored the bear's made a will" witnessed by Nicholas, leaving his fur for "caps for the boys"
AUTHOR: Lawrence Doyle
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (Dibblee/Dibblee)
KEYWORDS: hunting humorous animal lastwill death clothes
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 106-107, "The Bear Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12456
NOTES: Dibblee/Dibblee has more details about the chase and shooting. - BS
File: Dib106
===
NAME: Bear the News, Mary
DESCRIPTION: "Bear the news, Mary (x3), I'm on my way to glory." "If you git there before I do, I'm a-hunting a home to go to, Just tell them all I'm a-coming too, I'm a-hunting a home to go to."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934
KEYWORDS: religious floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 563-564, "Bear the News, Mary" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #15556
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Wade in the Water" (floating lyrics) and references there
File: LxA563
===
NAME: Bear Went Over the Mountain, The
DESCRIPTION: "The bear went over the mountain (x3) To see what he could see." "He saw another mountain (x3), And what do you think he did?" "He climbed the other mountain...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Linscott)
KEYWORDS: animal nonballad humorous
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Linscott, pp. 164-165, "A Bear Went Over the Mountain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 43, "The Bear Went Over the Mountain" (1 text, tune referenced)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 231-233, "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow -- (Malbrouk -- We Won't Go Home till Morning! -- The Bear Went over the Mountain)"
DT, BEARMTN*
Roud #3727
NOTES: This is another of those songs you never find in folk song books. But I'm pretty sure I learned it orally; I think it belongs here. - RBW
File: DTbearmt
===
NAME: Beardiville Planting
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a pretty girl who lives near Beardiville. He asks her to come with him to County Derry. She asks him to stay a while so she can be sure he is serious. Her father consents, and they are married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage home beauty
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H718, pp. 460-461, "Beardiville Planting" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9462
File: HHH718
===
NAME: Beau Galant, Le (The Handsome Gentleman)
DESCRIPTION: French. A girl's lover sails to the Indies and returns to find her in a convent. He cries at the door. If I stay, she says, it is your fault. He offers her a gold ring as a remembrance. When he puts the ring on her finger, he falls dead. She mourns.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage courting ring reunion burial death mourning lover
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 662-663, "Le Beau Galant" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Belle Est Morte Entre les Bras de Son Amant, La (The Beautiful Woman Died in her Lover's Arms)" (theme)
File: Pea662
===
NAME: Beau Grenadier, Le (The Handsome Grenadier)
DESCRIPTION: French. A girl has won a sailor's/grenadier's heart. He takes her to his room and gives her a gold ring. Her other lover listens at the door. The jilted lover considers killing the girl but kills her new lover instead.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage infidelity love ring hiding gold bawdy lover mistress sailor soldier murder
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, p. 539, "La Jolie Fille et Ses Deux Amants" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: In Peacock's version the ballad stops short of having anyone murdered. Genevilliers is about five miles northeast of Paris - BS
File: Pea539
===
NAME: Beau Militaire, Le (The Handsome Soldier)
DESCRIPTION: French. A young prisoner is conscripted. Without leave, he goes to see Nanette in her castle, where he is captured. He is sent as a deserter to the deepest darkest dungeon in Paris.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage army lover soldier prisoner punishment desertion
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 168-169, "Le Beau Militaire" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Pea168
===
NAME: Beau Monsieur Tire Ses Gants Blancs, Le (The Handsome Gentleman Throws His White Gloves)
DESCRIPTION: French. A gentleman takes off his white gloves and gives a woman all the money she wants. He says, time for love. She follows him backwards saying "Good evening. I am going down river." I will go with my money to a convent and live happily.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage sex beauty rake whore clothes
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 170-171, "Le Beau Monsieur Tire Ses Gants Blancs" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: There's obviously an idiom here I don't understand: "mettre des gants blancs" meaning "to put on white gloves" and what looks like its obverse. Losing gloves was used euphemisticly in the 17th century for losing virginity, but that's a real stretch here (cf. _Dictionnaire des expressions et locutions_ by Rey et Chantreau, 1993). White gloves signifies elegance and maybe taking them off is appropriate here (cf. _La Grand Robert de la Langue Francais_ (Montreal, 1985), v.$, p. 816). - BS
File: Pea170
===
NAME: Beautiful
DESCRIPTION: "Ain't it fierce to be so beautiful, beautiful." The beautiful girl has "no peace of mind"; everyone is kind, but waits outside her door, offering flowers, etc. The brainy girl replies with similar words, save that she receives good grades and handshakes
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934
KEYWORDS: beauty nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 344-345, "Beautiful" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #15535
File: LxA344
===
NAME: Beautiful Bill
DESCRIPTION: "Beautiful Bill was a 'dorable beau, Beautiful Bill did worry me so, Sweetest of Wills, my beautiful Bill, My beautiful, beautiful, (beautiful) Bill." Bill courts the lady (but already has a wife and child?)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty family
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 372, "Beautiful Bill" (2 short texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 302-303, "Baeutiful Bill" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 372A)
Roud #5061
File: R372
===
NAME: Beautiful Brown Eyes
DESCRIPTION: Man (?) praises "beautiful brown eyes"; he'll never see blue eyes again. Woman says she loves Willie; they were to be married tomorrow, but liquor kept them apart. Man falls on the floor, vows not to drink any more. Woman, married, wishes she were single
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: love marriage drink
FOUND_IN: US(So) Can(West)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
[Randolph 319, "Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes" -- deleted in the second printing]
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 270-271, "Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's )
Silber-FSWB, p. 230, "Beautiful Brown Eyes" (1 text)
DT, BRWNEYES*
RECORDINGS:
Bill Cox, "Brown Eyes" (Melotone M-13058, 1934)
Stanley G. Triggs, "Brown Eyes" (on Triggs1)
NOTES: This song is a mish-mosh; it sounds like four verses (from separate songs) were scotch-taped together. The voice seems to switch from male to female; the marital status switches from betrothed to seven-years-married. A mess. - PJS
Wonder if that has anything to do with its success in bluegrass? :-) - RBW
File: FSWB230
===
NAME: Beautiful Churchill
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes his home in Donegal. A factory, "where pretty girls do sew," stands in the middle of town. Around it there are plantations and a lake with a beautiful island. Other find towns are nearby. He hopes to live there with his love
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad love
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H627, p. 161, "Beautiful Churchill" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13459
File: HHH627
===
NAME: Beautiful City: see Twelve Gates to the City (File: PSAFB081)
===
NAME: Beautiful Dreamer
DESCRIPTION: "Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me, Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee." The singer tells how the "sounds of the rude world" have faded in the night, and hopes for an end to sorrow 
AUTHOR: Stephen C. Foster
EARLIEST_DATE: 1864
KEYWORDS: dream love nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 261, "Beautiful Dreamer" (1 text)
Saunders/Root-Foster 2, pp. 237-244+437, "Beautiful Dreamer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuld-WFM, p. 135, "Beautiful Dreamer"
DT, BEAUTDR*
ST FSWB261 (Full)
NOTES: The 1864 sheet music to this piece lists it as Foster's last song, composed shortly before his death (and Spaeth says the song "undoubtedly" belongs to the last two weeks of his life), but Fuld notes a curious reference to a Foster song "Beautiful Dreamer" in 1863, and the copyright claim on the 1864 sheet music appears to have been altered (though the LC records report the song as entered in March 1864).
Note that while the cover of the sheet music gives the date as 1864, the copyright on page 2 still appears to read 1862.
Even so, it appears that "Beautiful Dreamer" was Foster's last noteworthy song; while there is no real evidence that it went into tradition, it at least has endured in popular circles, unlike anything else he wrote after 1860 at the latest.
As an aside, "She was all the World to Me" was also marketed as Foster's last song, as was "Our Darling Kate."
Thus the possibility must be admitted that the song is in fact older, and had been sitting in someone's files for some time, only to be pulled out to capitalize on Foster's death. (It's quite likely, in fact, that the song was typeset in 1862 but not issued at the time.)
This was by no means uncommon -- the Saunders/Root bibliography lists 16 songs credited to Foster but first printed in 1864 and after (though many of these are the works of others).
Two of these posthumous claims are rather humorous; "Give this to Mother" is listed as "Stephen C. Foster's last musical Idea" (!), while "Little Mac! Little Mac! You're the Very Man" refers to events which took place months after Foster's death (Spaeth suggests Foster's daughter Marion actually wrote the piece). - RBW
File: FSWB261
===
NAME: Beautiful Hands of the Priest, The
DESCRIPTION: "We need them [the priest's hands] in life's early morning, We need them again at its close." Singer mentions the clasp of friendship, and priest's hands at the altar, absolution, marriage, and "when death-dews on our eyes are falling."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1974 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
KEYWORDS: nonballad religious clergy
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 31, "The Beautiful Hands of the Priest" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5218
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "The Beautiful Hands of the Priest" (on IRTLenihan01)
NOTES: Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan: "A Father Crowley of Dunsallagh gave Tom the words of this poem on a type-written sheet about 1963 and asked him could he put a tune to it?" - BS
Hm. The cynic in me can't help but wonder, Just what had that priest been doing with his altar boys that he needed such propaganda? It is Catholic doctrine that the sacraments come through the church -- but it is also very basic Catholic doctine that the sacraments are made efficacious by God, *not* the particular priest involved, who may in fact not be in a state of grace. The power is all in the church collectively, not the priest; it is the sacrament, not the one who administers it, which acts.
This is not a recent doctrine; the church had to face the issue very early on, in the face of the Donatist heresy and related doctrines such as Novationism, which held the contrary opinion that the state of the minister did matter. The Novationists arose after the Decian persecution of 250; many had fallen away from the faith during the troubles, but wanted readmission to the church after Gallienus's edict of toleration in 260. Pope Cornelius was willing to forgive, but Novation felt that there was no possibility of forgiving the apostate; he split from the church and was declared Bishop of Rome, with his sect lasting for a few centuries (see David Christie-Murray, _A History of Heresy_, Oxford, 1976, p. 96).
The Donatists were a slightly later but rather stronger version of the same thing. They arose in the aftermath of Diocletian's persecution (from 303). The persecution did not end until 312. And, in 311, a new bishop of Carthage had been needed. Caecilian was consecrated bishop by Felix of Aptunga, who was considered to have gone along with the persecution, so many in the diocese refused to accept Caecilian's ordination. A rival sect arose, with Majorinus their first bishop. He soon died, to be replaced by Donatus (from 316), who gave the group its name. According to Lars P. Qualben, _A History of the Christian Church_, revised edition, Nelson, 1936, p. 123, "The [Donatist] party held that the traditors, or those who had surrendered copies of Scripture in the recent persecution, had committed a mortal sin." The sect seems to have endured until at least the Vandal, and perhaps the Islamic, conquest.
According to Christie-Murray, pp. 96-97, "Augustine wrote copiously against the Donatists, helping to establish the principle, which has remained that of the western Church, that the sacraments are not dependent for their validity upon the moral character if the men by whose hands they are administered but are valid in themselves, deriving their efficacy from God."
Similarly Qualben, pp. 123-124: "the character of a minister does not affect his official acts. All the acts of the church are valid acts, though the officials may be unworthy men."
Admittedly a fine distinction for a layperson to make -- but one that every Catholic clergyman should know!
Nonetheless this is a very Irish sort of a piece. Tim Pat Coogan, _Eamon de Valera: The Man Who Was Ireland_ (1993; I use the 2001 Dorset Press edition), p, 3, pretty well sums up the peculiar situation in that nation: "The parish priest was the Irish peasant's spokesman and bulwark against authority, an ever-present eternity. The consolation and support that the better priests gave their flocks was reciprocated by a respect for the clergy generally only equalled today by that accorded to an imam in a fundamentalist Arab village." - RBW
File: RcBeHaPr
===
NAME: Beautiful Light o'er the Sea: see Meet Me Tonight in the Moonlight (File: R746)
===
NAME: Beautiful Star (Star of the Evening)
DESCRIPTION: "Beautiful star in heav'n so bright, Softly falls thy silvr'y light, As thou movest from earth afar, Star of the evening, beautiful star. Beautiful star, Beautiful star, Star of the evening, beautiful star." The singer asks the star to watch over his love
AUTHOR: James M. Sayles
EARLIEST_DATE: 1862 (mentioned in diary of Lewis Carroll)
KEYWORDS: nonballad love
FOUND_IN: Britain
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #13751
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(4352), "Beautiful Star," H. Such (London), 1849-1862; same (?) sheet as Harding B 11(4352); also Harding B 19(10), "Beautuful (sic.) star! in heaven so bright " [another trimmed version as 2806 b.9(272), another as 2806 c.15(96)]; Harding B 11(4067), "Beautiful Star," J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866; same (?) sheet as Harding B 11(4068); Firth b.26(74); Harding B 11(1669); 2806 c.13(81), "Beautiful Star," James Lindsay (Glasgow), after 1851
NOTES: This obviously isn't a folk song, but there are slight hints of it in oral tradition -- including the fact that the Liddell sisters sang it for Lewis Carroll. Which inspired its far more famous parody (which is the reason I list it here): Carroll used it as the basis for "Beautiful Soup" ("Soup of the evening, Beautiful Soup"), as sung by the Mock Turtle.
How much more famous? _Granger's Index to Poetry_ has two references to "Beautiful Star." Both are books of parodies linking it to "Beautiful Soup" -- which has *five* entries in Granger's.
For further details, one may consult Martin Gardner's _The Annotated Alice_, p. 141. - RBW
File: nnBeaStar
===
NAME: Beautiful Susan [Laws M29]
DESCRIPTION: Susan's parents take advantage of her sweetheart William's absence to inform her that he is dead. They arrange a marriage to another man. William's letter announcing his return drives her to suicide. William sees her ghost and also kills himself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: death trick suicide ghost love
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Laws M29, "Beautiful Susan"
BrownII 69, "Beautiful Susan" (1 text)
DT 721, BEAUTSU
Roud #1022
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Damsel's Tragedy" (theme)
NOTES: Another song Laws lists as traditional, and British, even though only one version is known: The American one from the Brown collection. - RBW
File: LM29
===
NAME: Beautiful, Beautiful Brown Eyes: see Beautiful Brown Eyes (File: FSWB230)
===
NAME: Beautiful, Beautiful Ireland
DESCRIPTION: Singer must leave "Ireland the gem of the sea," which he wishes were free. No land can compare with it. "The ship is now anchored in the bay, But when I will return with my true-love It is then you may be sure I'll stay"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
KEYWORDS: emigration sea ship Ireland nonballad patriotic
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #5225
RECORDINGS:
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 20, "Beautiful, Beautiful Ireland" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: RcBeBeIr
===
NAME: Beauty of Buchan, The
DESCRIPTION: "Sheep is rejected And they from their pastures are banished away." The mountains once "wi flocks all clad over ... But now they are lonely for want o' flocks only." "Woe to our gentry, they're ruined a' our country"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming nonballad sheep
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig #52, p. 2, "The Beauty of Buchan" (1 text)
GreigDuncan3 434, "The Beauty of Buchan" (1 text)
Roud #5630
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Flowers of the Forest" (tune and rhyme scheme, per Greig)
NOTES: The second and fourth lines of each verse rhyme internally (for example, "Woe to our gentry, they're ruined a' our country,/ And brought our fine pastures so deep in decay/ Mong hedges and ditches they've spent a' our riches,/ And banished our beauty entirely away"), like "The Flowers of the Forest" for example, "We'll hae nae mair liltin', at the ewe milkin',/ Women and bairns are dowie and wae./ Sighin' and moanin' on ilka green loanin', The flowers of the forest are all wede away"). So Greig says "The Beauty of Buchan" has evidently been inspired by 'The Flowers of the Forest." 
Greig: "This lament was communicated by Miss Bell Robertson, who says it was sung by her grandmother [GreigDuncan3, citing another Greig source, notes that Bell Robertson's grandmother died in 1837].... The song refers to the disappearance of sheep from Buchan -- presumably owing to the progress of cultivation." 
GreigDuncan3, quoting Robertson, _Song Notes_,: ." .. it was after the hills were brought under cultivation and sheep put away to make room for cattle." - BS
File: GrD3434
===
NAME: Beauty of Garmouth, The
DESCRIPTION: "Near the foot of the Blackhill there lives a fair dame, And fain would I court her, fair Annie by name." The singer praises her looks, her voice, her teeth. If he could, he would write her name in gold letters. But she fancies him not; he begs for pity
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love rejection
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 195, "The Beauty of Garmouth" (1 short text)
Roud #5535
File: Ord195
===
NAME: Beauty of the Braid, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer has wandered far, but his "intellect is consummated By the charming beauty lives in the Braid." He asks how she came there; she was rescuing a lost lamb. He asks her name; she answers in riddles and bids him seek more education
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty wordplay riddle
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H723, p. 240-241, "The Beauty of the Braid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9477
NOTES: Sam Henry believes this song to be many centuries old, as it mentions wolves, long extinct in Ireland. And yet, the lady wants the young man to know Latin, and encourages him to improve his education to solve her riddle. This implies a much more recent date, when learning was widespread.
I think we must regard this song as a mystery, probably of broadside origin. - RBW
File: HHH273
===
NAME: Beauty, Beauty Bride, The: see Charming Beauty Bright [Laws M3] (File: LM03)
===
NAME: Beaver Cap, The
DESCRIPTION: "I went to town the other day To buy myself a hat, sir, I picked upon this beaver cap, With bill so broad and flat, sir." The song may detail the exploits of the boy with the cap -- e.g. letting a hen roost in it, throwing the eggs at his mother, etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1920 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: clothes commerce bird
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Belden, p. 435, "The Beaver Cap" (1 text)
Randolph 355, "The Beaver Cap" (1 text, 1 tune)
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 32, "Flat Bill Beaver Cap" (1 text)
Roud #6366
File: R355
===
NAME: Beaver Dam Road
DESCRIPTION: "I've worked like a dog and what have I got? No corn in the crib, no beans in the pot." Faced with such dire poverty, the singer sets up a still. He is caught and imprisoned. His wife hires a man and does well. The singer warns against making moonshine
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: drink prison hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Warner 119, "Beaver Dam Road" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BEAVRDAM
Roud #7477
RECORDINGS:
Frank Proffitt, "Beaver Dam Road" (on Proffitt03)
File: Wa119
===
NAME: Beaver Island Boys, The [Laws D17]
DESCRIPTION: Johnny Gallagher sets out across Lake Michigan despite a warning from his mother. On the way home, the boat is almost to Beaver Island when it sinks with all hands in a storm
AUTHOR: Daniel Malloy (1874)
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: ship death storm
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1873 - Death of Johnny Gallagher on Lake Michigan
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Laws D17, "The Beaver Island Boys"
DT 789, BEAVRISL
Roud #2238
File: LD17
===
NAME: Because He Was Only a Tramp: see The Tramp (II) (File: R843)
===
NAME: Becky at the Loom
DESCRIPTION: The singer remembers Georgia and the cotton farms. "I cannot help from thinking, no matter what my doom, Of the happy moments when I saw sweet Becky at the loom." He has left her far behind, but hopes above all else to return
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: weaving separation love
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 677, "Becky at the Loom" (1 text)
Roud #7368
NOTES: Carla Sciaky has recorded this piece, but it should be noted that her tune is modern. - RBW
Pete Sutherland has composed a tune for this song; it's been recorded as "Sweet Becky at the Loom." - PJS
That's the one. - RBW
File: R677
===
NAME: Bed-Making, The
DESCRIPTION: The girl is sent into service "when I was young." Her master becomes enamored of her. The mistress catches him with her, and throws the girl out. At last she bears a son, and brings him back to the father, blaming it all on "the bed-making."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: servant sex pregnancy bastard begging hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Ord, p. 199, "My Mither She Feed Me" (1 short text)
DT, BEDMAKIN
Roud #1631
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
My Old Father Was a Good Old Man
My Mother Sent Me to Service
The Bedmaking
NOTES: Roud splits off Ord's text, "My Mither She Feed Me," as a separate item, #3796. But Ord's text, while only a fragment, contains all the characteristics, and many of the words, of this piece (or at least its first portion). I can't see splitting them unless a fuller version of Ord's song is forthcoming. - RBW
File: Ord199
===
NAME: Bed-Time Song (I), The: see Martin Said To His Man (File: WB022)
===
NAME: Bedford Van, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer, a tinker, meets Sally Anne and takes her into his Bedford Van. She proposes, they marry, and honeymoon in Glasgow. He is stopped for driving drunk. Sally "took sick" from overeating. When "a big dame" makes a pass at him Sally clouts her.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1988 (McBride)
KEYWORDS: sex marriage drink humorous wife tinker technology
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
McBride 7, "The Bedford Van" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: The singer, in the song, is from Springtown, a post World War 2 slum outside Derry City, closed in 1967 and demolished (source: McBride). When stopped in Dublin he is given a breathalyser test. The song ends with a warning not to be too quick to pick up a girl in your Bedford Van: you're likely to end by being married. - BS 
File: McB1007
===
NAME: Bedlam: see A Maid in Bedlam (File: ShH41)
===
NAME: Bedlam Boys: see Tom a Bedlam (Bedlam Boys) (File: Log172)
===
NAME: Bedlam City: see A Maid in Bedlam (File: ShH41)
===
NAME: Bedmaking, The: see The Bed-Making (File: Ord199)
===
NAME: Bedroom Window: see The Drowsy Sleeper [Laws M4] (File: LM04)
===
NAME: Bedtime Prayer, The: see Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (I) (File: FO033)
===
NAME: Beefsteak When I'm Hongry: see Rye Whisky (File: R405)
===
NAME: Been All Around the Whole Round World
DESCRIPTION: "Been all around the whole round world, oh babe (x3), Tryin' to find a brown-skinned Creole girl..." The singer complains about the killing work on the Joe Fowler, boasts of his ability to work, and admits being on the run for murder
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1944 (Wheeler)
KEYWORDS: travel work river
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
MWheeler, p. 103-104, "Been All Aroun' the Whole Roun' Worl'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #10037
NOTES: Not to be confused with "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me (Been All Around This World)."
For information on the steamer "Joe Fowler," see the notes to "I'm Going Down the River." - RBW
File: MWhee103
===
NAME: Been All Around This World: see Hang Me, Oh Hang Me (Been All Around This World) (File: R146)
===
NAME: Been in the Pen So Long
DESCRIPTION: "Been in the pen so long, Oh honey, I'll be long gone, Been in the pen, Lord, I got to go again...." The singer tells of lonesomeness. He mentions that "some folks crave for Memphis, Tennessee, But New Orleans [or another city] is good enough for me."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: prison home
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Sandburg, pp. 220-221, "Been in the Pen So Long" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 65, "Been in the Pen So Long" (1 text)
File: San220
===
NAME: Been in the Storm So Long
DESCRIPTION: "I been in the storm so long...Oh Lord, give me more time to pray" "This is a needy time..." "I am a motherless child..." "Lord, I need you now..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1960 (recording, Paul Robeson); referred to in Marsh's Story of the Jubilee Singers (1901)
KEYWORDS: loneliness floatingverses nonballad religious
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #15325
RECORDINGS:
Mary Pickney w. Janie Hunter, "Been in the Storm So Long" (on BeenStorm1, BeenStormCD1)
File: RcBITSWL
===
NAME: Been on the Chain Gang
DESCRIPTION: "Judge he give me six  months, 'cause I wouldn't go to work (x2), From sunrise to sunset, I haven't got no time to shirk." The singer complains about his girl and the treatment he gets; he has the "chaingang blues," and would run if her weren't shackled
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (recorded from Jesse Hendricks by Jackson)
KEYWORDS: prison hardtimes
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Jackson-DeadMan, p. 86, "Been on the Chain Gang" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Jackson suspects that this began as a commercial song to which the singer (or someone) added verses. I suspect he is right at least in saying that it is composite; the language seems to change in mid-song. - RBW
File: JDM086
===
NAME: Been on the Cholly So Long: see Joseph Mica (Mikel) (The Wreck of the Six-Wheel Driver) (Been on the Choly So Long) [Laws I16] (File: LI16)
===
NAME: Been on the Choly So Long: see Joseph Mica (Mikel) (The Wreck of the Six-Wheel Driver) (Been on the Choly So Long) [Laws I16] (File: LI16)
===
NAME: Been to the Gypsy (St. Louis Blues)
DESCRIPTION: "Been to de Gypsy to get mah fortune tole, To de Gypsy done got my fortune tole, 'Cause I'se wile about mah Jelly Roll. Gypsy done tole me, "Don't you wear no black." Yas, she done tole me, "Don't you wear no black. Go to St. Louis, you can win him back."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: Gypsy prophecy separation abandonment clothes
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 267, (no title) (1 short text)
DT, (STLOUBLU)
NOTES: This passage is used in W. C. Handy's St. Louis Blues. But Scarborough at least implies that this portion is older. As usual, she offers no real supporting evidence.
Note that neither song should be confused with Lead Belly's "St. Louis Blues." - RBW
File: ScaNF267
===
NAME: Before the Daylight in the Morning (Dirty Nell)
DESCRIPTION: The singer complains of his wife, who lives off his money and refuses to do any work. He gives graphic details of how dirty she is and how filthy she leaves their home. He prays "that God or the devil may whip her away Before the daylight in the morning."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Leach-Labrador)
KEYWORDS: husband wife home hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar,Newf) US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leach-Labrador 121, "Dirty Nell" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5714
RECORDINGS:
Sara Cleveland, "Before the Daylight in the Morning" (on SCleveland01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Darby O'Leary" (tune)
File: RcBTDITM
===
NAME: Before This Time Another Year: see Oh, Lord, How Long (File: R615)
===
NAME: Beggar Man (I), The: see The Gaberlunzie Man [Child 279A] (File: C279A)
===
NAME: Beggar Man (II), The: see The Jolly Beggar [Child 279] (File: C279)
===
NAME: Beggar Wench, The
DESCRIPTION: A merchant's son meets a beggar girl; they go to bed and, being drunk, sleep soundly. She awakens first, takes his clothes and gear, and leaves. He awakes to find only the girl's clothes, which he puts on, swearing never to sleep with a beggar again
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1847 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 6(48))
KEYWORDS: sex theft clothes cross-dressing trick drink begging youth
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
GreigDuncan2 303, "The Merchant and the Beggar Wench" (7 texts, 4 tunes)
Kennedy 338, "The Beggar Wench" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders-Ancient1, p. 242, "Willie's Lyke-Wake" (1 fragment, two lines only, the second line of which is found in Child's "C" text of "Willie's Lyke-Wake" [Child 25], but a similar line is found in "The Beggar Wench," and the first line of this fragment, "Kind sir, if you please," may fit better with this piece)
DT, MRCHNTSN* MRCHNTS2*
Roud #2153
RECORDINGS:
Davie Stewart, "The Merchant's Son [and the Beggar Wench]" (on FSB2, FSB2CD, Voice13)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 6(48), "The Merchant's Son, and the Beggar Wench of Hull ("You gallants all, I pray draw near"), J. Turner (Coventry), 1797-1846; also Douce Ballads 4(5), Douce Ballads 3(66b), "The Merchant's Son, and the Beggar-Wench of Hull"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Shirt and the Apron" [Laws K42] (plot) and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Merchant's Son
NOTES: The plot is, of course, virtually identical to "The Shirt and the Apron" -- but as the protagonist is a merchant rather than a sailor, and the lady is a beggar, they get split. - PJS
File: K338
===
NAME: Beggar-Laddie, The [Child 280]
DESCRIPTION: A girl asks the shepherd what his trade is. He tells her, then declares that he loves her "as Jacob loved Rachel of old." She decides to go with him despite his poverty. He takes her home with him and reveals that he is actually well-to-do
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1881 (Christie); also in Motherwell's and Kinloch's papers (before 1850)
KEYWORDS: work home courting money disguise
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Child 280, "The Beggar-Laddie" (5 texts)
Bronson 280, "The Beggar-Laddie" (18 versions)
Greig #31, p. 1, "The Beggar Laddie" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 277, "The Beggar's Dawtie" (20 texts, 13 tunes) {A=Bronson's #7, B=#10?, C=#4, D=#5? E=#13, F=#12, G=#8, H=#9, I=#5, J=#3, K=#11, L=#15}
Ord, pp. 382-383, "The Beggar's Dawtie" (1 text)
Roud #119
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gaberlunzie Man" [Child 279A]
cf. "The Jolly Beggar" [Child 279] and references there
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Beggar's Bride
Twas in the Bonnie Month o' June
The Beggar Prince
NOTES: The reference to Jacob loving Rachel, or vice versa, is to Gen. 29:18 and following; it is probably offered as an example because Jacob served Laban (Rachel's brother) for seven years to win her hand (and actually wound up working for Laban for fourteen years, because he got Rachel's sister Leah also).
The reference to Judas loving gold is more of a stretch; we are told that Judas was given thirty pieces of *silver* (Matt. 26:15), and the less explicit accounts of Mark (14:11) and Luke (22:5) also mention only silver (usually rendered "money" in English translations). These references seem to be corruptions of the reading in Child's "A" text, which refers to the classical legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece. (Compare Ord's text, in which it is Jesse, not Judas, who loves "cups of gold.")
The repartee also has a strange parallel in Lewis Carroll's _Through the Looking Glass_. The White Knight sings a song which includes these lines:
"Who are you, aged man," I said.
"And how is it you live?"
And his answer trickled through my head
Like water through a sieve.
He said, "I look for butterflies
That sleep among the wheat....
And that's the way I get my bread --
A trifle, if you please." - RBW
File: C280
===
NAME: Beggar, The: see Let the Back and Sides Go Bare (File: ShH78)
===
NAME: Beggar's Daughter of Bednall-Green, The: see The Blind Beggar's Daughter of Bednall Green [Laws N27] (File: LN27)
===
NAME: Beggar's Dawtie, The: see The Beggar-Laddie [Child 280] (File: C280)
===
NAME: Beggar's Song, The: see Let the Back and Sides Go Bare (File: ShH78)
===
NAME: Beggarman (I), The
DESCRIPTION: On Monday morning the beggarman takes his meal, flail and staff and leaves his wife and daughter in Ballinderry. He stops at a farmer's home not welcoming to strangers. The mistress of the house makes him welcome to table and bed as long as he'll stay.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (IRRCinnamond02)
KEYWORDS: adultery sex rambling begging
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: ()

ST RcTBegm (Partial)
Roud #3080
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "The Beggarman's Ramble" (on IRRCinnamond02)
NOTES: In IRRCinnamond02, the beggarman, Tom Targer, is from Killyleagh town, County Down. The plot vaguely resembles "The Jolly Beggar" [Child 279] but it adds the beggar's wife and daughter at the beginning and drops the revelation of a disguise at the end.
The description is based on John Moulden's transcription from IRRCinnamond02 included in the Traditional Ballad Index Supplement. - BS
The whole thing reminds me a bit of the story of David and Nabal of Carmel (1 Samuel 25): David, fleeing from Saul (and separated from his wife Michal) seeks help (protection money, really) from Nabal. Nabal refuses. Nabal's wife Abigail gives it -- and later marries David. If you assume that this *is* a relative of The Jolly Beggar, it sort of makes sense. But I imagine it's just coincidence. - RBW
File: RcTBegm
===
NAME: Beggarman (II), The: see Willie and Mary (Mary and Willie; Little Mary; The Sailor's Bride) [Laws N28] (File: LN28)
===
NAME: Beggarman (III), The: see Hind Horn [Child 17] (File: C017)
===
NAME: Beggarman Cam' ower the Lea, A: see The Gaberlunzie Man [Child 279A] (File: C279A)
===
NAME: Beggarman's Song, The: see The Little Beggerman (Johnny Dhu) (File: K345)
===
NAME: Beggars of Coudingham Fair: see Widdicombe Fair (II) (File: K289)
===
NAME: Beggin, The: see A-Begging I Will Go (File: K217)
===
NAME: Begging Song, The: see When I Set Out for Glory (File: Fus212)
===
NAME: Begone Dull Care
DESCRIPTION: "Begone dull care, I prithee be gone from me, Begone dull care, thou and I shall never agree; long time thou hast been tarrying here, and fain though wouldst me kill...." The singer warns of how excess care can age and weary its victims
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1900 (broadside NLScotland, L.C.178.A.2(256))
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #13896
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.178.A.2(256), "Begone Dull Care," unknown, c. 1860
NOTES: The notes in at the National Library of Scotland site claim this dates back to the reign of James II and VII (1685-1688/1689), without offering secondary evidence. The notes also report that it might be derived from a French piece. Finally, they claim it is popular. Popular it does indeed seem to have been, with broadside printers. Field collections are, however, few. - RBW
File: BrBeDuCa
===
NAME: Behave Yoursel' Before Folk
DESCRIPTION: The girl says "Behave yoursel' before folk." She would not be kissed in public though "it wadna gie me meikle pain, Gin we were seen and heard by nane." "I tak' it sair amiss To be teazed before folk." If you insist "get a license frae the priest"
AUTHOR: Alexander Rodger (1784-1846)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1838 (Alexander Rodger, _Poems and Songs_)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
GreigDuncan3 672, GreigDuncan8 Addenda, "Behave Yersel'" (2 texts, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Alexander Rodger, Poems and Songs (Glasgow, 1838), pp. 65-68, "Behave Yersel' Before Folk"
Whistle-Binkie [, First Series] (Glasgow, 1846), pp. 40-42, "Behave Yersel'"
Roud #6094
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Good Morrow to Your Nightcap" (tune, per Rodger)
cf. ÒThe Mautman" (theme of avoiding public kissing)
NOTES: Apparently broadside Bodleian, 2806 c.11(179), "Behave Yoursel' Before Folk" ("Behave yoursel' before folk"), unknown, no date is this song but I could not download and verify it. - BS
File: GrD3672
===
NAME: Behind the Great Wall: see Behind These Stone Walls (File: R165)
===
NAME: Behind These Stone Walls
DESCRIPTION: The singer, although "brought up by good parents," tells of being orphaned at ten. He soon went rambling to seek work; jobs were few, and he took to robbery. He was taken and tried, and sentenced to a long prison term. He warns others against his mistake
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph, Warner)
KEYWORDS: orphan robbery trial prison warning
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 165, "Saint Louis, Bright City" (1 text, 1 tune)
Warner 111, "Court House" (1 text, 1 tune)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 53-55, "Behind the Great Wall" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST R165 (Partial)
Roud #2808
NOTES: As "Saint Louis, Bright City," this song is item dE35 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: R165
===
NAME: Behind Yon Blue Mountain: see The Hills of Tyrone (File: HHH609)
===
NAME: Behy Eviction, The
DESCRIPTION: "The Cavan Urban Council sent the Sheriff for to take possession of the engine house that stands by Behey Lake." Joe, who "had always pumped a good supply," is evicted. The man driving the engine declares Cavan will have water only if Joe is brought back
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: discrimination political technology
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 90, "The Behy Eviction" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OLochlainn-More: "A Cavan song taken from a ballad slip forty years ago recording an event probably still (1965) remembered in Behey, a townland near Killeshandra, Co. Cahan." My description omits the part played by the Orange vs Green conflict and eviction for the benefit of "grabbers." - BS
File: OLcM090
===
NAME: Beinn a' Cheathaich
DESCRIPTION: Scots Gaelic. (The singer, gathering sheep, looks out and sees) (McNeil's) galley head for Kismul. (Those aboard are listed). The ship (survives a rough passage to) arrive at the castle, where there is joy and feasting
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (Kennedy-Fraser)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage ship food storm sheep
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Hebr))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Kennedy 2, "Beinn a' Cheathaich (The Misty Mountain") (1 text+English translation, 1 tune)
Kennedy-Fraser I, pp. 80-83, "Kishmul's Galley (A' Bhirlinn Bharrach)" (1 text+English translation, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Flora MacNeil, "Beinn a' Cheathaich" (on FSB6)
NOTES: N. A. M. Rodger's _The Safeguard of the Sea_, p. 290, links this song to events of the reign of Elizabeth I: "Ruari Og MaNeill of Barra made a career of piracy... Throughout Elizabeth's reign the 'Galleys of Kisimul' (still celebrated in Gaelic folksong) raided the length of the Irish Sea as far south as the Bristol Channel."
I can see no hints of this in either the Kennedy or Kennedy-Frasier versions, though the two versions are very distinct. - RBW
File: K002
===
NAME: Belfast Beauty, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer met "the beauty of sweet Belfast Town' in Donegall Street. He describes her "angelic beauty" If he were rich "all earthly treasure I'd resign To wed with this damsel" He ends with a riddle that will spell her name.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1989 (Leyden)
KEYWORDS: courting riddle beauty
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leyden 27, "The Belfast Beauty" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: The riddle: "One half of a town in the province of Leinster The first twice in station with one fourth of a fowl And when it's completely placed in arrangement The next in rotation it must be a vowel The name of a berry that is much admired Neither add nor subtract but when it's penned down It will spell you the name of this charming fair dame That I title the beauty of sweet Belfast Town"
For a similar riddle on a name see "Drihaureen O Mo Chree (Little Brother of My Heart)
Among other classic Greek references here: "I thought she was Flora or lovely Aurora Or Helen the cause of the downfall of Troy" and "If Clio fair or Queen Dido was there Neither Juno nor Venus of fame and renown ...." See the notes to "Sheila Nee Iyer" for some traits of the "hedge school master" school of Irish ballad writing. "Sheila Nee Iyer" also has a typical "if I were king..." verse ("O had I the wealth of the Orient store, All the gems of Peru or the Mexican ore, Or the hand of a Midas to mould o'er and o'er ...."); "The Belfast Beauty" says "Had I wealth and grandeur like Great Alexander ... Or was I the monarch of a European nation There is none but my darling should possess the crown...." As seems often the case for this kind of song, the outcome is unresolved. - BS
File: Leyd027
===
NAME: Belfast Cockabendy, The
DESCRIPTION: Cockabendy, a Belfast street fiddler, meets a girl. They drink, he plays, and the girl lifts his watch and chain. While he sleeps, drunk, she pledges his last coins for brandy. He asks her to advance the price of a pint. Instead, she hits him in the nose.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1817 (according to Leyden)
KEYWORDS: courting theft drink fiddle money injury
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leyden 29, "The Belfast Cockabendy" (1 text)
NOTES: Leyden: "A colourful account of the amorous pursuits of one Cockabendy. There was in fact such a person with that nickname in Belfast: he was a fiddle player ...." - BS
File: Leyd029
===
NAME: Belfast Lass, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer comes to Belfast and falls in love with "the charming Belfast lass." He claims wealth and proposes. She preferrs "the heart that's true" to riches. Confounded, he leaves for America, returns, proposes again and "she gave consent at last"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1989 (Leyden)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage parting return reunion separation money America
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leyden 25, "The Belfast Lass" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Leyden: "A love song from a ballad sheet published by Swindell's in Manchester." The Bodleian collection has almost 200 broadsides - but not this one - printed by Swindells in Manchester between 1780 and 1853. - BS
File: Leyd025
===
NAME: Belfast Mountains (The Diamonds of Derry)
DESCRIPTION: (The singer hears a girl lamenting).  She is "confined in the bands of love" by a "sailor lad that did inconstant prove." She begs for relief. (She meets her false love and begs him to change his mind.) (She curses him bitterly)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c.1810 (Catnach broadside, according to Leyden)
KEYWORDS: love betrayal curse
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H519, p. 389, "Belfast Mountains" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leyden 1, "The Belfast Mountains" c.1810 (1 text, 1 tune); 2, "The Belfast Mountains" c.1893 (1 text, 1 tune); 3, "The Belfast Mountains" c.1930 (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1062
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Cavehill Diamond (I)" (subject of the Cavehill Diamond)
cf. "The Cavehill Diamond (II)" (subject of the Cavehill Diamond)
cf. "Belfast Town" (subject of the Cavehill Diamond)
NOTES: SHenry: "Other title: 'The Diamonds of Derry.' ... This is a version of a street ballad popular in 1800.... The Belfast Mountains (Cave Hill) were supposed to contain diamonds which shone at night. They were often referred to in the ballads of the period." The SHenry version has no reference to diamonds.
Leyden's c.1930 version is from SHenry H519. Leyden's earlier versions refer to the diamonds: "Had I but all the diamonds, That on the rocks do grow, I'd give them to my Irish laddie, If he to me his love would show." Leyden states that these lines contain "a clue to a mystery that continually aroused interest and fascination throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth century. The mystery centered around the existence of a diamond known as 'the Cavehill Diamond'. Whether or not the diamond ever existed is still a contentious point and perhaps cynics were right to dismiss it as a chunk of limestone." Leyden goes on to report several accounts between 1895 and 1920. (See also "The Cavehill Diamond" (I) and (II)). - BS
File: HHH519
===
NAME: Belfast Riot, The
DESCRIPTION: Election day, going to vote, Malcolm McKay is murdered by "bloodthirsty Irishmen"; "the Irish ... Each one with his weapon [blessed by a priest] ... Our noble Scotch heroes made them all run away"; 27 Irishmen and no Scotchmen are killed.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973 (Dibblee/Dibblee)
KEYWORDS: violence murder revenge political religious
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Mar 1, 1847 - Election day riot Belfast, PEI; Malcolm McRae killed (see notes)
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Dibblee/Dibblee, pp. 74-76, "The Belfast Riot" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12462
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Twelfth of July" (Canadian political situation)
NOTES: "...election day, March 1, 1847 ... pitted 200 mainly Irish supporters of the Reform candidates against 200 mainly Scottish adherents of the Conservative candidates.... Three were killed, one Scotsman and two Irishmen. That this incident occurred in a district incidentally called Belfast, that one side was predominately Irish and Catholic and the other predominantly Scottish and Presbyterian, and that a contemporary controversy over the use of the Bible in the public schools was a proximate issue -- these circumstances gave credence to the belief, especially among the Scots, that the Belfast riot was a critical battle in a holy war, or at least in a contest of national pride and honour." (source: _A 'New Ireland Lost': The Irish Presence in Prince Edward Island_ by Brendan O'Grady on The Irish in Canada site.
"Malcolm McRae ... died March 01, 1847 in Belfast, PEI, Canada." (source: The [Prince Edward] Island Register site); the ballad makes the name "Malcolm McKay." - BS
File: Dib075
===
NAME: Belfast Sailor, The
DESCRIPTION: A Belfast lass asks her sailor lover to stay at home. The ship sails for Newfoundland "till taken slaves to end our days all in a Turkish galley." They are tortured. The sailor writes "the Turks they are so cruel ... so fare thee well, my jewel"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1820 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 22(147))
KEYWORDS: captivity love separation lover sailor ordeal slavery
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ranson, p. 105, "The Belfast Sailor" (1 text)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 22(147), "The Lass of Belfast", J. Pitts (London), 1802-1819; also Harding B 25(1167), "Lovers All"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Turkish Lady" [Laws O26] (theme)
cf. "La Jeune Fille si Amoureuse (The Girl So In Love)" (theme)
NOTES: Laws re O26: "A merchant ship from Bristol is captured by a Turkish rover and all its men are made slaves." The ballads have no lines in common.
Broadsides Bodleian Harding B 22(147) and Bodleian Harding B 25(1167) mention in passing that her father is a rich merchant. - BS
File: Ran105
===
NAME: Belfast Shoemaker, The: see James Ervin [Laws J15] (File: LJ15)
===
NAME: Belfast Town
DESCRIPTION: Mary is keeping sheep when Prince Dermott rides out hunting. He sees her and falls in love. When he asks her hand, she says she is too poor. He persists, and asks her mother of her ancestry. The girl proves to be Dermott's lost cousin
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty family orphan marriage reunion
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H45, pp. 477-478, "Belfast Town" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leyden 28, "Belfast Town" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3579
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Cavehill Diamond (I) (subject of the Cavehill Diamond)
cf. "The Cavehill Diamond (II)" (subject of the Cavehill Diamond)
cf. "Belfast Mountains (The Diamonds of Derry)" (subject of the Cavehill Diamond)
NOTES: I find myself surprised that the Catholic Irish would make so little objection to first cousins marrying. - RBW
Leyden's text seems to be SHenry H45, with its apparent misplacement of verse 2, but the tune is different. - BS
File: HHH045
===
NAME: Belfast Tram, The
DESCRIPTION: "You wait and wait in vain standing shiv'ring in the rain If you want to be late again take a Belfast Tram." Suggest the tram to "a friend you'd rather miss." To get someplace on time "use your 'Shanks'" or take a taxi or sidecar.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1989 (Leyden)
KEYWORDS: commerce humorous nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leyden 17, "The Belfast Tram" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Leyden: "The enthusiastic public response to the introduction of horse trams [in Belfast in 1872] soon gave way to constant complaints about their lack of punctuality.... [T]his song is in the music hall mould and was published in _Ireland's Saturday Night_." [according to the National Library of Ireland side,_Ireland's Saturday Night_ began publication in 1894 and is still being published]. - BS
File: Leyd017
===
NAME: Believe I'll Call the Rider
DESCRIPTION: Axe song with frequent interjection "Wo Lord" or "Hollerin' Wo Lord." The singer calls out to many: "Believe I'll call the Rider." "Call him with my diamond." "Let me call themajor." "Believe I'll call Mama." ""Believe I'll call Bertha." Many lines float
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966 (recorded from J. C. Spring by Jackson)
KEYWORDS: work nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Jackson-DeadMan, pp. 256-259, "Believe I'll Call the Rider" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: JDM256
===
NAME: Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms
DESCRIPTION: "Believe me if all those endearing young charms Which I gaze on so fondly today Were to change by tomorrow... Thou wouldst still be adores As this moment thou art." The singer says he loves her for herself; she didn't create her beauty anyway
AUTHOR: Words: Thomas Moore
EARLIEST_DATE: 1808 (Moore, "A Selection of Irish Melodies"; tune printed in 1775)
KEYWORDS: beauty love nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
O'Conor, p. 120, "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 252, "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 138-139, "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms -- (Fair Harvard)"
Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), p. 378, "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (1 text)
RECORDINGS:
Henry Burr, "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (Little Wonder 105, 1915; Little Wonder 836, 1918)
James McCool, "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (Victor 4594, 1906)
Unknown tenor, "Believe Me, If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (Emerson 758, 1916)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 3070 View 2 of 3[very difficult to read], "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms", T. Batchelar (London), 1817-1828; also Firth b.26(511), Firth c.18(31), "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms"
NOTES: If Granger's Index to Poetry is any guide, this is the most popular of all Moore's songs, appearing in no fewer than 18 of the anthologies it cites. And yet, I know of no traditional collections at all.
Robert Gogan, _130 Great Irish Ballads_ (third edition, Music Ireland, 2004), p. 31, writes that Moore wrote this to comfort a woman, perhaps his wife, who had been disfigured by smallpox. This sounds reasonable -- but Gogan's book contains an amazing number of tidbits like this, some clearly false, so I won't guarantee this one. - RBW
File: FSWB252A
===
NAME: Believe Me, Dearest Susan
DESCRIPTION: "When the wind swells the canvas and the anchor's a-trip and the ensign's hauled down from the peak of the ship - Believe me dearest Susan, I will come back again!" Verses have same pattern "When (insert sailing procedure) -- Believe me dearest Susan ..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1938 (Colcord)
KEYWORDS: foc's'le sailor return tasks
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Colcord, pp. 163-164, "Believe Me, Dearest Susan" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Colc163 (Partial)
Roud #4689
File: Colc163
===
NAME: Bell Da Ring
DESCRIPTION: "I know member, know Lord, I know I yedde (heard the) bell da ring." "Want to go to meeting, bell da ring" (x2). Listeners are urged to go to church, and to listen for the bell; they are warned that heaven might be shut
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1867 (Allen/Ware/Garrison)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Allen/Ware/Garrison, pp. 34-35, "Bell Da Ring" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #11989
NOTES: This song sounds as if it is forecasting a last *bell*, rather than a last *trump*. (I won't swear to that.) If so, there is no scriptural basis for the idea; the New Testament never mentions the word "bell," and the handful of Old Testament references are not apocalyptic. - RBW
File: AWG034
===
NAME: Bell-Bottom Trousers: see Rosemary Lane [Laws K43] (File: LK43)
===
NAME: Bellaghy Fair: see I Went to the Fair at Bonlaghy (File: E151)
===
NAME: Belle Brandon
DESCRIPTION: "'Neath a tree by the margin of the woodland... There I saw the little beauty, Belle Brandon, And we met 'neath the old arbor tree." The singer tells of carving their names in a tree. Now she is dead, and "sleeps 'neath the old arbor tree."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1859 (Beadle's Dime Song Books)
KEYWORDS: love courting death
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 805, "Belle Brandon" (1 text)
Fife-Cowboy/West 48, "Belle Brandon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7423
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as100900, "Belle Brandon", J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also as100890, "Belle Brandon"
NLScotland, L.C.1269(154a), "Belle Brandon, The Beauty of the Valley," Poet's Box (Glasgow?), 1865
NOTES: Randolph, probably based on Spaeth's _History of Popular Music in America_, p. 130, reports the publication of a song called "Bell Brandon" in 1860 (by T. E. Garrett and Francis Woolcott), and a report that sheet music was printed in 1854. He apparently did not know if they were the same song, and I have no way of checking the matter. - RBW
Broadside LOCSinging as100900: J. Andrews 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: R805
===
NAME: Belle Cherche Son Amant, La (The Beautiful Woman Seeks Her Lover)
DESCRIPTION: French. A woman takes her baby and goes to find her lover. She asks the mother of angels for help. She is told her husband is nearby, drinking wine and playing cards. He wipes her tears away but says he will not stay. Then he changes his mind.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage love reunion separation beauty cards drink supernatural baby lover
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 172-173, "La Belle Cherche Son Amant" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Pea172
===
NAME: Belle Est Morte Entre les Bras de Son Amant, La (The Beautiful Woman Died in her Lover's Arms)
DESCRIPTION: French. A soldier gives a girl a gold ring to wait for him. Her father marries her to an old man. One night her young lover returns and knocks at her door though knowing she is married. She dies in his arms. Her father mourns.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage grief courting marriage ring death lover father soldier
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 664-665, "La Belle Est Morte Entre les Bras de Son Amant" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Le Beau Galant (The Handsome Gentleman)" (theme)
File: Pea664
===
NAME: Belle Gunness
DESCRIPTION: "Belle Gunness was a lady fair In Indiana State, She weighed about 300 pounds, And that is quite some weight." "Her favorite occupation Was a-butchering of men." "Now some say Belle killed only ten, And some say 42." At last she vanishes with the cash
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958 (Burt)
KEYWORDS: murder husband wife abandonment
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: April 28, 1908 - Burning of the home and children of Belle Gunness
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Burt, pp. 74-76, "Belle Gunness" (1 text plus a fragment; also a bit of a poem on the same topic)
NOTES: This is one of those stories that apparently had quite a local vogue, but little long-term notoriety; I checked four biographical dictionaries of various ages without finding a mention of Belle Gunness. So all my information comes from Burt.
It appears that her story really begins with the fire at her home. Four bodies were found in the house: Gunness's three children and a woman. Whether the woman was Belle was never finally established. After that, the grounds were searched, and a number of male bodies were discovered -- apparently husbands and male friends Belle had murdered.
Folklore has it that Belle murdered the men for their money and then made off with the booty. There is apparently no evidence either way. - RBW
File: Burt074
===
NAME: Belle Layotte
DESCRIPTION: Creole French. "Mo deja roule tout la cote Pancour ouar pareil belle Layotte." "Mo roule tout la cote, Mo toule tout la colonie." "Jean Babet, mon ami, Si cous couri par en haut." "Domestique la mison Ye toute fache avec mouin."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1867 (Allen/Ware/Garrison)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Allen/Ware/Garrison, p. 109, "Belle Layotte" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: AWG109
===
NAME: Belle Nanon (Beautiful Nanon)
DESCRIPTION: French. Nanon tells her lover that they cannot make love in the garden now. He must win over her father. He cannot. She says that they can kiss, and that love is certain, but that they cannot think of other things because her father stands in the way.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage courting love sex bawdy dialog father lover mistress
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 501-502, "Belle Nanon" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Pea501
===
NAME: Belle of Long Lake, The: see Blue Mountain Lake (The Belle of Long Lake) [Laws C20] (File: LC20)
===
NAME: Belle Recompense, Une (A Beautiful Reward)
DESCRIPTION: French. The singer's unfaithful captain says he will marry her but then leaves. She follows him, dresses as a volunteer dragoon and rides a horse like a general. She kills him. The king gives her a gold pin and watch as a reward.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage courting warning army fight war cross-dressing death dialog lover soldier
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, p. 326, "Une Belle Recompense" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "William Taylor" [Laws N11] (plot)
File: Pea326
===
NAME: Belle Regrette Son Amour Tendre, La (The Beautiful Woman Sorrows for Her Tender Love)
DESCRIPTION: French. The singer left his mistress to work along the river. There he met another lover.  When she cried he comforted her and said he would return after this trip. When it came to saying goodbye she cried.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage grief seduction lover mistress
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 430-431, "La Belle Regrette Son Amour Tendre" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: Pea430
===
NAME: Belle-a-Lee
DESCRIPTION: A steamboat chant with the refrain "Oh, Belle! Oh, Belle!": "Belle-a-Lee's got no time, Oh, Belle! oh Belle! Robert E. Lee's got railroad time...." "Wish I was in Mobile Bay... Rollin' Cotton by the day...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924
KEYWORDS: river nonballad work floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 592, [no title] (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Stow'n' Sugar in de Hull Below" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Hieland Laddie" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This uses lyrics from "Hieland Laddie," which is far better known, but the form appears different enough that I tentatively separate them. - RBW
File: BMRF592A
===
NAME: Belles of Renous, The
DESCRIPTION: "Stay home with your mother, don't cause her to fret, And do not mix up with the downriver set." The girls of Renous look down at "a man dressed in homespun" and prefer "a dude from the city." The girls of Dungaren are the best at a ball.
AUTHOR: Joe Smith (1872-1912)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1961 (Ives-NewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: dancing party humorous nonballad clothes
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 164-167, "The Belles of Renous" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1964
File: IvNB164
===
NAME: Bells are Ringing, The (Eight O'Clock Bells)
DESCRIPTION: "(Eight) o'clock bells are ringing, Mother let me out; My sweetheart is waiting For to take me out." "He's going to give me apples, He's going to give me pears, He's going to give me sixpence, And kisses on the stairs."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (Montgomerie)
KEYWORDS: courting food mother
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Montgomerie-ScottishNR 86, "(Eight o'clock bells are ringing)" (1 text)
Roud #12986?
File: MSNR086
===
NAME: Bells of Shandon
DESCRIPTION: "With deep affection and recollection I often think of those Shandon bells." Those bells are compared to those at the Vatican, Notre Dame, and Moscow, and the bells "in St Sophio the Turkman gets"
AUTHOR: Rev Francis Sylvester Mahony (1804-1866)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1834 (_Fraser's Magazine_, according to Croker-PopularSongs)
KEYWORDS: lyric nonballad religious music
FOUND_IN: Ireland US(MW)
REFERENCES: (10 citations)
OCanainn, pp. 106-107, "The Bells of Shandon" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, pp. 24,60, "Bells of Shandon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Croker-PopularSongs, pp. 222-226, "The Bells of Shandon" (1 text)
Dean, pp. 65-66, "The Bells of Shandon" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859), Vol I, pp. 50-51, "The Bells of Shandon"
Charles Gavan Duffy, editor, The Ballad Poetry of Ireland (1845), pp. 242-243, "The Bells of Shandon"
Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), pp. 437-438, "The Shandon Bells" (1 text)
H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 431-432, "The Bells of Shandon"
Charles Sullivan, ed., Ireland in Poetry, p. 42, "The Bells of Shandon" (1 text)
Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #224, "The Bells of Shandon" (1 text)
ST OCon024 (Partial)
Roud #9562
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(235), "The Bells of Shandon", W.S. Fortey (London), 1858-1885; also Harding B 11(234), 2806 b.11(162), "The Bells of Shandon"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Last Rose of Summer" (tune in Blackpool, OCanainn)
cf. "Slain le Maigh (Fairwell to the Maigue)" (tune, OCanainn)
NOTES: [See] _The Ballad Poetry of Ireland_ by Charles Gavan Duffy (Dublin, 1845), pp. 242-243, "The Bells of Shandon." - BS
This is among the most popular of Irish poems; _Granger's Index to Poetry_ lists fully a dozen anthologies containing the piece.
Francis Sylvester Mahony was a Jesuit priest born in Cork; he published much of his poetry under the name "Father Prout." He later left the church to work as a journalist and satirist.
Other works from his pen in this index include "The Town of Passage (IiI)." - RBW
File: OCon024
===
NAME: Beloved Land, The
DESCRIPTION: A young man on deck says "Farewell my beloved land; I'll see thee no more." He thinks of his youth and fighting "the tyrant" but now he is "prescribed as an exile"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: grief exile farewell sea ship lament patriotic
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 352-353, "The Beloved Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Pea352 (Partial)
Roud #6456
File: Pea352
===
NAME: Belt wi' Colours Three, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer overhears a woman lamenting her love, warning others not to love "until she know that she loved be." She lists the "gifts" she has gotten: a cap of lead, a mantle of sorrow, "a belt wi' colors three": shame, sorrow, and misery, etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love clothes betrayal
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 194, "The Belt wi' Colours Three" (1 text)
Roud #5534
File: Ord194
===
NAME: Ben Backstay
DESCRIPTION: "Ben Backstay was our boatswain, A very merry boy." The captain serves out double grog. Ben gets drunk and falls overboard. They throw ropes to him, but he can't return because a "shark had bit his head off." Ben's ghost warns against mixing liquor
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1948 (Shay)
KEYWORDS: sailor death humorous ghost drink
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 98-101, "Ben Backstay" (1 text)
ST ShSea098 (Partial)
File: ShSea098
===
NAME: Ben Bolt
DESCRIPTION: "Oh! don't you remember sweet Alice, Ben Bolt, Sweet Alice, with hair so brown She wept with delight when you gave her a smile, And trembled with dear at your frown." But Alice now lies in the churchyard, and the mill where they courted is dried up
AUTHOR: Words: Thomas Dunn English
EARLIEST_DATE: 1843 (The New Mirror)
KEYWORDS: love courting death separation burial
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Dean, pp. 31-32, "Ben Bolt" (1 text)
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 30-34, "Ben Bolt" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 252, "Ben Bolt" (1 text)
DT, BENBOLT
ST RJ19030 (Full)
Roud #2653
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Sam Holt" (tune & meter)
SAME_TUNE:
Answer to Ben Bolt (broadside LOCSheet, sm1854 741250, "Answer to Ben Bolt," W. C. Peters and Sons (Cincinnati), 1854 (tune)
NOTES: Originally published as a poem in _The New Mirror_ of September 2, 1843. Various tunes were offered; that by Nelson F. Kneass (made in 1848) proved the most enduring. It is possible that it was an adaptation of another tune.
T. D. English did not receive royalties for the popular editions of the song, and Spaeth (_A History of Popular Miusic in America_, p. 123) reports that he "came to resent [the song's] enormous popularity as compared with what he considered his more important efforts." Where have we heard *that* before? - RBW
File: RJ19030
===
NAME: Ben Breezer: see Dixie Brown [Laws D7] (File: LD07)
===
NAME: Ben Dewberry's Final Run
DESCRIPTION: Ben Dewberry tells his fireman never to fear, and that there are two more roads he wants to ride, and otherwise forecasts disaster. After passing over a trestle and switch, without warning the train derails and Dewberry is killed
AUTHOR: Rev. Andrew Jenkins
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (copyright)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Ben Dewberry tells his fireman never to fear, and that there are two more roads he wants to ride, and to "put your head out the window, watch the drivers roll." It begins to rain; he predicts that they "may make Atlanta but we'll all be dead." After passing over a trestle and switch, without warning the train derails and Dewberry is killed
KEYWORDS: train death railroading work crash disaster wreck floatingverses worker
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Aug. 23, 1908: According to Norm Cohen [internet communication; the information is not in _Long Steel Rail_], Engineer Benjamin Franklin Dewberry killed when the Southern Railway's #38 crashes after young boys place a bolt on the tracks because they "wanted to see what a wreck would look like" 
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 158-162, "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #14015
RECORDINGS:
Frankie Marvin, "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" (Brunswick 153, 1928; Supertone 2055 [as The Texas Ranger], 1930) (Edison 52436, 1928; Edison 20002, 1929) (Banner 7179/Challenge 691/Conqueror 7164 [also issued as by Frank Nelson]/Domino 0253/Jewel 5351/Oriole 1297/Regal 8605 [all as Frankie Wallace], 1928)
Jimmie Rodgers, "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" (Victor 21245, 1928; Bluebird B-5482/Montgomery Ward M-4224, 1934)
Irene Sargent, "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" (AFS 13125 B17, n.d.)
Hank Snow, "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" (RCA Victor 20-4096, 1951; in album P-310; RCA Victor 47-4096, n.d.; in album WP-310)
Joe Steen, "Ben Dewberry's Final Run" (Champion 16258, 1931)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Casey Jones (I)" [Laws G1], especially the subgroup "Kassie Jones" [Furry Lewis recording] (lyrics, structure)
cf. "Joseph Mica (Mikel) (The Wreck of the Six-Wheel Driver) (Been on the Choly So Long)" [Laws I16] (lyrics, structure)
NOTES: While clearly a composed song, Norm Cohen notes its strong affinity with older forms such as Furry Lewis's "Kassie Jones" blues-ballad and the "Joseph Mica/Milwaukee Blues/Jay Gould's Daughter" family of songs. Indeed, three of the five verses are shared with those songs. - PJS
Said verses being instruction to the fireman not to fear; the two more roads Dewberry would like to ride; the suggestion, "put your head out the windows, see the drivers roll"; and the prediction "we may make Atlanta but we'll all be dead." - RBW
File: RcBDFR
===
NAME: Ben Fisher
DESCRIPTION: "Ben Fisher had finished his day's hard work, And he sat at his cottage door; And his good wife Kate sat by his side, And the moonlight danced on the floor." They look back on their twelve years of marriage; they are not rich but are as happy as anyone
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Gardner/Chickering); reportedly published in 1859 in the first Beadle's Dime Song Book
KEYWORDS: marriage children farming
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 118, "Ben Fisher" (1 text)
ST GC118 (Partial)
Roud #3699
NOTES: Standard nineteenth-century treacle, with a bit of a temperance message ("Ben Fisher had never a pipe of clay, Nor never a dram drank he, So he loved at home with his wife to stay"). - RBW
File: GC118
===
NAME: Ben Hall
DESCRIPTION: The singer condemns the murder of Ben Hall. Hall is made an "outcast from society" when his wife sells his land. He refuses to shed blood, but is  finally ambushed and, abandoned by his comrades, is shot repeatedly
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955
KEYWORDS: death murder outlaw abuse betrayal infidelity wife police Australia
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: May 5, 1865 - Ben Hall is ambushed and killed by police near Forbes, Australia
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 164-165, "Ben Hall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 62-63, "The Death of Ben Hall" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BENHALL*
Roud #3352
RECORDINGS:
John Greenway, "Ben Hall" (on JGreenway01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Ballad of Ben Hall" (plot)
cf. "Streets of Forbes" (plot)
cf. "The Death of Ben Hall" (plot)
cf. "My Name is Ben Hall" (subject)
NOTES: Ben Hall is widely regarded as "the noblest of the bushrangers"; Harry Nunn, in _Bushrangers: A Pictorial History_ (Ure Smith Press, 1979, 1992), p. 21, includes him among the "'Gentleman' Bushrangers," and on page 113 reports that he was "the least violent and most tragic of the bushrangers." The story is that he was hounded from his home by the police, and only then turned to crime. Even as a bushranger, he attacked only the rich and never shed blood. George Boxall, _The Story of the Australian Bushrangers_, Swan Sonnenschein & Co, 1899 (I use the 1974 Penguin facsimile edition), p. 223, even tells a story of him arranging for the return of a victim's gun.
The truth is not quite so pretty. Hall was the child of convicts, born probably in 1837 (so Nunn, and Boxall, p. 251, says he was about 28 at the time of his death). His father is described as having a clean record. Nunn, p.113, reports that Ben himself "worked as a stockman in the Lachlan district as a youth and then took up a selection and, in 1856, married Bridget Walsh. They had one son, Harry."
Hall showed no signs of banditry until his wife ran off with another man. Nunn, p. 115, says that the police came after him on a minor charge and, while he was being held, found that his wife had run off with an ex-policeman. His property was burned and his stock strayed. 
From there his life took a turn for the worse; he sold off his land and eventually joined Frank Gardiner's outlaw band (see "Frank Gardiner," as well as the notes to "The Ballad of Ben Hall" for some other members of the gang); he was said to be part of the gang that committed the famous Eugowra Rocks robbery in 1862. Boxall, p. 217, reports that Gardiner may have been largely retired from the gang by the time Hall rose to prominence, but Hall and Johnny Gilbert (a Canadian who migrated to Australia in 1852 to seek gold, according to Nunn, p. 117) kept it active.
In the aftermath of the Eudowra affair, Hall with armed robbery but was acquitted for lack of evidence. The police continued to harry him, though. His leading exploit in this period was taking a high official hostage and releasing him in return for a 500 pound ransom (Nunn, p. 117).
Hall supposedly concluded that the life he was leading was too violent, and decided to leave Australia (Nunn, p. 119; Andrew and Nancy Learmonth _Encyclopedia of Australia_2nd edition, Warne & Co, 1973, article on Ben Hall, says that "Hall killed no one but was not able to prevent his gang from doing so"). Eventually Hall was ambushed and killed; at least fifteen and perhaps as many as thirty bullets were found in his body, which made him a hero to the locals who hated the police.
Dunn and Gilbert, like Hall, were associated with Frank Gardiner's outlaw band. John Gilbert brought the full force of the law down on the gang when he shot a policeman, and he died along with Johnny Dunn in 1866. Johnny O'Meally, also mentioned in the song, was a member of the gang killed in 1863. (Gardiner was eventually taken, but was paroled after seven years and allowed to emigrate to the U.S., where he opened a saloon and, it is said, was shot in a poker fight in 1903.)
"Sir Fred" is Sir Frederick Pottinger, a "monumentally inept" officer of the crown who bungled the whole case -- and eventually managed to accidentally kill himself! According to Boxall, p. 223, he once ran across the bushrangers he was supposed to be pursuing but failed to do anything about them. "Sir Frederick was called to Sydney to attend an inquiry, and resigned his position in the force. About a month later he died from the effects of a wound from a pistol, accidentally fired by himself."
To tell this song from the other Ben Hall songs, consider this first stanza:
Come all you young Australians, and everyone besides,
I'll sing to you a ditty that will fill you with surprise,
Concerning of a 'ranger bold, whose name it was Ben Hall,
But cruelly murdered was this day, which proved his downfall.
This is not the text found in Manifold (which begins "Come all you young Australians, and hear what did befall Concerning of a decent man whose name was bold Ben Hall"), but the tune (which wobbles oddly between Mixolydian and Dorian) puts it with John Greenway's version. - RBW
File: MA164
===
NAME: Benbraddon Brae
DESCRIPTION: The singer, going through Benbraddon hill, hears the sheepbells and the foxhunt. Stopping, he sees the boys and girls courting. He praises the beauty of the place, and recalls the parties among the fields and flowers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: home nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H572, pp. 159-160, "Benbraddon Brae" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9215
File: HHH572
===
NAME: Beneath the Weeping Willow Tree: see Bury Me Beneath the Willow (File: R747)
===
NAME: Benjamin Bowmaneer
DESCRIPTION: Enraptured with martial spirit as England goes to war, a tailor makes a horse from his shear board, bridle bits from his scissors, and a spear from his needle (with which he spears a flea) and a bell from his thimble (to ring the flea's funeral knell).
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959
KEYWORDS: war humorous nonsense bug
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1437-1453 - The Hundred Years' War
FOUND_IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, pp. 20-21, "Benjamin Bowmaneer" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BENBOWMR*
Roud #1514
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Tailor and the Louse"
NOTES: We don't have "tailor" as a keyword, otherwise I'd have included it. Also, while everyone seems to think this song is either the usual humorous put-down of tailors or a hidden satire, the resemblance to the magical elements in such songs as "Scarborough Fair" makes me wonder whether we should also keyword it as "magic." I continue to get the feeling there's more to this song than meets the eye. -PJS
I have to agree, though I have no better explanation of what's going on than Paul does. The put-down of tailors is likely enough; the practitioners of the trade were considered singularly ineffective. We can see an instance of this, e.g., in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 2, Act III, scene 2, where Falstaff is interviewing potential soldiers. In lines 145-170, Falstaff interviews a tailor. His name? Francis Feeble. A double joke, obviously: "France is feeble," and the tailor is feeble too. And Falstaff justifies taking the fellow on the grounds that he might be useful during a retreat!
There is one interesting parallel here, though, to the Grimm fairy tale "The Brave Little Tailor" (note the occupation! It is their #20, "Das tapfere Schneiderlien," printed in 1812 and said to go back to Martinus Montanus, c. 1557). The tailor kills seven flies that are eating his jam, decides that makes him a hero, and sets out on a variety of adventures, in which he intimidates giants and men with his wits rather than his might.
This obviously is a variation on the same theme. And yet, from the references and general feeling, I think this song has something -- though I've no idea what -- to do with the convoluted politics of the Hundred Years' War, fought between England and France.
The war began when Edward III (1327-1377, and under English law the King of France) attacked the French -- if not to gain the throne, then at least to get clear title to the English lands in Aquitaine. The reign of Henry V (1413-1422) saw the English make a serious attempt to take over France, but everything fell apart in the reign of Henry VI (1422-1461), and all British possessions in France were lost.
During the whole time, though, there was constant diplomacy and maneuvering, much of which looked very silly from the outside.
By the way, it was the longbow which allowed the English -- often outnumbered three to one or more -- to keep the war going as long as it did. - RBW
File: VWL020
===
NAME: Benjamin Deane [Laws F32]
DESCRIPTION: Benjamin Deane, the singer, is successful in business but wants more. He turns to criminal activities on the side. When his wife leaves him, he shoots her in a jealous rage. Now he is in prison, warning others against his sort of behavior
AUTHOR: probably Joe Scott
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951 (Creighton-Maritime)
KEYWORDS: murder jealousy prison
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1898 - Benjamin F. Deane (born in New Brunswick in 1854) murders his wife in Berlin Falls, New Hampshire. Tried and convicted, he spent less than ten years in prison
FOUND_IN: US(NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Laws F32, "Benjamin Deane"
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 189-191, "Benjamin Dean" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-DullCare, pp. 89-91,241-242, "Benjamin Deane" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson 5, "Benjamin Deane" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 686, BENJDEAN
Roud #2271
NOTES: Sandy Ives says "there need be no question that Joe Scott [Joseph W. Scott] wrote BENJAMIN DEANE" (internet correspondence, based on Ives's article in JAF 72, 1959). But Laws, though he quotes this information, does so in such a way as to imply he still has doubts. - RBW
File: LF32
===
NAME: Benjy Havens: see Benny Havens (File: R232)
===
NAME: Benny Havens
DESCRIPTION: The exploits of Benny (Benjie) Havens at West Point. After some time as a cadet and soldier, he turns to selling whiskey to his comrades. Chorus: "Oh! Benny Havens's, oh!  Oh!  Benny Havens's, oh! We'll sing our reminiscences of Benny Havens's, oh!"
AUTHOR: "Lt. O'Brien of the 8th Infantry"
EARLIEST_DATE: 1838
KEYWORDS: soldier  drink
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Randolph 232, "Benjy Havens" (1 text, 1 tune, both fragmentary)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 540-543, "Benny Havens, Oh!" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, pp. 344-345, "Benny Havens, Oh!" (1 text)
DT, BENHAVEN*
Roud #7707
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wearing of the Green (I)" (tune)
NOTES: Benny Havens reportedly served in the American military in the War of 1812, then opened a small store near the "cadet hospital." By 1832, he was selling liquor, and was forced off the military reservation as a result. He proceeded to re-open just off the grounds, and established quite a clientele among the officers-to-be. - RBW
File: R232
===
NAME: Bent County Bachelor, The: see Starving to Death on a Government Claim (The Lane County Bachelor) (File: R186)
===
NAME: Bent Sae Brown, The [Child 71]
DESCRIPTION: Willie makes a boat of his coat and a sail of his shirt to visit Annie overnight.  When he leaves she warns that her three brothers lurk in the brown grass. They waylay him. He kills them. Her mother appeals to the king, who rules in favor of the lovers.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1828 (Buchan, _Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland_, according to Greig)
KEYWORDS: trick love fight death family royalty brother
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Child 71, "The Bent Sae Brown" (1 text)
Bronson 71, brief comments only
Greig #117, p. 1, "The Bents and Broom" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan2 219, "The Bents and Broom" (1 text)
Roud #3322
File: C071
===
NAME: Benton
DESCRIPTION: The singer fees [hires for the season] to Benton. "Benton's study ever was His servants for to grind." He puts up with Benton's tricks but wouldn't work the harvest with a rusty scythe. That settled, he wouldn't leave until he was fully paid.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1910 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming work money trick
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig #145, pp. 1-2, "Benton" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan3 364, "Benton" (1 text)
Roud #5906
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Benton Crew" (subject)
NOTES: GreigDuncan3: "The four brothers Benton ... farmed at Harthill in Whitehouse ... from 1874 to 1890." - BS
GreigDuncan3 has a map on p. xxxv, of "places mentioned in songs in volume 3" showing the song number as well as place name; Harthill (364) is at coordinate (h1-2,v6) on that map [near Alford, roughly 22 miles W of Aberdeen]. - BS
File: GrD3364
===
NAME: Benton County, Arkansas
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes a life of surprises and mishaps since leaving (Benton County) at (18). The tavern offers a fine meal but a flea-infested bed. The listener is given advice on how to milk an old ewe. Etc. Uses the "Derry Down" tune
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927
KEYWORDS: travel humorous bug food
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 345, "Benton County, Arkansas" (4 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 282-283, "Benton County, Arkansas" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 34A)
Roud #7624
NOTES: The various versions of this piece in Randolph are extensive, but hardly add up to a coherent story; "C" in particular looks like it might float. Cohen speculates that the first verse of the "A" text is a graft onto the song. I hope someone can find a fuller version. - RBW
File: R345
===
NAME: Benton Crew, The
DESCRIPTION: The Bentons from Heartshill go to feeing [hiring] "wi' a weel-trimmed hat and a braw topcoat. [Brother] John [for example]: "may the deevil get him ... he's ane o' the Benton crew"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming moniker nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
GreigDuncan3 363, "The Benton Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5907
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Benton" (subject)
NOTES: GreigDuncan3: "The four brothers Benton ... farmed at Harthill in Whitehouse ... from 1874 to 1890." - BS
File: GrD3363
===
NAME: Bergere Fait du Fromage (The Shepherdess Makes Cheese)
DESCRIPTION: French. The shepherdess makes cheese from the milk of her white sheep. In anger she kills her kitten. She confesses to her father and, for penance she will embrace men: not priests, but especially men of war with beards.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage sex nonsense animal shepherd
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 241-242, "Bergere Fait du Fromage" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: In Peacock's version, there is no explanation for why the girl killed the kitten; perhaps it ate the cheese? - (BS, RBW)
File: Pea241
===
NAME: Bernard Riley
DESCRIPTION: "My name is Owen Riley, I have a son that sets me crazy; He come home every night singing blackguard songs." The boy goes out and fights, or comes home drunk and hits his sister, or pawns his father's pants. The father has no solution
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Dean)
KEYWORDS: father children drink
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Dean, pp. 63-64, "Bernard Riley" (1 text)
Roud #5500
NOTES: This, being a standard complaint about the wildness of youth (though in this case it sounds pretty justified) sounds to me as if it might be a popular song from the early twentieth century, but I haven't found any references to it in any source, printed or online. - RBW
File: Dean063
===
NAME: Berryfields of Blair
DESCRIPTION: Singer describes migrant workers' descent on Blair in berry-picking time; there are city folks, miners, fisherfolk, and Travellers. Some are successful, some not; some work as a family, some alone. The singer praises all
AUTHOR: Belle Stewart
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (recorded from Belle Stewart)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer describes migrant workers' descent on Blair in berry-picking time; there are city folks, miners, fisherfolk, and Travellers from all parts of Scotland. Some are successful, some not; some work as a family, some alone; "some men share and share alike wi' wives that's no their ain." The singer praises them all and blesses the hand that led him to the berryfields of Blair
KEYWORDS: travel farming harvest work nonballad worker Gypsy migrant
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 339, "The Berryfields of Blair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2154
RECORDINGS:
Belle Stewart, "The Berry Fields O' Blair" (on Voice20) (on SCStewartsBlair01)
BROADSIDES:
cf. "Nicky Tams" (tune)
NOTES: Kennedy does not mention Belle Stewart's claim to have written this song -- but, in this instance, I see no reason to question it; this gives every evidence of being the work of a modern who is nonetheless steeped in traditional music -- and the dialect exactly fits Stewart's own. - RBW
Hall, notes to Voice20, re "The Berry Fields O' Blair": written in 1930. - BS
File: K339
===
NAME: Berwick Freeman, The
DESCRIPTION: "An old freeman of sixty odd years" mourns the fading glory of "Berwick that old Border town." Don't speak of England and Scotland as nations; talk instead of "Great Britain and Ireland and Berwick on Tweed." Drink to her trade and wish God speed.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: pride commerce Scotland lyric
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
GreigDuncan3 503, "The Berwick Freeman" (1 text)
Roud #5988
NOTES: I can't help but wonder about the composer of this. Berwick, in the years when England and Scotland were separate nations, was the chief fortress on the border, and changed hands frequently (John Cannon, editor, _The Oxford Companion to British History_, Oxford, 1997, p. 100, says it went back and forth fully 13 times before Richard of Gloucester -- the future Richard III -- finally captured it for England). Those frequent attacks meant that it was mostly a fort, not a town, but after the Union of the Crowns, it became a main border-crossing point; the first of its extant bridges was built in the sixteenth century and a second in the mid-nineteenth (presumably about the time the freeman was young). On the whole, the decline of competition between England and Scotland, which the singer praises, has reduced the town's importance. - RBW
File: GrD3503
===
NAME: Besom Maker, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer, a besom maker, out gathering broom, meets "a rakish squire," "Jack Sprat, the miller," and "a buxom farmer" and has [coded] sex with each. She has a baby and gives up besom making for nursing.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(244))
KEYWORDS: sex farming childbirth bawdy miller
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #910
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(244), "The Besom Maker" ("I am a besom maker, listen to my tale"), J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 11(245), Harding B 11(3283), Firth b.34(19), "The Besom Maker"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Buy Broom Besoms (I Maun Hae a Wife)" (chorus)
cf. "Fine Broom Besoms (When I Was wi' Barney)" (chorus)
NOTES: The "code": "I wrote to him [the squire] the tune, I eased him of his gink"; "His [the miller] mill I rattled round, I ground the grits so clean, I eas'd him of his gink"; he [the farmer] plough'd his furrows deep, and laid his corn so low, He left it there to keep her, like green broom to grow." Then, "when the corn grew up to its native toil, A pretty sweet young baby soon on me did smile." - BS
File: BdBesMa
===
NAME: Bess of Ballymoney
DESCRIPTION: The singer calls on the muses to inspire him in praise of "the star of Ballymoney." He sees her, falls in love, and asks her to marry. She is young and not ready to leave home. He takes her to a tavern. She agrees to leave home and friends and marry him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty drink marriage
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H133, p. 461, "Bess of Ballymoney" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: In what is clearly a typographical accident, the note in Henry/Huntington/Herrmann list this as a version of Child #143. It's not; it's just another of those Irish songs about love at first sight -- in this case, perhaps aided by alcohol. - RBW
File: HHH133
===
NAME: Bessie Beauty: see Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20] (File: LM20)
===
NAME: Bessie of Ballington Brae [Laws P28]
DESCRIPTION: Bessie appears to her former lover as he lies sleeping, saying that she is dead and he has led her astray. He goes to her home and learns that she is indeed dead. He admits to the betrayal, says he intended to marry her, and stabs himself to death
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1859 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 b.11(245)); before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(677) if the broadside is this ballad; see notes)
KEYWORDS: ghost seduction death suicide betrayal
FOUND_IN: US(MW,NE) Canada(Mar) Ireland
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Laws P28, "Bessie of Ballington Brae"
SHenry H73, pp. 412-413, "Ballindown Braes" (1 text, 1 tune)
McBride 3, "Ballintown Brae" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 31, "Jessie of Ballington Brae" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dean, pp. 44-45, "Ballentown Brae" (1 text)
Mackenzie 31, "Bessie of Ballington Brae" (1 text)
DT 596, BESSBAL
Roud #566
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 b.11(245), "Answer to Betsy of Ballantown Bray," J.O. Bebbington (Manchester), 1855-1858; also 2806 c.15(155), 2806 b.9(233), "Answer to Ballindown Brae"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ballan Doune Braes" (prequel)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Bessie of Ballydubray
NOTES: Mackenzie's notes to "Bessie of Ballington Brae" include the first verse from a broadside that is "quite certainly" connected to his ballad.  Laws, having as an example, a broadside entitled "Answer to Betsy of Ballantown Bray" concludes that P28 is the sequel to Mackenzie's broadside.  That prequel is indexed here as "Ballan Doune Braes." The Bodleian broadsides noted here, which are examples of Laws P28, are likewise entitled "Answer to ...." - BS
File: LP28
===
NAME: Bessy Bell and Mary Gray [Child 201]
DESCRIPTION: "O Bessie Bell and Mary Gray, They war twa bonnie lasses; They biggit a bower on yon burn brae, And theekit it o'er wi' rashes." Despite these precautions, they die of the plague. They had hoped to be buried in Methven kirk yard, but this was not allowed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1720 (Ramsay, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: disease death burial
FOUND_IN: US(NE,SE) Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (13 citations)
Child 201, "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray" (1 text)
Bronson 201, "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray" (7 versions)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 278-279, "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray" (1 fragment plus a printed version that may have been the source, 1 tune) {Bronson's #7}
JHCox 22, "Bessie Bell and Mary Gray" (2 texts, of only two verses; the first goes here but the second appears to be floating material)
Davis-Ballads 38, "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray" (4 text, of which only "A" contains more than the first stanza, and the extra stanza seems to be an intrusion)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 190-191, "Bessie Bell and Mary Gray" (1 fragment)
Opie-Oxford2 39, "Bessie Bell and Mary Gray" (3 texts)
Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #293, pp. 169-170, "(Bessy Bell and Mary Gray)"
Friedman, p. 302, "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray" (1 text)
OBB 176, "Bessie Bell and Mary Gray" (1 text)
Gummere, pp. 163+336, "Bessie Bell and Mary Gray" (1 text)
DT 201, BESSBELL* BESSBEL2* BESSBEL3*
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; notes to #62 (no title) (1 text)
Roud #237
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, Ry.III.a.10(114), "Bessy Bell and Mary Gray," unknown, after 1720
NOTES: This ballad is sometimes associated with a plague which struck Perth, Scotland in 1645. Few versions of this ballad, which is usually found only in fragmentary form, explain why the two women were denied burial in the town churchyard; homosexuality has been offered as a possible explanation. - PJS, RBW
Iona and Peter Opie write, "The local tradition (first written down c. 1773) about these two girls is that Mary Gray was the daughter of the Laird of Lednock and Bessy Bell of the Laird of Kinvaid, a place near by. They were both very handsome and an intimate friendship subsisted between them. While Bessy was on a visit to Mary the plague broke out at Perth (seven miles distant), and in order to escape it they built themselves a bower.... Here they lived for some time; but... they caught the infection from a young man who was in love with both of them and used to bring them provisions. They died in the bower, and since, according to the rule in case of plague, they could not be buried in a churchyard... they were interred in the Dranoch-haugh."
The NLScotland broadside consists solely of an ode to the two pretty young women, and is likely a rewrite; it is credited in the notes on the site (though not on the broadside itself that I can see) to Allan Ramsay (1686-1758). - RBW
File: C201
===
NAME: Best Little Doorboy, The
DESCRIPTION: "The workmen in the Rhondda are wonderful boys, They go to their work without any noise." The singer mentions the people found in the mines: Daniel the sawyer, "always so cross," "Old William, the Lampman," girls with holes in their stockings, etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1954 (MacColl-Shuttle)
KEYWORDS: mining moniker
FOUND_IN: Britain
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
MacColl-Shuttle, p. 25, "The Best Little Doorboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: MacCS025
===
NAME: Best Old Feller in the World, The: see My Good Old Man (File: R426)
===
NAME: Besuthian
DESCRIPTION: "The aul' year's deen an' the new's begun, Besoothan, besoothan, An' noo the beggars they have come" The beggars ask "charity to the peer" and, "In meal an' money gin ye be scant, We'll kiss yer lasses or we want"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1906 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: request money food begging nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
GreigDuncan3 642, "Besuthian" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #6075
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ye Gae But to Your Beef-Stan'" (subject)
cf. "Queen Mary's Men (New Year's Eve Carol)" (subject)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Thiggin' Song
Thiggers' Song
NOTES: GreigDuncan3 quoting an 1889 letter to the editor in the _Banffshire Journal_: "I have collected the following verses [GreigDuncan3 642D], which were sung fifty years ago by the young men of our Strath when going the round of our district collecting meal and money for the poor and distressed about the New Year...." 
GreigDuncan3 quoting a letter in the _Aberdeen Free Press_ in 1906: "'Besuthian' in the refrain of this old song appears to me as a corruption of the Anglo-Saxon word 'Theowian' -- to serve; and the verb 'Be' as a prefix -- Be-theowian - meaning, be serving." 
GreigDuncan3 has a map on p. xxxv, of "places mentioned in songs in volume 3" showing the song number as well as place name; Bairnsdale (642) is at coordinate (h4,v8) on that map [roughly 23 miles NNW of Aberdeen]. - BS
Some internet sources seem to connect this with "Queen Mary's Men (New Year's Eve Carol)." This seems a slight stretch, though they may well have served the same purpose.
I flatly don't buy the "Theowian" derivation. That Old English word didn't make it into Middle English, and is highly unlikely to have been known in Scotland. I might buy a derivation from Middle English "thew," "custom" -- "be sooth (true) to custom." But even that strikes me as an improbably long survival for a word of unknown meaning. I frankly suspect it is a proper noun, but I don't know what.
For some reason that I absolutely cannot explain, the word that comes to mind is "Valerian" -- though whether this is the Roman Emperor, or the plant, or a product of my diseased imagination I do not know. I mention it only in case it inspires someone else who has a better idea than I do.
"Thigging" is begging. - RBW
File: GrD3642
===
NAME: Betrayed Maiden, The: see Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20] (File: LM20)
===
NAME: Betsey Brown
DESCRIPTION: "There's a pretty little girl, she lives downtown, Her daddy is a butcher and his name is Brown." Having met pretty Betsey Brown in the street, the singer courts her, meets her parents, and plans to wed her (and enjoy her family's money....)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (recording, Walter Morris)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty family money
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Randolph 384, "Betsey Brown" (1 text, 1 tune)
MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 180-181, "Betty Brown" (1 text)
Roud #7618
RECORDINGS:
Walter Morris, "Betsey Brown" (Columbia 15079-D, 1926)
NOTES: Vernon Dalhart recorded a piece, "Pretty Little Dear," which conflates this with "I Had But Fifty Cents" and other material. But the Randolph text, at least, seems independent of the Dalhart version. - RBW
File: R384
===
NAME: Betsy: see Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20] (File: LM20)
===
NAME: Betsy B: see Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20] (File: LM20)
===
NAME: Betsy Baker
DESCRIPTION: The singer "never knew what it was to sigh / till I saw Betsy Baker." He tries to court her, but she consistently rejects him. He becomes sick with love, barely recovers, tries again to win her, and is once again rejected
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1829 (Scottish chapbook in the Harvard library)
KEYWORDS: love rejection
FOUND_IN: US(So) Canada(Mar) Britain
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 117, "Betsy Baker" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 146, "Betsy Baker" (1 text)
JHJohnson, pp. 62-63, "Betsy Baker" (1 text, seemingly the same song but with a happy ending)
ST R117 (Full)
Roud #1288
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(257), "Betsy Baker," T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Harding B 17(24a), "Betsy Baker"; Firth b.25(508), Harding B 11(258), Harding B 25(176), Firth b.34(266), "Betsey Baker"
LOCSinging, as100980, "Betsey Baker," unknown, n.d.
SAME_TUNE:
The First World's Fair, or The National Exhibition (per broadside Murray, Mu23-y2:005, "The First World's Fair, or The National Exhibition" ("How wonderful it doth appear To people of each station"), unknown, 19C)
Push About the Jorum (per broadside Bodleian Harding B 17(24a))
File: R117
===
NAME: Betsy Bell
DESCRIPTION: "Oh my name is Betsy Bell, in the Overgate I dwell, Nae doubt you're wondring fit I'm daein' here, Well, I'm lookin' for a man... and anything in breek will dae wi' me." Betsy describes lads she has pursued without success; she'll keep trying despite age
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1971 (Stewart Family)
KEYWORDS: oldmaid courting rejection humorous
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, BETSYBEL
Roud #5211
RECORDINGS:
Belle Stewart, "Betsy Bell" (on Voice10)
Belle, Sheila, and Cathie Stewart, "Betsy Bell" (on SCStewartsBlair01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Maid's Song (I)" and references there
NOTES: It appears that this is primarily a possession of the Stewarts of Blair. Whether it was composed by someone in their family is not clear. - RBW
File: DTbetsyb
===
NAME: Betsy Brennan's Blue Hen
DESCRIPTION: The singer bought "my beautiful little blue hen" from the widow McKenny for a penny. It was swiped by "some dirty crawler." The song is a set of curses on "the villain" who stole the hen: "And may he have bunions As big as small onions"
AUTHOR: Johnny Burke
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Doyle)
KEYWORDS: theft humorous chickens curse
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: ()

Roud #7289
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "My Little Blue Hen" (on NFOBlondahl02, NFOBlondahl05)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Nell Flaherty's Drake" (theme, many lines of text, and references there)
NOTES: NFOBlondahl02, NFOBlondahl05: This is a version of "Betsy Brennan's Blue Hen" attributed to Johnny Burke in _Old-Time Songs and Poetry of Newfoundland_ 4th ed (1966) p. 76, 5th ed (1978) p. 58 pub by Gerald S Doyle Ltd. [It's also in the 1927 edition - RBW]
Also see "Blue Hen" on the MacEdward Leach and Songs of Atlantic Canada site, copyright owner Memorial University of Newfoundland Folklore and Language Archive. That site refers to Roud #9053, "The Bonny Brown Hen," which shares the theme but is not the same song. 
Not related to Bodleian, Harding B 11(402), "The Bonny Brown Hen," Walker (Durham), n.d.
This may have been written by Johnny Burke, but, if so, he must have been singing "Nell Flaherty's Drake" while he was writing "Betsy Brennan's Blue Hen." - BS
File: RcBBBHen
===
NAME: Betsy from Pike: see Sweet Betsy from Pike [Laws B9] (File: LB09)
===
NAME: Betsy Gray
DESCRIPTION: Betsy Gray goes to Ballynahinch battlefield. She finds her wounded fiance Willie and brother George. A Yeoman sword cuts off her hand as she pleas for her brother's life. Another Yeoman shoots her. The bodies are found and they are buried in one grave.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Hayward-Ulster)
KEYWORDS: rebellion battle burial death brother sister reunion
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Jun 13, 1798 - Battle of Ballynahinch (source: Moylan)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Hayward-Ulster, pp. 93-95, "Betsy Gray" (1 text)
Moylan 82, "Betsy Gray" (1 text)
NOTES: Hayward-Ulster has Betsy fighting beside Wullie Boal and her brother George. "When adverse fate with victory crowned the loyal host upon that day, Poor George and Wullie joined the flight, and with them lovely Betsy Gray." Their fight, wounding, and death follows. - BS
For  the Battle of Ballynahinch, see especially the notes to "General Monroe." The battle was the last stand, or nearly, of the Ulster portion of the 1798 rebellion. The rebels had hardly fought; their lack of discipline caused them to collapse when pressed by the loyalist forces of General Nugent.
It appears this song is essentially accurate; Thomas Pakenham, in _The Year of Liberty_ (which generally downplays the worst behavior by British troops), p. 231, reports that "[no] one knew how many rebels had been killed, but it was assumed about four hundred. The bodies lay unburied in the deserted streets of Ballynahinch, like those at New Ross the week before, food for the local pigs. Other victims of the battle were taken away by night and buried by their relatives. Among them was a young girl called Betsy Gray, who was later to be famous for her part that day. She had fought beside her brother and lover, and they had stayed by her in the retreat, although they could have outridden their pursuers; all three were shot down by the yeomanry."
A. T. Q. Stewart, _The Summer Soldiers: The 1798 Rebellion in Antrim and Down_, Blackstaff Press, 1996, p. 227, reports that "A young woman called Elizabeth Gray, with her brother George and her fiance, Willie Boal, were aboyut to cross the country road when they were apparently seen by a vedette posted at the nearby crossroads. The scene of the encounter was a marshy hollow at Ballycreen, about two miles from Ballynahinch. Betsy Gray (to give her the name by which she is best remembered) had gone ahead of the men and was taken first. When George Gray and Boal went to her aid they were instantly shot down. Then a cavalryman called Jack Gill struck off the girl's gloved hand with his sabre, and Thomas Nelson 'of the parish of Annahilt, aided by James Little of the same place' shot her through the head.... Young Matthew Armstrong found the  mutilated bodies, and with the help of two neighbours carried them to a hollow on his property, and buried them there in a single grave, 'leaving those faithful Hearts of Down sleeping the sleep that knows no waking.'"
Much folklore arose as a result, including some versions in which Betsy became the beautiful commander of a force of rebels. Her story eventually inspired Wesley Greenhill Lyttle to write the popular (but not especially accurate) novel _Betsy Gray, or The Hearts of Down_ (1886). - RBW
File: Moyl082
===
NAME: Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20]
DESCRIPTION: The son of the landowner is in love with Betsy, a servant. His mother, who opposes the match, has the girl transported to Virginia. The boy dies for love; (Betsy is drowned at sea)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 16(23a))
KEYWORDS: love separation exile death
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,SE,So) Britain(Scotland,England(South)) Canada(Mar,Newf,Ont)
REFERENCES: (16 citations)
Laws M20, "Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid)"
Randolph 48, "Betsey Is a Beauty Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Eddy 95, "Betsy" (1 text)
SharpAp 74, "Betsy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 36, "Johnny and Betsy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 666-667, "Betsy, Betsy from London Fair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 31, "Bessie Beauty" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 55, "Betsy the Waiting Maid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lehr/Best 7, "Betsy Beauty" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders/Olney, pp. 9-11, "Betsey (Betsy, the Waiting Maid)" (1 text, 1 tune)
FSCatskills 57, "Betsy B" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 70, "The Lancaster Maid" (1 text)
LPound-ABS, 26, pp. 66-68, "Johnny and Betsy" (1 text)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 201-203, "Fair Betsy" (1 text, 1 tune)
BBI, ZN46, "Alas! my dearest dear is gone"; ZN2523, "There was a maiden fair and clear/"
DT 434, JONBETSY BETSY FAIRBTSY*
Roud #156
RECORDINGS:
Harry Cox, "Betsy, the Servant Maid" (on HCox01) [mistitled 'A Week of Matrimony' on album jacket and label] 
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 16(23a), "The Betrayed Maiden," J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Betsey Evans
File: LM20
===
NAME: Betsy of Dramoor
DESCRIPTION: "As I walked out one evening, I roamed for recreation" and provided us with classical allusions. He sees a girl fairer than Diana or Helen of Troy. He begs her come away. She says she must wait until her declining parents die, but after that they marry
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Gardner/Chickering)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty father mother age
FOUND_IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Gardner/Chickering 79, "Betsy of Dramoor" (1 text)
ST GC079 (Partial)
Roud #3667
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y1:091, "Betsy of Drumore," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Castleroe Mill" (theme)
cf. "We'd Better Bide a Wee" (theme)
NOTES: With references to Aurora, Flora, Phoebus, Boreas, Aeolus, Diana, Dido, Susannah, and Helen of Troy, the literary component in this song will be evident. Other than that, it sounds like a very Irish sort of piece (compare the cross-references). I suspect a literary rewrite of one or another aged-parents song. - RBW.
File: GC079
===
NAME: Betsy of Dromore: see Betsy of Dramoor (File: GC079)
===
NAME: Betsy of Dundee
DESCRIPTION: The singer returns from the wars. He "from nymph to nymph resorted" but falls in love with Betsey. Her father discovers them and threatens him with transportation. When Betsey threatens to leave with the singer her father agrees to their marriage.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1830 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(178))
KEYWORDS: courting marriage father
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 8, "Betsy of Dundee" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2791
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(178), "Betsy of Dundee ("You sailors of this nation, pray you give attention"), T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Johnson Ballads 161, Harding B 20(234), Harding B 11(3309), Harding B 17(24b), Firth c.26(45) [partly legible], Firth c.12(133), "Betsy of Dundee"; 2806 c.14(23), "Betsey of Dundee"
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(120), "Betsey of Dundee," unknown, c.1840 
NOTES: Broadside NLScotland L.C.Fol.178.A.2(120) commentary: "Whilst 'Betsey of Dundee' follows a common theme found in many early ballads, mainly that of love involving a returning or departing sailor, the end is something of a surprise. In most other cases, the young couple either elope and tragically die en route or the young suitor meets a grisly end at the hands of his sweetheart's father. Here, however, Betsey and the sailor appear to live happily ever after."
The broadside version -- specifically NLScotland L.C.Fol.178.A.2(120) -- is the basis for the description. Both the beginning and end are missing from Creighton-SNewBrunswick 8, leaving Creighton to conclude with reason, but incorrectly, "she probably went away with him, and was deserted." - BS
Creighton thought Angelo Dornan's version composite; she was probably right, but the broadsides show that the combination preceded Dornan. Looking at this, I can't help but think that it's a conflation of two pieces, one being perhaps "The Banks of Dundee (Undaunted Mary)" [Laws M25], the other something like "The Plains of Baltimore."  There may be a bit of "Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid)" [Laws M20] in there, too.- RBW
File: CrSNB029
===
NAME: Betsy the Waiting Maid: see Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20] (File: LM20)
===
NAME: Betsy, Betsy from London Fair: see Betsy Is a Beauty Fair (Johnny and Betsey; The Lancaster Maid) [Laws M20] (File: LM20)
===
NAME: Better Bide a Wee: see We'd Better Bide a Wee (File: HHH598)
===
NAME: Better Get Your Ticket
DESCRIPTION: "Better git yo' ticket (x2), Train's a-comin', Lord-ee-ee, Lord-ee-ee! Um-um-um-um-um-um-um-um-um." "Hold your bonnet, Hold your shawl, Don't let go that waterfall, Shout, Sister Betty, Shout!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: train religious
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 239, (no title) (1 short text)
NOTES: I suspect this is a variant on one of the "Gospel Train" songs, but the form is different enough and Scarborough's text so short that it's not possible to tell which one. So it gets a separate entry. - RBW
File: ScNF239B
===
NAME: Betty and Dupree: see Dupree [Laws I11] (File: LI11)
===
NAME: Betty Anne: see Shady Grove (File: SKE57)
===
NAME: Betty Brown (I)
DESCRIPTION: "Now, since he's gone, just let him go; I don't mean to cry. I'll let him know I can live without him if I try."  She accuses him of slander. She despises "hateful Betty Brown," whom he is visiting. But at last she admits being wrong and wishes him back
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (Fuson)
KEYWORDS: love courting betrayal rejection
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fuson, p. 148, "Betty Brown" (1 text)
ST Fus148 (Partial)
Roud #3689
NOTES: This starts out sounding much like "Farewell He" or something similar, but eventually converts to a lost love song. I wonder if it might not be composite. Compare "Harry Lumsdale's Courtship," which also features a girl resenting Betty Brown, who has stolen her man. - RBW
File: Fus148
===
NAME: Betty Brown (II): see Betsey Brown (File: R384)
===
NAME: Betty Fair Miss: see Pretty Fair Maid (The Maiden in the Garden; The Broken Token) [Laws N42] (File: LN42)
===
NAME: Betty Mull's Squeel
DESCRIPTION: "She tauk's aboot Judas and said he was coorse, Bit a braw stock was Aul' Abraham; She thocht his graifstane was aye to be seen On a knap [knoll] up abeen Kaper-naum"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: humorous nonballad religious
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Greig 29, p. 2, "Betty Mull's Squeel" (1 text)
GreigDuncan3 684, "Betty Mull's Squeel" (1 text)
Roud #6105
NOTES: The current description is all of the Greig/GreigDuncan3 fragment.
Abraham is buried in the cave of Machpelah [Genesis 25.10] at Hebron, not Capernaum at the Sea of Galilee. - BS
[With however a footnote: The cave at Machpelah is not mentioned outside of Genesis (the bones of Joseph were carried out of Egypt, with the presumption that they were to be buried at Machpelah -- but Joshua 24:32 says they were buried at Shechem. One might speculate that Machpelah was still in Canaanite hands at the time of the burial). However, a tradition preserved its location; indeed, we have various accounts of Christians and Moslems visiting the shrine, and indeed built shrines about it. We know that Crusaders visited it in the early twelfth century -- and where Crusaders found relics, they stole them. Often they carried them in battle, and there were battles by the Sea of Galilee. So it is possible that, in fact, some of Abraham's bones do rest near Capernaum. A Scottish folksinger wouldn't know this, of course. More likely someone who didn't hear the name clearly converting the unfamiliar "Machpelah" to "Capernaum" or "Caphernahum" by dropping the first syllable. - RBW]
Greig: "Betty's seminary ... her teaching seems to have been of the true dame-school order." - BS
"Dame schools" being a common phenomenon in nineteenth century Britain, in which a woman took in children allegedly to educate them but mostly to keep them out of their parents' hair. Dickens has a description of an extreme example of school and teacher in chapter seven of _Great Expectations_: "She was a ridiculous old woman of limited means and unlimited infirmity who used to go to sleep from six to seven every evening in the society of youth who paid twopence per week each for the improving opportunity of seeing her do it." - RBW
File: Grd3684
===
NAME: Between Stanehive and Laurencekirk
DESCRIPTION: "Between Stanehive and Laurencekirk Last term I did fee." The singer gets along well with the master, and better with the serving girl, whom he courts. The master catches them in the stable. He blames the daughter, who wanted his attentions herself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: farming courting servant children father
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Greig #49, pp. 1-2, "Between Stanehive and Laurencekirk" (1 text) 
GreigDuncan3 376, "Between Stanehive and Laurencekirk" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 259-260, "Between Stanehive and Laurencekirk" (1 text)
Roud #5589
File: Ord259
===
NAME: Between the Forks and Carleton
DESCRIPTION: "Last Saturday night young William Tate Enrolled his scouts, he would not wait, But galloping up though he was late Between the Forks and Carleton." The soldiers report that "for the French we've made a shroud" and "Middeton had made them run"
AUTHOR: Billy Smith
EARLIEST_DATE: 1958
KEYWORDS: battle Canada
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: May 12, 1885 - Battle of Batoche. Defeat of the Metis under Louis Riel
FOUND_IN: Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 132-133, "Between the Forks and Carleton" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #4514
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Riel's Song" and references there (subject)
NOTES: Billy Smith (born c. 1870) was a youth living not far from Batoche at the time of the Metis uprising (for which see the notes to "Riel's Song"). The title of the song refers to the site of the Battle of Batoche, where General Middleton defeated the rebels when their ammunition ran out.
"The Forks" is not a river fork but a trail fork; one branch of the road led to Prince Albert (the closest major town to Batoche) and the other led to Fort Carleton.
The tune is said to be based on "Johnny Cope," though obviously somewhat worn down. - RBW
File: FMB132
===
NAME: Beulah Land
DESCRIPTION: "I've reached the land of corn and wine, And all its riches freely mine... Oh, Beulah Land, sweet Beulah Land... My heav'n, my home forevermore." The singer rejoices at being at home with the Savior
AUTHOR: Edgar Page and John R. Sweeney
EARLIEST_DATE: 
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 365, "Beulah Land" (1 text)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, p. 264, "Beulah Land Mazurka" (1 tune)
Roud #4899
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Saskatchewan" (tune)
cf. "Dakota Land" (tune)
NOTES: The name "Beulah," used in Isaiah 62:4, means "married"; it isn't really an appropriate name for a country, but this is not evident from the King James Version.
In its own right, this probably doesn't qualify as a folk song, but it has inspired two folk parodies (all lumped by Roud), so I include it for reference purposes. It should not be confused with "Dwelling in Beulah Land," sung by Helen Schneyer. - RBW
File: FSWB365A
===
NAME: Beverly Maid and the Tinker, The (The Tinker Behind the Door)
DESCRIPTION: A tinker comes to sell a servant girl a pen. The gentleman being out, the tinker "got this maid behind the door and gently laid her on the floor." She gives him 20 guineas and invites him back. Soon his gold is gone and he has to do as he'd done before.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1830 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(186))
KEYWORDS: sex bawdy servant tinker money
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Peacock, pp. 318-319, "The Tinker Behind the Door" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, TINKCRT*
Roud #585
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(186), "Beverley Maid and the Tinker," T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Firth b.34(21), Harding B 11(1529), "[The] Beverley Maid, and the Tinker[!]"; Firth b.26(33), 2806 c.18(29), 2806 c.17(30), Firth b.34(24), Johnson Ballads 163, "The Beverly Maid and the Tinker"; Harding B 11(3317), "The Tinker and the Chambermaid"
Murray, Mu23-y1:090, "The Glasgow Maid and the Tinker," unknown, 19C
File: Pea318
===
NAME: Beware of Larry Gorman
DESCRIPTION: Larry Gorman tells of how people react to his coming: "And when they see me coming, Their eyes stick out like prongs, Sayin', 'Beware of Larry Gorman; He's the man that makes the songs." He describes teasing a housewife who fed him poorly
AUTHOR: Larry Gorman
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964
KEYWORDS: nonballad humorous
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Doerflinger, p. 258, "Beware of Larry Gorman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson, p. 34, (no title) (fragment of text)
Roud #9422
NOTES: Apparently inspired by a woman who, without knowing who he was, fed Gorman weak tea and stale bread. Thus did Gorman gain revenge. - RBW
File: Doe258
===
NAME: Beware, Oh Take Care
DESCRIPTION: The young girls are warned about sporting men, who look handsome and speak well -- but have a deck of cards and a bottle hidden. "Beware, young ladies, they're fooling you; Trust them not, they're fooling you; Beware, young ladies... Beware, oh take care"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1892 (Trifet's Budget of Music)
KEYWORDS: courting cards drink abandonment rake
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Randolph 381, "Beware, Oh Beware" (2 texts plus a quotation from Trifet, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 311-313, "Beware, Oh Beware" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 381B)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, pp. 70-71, "Beware, Oh Take Care" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 167, "Beware, Oh, Take Care" (1 text)
DT, BEWARYG*
Roud #7619
RECORDINGS:
New Lost City Ramblers, "Beware, Oh Take Care" (on NLCR10); "Beware" (on NLCR12)
Blind Alfred Reed, "Beware" (Victor 23550, 1931; on TimesAint02)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Boys Won't Do to Trust" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Bold and Free
NOTES: Credited in the Digital Tradition to Blind Alfred Blake (which Paul Stamler points out should be "Blind Alfred Reed"), but -- since the piece has been in circulation since at least the 1880s -- it would appear that Reed, at most, retouched it into the "popular" form.
Laura Ingalls Wilder quotes a scrap of the song in _By the Shores of Silver Lake_ (chapter 6). If legitimate, that would push the date back even farther -- to 1879. - RBW
File: R381
===
NAME: Bewick and Graham [Child 211]
DESCRIPTION: Two prideful old men urge their sons, who are sworn blood-brothers, to a fight which results in their deaths.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1803 (Scott)
KEYWORDS: pride youth death family
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Child 211, "Bewick and Graham" (1 text)
Bronson 211, "Bewick and Graham" (1 version)
 Stokoe/Reay, pp. 100-102, "The Bewick and the Graeme" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #1}
Leach, pp. 560-566, "Bewick and Graham" (1 text)
Gummere, pp. 176-184+343-344, "Bewick and Graham" (1 text)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 121-128, "Bewick and Grahame" (1 text)
Roud #849
File: C211
===
NAME: Bewick and Grahame: see Bewick and Graham [Child 211] (File: C211)
===
NAME: Bewick and the Graeme, The: see Bewick and Graham [Child 211] (File: C211)
===
NAME: Bhean Iadach, A: see An Sgeir-Mhara (The Sea-Tangle, The Jealous Woman) (File: K003)
===
NAME: Bheir Me O
DESCRIPTION: Love lyric in Scots Gaelic: "Sad am I without thee." The singer calls (her?) lover "the music of my heart," hearing (his) voice in the calling of the seals, and finds herself turning back to his home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1909 (Kennedy-Fraser)
KEYWORDS: love foreignlanguage nonballad
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Hebr))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Kennedy-Fraser I, pp. 52-54, "An Eriskay Love Lilt (Gradh Geal mo cridh)" (1 text+English translations, 1 tune)
DT, BHEIRMEO*
NOTES: Gordon Bok seems to imply that this song is traditional in his family -- but his text is straight out of Kennedy-Fraser. Don't ask me to explain. - RBW
File: DTnheirm
===
NAME: Bible A-B-C, The: see The Bible Alphabet (The Bible A-B-C) (File: Wa183)
===
NAME: Bible Alphabet, The (The Bible A-B-C)
DESCRIPTION: Typical Alphabet song, with Biblical references: "A is for Adam who was the first man, B is for Bethlehem where Jesus was born," etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: wordplay religious Bible nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Warner 183, "The Bible A-B-C" (1 text)
Roud #16404
NOTES: The various scripture references:
"Adam, who was the first man": Genesis 1:27, 2:7, etc.
"Bethlehem, where Jesus was born": Matt. 2:1, Luke 2:1-4
"Cain who slayed his brother": Gen. 4:1, 8
"Dan'l who was cast in the lion's den": Daniel 6
"Elijah, who was taken up to heaven": Elijah's story occupies 1 Kings 17-19, 21, 2 Kings 1-2. His ascension occurs in 2 Kings 2:11.
" the flood that drownded the world": Gen. 6-8
"Goliath who was slain by David": 1 Samuel 17 (but cf. 2 Samuel 21:19)
"Hannah who gave her son Samuel to the Lord": 1 Samuel 2
"Isaac the son of Abraham": Gen. 17:15f.,21:1f., etc.
"Jacob who interpreted the dream": Probably a mixed reference. Jacob had a dream at Bethel in Gen. 28:11-22, but it was his son Joseph who made a reputation for interpreting dreams (Gen. 40-41)
"Korah who was swallowed up by the earth": Gen. 16
"Lazarus who Christ raised from the dead": John 11
"Methuselah who was the oldest man": Gen. 5:21-27
"Nazareth the home of Jesus": Matt. 2:23, Mark 1:9, Luke 2:2, etc.
"Olive the mount where Jesus prayed": Mark 14:26f., etc.
"Pharaoh who was drowned in the Red Sea": Cf. Exodus 14. Note that the Bible account does not say that Pharaoh was killed, though his army was ruined. Egyptian history gives no hint of a drowned Pharaoh.
"Queen of Sheba who visited Solomon": 1 Kings 10, etc.
"Rome where Paul was put in prison": Paul went to Rome after his non-trial in Jerusalem (Acts 25:12), but the Bible does not say he was imprisoned there (though he was imprisoned in many other places); he preached there "without let or hindrance" (i.e. freely)
"Sodom the city destroyed by fire": Gen. 18-19
"Tyre where Paul preached all night": Paul's visit to Tyre is mentioned in 21:3-6. There is no evidence that Paul preached there for such a long time, however; the reference is probably to Troas, where (Acts 20:6-12), where Paul (to put it bluntly) droned on so long that he put a boy named Eutychus to sleep and caused him to fall out a window.
"Uzzah who steered the Ark" - 2 Samuel 6:2-11. We might note that Uzzah tried to keep the Ark from falling off its cart, and God killed him for it.
"the vine, represents Christ": allusion to John 15:1
"Watchman on the wall of Zion": Probably a generic allusion; there is no explicit reference to a watchman on Zion's walls. The image of the watchman is probably most typical of Isaiah (21:6, 52:8, 56:10; also, though from a different Hebrew root, 21:11, 12, 62:6)
"X is for the cross of Christ": Not a true scriptural reference. Ironically, the first letter of "Christos" in Greek is chi, which looks like an X.
"the yoke of Christ": cf. Matt. 11:28-30, etc.
"Zion the home of the blessed": Numerous references starting with 2 Sam. 5:7; this appears to me to be another generic reference. - RBW
File: Wa183
===
NAME: Bible Story, The
DESCRIPTION: Humorous exploits based loosely on Bible stories. The creation and Noah's flood are described. A man in heaven rejoices; even though he drowned, he's free of his wife. Some versions of the song contain references to Freemasonry
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1769 (Journal from the _Nellie_)
KEYWORDS: Bible humorous
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 264-266, "The Bible Story" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1179
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Walkin' in the Parlor"
cf. "Free Mason Song" (themes, lyrics)
NOTES: In terms of concept, this is so similar to "Walkin' in the Parlor" that I seriously considered calling them one song. But this piece is in triple time, to the Derry Down tune; I decided that was enough reason to keep them distinct.
It's not impossible that one song inspired the other. It's also possible that Huntington's version (the first I've seen) is conflate; the first verse (about a Freemason) doesn't even appear to have the same form as the others, which look like "Walkin' in the Parlor." For comparison, here are the first and fourth verses of the Huntington version:
But as she bewailed in sorrowful ditty,
The good man beheld and on her took pity.
Freemasons are so tender so he to the dame
Bestowed an apron to cover her shame.
...
Sure never was beheld so dreadful a sight
To see this old world in very sad plight
See her in the water all animals swimming
Men monkeys priests lawyers cats lap-dogs and women.
Roud lumps this item with the larger family we index as "Free Mason Song." There has been interchange of material, but the distinct nature of the forms makes me think the Masonic references here are incidental imports. - RBW
File: SWMS264
===
NAME: Biblical Cowboy, The: see The Cowboy's Soliloquy (File: FCW123)
===
NAME: Bicycle Built for Two (Daisy Bell)
DESCRIPTION: The singer describes his love for Daisy Bell. His poverty being what it is, he cannot offer a fancy wedding or carriage, but proposes they ride a "bicycle built for two." In the original, she accepts
AUTHOR: Harry Dacre
EARLIEST_DATE: 1892 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: love marriage technology
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Gilbert, p. 255, "(Daisy Bell)" (1 partial text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 247, "A Bicycle Built for Two (Daisy Bell)" (1 text)
Geller-Famous, pp. 100-102, "Daisy Bell" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuld, pp. 188-189+, "Daisy Bell -- (A Bicycle Built for Two)"
DT, DAISYBEL* (DAISYBL2* -- containing many sundry parodies)
NOTES: Harry Dacre (formerly "Harry Decker," and probably born under the name "Frank Dean") was an Englishman who made a visit to the Americas in the 1890s. Among other things, he brought along a bicycle, upon which he was forced to pay duty. A friend remarked that it was well it had not been a bicycle built for two. Somehow that inspired this insipid song.
I thought it went without saying that the verse "Richard, Richard, here is your answer true, You're half crazy if you think that will do... But I'll be switched If I'll be hitched On a bicycle built for two" is a parody. But I've heard people sing it as part of the actual song. Such are the ways of tradition. - RBW
File: Gil255
===
NAME: Bicycle, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer bought a beautiful bicycle "I ran right in to an old, old woman, I nearly mangled a kid." A crowd destroyed his bicycle. The destruction is described, step by step. "I'm damned if I'll ride again"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1984 (Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
KEYWORDS: violence humorous nonballad technology injury
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 43, "The Bicycle" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5233
RECORDINGS:
Tom Lenihan, "The Bicycle" (on IRTLenihan01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gol-Darned Wheel" (theme)
NOTES: Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan: "March 2nd, 1984. 'I got it from my sister Mary that came home from America 45 years ago. She got it in America. That's where that came from, Tom. ... I never sung it no place because I didn't ever get much sense, you know, in the bloody thing." - BS
File: RcThBicy
===
NAME: Biddy Mulligan the Pride of the Coombe: see Mrs Mulligan, the Pride of the Coombe (File: OLoc230A)
===
NAME: Biddy Rooney
DESCRIPTION: "Biddy Rooney, you drive me looney ... where have you gone?" Anyone that finds her "may take her bag and baggage" It shouldn't be hard to find her: "As she goes walking ... she walks left handed with both feet"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1955 (Creighton-Maritime)
KEYWORDS: courting humorous nonballad
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 127, "Biddy Rooney" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2705
File: CrMa127
===
NAME: Big Ball's in Boston: see Roll on the Ground (Big Ball's in Town) (File: CSW200)
===
NAME: Big Ball's in Town: see Roll on the Ground (Big Ball's in Town) (File: CSW200)
===
NAME: Big Black Bull, The
DESCRIPTION: The big black bull comes down the mountain, spies a heifer, jumps the fence, jumps the heifer, then returns to the mountain.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1954 (recording, Pete Seeger)
KEYWORDS: animal bawdy humorous
FOUND_IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Cray, pp. 195-198, "The Big Black Bull" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #7612
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "The Little Black Bull" (on PeteSeeger09, PeteSeegerCD02)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)"
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Houston
Sam Houston
The Old Black Bull
NOTES: This is related to the sea chanty, "A Long Time Ago." - EC [Known in this index as "The Old Gray Mare (I) (The Old Gray Horse; The Little Black Bull)" etc. Paul Stamler considers "The Old Gray Mare" group to be the "cleaned up" version of the bawdy song, and also notes that in some of the bawdy versions the bull "missed his mark and (phhfft) in the meadow." - RBW]
File: EM195
===
NAME: Big Boat's Up the Rivuh: see Alabama Bound (Waterbound II) (File: BMRF598)
===
NAME: Big Combine, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer describes the crew of "harvest stiffs" on the big combine (harvester) in Oregon, including Oscar (Nelson), an IWW member; the horse-puncher ("the things he tells the horses...I can't tell you") and the singer himself, who is head puncher. 
AUTHOR: Jock Coleman
EARLIEST_DATE: 1919 (composed); first printed 1923
KEYWORDS: bragging farming harvest labor-movement work moniker nonballad boss worker IWW migrant
FOUND_IN: US(NW)
REFERENCES: (0 citations)
RECORDINGS:
Art Thieme, "The Big Combine" (on Thieme03)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Casey Jones (I)" [Laws G1] (tune) and references there
NOTES: The Pacific Northwest was the center of the IWW (Wobbly) movement in the early 20th century; migrant farmworkers and lumberjacks were its principal supporters. - PJS
File: RcTBgCom
===
NAME: Big Five-Gallon Jar, The
DESCRIPTION: Jack Jennings, a boarding-master, and his wife Caroline are expert at finding sailors. Should the supply ever dry up, they haul out their "big five-gallon jars" of liquor and use that to round up sailors.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (Smith/Hatt)
KEYWORDS: drink sailor shanghaiing
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Doerflinger, p. 111, "The Big Five-Gallon Jar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Smith/Hatt, pp. 16-17, "The Big Five Gallon Jar" (1 text)
Hugill, pp. 60-61, "Larry Marr," "The Five-Gallon Jar" (2 texts, 2 tunes) [AbrEd, pp. 56-57]
ST Doe111 (Partial)
Roud #9412
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Sound the Jubilee
NOTES: According to Doerflinger, Jack Jennings was a real proprietor of a grog shop in Liverpool, Nova Scotia around 1890. - RBW
See a similar but [distinct] broadside, LOCSinging, sb20267b, "Larry Maher's Big Five-Gallon Jar," H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864. Maher operates out of New York City "But when you wake next morning, you'll be far outside the bar, Removed away to Liverpool"; the tune is "Irish Jaunting Car"
Broadside LOCSinging sb20267b: 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: Doe111
===
NAME: Big Gun Shearer, The
DESCRIPTION: "The big gun toiled with his heart and soul Shearing sheep to make a roll, Out in the backblocks far away, Then off to Sydney for a holiday." Once there, he gets drunk and chases the girls -- and soon finds himself broke and having to scrape for a living
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1941 (Bill Bowyang's Bush Recitations, according to Paterson/Fahey/Seal)
KEYWORDS: sheep work drink poverty
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 140-141, "The Big-gun Shearer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 305-308, "The Big Gun Shearer" (1 text)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Jog Along Till Shearing" (plot)
File: FaE140
===
NAME: Big Jeest, The: see Little Brown Dog (File: VWL101)
===
NAME: Big Jim
DESCRIPTION: "Cold and chill is de winter wind, Big Jim's dead and gone." The singer regrets her man Jim, who is "good and kind to me," but is "a grinder." Jim is killed by another woman in a fight in a hop house; the singer hopes to join him soon
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934
KEYWORDS: death murder drugs love separation
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 111-112, "Big Jim" (1 text)
Roud #15549
File: LxA111
===
NAME: Big Jimmie Drummond: see The Choring Song (File: McCST097)
===
NAME: Big Kilmarnock Bonnet
DESCRIPTION: Jock quits plowing, puts on his hat, and goes to Glasgow. As a joke, Sandy Lane tells him to look up Katie Bain. He meets a girl who takes him to Katie. The girls roll him and get him drunk. He gets 60 days in jail for jumping into the Clyde.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan2); 19C (broadside, NLScotland L.C.Fol.70(37b))
KEYWORDS: prison drink Scotland trick farming travel clothes
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
GreigDuncan2 296, "My Guid Kilmarnock Bonnet" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #5861
RECORDINGS:
Willy Kemp and Curly McKay, "Wi' Ma Big Kilmarnock Bonnet" (on Voice05)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(37b), "Big Kilmarnock Bonnet," Poet's Box (Dundee), c.1890
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Fairmer Broon
NOTES: From the NLScotland commentary on broadside L.C.Fol.70(37b): "The 'Kilmarnock Bonnet' of the title is a famous piece of headgear, dating back at least to 1647, when the 'Kilmarnock Corporation of Bonnet Makers' was founded" - BS
File: RcBiGkBo
===
NAME: Big Maquoketa, The
DESCRIPTION: "We was boomin' down the old Miss'ip', One splugeous summer day, When the old man yells, 'Now let 'er rip! I see the Maquotekay!" The sailors wonder what Captain Jones drank: "What? Water? Yes, water. Dry up... you liar... Cause his innards was a-fire."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1944
KEYWORDS: river sailor ship drink
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Botkin-AmFolklr, p. 839, "(The Big Maquoteka)" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: BaF839
===
NAME: Big Rock Candy Mountain, The
DESCRIPTION: The hobo arrives and announces that he is heading for the Big Rock Candy Mountain. He describes its delights: Handouts growing on bushes, blind railroad bulls, jails made out of tin, barns full of hay, dogs with rubber teeth, "little streams of alcohol"
AUTHOR: Unknown; popularized by Harry "Haywire Mac" McClintock
EARLIEST_DATE: 1906 (version by Marshall Locke & Charles Tyner published)
KEYWORDS: hobo railroading dream food drink
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Lomax-FSUSA 79, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax- FSNA 221, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 884-886, "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" (1 text, 1 tune)
Arnett, pp. 116-117, "Big Rock Candy Mountain" (1 text, 1 tune)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 66, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenway-AFP, pp. 203-204, "(The Big Rock Candy Mountain") (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 61, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (1 text)
DT, BIGRKCND BIGROCK2 (BIGROCK3 -- bawdy parody)
Roud #6696
RECORDINGS:
Ben Butler, "Rock Candy Mountain" (Madison 1934, c. 1929)
Vernon Dalhart & Co., "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" (Edison 52472, 1929)
Jerry Ellis [pseud. for Jack Golding] "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (Champion 15646, 1928; Supertone 9342 [as Weary Willie], 1929)
Frankie Marvin, "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" (Columbia 1753-D, 1929)
Harry "Mac" McClintock, "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" (Victor 21704, 1928; Montgomery Ward M-8121, 1939); "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" (AFS 10,506 A4, 1951, on LC61) (Decca 5689, 1939) (on McClintock01)
Goebel Reeves, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (Perfect 13099/Conqueror 8470, c. 1935) (MacGregor 851, n.d.)
Pete Seeger, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" (on PeteSeeger17) (on PeteSeeger27)
Hobo Jack Turner [pseud. for Ernest Hare] "The Big Rock Candy Mountains" (Diva 2807-G/Velvet Tone 1807-V, 1929)
SAME_TUNE:
Fisher Hendley, "Answer to the Big Rock Candy Mountains" (Vocalion 02543, c. 1929/Regal Zonophone [Australia] G22174, n.d.)
Charley Blake, "The Big Rock Candy Mountain, No. 2" (Supertone 9556, 1929)
Bill Cox, "In the Big Rock Candy Mountains - No. 2" (Supertone 9556, 1929) [Note: Also issued as by Charley Blake, same record number]
Stuart Hamblen, "The Big Rock Candy Mountains - No. 2" (Victor V-40319, 1930)
NOTES: A number of sources, including _Sing Out!_, Volume 30, Number 2 (1984) credit this to "Haywire Mac," but the earliest date shows that the song precedes him. He did doubtless make it much more popular. - RBW
File: LxU079
===
NAME: Big Sam
DESCRIPTION: Big Sam starts a job at the plant cutting seal fat. Tiring of that he starts skinning pelts. He has enough of that and works emptying a long boat until he's had enough of that. He decides at the end that "I'll work here no more, the work is too fast"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1960 (Leach-Labrador)
KEYWORDS: commerce humorous worker
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Leach-Labrador 72, "Big Sam" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST LLab072 (Partial)
Roud #9982
File: LLab072
===
NAME: Big Ship Sailing, A
DESCRIPTION: "There's a big ship sailing on the illie-alley-oh...." "There's a big ship sailing, rocking on the sea...." "There's a big ship sailing, back again...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: nonballad ship
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Silber-FSWB, p. 386, "A Big Ship Sailing" (1 text)
Roud #4827
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Alley-Alley-O
The Illie-Alley-O
File: FSWB386A
===
NAME: Bigerlow: see The Bigler's Crew [Laws D8] (File: LD08)
===
NAME: Bigler's Crew, The [Laws D8]
DESCRIPTION: The Bigler sets out for Buffalo from Milwaukee. A number of minor incidents are described, and the Bigler's lack of speed sarcastically remarked upon: "[We] MIGHT have passed the whole fleet there -- IF they'd hove to and wait"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Dean)
KEYWORDS: ship travel humorous
FOUND_IN: US(MA,MW) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES: (12 citations)
Laws D8, "The Bigler's Crew"
Rickaby 47, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text)
Dean, pp. 19-20, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text)
Walton/Grimm/Murdock, pp. 129-135, "The Timber Drogher Bigler" (1 text plus excerpts from several other versions, 1 tune); p. 135, "The Stone Scow" (1 text, which Walton considered a separate adaption of this song but which has the same chorus and is exactly the same sort of plot as "The Bigler," so there seems litle reason to split them)
Warner 19, "Jump Her, Juberju" (this version rather heavily folk processed); 20, "The Bigler" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 141, "The Cruise of the Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 46, "The Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 174-175, "Bigerlow" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Colcord, pp. 200-202, "The Cruise of the Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Shay-SeaSongs, pp. 105-108, "The Bigler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 843-845, "The Bigler's Crew" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 611, BIGLRCRW*
Roud #645
RECORDINGS:
Stanley Baby, "The Trip of the 'Bigler'" (on GreatLakes1)
Harry Barney, "The Timber Drogher Bigler" (1938; on WaltonSailors)
Sam Larner, "The Dogger Bank" (on SLarner02)
Asa M. Trueblood, "The TImber Drogher Bigler" (1938; on WaltonSailors)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Light on Cape May" (tune, lyrics)
cf. "The Crummy Cow" (tune)
SAME_TUNE:
The Crummy Cow (File: HHH501)
The Light on Cape May (File: Doe130)
NOTES: According to Julius F. Wolff, Jr., _Lake Superior Shipwrecks_, Lake Superior Port Cities Inc., Duluth, 1990, p. 42, a ship named _J. Bigler_ was lost near Marquette, Michigan in 1884, but he was unable to find many other details. Walton said that the _John Bigler_ was built in Detroit in 1866 and was wrecked in 1884, confirming Wolff's account. I know of no proof that this was "the" _Bigler_, but it seems likely.
According to one of Walton's informants, the song's description of the _Bigler's_ sailing qualities is fairly accurate. The ship was built to carry waneys (partly cut logs), and like most such ships (known as timber droghers), she was narrow, with high sides, to fit through the Welland Canal between Lakes Erie and Ontario. Most such ships were rather slow. The _Bigler_ carried more sail than most, but also had an extremely square bow, making her hard to steer and meaning that the extra sail did little to improve her speed.
Walton considers this the most popular of all the Great Lakes songs, and prints "The Stone Scow" as a parody on this basic pattern. Looking at the versions, I suspect this has in fact happened many times -- sailors would take "The Bigler" and supply details of their own voyages. I am not aware of any of these variants which have "taken off," and for the moment am classifying "The Stone Scow" and other similar variants here. - RBW
File: LD08
===
NAME: Bile dem Cabbage Down: see Bile Them Cabbage Down (File: LoF269)
===
NAME: Bile Them Cabbage Down
DESCRIPTION: Chorus: "Boil them cabbage down, Bake that hoecake brown, Only tune that I can play is Boil them cabbage down." Fiddle tune, with floating verses from anywhere, e.g. "Raccoon has a bushy tail, Possum's tail is bare" or "Raccoon up a 'simmon tree"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (recordings, Uncle Dave Macon, Fiddlin' John Carson)
KEYWORDS: fiddle dancing nonballad animal food floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 269, "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-SoFolklr, p. 710, "Bile dem Cabbage Down" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownIII 432, "Boil Them Cabbage Down" (1 fragment); also perhaps 155, "Jaybird Up a Simmon Tree" (1 text plus mention of 1 more; both are singles stanzas, "Jaybird up a 'simmon tree, sparrow(s) on the ground," which float; I list them here because this seems the most popular of the songs with the stanza, though they might instead be "Possum Up a Gum Stump" or something else)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 124-125, "Bile dem Cabbage Down" (1 text, with some unusual variants in the chorus); p. 168, "Boil Dem Cabbage Down" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 40, "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (1 text)
Roud #4211
RECORDINGS:
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Boil Dem Cabbage Down" (OKeh 40306, 1925; rec. 1924)
Crockett's Kentucky Mountaineers, "Bile Dem Cabbage Down" (Crown 3101, 1931; on KMM) (Varsity 5046, n.d.)
Dixie Crackers, "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (Paramount 3151, 1929)
Earl Johnson & his Dixie Entertainers, "Boil Dem Cabbage Down" (OKeh 45112, 1927)
Uncle Dave Macon, "Bile Dem Cabbage Down" (Vocalion 14849, 1924; Vocalion 5042, c. 1926)
Clayton McMichen's Wildcats, "Bile Dem Cabbage Down" (Decca 5436, 1937)
Riley Puckett, "Bile Dem Cabbage Down" (Columbia 254-D, 1924; Harmony 5127-H, n.d.)
Ernest V. Stoneman, "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (on Stonemans01), "Bile 'em Cabbage Down" (on Autoharp01)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Bile Them Cabbage Down" (Columbia 15249-D, 1928; rec. 1927)
Jack Youngblood, "Bile Dem Cabbage Down" (Columbia 21103, 1953)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Raccoon" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Possum Up a Gum Stump" (floating lyrics)
File: LoF269
===
NAME: Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?
DESCRIPTION: Bill (a B&O brakeman) and his woman have a fight; he storms out. She begs, "Won't you come home, Bill Bailey... I'll do the cooking, honey, I'll pay the rent; I know I've done you wrong." (At last Bill shows up in an automobile)
AUTHOR: Hughie Cannon
EARLIEST_DATE: 1902 (sheet music, recording by Arthur Collins)
KEYWORDS: love separation reunion
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Silber-FSWB, p. 253, "Bill Bailey" (1 text)
Geller-Famous, pp. 205-210, "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 145-146, "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home?"
DT, BLLBAILY*
Roud #4325
RECORDINGS:
Perry Bechtel's Colonels, "Bill Bailey" (Brunswick 498, c. 1930)
Al Bernard, "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home" (Brunswick 312, 1929; Panachord [UK] 25148, 1931; rec.1928)
Homer Brierhopper, "Bill Bailey" (Bluebird B-6903, 1937)
Big Bill Broonzy, "Bill Bailey" (on Broonzy01)
Arthur Collins, "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" (CYL: Edison 8112, 1902)
Warde Ford, "Bill Bailey" [fragment] (AFS 4215 B3, 1939; in AMMEM/Cowell)
Jess Young's Tennessee Band [or Young Brothers' Tennessee Band], "Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home" (Columbia 15219-D, 1927)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hop-Joint" (some lyrics; character of Bill Bailey)
cf. "Oh, Baby, 'Low Me One More Chance" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Won't You Come Home Bill Bailey?
NOTES: Although obviously not a folk song in origin, this strikes me as a popular enough piece as to belong here. Fuld mentions several papers examining who "Bill Bailey" might have been. He seems to find none of them entirely convincing.
The story in Geller is that William Bailey was a "lazy shiftless Negro whose angry spouse, weary of supporting him, had finally turned him out." Cannon, apparently too sexist to fathom this, was convinced she would take him back, and made the wife the lazy one.
Spaeth's _A History of Popular Music in America_ mentions another 1902 song, "I Wonder Why Bill Bailey Don't Come Home" (by Frank Fogarty, Woodward, Mills), and still another, "Since Bill Bailey Came Back Home," by Billy Johnson and Seymour Furth.  Unfortunately, he supplies no details. - RBW
File: FSWB253B
===
NAME: Bill Dunbar
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you sympathizers, I pray you lend an ear. It's of a drowning accident as you shall quicklie hear." Hotel manager Bill Dunbar, liked by all, attends a race. On his return, he and (Bob Cunningham) go through the ice and drown
AUTHOR: (Billy Lyle and) Dave Curtin ?
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (Fowke); c. 1957 (recording, Emerson Woodcock)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Bill Dunbar, a kind hotel-keeper, and Bob Cunningham lose their way while returning from the races; they drive their team onto the ice, break through and are drowned; Bill throws his mitts onto the ice to show where they went in. Bill leaves a wife and child, and is sorely mourned; once a foreman for Mossom Boyd, he was known for bravery. Singer hopes to meet on a brighter shore "there to live in happiness and old acquaintance to renew"
KEYWORDS: racing death drowning grief travel mourning lament animal horse children family wife friend landlord
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1894 (other sources say c. 1885) - Drowning of Bill Dunbar and Bob Cottingham at Gannon's Narrows on Pigeon Lake in Ontario
FOUND_IN: Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke-Lumbering #40, "Bill Dunbar" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3677
RECORDINGS:
Emerson Woodcock, "Bill Dunbar" (on Lumber01)
NOTES: One of Fowke's informants told her the song, widely known in the Peterborough area, was written in about 1900. Mossom Boyd, for whom Dunbar worked, came to Canada in 1834, died 1883; he was the first European to settle in the Sturgeon Lake region, and was successful in the lumber trade. - PJS
File: FowL40
===
NAME: Bill Grogan's Goat
DESCRIPTION: Bill Grogan has a goat; "He loved that goat just like a kid." One day the goat, "Ate three red shirts from off the line." Bill angrily ties the goat to the railroad track. The goat "coughed up those shirts (and) flagged down the train."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (sheet music, The Tale of a Shirt)
KEYWORDS: animal humorous train
FOUND_IN: US(SE) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 288-295, "Papa's Billy Goat/Rosenthal's Goat" (3 texts plus some excerpts and a sheet music cover of "The Tale of a Shirt," 2 tunes)
BrownIII 514, "The Billy Goat" (1 short text)
Peacock, p. 65, "Joey Long's Goat" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 140-141, "(The Goat)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 404, "Bill Groggin's Goat" (1 text)
Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 54-55, "Papa's Billy Goat" (1 text, 1 tune, with additional elements added)
DT, GOATSHRT*
Roud #4574
RECORDINGS:
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Papa's Billy Goat" (OKeh 4994, 1924; rec. 1923) (Okeh, unissued, 1927)
Uncle Dave Macon, "Papa's Billie Goat" (Vocalion 14848, 1924)
Riley Puckett, "Papa's Billy Goat" (Columbia, unissued, 1924)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Reuben and Rachel" (tune of some versions, including Fiddlin' John Carson's)
NOTES: Almost certainly based on a poem by Robert Service -- which may, however, have been based on a folk song or story. - PJS
Norm Cohen, however, makes no mention of this; he notes that the 1904 "Tale of a Shirt" (the earliest precisely dateable version) is very distinct from the common text, requiring recensional activity. The earliest traditional version seems to be Brown's, from 1913. Cohen also notes a link to a Will Hays song, "O'Grady's Goat," published by 1890.
It sounds to me as if the thing goes back into the mists of time, with periodic performers grabbing some traditional fragment and expanding it into a full-blown song.
Carson's version, incidentally, has a final verse in which the singer marries a widow and the widow's daughter marries the singer's father. It's not "I'm My Own Grandpa" -- but it's very possibly an inspiration for that song. - RBW
File: SRW141
===
NAME: Bill Groggin's Goat: see Bill Grogan's Goat (File: SRW141)
===
NAME: Bill Hopkin's Colt
DESCRIPTION: "'Twas over in Cambridge county In a barroom filled with smoke Where all the neighbors... Talk horse and crack a joke." Hopkins tells how his father planned to shoot an ugly colt, but Bill urged him to spare it -- and it has become a champion racer
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Flanders/Brown)
KEYWORDS: horse racing father
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 39-42, "Bill Hopkin's Colt" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FlBr039 (Partial)
Roud #4156
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Creeping Jane" [Laws Q23] (theme)
NOTES: As "Bill Hopkins's Colt," this is item dH36 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: FlBr039
===
NAME: Bill Martin and Ella Speed: see Ella Speed (Bill Martin and Ella Speed) [Laws I6] (File: LI06)
===
NAME: Bill Mason
DESCRIPTION: The song opens with chat about Bill Mason, then notes that he was called to "bring (down) the night express." His new wife, seeing vandals destroying the tracks, she brings out a lantern and saves him and his train
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: probably 1873 (100 Choice Selections, Volume 6)
KEYWORDS: train rescue sabotage
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 282-287, "Bill Mason" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Rorrer, p. 84, "Bill Mason" (1 text)
Roud #12393
RECORDINGS:
Roy Harvey and the North Carolina Ramblers, "Bill Mason" (Paramount 3079, 1927)
Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers, "Bill Mason" (Columbia 15407-D, 1929)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Bill Mason's Bride
NOTES: This poem somehow came to be associated with Bret Harte, but is not in any of the works written in his lifetime; this seems to be a case of an incorrect attribution that somehow "stuck." - RBW
File: LSRai282
===
NAME: Bill Miller's Trip to the West
DESCRIPTION: "When I got there I looked around; No Christian man or church I found." Alleged to describe the adventures of Confederate captain Bill Miller of North Carolina, but the two lines quoted above are all the text known
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: clergy
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownII 268, "Bill Miller's Trip to the West" (1 fragment)
Roud #6625
NOTES: Many editors print occasional fragments of songs they can't identify, but as of this moment, I think this is the most anonymous fragment I've yet seen in a book of traditional song. - RBW
File: BrII268
===
NAME: Bill Morgan and His Gal
DESCRIPTION: Bill Morgan takes his girlfriend out to eat; she orders such a huge dinner that he remonstrates with her, saying, "My name is Morgan, but it ain't J. P." Other examples of her profligacy follow; at last Morgan gives up on her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1906 (recording, Bob Roberts)
KEYWORDS: food humorous lover money
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, AINTJP*
RECORDINGS:
Buster Carter & Preston Young, "Bill Morgan and his Gal" (Columbia 15758-D, 1932; rec. 1931)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Bill Morgan and his Gal" (on NLCR05, NLCRCD1)
Bob Roberts, "My Name Is Morgan, But It Ain't J.P." (CYL: Edison 9227, 1906)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "I Had But Fifty Cents" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
My Name is Morgan (But It Ain't J. P.)
NOTES: John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913), mortgage banker, was probably the most powerful financier in American history; he controlled railroads, steel mills and the largest bank on Wall Street. The size of his enterprises is demonstrated by the fact that his bank actually financed the Federal Reserve Board in its early years.
Morgan also (at the request of Theodore Roosevelt) managed the stock market problem which led to the Panic of 1907. Using his own money and money he pried out of other bankers, he managed to stabilize the financial system, though the resulting recession hurt ordinary people badly. - PJS, RBW
This has the hallmarks of a vaudeville song. - PJS
And the New Lost City Ramblers version heightens this impression with an additional chorus. - RBW
We should note that this is NOT the same as the Mitchell Trio song "My Name Is Morgan," though that was doubtless suggested by this piece. - RBW
File: RcBMAHG
===
NAME: Bill Peters, the Stage Driver
DESCRIPTION: "Bill Peters was a hustler From Independence town...." "Bill driv the stage from Independence... Thar warn't no feller on the route that driv with half the skill." Bill drives faster, stops less, and kills more than anyone, but at last he stops a bullet
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1910 (Lomax)
KEYWORDS: travel death talltale
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Saffel-CowboyP, pp. 194-195, "Bill Peters, the Stage Driver" (1 text)
Roud #8012
File: Saffe194
===
NAME: Bill Stafford: see The State of Arkansas (The Arkansas Traveler II) [Laws H1] (File: LH01)
===
NAME: Bill the Bullocky
DESCRIPTION: "As I came down through Conroy's Gap I heard a maiden cry, 'There goes old Bill the Bullocky, He's bound for Gundagai!'" Bill is said to be very honest, but has a difficult time doing his work
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964
KEYWORDS: Australia dog work travel hardtimes
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Manifold-PASB, p. 139, "Bill the Bullocky" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #10221
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Nine Miles from Gundagai (The Dog Sat in the Tuckerbox)" (lyrics)
NOTES: The version in Manifold is only two verses long, and one of them is largely derived from "Nine Miles from Gundagai" (with which Roud lumps it). Even the lines not derived from that song generally have parallels elsewhere. I'm not sure this even counts as an independent song. But I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt. - RBW
File: PASB139
===
NAME: Bill the Weaver: see Will the Weaver [Laws Q9] (File: LQ09)
===
NAME: Bill Vanero (Paul Venerez) [Laws B6]
DESCRIPTION: Bill/Paul hears that a band of Indians is coming, and rides to tell his love Bessie Lee and her fellow ranchers. Fatally wounded, he writes a warning in his own blood. The letter is carried by his horse, and the ranch is saved
AUTHOR: Eben E. Rexford (as "The Ride of Paul Venerez")
EARLIEST_DATE: 1881 ("Youth's Companion")
KEYWORDS: death Indians(Am.) horse warning
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Laws B6, "Bill Vanero (Paul Venerez)"
Larkin, pp. 40-45, "Billy Venero" (1 text, 1 tune)
Logsdon 4, pp. 42-47, "Billie Vanero" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 199, "Bill Vanero" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 184-186, "Bill Vanero" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 199A)
Fife-Cowboy/West 46, "Billy Veniro" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ohrlin-HBT 99, "Billy Venero" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 374, BVANERO* BVANERO2*
Roud #632
RECORDINGS:
Billie Maxwell, "Billy Venero" (Parts 1&2) (Victor V-40148, 1929; on WhenIWas2)
Harry "Mac" McClintock, "Billy Venero" (Victor 21487, 1928)
Glenn Ohrlin, "Billy Venero" (on Ohrlin01)
Luther Royce, "Billy Vanero" (AFS, 1941; on LC55)
Art Thieme, "Billy Venero" (on Thieme01)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Billy Vanero
NOTES: Logsdon notes a complicated story here. He states that Eben E. Rexford published "The Ride of Paul Venerez" in 1881. But it was in 1882 (July 17) that the White Mountain Apaches broke out of their reservation. Riders did bring warning of the outbreak, which allowed the settlers to protect the Burch Ranch near Payson, Arizona.
There is no documentation of a rider named Billy Vanero, so while the Rexford poem was probably adopted to the Arizona situation, the details are anything but clear. - RBW
File: LB06
===
NAME: Bill Wiseman
DESCRIPTION: "Oh Bill rode out one morning just at the break of day; He said he was sure of his bait-tub of squid up here in Hiscock Bay."  The song ends "It's all about Bill Wiseman jiggin' his squid in Hiscock Bay."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1951 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: sailor sex bawdy humorous
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Doyle3, pp. 14-15, "Bill Wiseman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 40-42, "Bill Wiseman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, pp. 12-13, "Kitchy-Coo" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "Kitchey Coo" (on NFOBlondahl01)
Ken Peacock, "Bill Wiseman" (on NFKPeacock)
NOTES: What are Bill, George, Patience, Tom, Ethel, Lisa and Judge Pippy doing between the first and last verse? They may be jigging but I doubt it has anything to do with squid; guessing at keywords could be like taking Bessie Smith literally when she sings "He's a deep sea diver." 
Omar Blondahl recorded a version as "Kitchey Coo" -- from the nonsense chorus? -- on Rodeo LP RLP7 [per Neil Rosenberg, "Omar Blondahl's Contribution to the Newfoundland Folksong Canon" in Canadian Journal for Traditional Music, 1991] 
Peacock (NFKPeacock notes): "The man who sang it for me was somewhat embarassed by the presence of women, a valuable clue to the involved symbolism of both the verses and the chorus. To an outsider unfamiliar with local sexual symbols it appears obscure, though perhaps mildly suggestive. Similar songs occur in our own popular music too.... Millions know the words but only a few know what's going on. In Newfoundland, everyone knows what's going on." - BS
File: Doyl3014
===
NAME: Billie Johnson of LundyÕs Lane: see General Scott and the Veteran (File: Wa013)
===
NAME: Billie Magee Magaw: see The Three Ravens [Child 26] (File: C026)
===
NAME: Billie Vanero: see Bill Vanero (Paul Venerez) [Laws B6] (File: LB06)
===
NAME: Billy and Diana: see Vilikens and His Dinah [LawsM31A/B] (File: LM31)
===
NAME: Billy Barlow (I)
DESCRIPTION: "Let's go a-huntin', said Risky Rob, Let's go a-huntin', said Robin to Bob, Let's go a-huntin', said Dan'l to Jo, Let's go a-huntin', said Billy Barlow." They hunt a (rat/possum), kill it, cook it, and divide it. All get sick except Billy, who feels fine.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: hunting humorous animal disease poison
FOUND_IN: US(MW,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
BrownII 57, "'Let's Go A-Hunting,' Says Richard to Robert" (1 text)
Scott-BoA, pp. 165-166, "Let's Go a-Huntin'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 159, "Let's Go A-Huntin'" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 204, "Billy Barlow" (1 text)
DT, BLLYBRLO
Roud #236
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Billy Barlow" (on PeteSeeger03, PeteSeegerCD03)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Cutty Wren" (form)
cf. "Cricketty Wee" (form)
NOTES: Thought by many to be an Americanized version of "The Cutty Wren." The similarity, both in form and in subject matter, is there -- but the two have gone in such separate directions that it seems better to keep them distinct; it is barely possible they are independent (and quite possible that "Billy Barlow" is a deliberate parody).
I can't help but add Paul Stamler's comment, though: "If this is independent from 'Cutty Wren,' I'll eat that possum." (Yes, but would you eat the rat?) - RBW
File: SBoA165
===
NAME: Billy Barlow (II)
DESCRIPTION: William Barlow "come[s] before you with one boot and one shoe." He arouses the wonder of the girls, is given free entrance to the races, and is more unusual than any animal in the circus. He hopes some young lady will accept him as a beau
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1910 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: talltale courting clothes
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, pp. 253-255, "Billy Barlow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7758
NOTES: Belden notes this as a comic song performed as far back as 1842, and popular enough to parody during the administration of Franklin Pierce (1853-1857). Belden also notes that Edgar Allen Poe refers to his ex-publisher as "Billy Barlow," implying that, by 1840, the name was already used for a buffoon.
Joy Hildebrand brings to my attention Sam Cowell (1820-1864), who performed as Billy Barlow. From the dates, it looks like Billy probably predates Cowell. But Hildebrand speculates that Cowell might have converted Billy into a character in the "Cutty Wren" type song "Billy Barlow (I)." So far, this is just speculation -- but it makes some sense. - RBW
File: Beld253
===
NAME: Billy Barlow in Australia
DESCRIPTION: "When I was at home I was down on my luck And I earned a poor living by driving a truck." Billy inherits a thousand pounds, but a merchant sells him a station and he is cheated of the whole inheritance. He returns to Sydney to beg a job
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1843 (Maitland Mercury and Hunger River General Advertiser; see Patterson/Fahey/Seal)
KEYWORDS: money trick home unemployment
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 34-35, "Billy Barlow in Australia" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 149-155, "Billy Barlow in Australia" (1 text plus an excerpt)
Roud #8397
NOTES: Obviously not to be confused with the American "Billy Barlow."
I'm far from sure it's a folk song, either. Banjo Paterson published it in "Old Bush Songs," but Paterson is no reliable source -- how many folk songs are there about truck drivers? The tune is also of suspect origin. - RBW
File: PASB034
===
NAME: Billy Boy
DESCRIPTION: Asked where he has been, Billy says he has been courting, and has found a girl, "but she's a young thing and cannot leave her mother." In response to other questions, he describes her many virtues, always returning to his refrain
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1776 (Herd, according to Opie-Oxford2)
KEYWORDS: courting age youth
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,Ro,SE,So) Britain(England(North,South)) Canada(Mar,Ont)
REFERENCES: (25 citations)
Bronson (12), 29 versions (though Bronson omits a higher fraction than usual of the versions known to him)
Belden, pp. 499-501, "Billy Boy" (2 texts)
Randolph 104, "Billy Boy" (1 text plus a fragment and 5 excerpts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 131-133, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 104A)
BrownIII 121, "Billy Boy" (2 texts plus an excerpt; the headnotes mention 47 texts in the Brown collection)
Hudson 133, pp. 278-280, "Billy Boy" (4 texts, condensed, plus mention of "at least" 8 more)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 296-298, "Billy Boy" (4 texts, mostly short; 1 tune on p.435) {Bronson's #27}
Eddy 38, "Billy Boy" (5 texts, 1 tune)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 246-248, "Billy Boy" (2 texts plus 2 fragments, 1 tune) {Bronson's #20}
Flanders/Brown, pp. 162-163, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronon's #29}
Linscott, pp. 166-167, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #19}
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 14, "Billie Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #26}
Fuson, p. 105, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
Cambiaire, pp. 45-46, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
SharpAp 89, "My Boy Billy" (3 texts, 3 tunes) {B=Bronson's #22, C=#8}
Sharp-100E 58, "My Boy Willie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 320-322, "Billy Boy" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #28}
Hugill, pp. 450-452, "Billy Boy" (3 texts, 2 tunes) [AbrEd, pp. 336-338]
LPound-ABS, 113, pp. 231-232, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
JHCox 168, "Billy Boy" (4 texts)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 267, "Billy Boy" (1 text)
Opie-Oxford2 45, "Where have you been all the day, My boy Billy?" (2 texts)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "Billy Boy" (source notes only)
DT (12), BILLYBOY BLLYBOY2* BLLYBOY3*
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #40, "My Boy Tammy" (1 text)
Roud #326
RECORDINGS:
Ray Covert, "Billy Boy" (Herwin 75564, c. 1927)
Frank Crumit, "Billy Boy" (Victor 19945, 1926)
Donnie Stewart & Terry Perkins, "Billy Boy" (on JThomas01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lord Randal" [Child 12]
NOTES: A number of scholars have linked this simple little song with the classic ballad "Lord Randall." Since they only have two things in common, however (the courting theme and certain metrical traits), in the Ballad Index at least we keep them separate.
De la Mare attributes the "My Boy Tammy" text to Hector MacNeill (1746-1818), a prolific author now almost forgotten. (_Granger's Index to Poetry_, for instance, cites only one of his poems: This one.) Given the dates of other versions, it seems unlikely that MacNeill originated "Billy Boy," but he may well have created a popular recension.  - RBW
File: R104
===
NAME: Billy Brink: see Bluey Brink (File: FaE148)
===
NAME: Billy Broke Locks (The Escape of Old John Webb)
DESCRIPTION: John Webb was imprisoned and well guarded, but "Billy broke locks and Billy broke bolts, And Billy broke all that he came nigh." Billy and John Webb escape on horseback, then relax by organizing a dance
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Barry, Eckstorm, Smyth)
KEYWORDS: prison escape dancing freedom
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 393-400, "John Webber" (1 text plus four versions from newspapers and such, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 4, "Billy Broke Locks" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, JOHNWEBB*
Roud #83
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Archie o Cawfield" [Child 188] (tune & meter, theme)
NOTES: An American rework of "Archie o' Cawfield," with which Roud lumps it; the revised version dates perhaps from the 1730s. It may have arisen out of an attempt at currency reform. In the early days of the English colonies, there was no universal system of coinage; Spanish money was common, but there was no fixed exchange rate.
Parliament decided to settle the matter by issuing a paper money, the "tenor." However, after a time the "Old Tenor" (referred to in the song) was replaced by the "New Tenor" -- resulting in civil disturbance. One of the chief culprits was one John Webb (Webber), a mint-master, who ended in prison but was rescued by friends. - RBW
File: LoF004
===
NAME: Billy Byrne of Ballymanus
DESCRIPTION: In (17)99, United commander Billy Byrne is caught in Dublin and brought to Wicklow jail. Informers Dixon, Doyle, Davis, and Doolin swear he fought at Mount Pleasant, Carrigrue and Arklow. He is hanged. The devil has a warm corner for the informers
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1798 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: rebellion betrayal execution trial Ireland patriotic
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: September 26, 1799 - Billy Byrne executed in Wicklow Town. (source: Moylan)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
OLochlainn-More 15, "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus" (1 text, 1 tune)
Zimmermann 12, "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Moylan 124, "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus" (1 text, 1 tune)
Healy-OISBv2, pp. 68-71, "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus (1) (2)" (2 texts; 1 tune on pp. 21-22)
Roud #2376
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wicklow Mountains High" (subject)
NOTES: Knowing the subject of this song is a bit tricky; it appears that there were *two* Irish rebels from the 1798 rising named William Byrne, both of Wicklow, and both ending their lives on the scaffold. This Billy Bryrne is, in terms of the history of the rebellion, the lesser-known; if you read a history of the 1798 Rebellion, you're more likely to encounter the other:
William Byrne was the son of Garrett Byrne, a Catholic squire. He was a United Irish delegate from Wicklow, and a colonel in the United army around the time of New Ross.
He was taken to Dublin for trial in the summer of 1798.
According to Thomas Pakenham's _The Year of Liberty_, p. 287, the chief witness against him was Thomas Reynolds, a paid informant. Byrne was one of the few delegates whose guilt was so obvious that the government felt sure it could convict him.
Pakenham date his execution to the end of July 1798. It was one of a series of five, and it encouraged the 80 or so other United leaders in custody to agree to tell all in return for emigrating to the United States. (Their alternative, of course, was being tried and, probably, hanged.) Among those who took that deal was Thomas Addis Emmet, the brother of Robert. - RBW
Apparently broadside Bodleian, Harding B 40(12), "Billy Byrne of Ballymanus" ("Come all you loyal heroes, pay attention to my song"), J.F. Nugent and Co.? (Dublin?), 1850-1899 is this song but I could not download and verify it.
OLochlainn-More: "An authentic 1798 ballad still popular after more than 160 years." - BS
File: OLcM015
===
NAME: Billy Go Leary: see Yo Ho, Yo Ho (File: EM318)
===
NAME: Billy Goat, The: see Bill Grogan's Goat (File: SRW141)
===
NAME: Billy Grimes the Rover
DESCRIPTION: The girl comes to her mother and asks if she can marry Billy Grimes. Mother refuses her blessing; Billy is poor and dirty. The girl points out that Billy has just come into a large inheritance; the mother suddenly praises Billy and gives her blessing
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: c. 1852 (published by an N.C. Morse, who claimed authorship)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage mother poverty
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES: (11 citations)
Belden, pp. 251-252, "Billy Grimes" (1 text)
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 33-34, "Billy Grimes" (1 text, 1 tune)
BrownII 193, "Billy Grimes the Drover" (1 composite text derived from 8 unprinted versions)
Chappell-FSRA 76, "Billy Grimes" (1 text)
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 58, "Billy Grimes, the Rover" (1 text, 1 tune)
LPound-ABS, 96, pp. 205-206, "The Courtship of Billy Grimes" (1 text)
Manny/Wilson 59, "Billy Grimes the Drover" (1 text plus an excerpt, 1 tune)
SharpAp 176, "Billy Grimes" (1 text, 1 tune)
DSB2, p. 46, "Billy Grimes the Rover" (1 text)
cf. Gardner/Chickering, p. 477, "Billy Grimes" (source notes only)
DT, BILGRIME*
ST MN2033 (Full)
Roud #468
RECORDINGS:
I. G. Greer, "Billy Grimes" (AFS; on LC14, TimesAint02)
Marie Hare, "Billy Grimes the Drover" (on MRMHare01)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Billy Grimes the Rover" (on NLCR04, NLCR11)
Shelor Family, "Billy Grimes the Rover" (Victor 20865, 1927; on GoingDown)
BROADSIDES:
LOCSheet, sm1852 510300, "Billy Grimes" or "The Country Lassie and her Mother," Firth, Pond and Co. (New York), 1852; same broadside as sm1852 691750; sm1852 520830, "Billy Grimes the Drover"; sm1853 540400, "Billy Grimes" same broadside as sm1853 700610 (tune)
LOCSinging, as101050, "Billy Grimes the Rover," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also as101060, sb10018b, "Billy Grimes the Rover"
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Will Ray" (plot)
cf. "Peggy in the Morning" (plot)
NOTES: Belden asserts that Billy Grimes was properly a "drover," not a "rover" (even though his informant used the word "rover"), and it's possible that this was original -- but, as the list of titles shows -- Billy quickly became transformed.
The composite text in Brown ends with the drover rejecting the girl because she wants his money. Chappell also has this ending This is, however, the "minority version" even in Brown, and seems rare elsewhere; if it is original, it had generally been dropped. More likely it's a North Carolina variant. - RBW
The following broadsides are duplicates, or so close to being duplicates that I don't find a difference:
LOCSheet sm1852 510300 and sm1852 691750: these claim "words by Richard Coe, Esq Music by W.H. Oakley"
LOCSheet sm1853 540400 and sm1853 700610: these claim the song was "composed by [usually meaning "music by" ] Wm H Oakes"; the story ends with the mother explaining that she is in favor of Billy.
LOCSinging as101050, as101060 and sb10018b[same text, different printer]: no attribution; the story has Billy reject her at the end.
The remaining American Memory broadside, LOCSheet sm1852 520830 is "by N C Morse"; it ends when the daughter announces Billy's ten thousand pound capitalization and 600 pound annual income."
Broadside LOCSinging as101050: J. Andrews 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: MN2033
===
NAME: Billy Johnson's Ball
DESCRIPTION: On his first wedding anniversary Johnson throws a party to celebrate it (and the arrival of a baby six months earlier). Johnson dances with all the girls; Mrs. Johnson gets jealous; the singer can't tell how it ended; he woke next morning under the table
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (recorded fromPeter Reilly by Kennedy)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: On his first wedding anniversary Billy Johnson throws a party to celebrate the occasion (and the arrival of a baby six months earlier). The baby is introduced, Mrs. Johnson faints, someone gives her a drop to drink, and the dancing begins. Families are introduced; the party moves to a pub; Johnson dances with all the girls, and Mrs. Johnson gets jealous; the singer can't tell you how it all ended, only that he woke the next morning underneath the table
KEYWORDS: jealousy pride marriage dancing drink party baby family wife humorous
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Kennedy 266, "Billy Johnson's Ball" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2139
NOTES: Kennedy, in his usual inexplicable way, compares this to Percy French's "Phil the Flut(h)er's Ball." The only connection I can see is that they're both about Irish parties. - RBW
File: K266
===
NAME: Billy Ma Hone
DESCRIPTION: "Love is sweet and love is pleasant, Long as you keep it in your view." A man asks Missis Mary why she can't favor him. Her love is on the ocean. He says her Billy Ma Hone is dead. She screams. He reveals himself and shows her the ring she gave him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1937 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: love courting separation marriage disguise ring brokentoken
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 267-270, "Fair Phoebe and her Dark-Eyed Sailor" (3 texts; this is the third; the first, "Young Willie's Return, or The Token," with tune on pp. 426-427, is "The Dark-Eyed Sailor (Fair Phoebe and her Dark-Eyed Sailor)" [Laws N35]; the second, "The Sailor," with tune on p. 427, is "John (George) Riley (II)" [Laws N37])
ST ScaSC270 (Partial)
Roud #265
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
NOTES: Roud files this with Laws N35 ("The Dark-Eyed Sailor (Fair Phoebe and her Dark-Eyed Sailor)"), mostly, I think, because that's where Scarborough files it. Laws, however, does not file it there -- nor anywhere else that I can see -- and the name and form are sufficiently unlike the other Riley ballads that I finally decided to treat it as a separate song.
It is, no doubt, based on one of the myriad other songs of this type, probably rewritten (perhaps to apply to some local person), but I haven't a clue which such song. - RBW
File: ScaSC270
===
NAME: Billy My Darling
DESCRIPTION: "Billy, my darling, Billy, my dear, When you think I don't love you it's a foolish idea -- Up in the tree-top high as the sky, I can see Billy, Billy pass by."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: love
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 288, "Billy My Darling" (1 fragment plus mention of 1 more)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Down in the Valley" (lyrics)
NOTES: Based just on the text in Brown, I would probably have classified this as a by-blow of "Down in the Valley." But a tune was recorded, apparently *not* "Down in the Valley." So it lists separately -- though I remain dubious. - RBW
File: Br3288
===
NAME: Billy O'Rourke
DESCRIPTION: Billy sets out for Dublin and takes ship. Though a great storm blows up, Billy pays no attention. After he lands, a robber tries to hold him up, but Billy's shillelagh is quicker. Billy tells of his other adventures
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE:  c.1820 (OLochlainn-More); 1849 (Journal from the Euphrasia)
KEYWORDS: emigration Ireland robbery
FOUND_IN: US(MW) Ireland Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Eddy 145, "Billy O'Rourke" (1 text)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 318-320, "Billy O'Rourke" (1 text)
OLochlainn-More 51, "Billy O'Rourke" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 99, "Billy O'Rourke" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 262, "Billy O'Rourke" (4 texts, 1 tune)
ST E145 (Full)
Roud #2101
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as101080, "Billy O'Rourke," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859
NOTES: Broadside LOCSinging as101080: J. Andrews 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: E145
===
NAME: Billy Pitt and the Union
DESCRIPTION: Billy Pitt convinced the British that Union with Ireland would solve their problems. Ireland would gain no more from union than the Sabines gained through union with Rome. "They may take our all from us and leave us the rest." Hibernia must reject union.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1798 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: England Ireland nonballad political
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1759-1806 - Life of William Pitt the Younger, Prime Minister 1783-1801 and from 1804 until his death
1798 - United Irish rebellion causes England to decide on Union with Ireland
1800 - Act of Union passed by British and Irish parliaments, causing a parliamentary Union to take effect in 1801
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: ()

CROSS_REFERENCES:
Bodleian, Harding B 14(314), "A new song Billy Pitt and the Union ("Come neighbours attend, while I tell you a story"), unknown, 1798
NOTES: Broadside Bodleian Harding B 14(314) is dated "Dublin, December, 1798." Zimmermann p. 40 cites it as a broadside ballad circulated against William Pitt.
What is the original of the "poisoned pill"? The broadside warns "Arrah Paddy beware, there's snake in these offers, For Billy can gild, whilst he poisons the pill." In 1909, in _Fallen Fairies; or The Wicked World_ W.S. Gilbert wrote "Oh, love's the source of every ill! Compounded with unholy skill, It proves, disguise it as you will, A gilded but a poisoned pill." - BS
Both Ireland and Scotland had people who, in their time, opposed Union with England. I've seen it argued that the Scots were wrong, because they needed English trade. (I'm not sure it's that simple, but the case can be made.)
Ireland, though, really did get a poisoned pill -- because they lost their own parliament (Grattan's, for which see "Ireland's Glory") but did not get Catholic Emancipation in return. Prime Minister Pitt wanted to grant voting rights to Catholics, but the English parliament simply would not go along. So while Ireland had seats in the British Commons, they weren't really popularly elected. Eventually, leaders like Parnell would learn how to use their position, and sometimes hold the balance of power between Conservatives and Liberals, but that was a long time coming. In the short run, Union simply cost Ireland self-government. - RBW
File: BrdBPatU
===
NAME: Billy Richardson's Last Ride
DESCRIPTION: "Through the West Virginia mountains came the early mornin' mail Old Number Three was westbound...." Engineer Bill Richardson is "old and gray," but still wants to make good time. He dies when his head strikes a mail train
AUTHOR: Words: Cleburne C. Meeks / Music: Carson J. Robison
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (letter from Meeks to Vernon Dalhart)
KEYWORDS: train wreck death
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Dec 14, 1910 - Death of William S. Richardson (1848-1910) after he looks out of the FFV train and is hit in the head
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 232-233, "Billy Richardson's Last Ride" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #10440
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart [as Al Craver], "Billy Richardson's Last Ride" (Columbia 15098-D, 1926)
George Goebel, "Billy Richardson's Last Ride" (Conqueror 8156)
NOTES: Although the accident described in the song happened, roughly as described, in 1910, Cohen reports that the song was written 16 years later. Poet Meeks heard Vernon Dalhart's recording of The Wreck of Old 97, decided to produce his own train wreck item, and sent it to Dalhart. Carson J. Robison added the tune, and Dalhart started on his usual cycle of recording for every label known to humanity.
The Meeks/Robison combination also gave us "The Wreck of the C & O Number Five." - RBW
File: LSRai232
===
NAME: Billy Riley
DESCRIPTION: Shanty. "Oh Billy Riley was a dancing master, O Billy Riley. Old Billy Riley, screw him up so cheer'ly, O Billy Riley O." Verses name members of RileyÕs family and/or their occupations. Refrain changes each time based on which Riley is named in the verse.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (Sharp-EFC)
KEYWORDS: shanty
FOUND_IN: West Indies Britain
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Colcord, p. 74, "O Billy Riley!" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 452-453, "Billy Riley" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbrEd, p. 338]
Sharp-EFC, LVIII, p. 63, "O Billy Riley" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Hug452 (Full)
Roud #4701
NOTES: The liner notes to the Lloyd/MacColl recording "Blow, Boys, Blow" state "The sail would need to be light, or the occasion desperate, for men to haul at the halyards to tbe beat of such a fast song as this." But other sources don't seem to have noticed this. - RBW
File: Hug452
===
NAME: Billy Taylor: see William Taylor [Laws N11] (File: LN11)
===
NAME: Billy the Kid (I)
DESCRIPTION: "I'll sing you a true song of Billy the Kid, I'll sing of the desperate deeds that he did." Billy "went bad" in Silver City as "a very young lad." He soon has 21 notches on his pistol, but wants Sheriff Pat Garrett for 22. But Garrett shoots Billy first
AUTHOR: Andrew Jenkins
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (recordings, Vernon Dalhart)
KEYWORDS: outlaw youth death police
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1859 - Birth of William H. Bonney, the man most often labelled "Billy the Kid"
1881 - Death of William Bonney at the hands of Pat Garrett, who traced him to the home of a Mexican girlfriend
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 202, "Billy the Kid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 137-138, "Billy the Kid" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 96, "Billy the Kid" (3 texts, 1 tune, but the "C" text is "Billy the Kid (II)")
Burt, p. 193, "(Song of Billy the Kid)" (1 excerpt)
Silber-FSWB, p. 208, "Billy the Kid" (1 text)
DT, BILLYKID
Roud #5097
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart, "Billy the Kid"  (Columbia 15135-D [as Al Craver], 1927) (Brunswick 100, 1927) (OKeh 45102, 1927) (one of these recordings is on RoughWays2, but we don't know which)
SAME_TUNE:
So Long, It's Been Good to Know Yuh (File: Arn165)
NOTES: This song has been (falsely) credited to Woody Guthrie, who recorded it in the 1940s. - PJS
Might this be because the tune has come to be better known as (the verse of) "So Long, It's Been Good to Know You"?
This song, like so many "bad man" ballads, is a mix of the false and the true. Dale L. Walker, _Legends and Lies: Great Mysteries of the American West_, Forge, 1997, p. 112, writes, "Why Billy the Kid is among that handful of Old West names... that are instantly recognized around the world is not clear. The Kid had no significant history. He never served in a war, never blazed a trail, never traveled beyond a few hundred miles of his boyhood home, had no special talents, and knew no one of importance.... He rose to a brief regional prominence in an obscure regional power struggle [starting in 1878] and by the summer of 1881 he was dead."
Yet Walker believes that at there are at least 900 books, major magazine articles, poems, and plays about him (based on a bibliography which listed over 400 as of around 1950, with the number only increasing since).
According to Bill O'Neal, _Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters_, p. 4, only four deaths can be unequivocally blamed on Billy the Kid, even though he boasted of killing 21 "not counting Mexicans." O'Neal on p. 5 does credit Billy with five "possible killings or assists," and lists him as participating in 21 gunfights.
According to O'Neal's main entry on Billy (pp.198-203), the future Kid was born Henry McCarty, in Indiana or New York in 1859 (the _Concise Dictionary of American Biography_ lists New York only, with no hesitation, and lists Billy's birth name as William Bonney, the name he used throughout his later career. But Walker agrees with O'Neal in calling him Henry McCarty, of Irish ancestry, possibly born in New York City. How this is reconciled with the statement that he never traveled far I am not sure).
The family moved to Kansas when Billy was very young, then to New Mexico after Billy's father died. His mother remarried in 1873, but died in 1874 (Walker, p. 113).
Soon after, Billy (then still just Henry McCarty, or "Kid Antrim" after the name of his stepfather) started in on a life of petty crime. The song is right in accusing him of "going bad" in Silver City, in New Mexico; soon after his mother died, he was engaged in petty theft. Imprisoned, he soon escaped (Walker, p. 113).
His career for the next two years was obscure, but he killed a man in Bonito, Arizona in 1877 (Walker, p. 114). Again imprisoned, he again escaped, and took the pseudonym "William Bonney."
He was actively involved in a range war the next year. In the process, Billy's boss John Henry Tunstall was killed. Billy declared that Tunstall was the only man he ever worked for who treated him fairly, and so insisted on revenge (Walker, p. 116). Several people died in the next few months, though Billy was not responsible for most of the deaths.
In 1878, newly-appointed territorial governor Lew Wallace offered an amnesty, but Billy was under an independent indictment, so though he offered testimony, he then took off and formed an outlaw gang (Walker, pp. 118-119).
Captured and imprisoned in 1880 by a posse led by Pat Garrett (Walker, p. 120), he killed two guards and escaped in early 1881 (Walker, pp. 121-122). On the night of July 14, 1881, he paid a brief visit to a Mexican girlfriend (Walker, p. 122), then visited another house where Garrett was waiting in hiding, and Garrett shot him to death (Walker, p. 123).
For some reason, most famous outlaws seem to have had second lives, with impostors claiming to be the dead outlaws who somehow escaped their fates. (See "Jesse James (III)" for examples of the phenomenon). Walker, pp. 125-136, examines some of the Billy impersonators. In one case, he actually seems somewhat sympathetic to the claim. - RBW
File: LoF202
===
NAME: Billy the Kid (II)
DESCRIPTION: "Billy was a bad man And carried a big gun. He was always after greasers And kept them on the run." Billy shot a white man "every morning." But one day he met a worse man, "And now he's dead and we Ain't none the sadder."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1966
KEYWORDS: outlaw death police
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Fife-Cowboy/West 96, "Billy the Kid" (3 texts, 1 tune, but only the "C" text goes here)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 136-137, "Billy the Kid" (1 text)
Roud #5098
NOTES: From the Fife text it is not clear whether this song actually refers to Billy the Kid; since Billy was white, it would appear not. But they may have other versions which imply otherwise. - RBW
File: FCW096C
===
NAME: Billy Veniro: see Bill Vanero (Paul Venerez) [Laws B6] (File: LB06)
===
NAME: Billy Vite and Molly Green
DESCRIPTION: "Come all you blades both high and low And you shall hear of a dismal go." Billy Vite/White falls in love with Molly Green, but she denies him. The devil comes to him with arsenic; he poisons her; a sheep's head accuses him of murder and takes him to hell
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1927 (Spaeth) (Digital Tradition claims a date of 1823)
KEYWORDS: murder poison death sheep ghost devil
FOUND_IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Flanders/Brown, pp. 109-110, "Billy White" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 198-199, "Billy Vite and Molly Green" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5441
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Henry Green (The Murdered Wife)" [Laws F14] (plot)
File: FlBr109
===
NAME: Billy White: see Billy Vite and Molly Green (File: FlBr109)
===
NAME: Billy's Downfall
DESCRIPTION: The singer swears by all things and people -- O'Connell, King Saul, Zozymus Moran, Dido, the Shannon, Brian Boru, dirty dealers -- that "I ne'er had a hand in King Billy's downfall." Billy will be rebuilt but had better not "dress as before" on July 12.
AUTHOR: probably by "Zozimus" (Michael Moran) (c.1794-1846) (Source: Zimmermann)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1836 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: Ireland political
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: April 8, 1836 - "The equestrian statue of William III, which stood in the centre of College Green, Dublin [the site of the "unified" out of existance Irish Parliament ... [was] blown up early in the morning." (source: Zimmermann)
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 48, "Billy's Downfall" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: July 12 is the Gregorian Calendar (adopted in England in 1752) date for celebrating the victory of William III of Orange in the Battle of the Boyne, July 1, 1690.
Zimmermann: The statue "was annually coloured white and decorated with Orange lilies, a scarlet cloak and an orange sash, to commemorate the Protestant victory at the battle of the Boyne." - BS
File: Zimm048
===
NAME: Bingo
DESCRIPTION: "There was a farmer had a dog, And Bingo was his name, sir. B-I-N-G-O (x3), And Bingo was his name, sir." "That farmer's dog sat at our door, Begging for a bone, sir...." "The farmer's dog sat on the back fence...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1910 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: dog nonballad playparty
FOUND_IN: US(NE,SE)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 212, "Bingo" (1 text, tune referenced)
BrownIII 137, "Bingo" (1 text, which seems to be a device for learning the vowels)
Linscott, pp. 168-169, "Bingo" (1 text, 1 tune, with an unusual chorus of "B with an I, I with an N, N with a G, G with an O, B-i-n-g-o, Called his name 'Old Bingo.'")
Silber-FSWB, p. 390, "Bingo" (1 text)
DT, BINGGO*
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #88, "Bingo" (1 text, similar in form to Linscott's but spelling out various names and ending with Bingo's owner offering a girl a wedding ring: "Bingo," "Stingo," "Ring-o")
Roud #589
RECORDINGS:
Chubby Parker, "Bingo Was His Name" (Conqueror 7892, 1931)
Pete Seeger, "Bingo Was His Name" (on PeteSeeger11)
File: FSWB390D
===
NAME: Binnorie: see The Twa Sisters [Child 10] (File: C010)
===
NAME: Binorie: see The Twa Sisters [Child 10] (File: C010)
===
NAME: Bird in a Cage (II): see Down in the Valley (File: R772)
===
NAME: Bird in a Gilded Cage, A
DESCRIPTION: A couple sees a rich young woman. When the girl envies the fine lady's wealth, her companion replies that "she married for wealth, not for love." He pities her; "she's only a bird in a gilded cage... Her beauty was sold for an old man's gold."
AUTHOR: Words: Arthur J. Lamb / Music: Harry von Tilzer
EARLIEST_DATE: 1900 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: money marriage age
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 205-206, "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gilbert, pp. 317-318, "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 266, "A Bird In A Gilded Cage" (1 text)
DT, GILDCAGE
Roud #4863
RECORDINGS:
Leo Boswell & Elzie Floyd, "She's Only a Bird in a Guilded (sic.) Cage" (Columbia 15150-D, 1927)
Brown and Bunch [pseud. for Leonard Rutherford & John Foster], "She's Only A Bird In A Guilded (sic.) Cage"  (Supertone 9375, 1929)
[Byron] Harlan & [?] Madeira, "Bird in a Gilded Cage" (CYL: Edison 7696, 1901)
Roy Harvey & the North Carolina Ramblers, "She Is Only A Bird In A Guilded (sic.) Cage" (Paramount 3079, c. 1928; Broadway 8133, n.d.; rec. 1927)
Marlow & Young, "She's Only a Bird in a Gilded Cage" (Champion 15691, 1929)
Frank & James McCravy, "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (Brunswick 4335, 1929; Supertone S-2022, 1930; rec. 1928)
Joseph Natus, "A Bird in a Gilded Cage" (Zonophone J-9072, 
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Maids When You're Young Never Wed an Old Man" and references there
File: SRW205
===
NAME: Bird in the Bush, The: see Three Maidens to Milking Did Go (File: K191)
===
NAME: Bird in the Cage: see Down in the Valley (File: R772)
===
NAME: Bird in the Lily-Bush, The: see Three Maidens to Milking Did Go (File: K191)
===
NAME: Bird Rocks, The
DESCRIPTION: "Twas winter down the icy gulf, The Gulf St Lawrence wide." The Bird Rocks lighthouse keeper, his son, and helper are swept away. His wife keeps the light burning until spring. Like her we should "in sorrow's darkest night ... show the world our light"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1929 (Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: grief death drowning sea wife
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 144, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 903-904, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, pp. 69-70, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ryan/Small, pp. 110-111, "The Bird Rocks" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST GrMa144 (Partial)
Roud #6348
NOTES: Bird Rocks is an islet in the Gulf of St Lawrence, northeast of Magdalen Islands in East Quebec. - BS
File: GrMa144
===
NAME: Bird Song, The: see The Bird's Courting Song (The Hawk and the Crow; Leatherwing Bat) (File: K295)
===
NAME: Bird's Courting Song, The (The Hawk and the Crow; Leatherwing Bat)
DESCRIPTION: Various birds talk about their attempts at courting, and the effects of their successes and failures. Example: "Said the hawk to the crow one day, Why do you in mourning stay, I was once in love and I didn't prove fact, And ever since I wear the black."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1733 (broadside, Bodleian Harding Douce Ballads 2(243b)); other broadsides appear to date back to the seventeenth century "Woody Querristers" in the Roxburge collection
KEYWORDS: bird courting nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland US(Ap,MW,NE,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (14 citations)
Randolph 275, "The Crow Song" (5 texts, 1 tune, but only the first three texts are this piece, with the "B" and "C" texts mixing with "The Crow Song (I)")
BrownIII 152, "Birds Courting" (3 texts plus an excerpt; the "D" text may be mixed); also 156, "Said the Blackbird to the Crow" (the "D"  text mixes this with "The Crow Song (I)")
JHCoxIIB, #20, pp. 170-171, "Pourquoi" (1 text, tune, probably amplified as it carefully has birds of all colors including some rarely encountered in nature)
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 193, (no title) (1 fragment, probably this)
SharpAp 215, "The Bird Song" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Kennedy 295, "The Hawk and the Crow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSUSA 4, "Leatherwing Bat" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 73, "The Bird Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-NEFolklr, pp. 573-574, "Bird's Courting Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 90-91, "Bird Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 397, "Leatherwing Bat" (1 text)
BBI, ZN968, "Give ear you lads and lasses all" (?); ZN2037, "Oh says the Cuckoo, loud and stout"; ZN2038, "Oh says the Cuckoo loud and stout"
DT, LEATRBAT* LEATHBA2*
ADDITIONAL: Bell/O Conchubhair, Traditional Songs of the North of Ireland, pp. 49-51, "The Hawk and the Crow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #747
RECORDINGS:
Virgil Sandage, "The Birds' Song" (on FineTimes)
Pete Seeger, "Leatherwing Bat" (on PeteSeeger09, PeteSeegerCD02) (on PeteSeeger32)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Douce Ballads 2(243b), "The Woody Queresters" or "The Birds Harmony" ("Oh! says the cuckoo, loud and stout")[some words illegible], T. Norris (London), 1711-1732; also Douce Ballads 1(17b), "The Birds Lamentation"; Douce Ballads 3(110a), Douce Ballads 3(108a), "The Woody Choristers" or "The Birds Harmony" in two parts
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Hind Horn" [Child 17] (tune)
cf. "The Crow Song" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Old Man at the Mill" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Bird-Catcher's Delight" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Douce Ballads 1(17b))
NOTES: Cox's "Pourquoi" title is, in effect, the French term for "Just So Story"; Cox applied it because the piece he collected (in Missouri, though from an informant born in Kentucky) had no title. - RBW
File: K295
===
NAME: Birdie Darling
DESCRIPTION: "Fly across the ocean, birdie, Fly across the deep blue sea, There you'll find an untrue lover...." The singer bids the bird to remind him of his promises to her and how he betrayed her.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1913 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: love separation betrayal bird
FOUND_IN: US(MW,So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, p. 210, "Birdie Darling" (1 text)
Roud #7948
File: Beld210
===
NAME: Birds in the Spring, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer sits down to listen to the birds sing, and praises the pleasure of their notes. Chorus: "And when you grow old, you will have it to say/You'll never hear so sweet... as the birds in the spring" or "...as the nightingale sing"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1956 (recorded from George Maynard)
KEYWORDS: lyric nonballad animal bird
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
DT, BIRDSPRG
ADDITIONAL: _Sing Out_ magazine, Volume 39, #4 (1995), p, 80, "By the Green Grove" (1 text, 1 tune, the Bob and Ron Copper version)
Roud #356
RECORDINGS:
George Maynard, "The Sweet Nightingale (The Birds in the Spring)" (on Maynard1)
NOTES: I've entitled this, "The Birds in the Spring" to avoid confusion with, "The Sweet Nightingale" or "One Morning In May (To Hear the Nightingale Sing)," both unrelated songs. - PJS
File: RcTBiITS
===
NAME: Birken Tree, The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, lass, gin ye would think it right, To gang wi' me this very night, We'll cuddle till the mornin' licht...." The girl would like to meet him at the birken tree, but her parents watch closely. But she manages to sneak away; all ends happily
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: love separation reunion mother nightvisit
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 88-90, "The Birken Tree" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 100-101, "Johnnie's Got His Jean, O" (1 text)
DT, BIRKNTRE*
Roud #5069
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(058), "The Birken Tree," unknown, c. 1860; also L.C.Fol.70(15a), c. 1875
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Bonnie Glasgow Green" (form)
File: FVS088
===
NAME: Birmingham Boys, The: see The Man of Burningham Town (File: VWL068)
===
NAME: Birmingham Jail (I): see Down in the Valley (File: R772)
===
NAME: Birmingham Jail (II): see Sweet Thing (I) (File: R443A)
===
NAME: Birmingham Man, The: see The Man of Burningham Town (File: VWL068)
===
NAME: Birth of Robin Hood, The: see Willie and Earl Richard's Daughter" [Child 102] (File: C102)
===
NAME: Biscuits Mis' Flanagan Made, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer is invited to a party at Flanagan's. He is invited to try the biscuits. They looked good, and were attractively presented, but the singer had never had "such nuggets of lead." To cut them, he advises the use of an axe and wedge
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: food party humorous
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 480, "The Biscuits Mis' Flanagan Made" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5000
File: R480
===
NAME: Bitter Withy, The
DESCRIPTION: Jesus is sent out by Mary to play. He is snubbed by a group of rich boys. He builds "a bridge with the beams of the sun," and the boys who follow him across fall into the river and drown. Mary beats her child with a withy branch
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1905
KEYWORDS: Jesus poverty punishment religious discrimination
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(West))
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Leach, pp. 689-690, "The Bitter Withy" (1 text)
Leather, pp. 181-184, "The Bitter Withy; or The Sally Twigs" (2 texts, the first perhaps mixed with "The Holy Well," 4 tunes)
Friedman, p. 60, "The Bitter Withy" (1 text, 1 tune)
PBB 5, "The Bitter Withy" (1 text)
Hodgart, p. 152, "The Bitter Withy" (1 text)
cf. Belden, p. 102, "Jesus and Joses" (a legend he connects with this piece)
DT 310, BITWITHY*
Roud #452
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Holy Well" (plot)
NOTES: It should perhaps be noted that this event has no place in the Bible, nor even in the (known) apocryphal gospels (though it reminds one of various events in the "Infancy Gospel of Thomas," which also contains some rather nasty miracles; Leather also mentions this obscure and vicious piece). The bridge of sunbeams is a commonplace in religious art.
Belden sees a connection between this song and the folk legend "Jesus and Joses," in which Joses (Jesus's brother; cf. Mark 6:3) tattles on Jesus and Jesus is beaten with willow twigs. There is a fundamental difference, however: In "The Bitter Withy," Jesus is genuinely guilty; in "Jesus and Joses," he is said to be innocent.
According to Leather, the local title "The Sally Twigs" came about because, in Hereford, a willow wand is called a "sally twig." The phrase is not used in either text she prints.- RBW
File: L689
===
NAME: Black and Amber Glory
DESCRIPTION: "Their sparkling style we've come to know, since far-off days of yore, When first they blazed the victory trail in Nineteen hundred and four." Names and attributes of past stars of Kilkenny hurling.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1964 (_The Kilkenny People,_ according to OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: pride sports Ireland moniker nonballad
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More, pp. 261-262, "Black and Amber Glory" (1 text, tune referenced)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lily of the West" [OLochlainn 93] (tune)
cf. "Bold Thady Quill" (subject of hurling) and references there
NOTES: For information see the KilKennyCity site re _Black and Amber Glory_ by Jamesie Murphy: "From that historic day at Deerpark in Carrick-on-Suir in 1904 when Kilkenny represented by Tullaroan and captained by Jer Doheny won their first title right up to the current success in 2002, every final is covered not alone in poetry and song, but also with photographs of the winning teams." - BS
For another hurling song, as well as some information on the sport, see "Bold Thady Quill." - RBW
File: OLcM262
===
NAME: Black Ball Line, The
DESCRIPTION: "I served my time on the Black Ball line, To me way-ay-ay, Rio... Hurrah for the Black Ball line." "The Black Ball ships are good and true" and fast. They will lead you to a "gold mine." The listener is advised to travel to Liverpool and see the Yankees
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1914 (Sharp-EFC)
KEYWORDS: shanty sailor work
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (7 citations)
Hugill, pp. 131-133, "Hooraw for the Blackball Line" (1 text plus several fragments, 3 tunes) [AbEd, pp. 107-108]
Colcord, p. 53, "Black Ball Line, The" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow, pp. 105-106, "Black Ball Line, The" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Sharp-EFC, XXIII, p. 26, "Black Ball Line, The" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 489-490, "The Black Ball Line" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BLAKBALL*
ADDITIONAL: Captain John Robinson, "Songs of the Chantey Man," a series published July-August 1917 in the periodical _The Bellman_ (Minneapolis, MN, 1906-1919). "Blackball Line" is in Part 2, 7/21/1917.
Roud #2623
File: LxA489
===
NAME: Black Betty
DESCRIPTION: "Oh Lawd, Black Betty, bam-ba-lam (x2), Black Betty had a baby, bam-ba-lam (x2)." "Oh, Lawd, Black Betty... It de cap'n's baby." "Oh, Lawd, Black Betty... but she didn't feed the baby. "Oh Lawd, Black Betty... Black Betty, where'd you come from?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1934
KEYWORDS: prison prisoner punishment chaingang
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 60-61, "Black Betty" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BLKBETTY*
Roud #11668
RECORDINGS:
Mose "Clear Rock" Platt, "Black Betty" (AFS 2643 B2, 1939)
NOTES: According to the Lomaxes, "[Black Betty] is the whip that was and is used in some Southern prisons." Jackson, _Wake Up Dead Man_, p. 194, notes this use in the Lomax songs but says that in Texas prisons, "Black Betty" does not mean a whip but rather the locked and barred wagon used to take prisoners to and from prisons. - RBW
File: LxA060
===
NAME: Black Bottom Blues: see Deep Elem Blues (File: DTdeepel)
===
NAME: Black Cat, The
DESCRIPTION: "I brought a black cat home one night, And I brought some steak home too...." While the singer is out, the cat eats the steak. Cat and human fight, with the human generally coming off worse. Similar escapades follow
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1987
KEYWORDS: animal humorous fight
FOUND_IN: Australia
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 141-142, "The Black Cat" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: MCB141
===
NAME: Black Chimney Sweeper, The: see The Old Maid's Song (File: R364)
===
NAME: Black Cook, The
DESCRIPTION: One of three sailors, a black cook, has an idea to "rise cash." They sell his body as a corpse to a doctor. When the doctor goes to dissect the corpse it stands. The doctor runs to his wife, who bars the door and asks him to "leave off dissecting"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1911 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.14(57))
KEYWORDS: trick corpse humorous cook doctor sailor Black(s) money
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf) Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
GreigDuncan2 297, "The Black Cook" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 856-858, "The Black Devil" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BLCKCOOK*
Roud #2310
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.14(57), "The Black Cook" or "The Doctor Outwitted," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 1851-1910; also Firth b.27(445), "The Doctor Outwitted"; Harding B 26(141), 2806 b.9(12)[many illegible words], "The Docter Outwited by the Black" (sic.)
NLScotland, L.C.178.A.2(078), "The Black Cook, or The Doctor Outwitted," unknown, c. 1870
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Burke's Confession" (subject: sale of dead bodies for anatomical studies)
NOTES: The shortage of cadavers for dissection which gave rise to this song is by no means exaggerated. Anatomists need bodies; so do beginning medical students. Robert M. Sapolsky, _The Trouble with Testosterone and Other Essays on the Biology of the Human Predicament_, Touchstone Books, 1997, pp. 117-119, notes the various problems the shortage of dead human bodies has caused. For starters, it gave rise to the occupation of the body snatcher -- people who went out and unearthed (often literally) the bodies of recently-dead people for use by doctors. It appears that the sailors in this song are imitating the snatchers.
There were two other sources of dead bodies: Executed criminals, and paupers. Henry VIII actually passed a law giving dead bodies of criminals to the doctors. These bodies at least were healthy, but they had suffered from execution -- and, before death, had suffered the brutal conditions of English prisons, and very likely from torture as well.
The corpses of the poor were intact, but these people had died of starvation, illness, and the general brutality of life. Their deaths were theoretically "natural," but they were usually hastened by their workhouse conditions.
The result was that doctors generally were not in position to examine the bodies of people who died of a healthy old age. Indeed, this remains a problem to this day, according to Sapolsky. It is a genuine problem both for doctors and for medical researchers -- he notes on p. 121 that two artificial diseases (one related to the adrenal glands and one related to the thymus) went into the diagnostic manuals as a result of always performing dissections on poor and sick people. The thymus problem was actually treated, with radiation, resulting in poorer health for those so treated plus a vast spike in cases of thyroid cancer (Sapolsky, p. 122). Under the circumstances, it is understandable that some doctors might be willing to work with the body snatchers. Ugly as their profession obviously was, it had the potential to bring good for many other people. - RBW
File: Pea858
===
NAME: Black Devil, The: see The Black Cook (File: Pea858)
===
NAME: Black Fly Song, The
DESCRIPTION: "'Twas early in the spring when I decide to go For to work up in the woods in North Ontario." The unemployed singer joins a survey crew under Black Toby. He suffers from the flies, and is helped only by the cook. He vows never to work up north again
AUTHOR: Wade Hemsworth
EARLIEST_DATE: 1957
KEYWORDS: work Canada bug cook unemployment
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 212-214, "The Black Fly Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Wade Hemsworth worked for Ontario Hydro in 1949, seeking a site for a dam on the Little Abitibi. This song was a direct result of his experiences. - RBW
File: FMB212
===
NAME: Black Friday: see The Mermaid [Child 289] (File: C289)
===
NAME: Black Gal (I)
DESCRIPTION: "That old black gall keeps on a-hollering, Bout a new pair of shoes, buddy, bout a new pair of shoes." The singer gives her money, she comes back drunk. He hits her. She leaves (crying murder?). He visits her and is turned away; he ends up in prison
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1965 (recorded from J. B. Smith and Louis Houston by Jackson)
KEYWORDS: abuse separation punishment clothes money
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Lomax-FSNA 294, "Black Gal" (1 text, 1 tune, definitely composite and probably bowdlerized)
Jackson-DeadMan, pp. 297-299, "Black Gal" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #6714
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Heavy-Hipped Woman (Black Gal II)" (lyrics)
cf. "On My Way to Mexico" (lyrics)
NOTES: Jackson notes links to several songs collected by the Lomaxes and others, probably including "Heavy-Hipped Woman (Black Gal II)." This song, however, has a distinct plot, which that one doesn't; I think they should be split -- though the possibility that this inspired that cannot be discounted. - RBW
File: JDM297
===
NAME: Black Gal (II): see Heavy-Hipped Woman (Black Gal) (File: LoF294)
===
NAME: Black Gal, De: see Missus in the Big House (File: CNFM117)
===
NAME: Black Girl: see In the Pines (File: LoF290)
===
NAME: Black Horse, The: see The Airy Bachelor (The Black Horse) (File: HHH586)
===
NAME: Black Is the Color
DESCRIPTION: "(Black, black,) black is the color of my true love's hair...." The singer describes the beautiful girl he is in love with. (He regretfully concedes that they will never be married)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916 (Cecil Sharp collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting hair beauty separation nonballad
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (8 citations)
Lomax-FSUSA 16, "Black Is the Color" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax- FSNA 100, "Black Is the Color" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 88, "Black is the Color" (1 text, 1 tune, with several floating lines including some that appear to be from "Lady Mary Anne" or something related)
SharpAp 85, "Black is the Colour" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sharp/Karpeles-80E 41, "Black is the Color" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 267-268, "Black is the Color" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 145, "Black Is The Color" (1 text)
DT, BLACKCOL* BLACKCO2*
Roud #3103
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Black is the Color" (on PeteSeeger18)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair
NOTES: John Jacob Niles, who is largely responsible for popularizing this song, also claims to have written it. For a recently composed song, however, it exists in unusually diverse and widespread forms. Randolph notes connections with English pieces, and Lomax correctly observes that the tune resembles "Fair and Tender Ladies." - RBW
File: LxU016
===
NAME: Black Is the Color of My True Love's Hair: see Black Is the Color (File: LxU016)
===
NAME: Black Jack Daisy: see The Gypsy Laddie [Child 200] (File: C200)
===
NAME: Black Jack Davy: see The Gypsy Laddie [Child 200] (File: C200)
===
NAME: Black Mustache, The
DESCRIPTION: "It's O once I had a charming beau..." The singer describes his wealth and wooing. "And then there came a sour old maid, She's worth her weight in gold," whom the suitor prefers. She warns against "those stylish chaps that wear the black mustache"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1925
KEYWORDS: courting hair money abandonment oldmaid
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MW,SE,So)
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
Randolph 402, "The Little Black Mustache" (3 texts)
BrownII 202, "The Little Black Mustache" (1 text plus 1 excerpt and mention of 4 more)
Combs/Wilgus 154, pp. 180-181, "The Black Mustache" (1 text)
Roud #471
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart, "The Little Black Mustache" (Edison 52118, 1927)
Nations Brothers, "Little Black Mustache" (Vocalion 03152, 1936)
[Ernest Stoneman &] The Dixie Mountaineers, "The Black Mustache" (Edison, unissued, 1927)
Henry Whitter, "My Darling's Black Mustache" (OKeh 40395, 1925)
File: CW180A
===
NAME: Black Phyllis
DESCRIPTION: "And then came black Phyllis, his charger astride, And took away Annie, his unwilling bride..." The singer sits in the storm and wishes his love Annie would be returned to him. Someone eventually kills Phyllis, but Annie is dead by then
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916
KEYWORDS: love death separation abduction disease
FOUND_IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
JHCox 43, "Black Phyllis" (1 text)
ST JHCox043 (Full)
Roud #3628
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Nottamun Town (Nottingham Fair)" (lyrics)
NOTES: Cox's text is only a fragment, unfortunately, of what looks to have once been an excellent ballad, probably of British origin. Indeed, it almost looks like a narrative poem; the lyrical devices are complex.
I wonders, though, if "Phyllis" is not in fact "Syphilis." This would fit in with the mysterious feeling of the song -- and would also explain the connections with "Nottamun Town," which also seems to be the result of plague and hallucination.
Seeking for relatives has been an unrewarding process. The closest I've found is in Kinloch's _Ballad Book_ (item #XXII, no title, a fragment of two stanzas) has a piece in the same meter, with equally mysterious lines ("First there cam whipmen, and that not a few, And there cam bonnetmen following the pleugh"), but I don't have any reason except the metre and mystery to link them. - RBW
File: JHCox043
===
NAME: Black Pipe, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer is a beggar, but "if I got the best of broth with helpings of cold tripe, I would rather have an extra reek of my black pipe." The singer describes how tobacco is better than fame or fortune or power, and hopes to be buried with his pipe
AUTHOR: English words by Andy Doey and George Graham
EARLIEST_DATE: 1939 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: begging drugs
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H832a, p. 49, "The Black Pipe" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: HHH832a
===
NAME: Black Ram, The: see The Sheep-Shearing (File: ShH95)
===
NAME: Black Sarpent, The: see Springfield Mountain [Laws G16] (File: LG16)
===
NAME: Black Sheep: see All the Pretty Little Horses (File: LxU002)
===
NAME: Black Sheep Lullaby: see All the Pretty Little Horses (File: LxU002)
===
NAME: Black Sheep, The
DESCRIPTION: A father has three sons, one honest, two vile. The bad sons convince the father to evict the youngest. Then -- urged on perhaps by their wives -- they evict their father from the house. The third son, the "Black Sheep," comes forth and rescues the father
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1897
KEYWORDS: father children rescue
FOUND_IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,SE)
REFERENCES: (5 citations)
Fuson, pp. 79-80, "The Black Sheep" (1 text)
MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 130-131, "The Black Sheep" (1 text)
FSCatskills 105, "The Black Sheep" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 173-174, "The Black Sheep" (1 text)
DT, BLCKSHEP*
Roud #4282
RECORDINGS:
[Tom] Darby & [Jimmie] Tarlton, "The Black Sheep" (Columbia 15674, 1931; rec. 1930)
[Blind James] Howard & [Charles] Peak, "Three Black Sheep" (Victor V-40189, 1930; rec. 1928; on KMM)
NOTES: Yes, this song DOES sound like "King Lear." Given that it is patently a stage song, I can't help but think that the author was influenced by that play. - RBW
File: FSC105
===
NAME: Black Stripper, The
DESCRIPTION: "I have but one cow and she has but one tit, But she's better to me than one that has six, One drop of her milk would make the house ring." All his barley goes to feed her. He'll take her to town "and if I meet the gauger, I will knock him down"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1904 (_Songs of Uladh,_ according to OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: drink nonballad wordplay
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OLochlainn-More 29, "The Black Stripper" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9755
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Ewie Wi' the Crookit Horn" (subject, theme)
NOTES: OLochlainn-More: "The 'Black Stripper' is a Poitin Still." The gauger, in that case, would be a revenue collector. - BS
File: OLcM029
===
NAME: Black Tail Range, The
DESCRIPTION: "I am a roving cowboy Off from the western plains." Vignettes about cowboy life: One cowboy is rejected by a girl because he is poor. Another recalls leaving his family. Others tell of the dangers of mining and suggests hunting instead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1931 (Larkin)
KEYWORDS: cowboy work hunting mining
FOUND_IN: US
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Larkin, pp. 141-143, "The Black Tail Range" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5762
NOTES: Larkin's informant Bob Norfleet claims that he and a group of cowboys made this up in 1893, with each cowboy contributing a verse on pain of having to do the day's cooking. Given the miscellaneous nature of the verses, this seems possible -- but it was a surprisingly poetic bunch of cowboys. - RBW
File: Lark141
===
NAME: Black Them Boots (Goin' Down to Cairo)
DESCRIPTION: "Black them boots an' make 'em shine, Goodbye, goodbye, Black them boots and make 'em shine, Goodbye lazy Jane." "Oh how I love her, ain't that a shame...." "See that snail a-pullin' that rail?"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: playparty
FOUND_IN: US(MW,So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Randolph 550, "Black Them Boots" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7656
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Goodbye Liza Jane (I)"
NOTES: From its form this would appear to be akin to "Goodbye Liza Jane" (or one of the other Liza Jane songs), but the fragment in Randolph is just too fragmentary for certainty. - RBW
[This is a variant of] "Goin' Down to Cairo," a southern Illinois fiddle tune with these verses and the chorus "Goin' down to Cairo/Goodbye, goodbye/Goin' down to Cairo/Goodbye, Liza Jane." The reference is to Cairo, Illinois. - PJS
File: R550
===
NAME: Black Velvet Band (I), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer meets and courts a girl with fine hair tied up in a (black/blue) velvet band. As they are out (walking) one night, she steals a gentleman's (watch). The crime is discovered; she plants the evidence on the singer; he is convicted and punished
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1907
KEYWORDS: crime courting robbery transportation punishment clothes
FOUND_IN: Britain(England) US(MW,So) Australia Ireland Canada
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Randolph 672, "The Blue Velvet Band" (1 text)
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 49-50, 145-146, 192-193, "The Black Velvet Band" (2+ texts, 3 tunes)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 48-49, "The Black Velvet Band" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 61-64, "The Black Velvet Band" (1 text plus an excerpt)
Kennedy 313, "The Black Velvet Band" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 10-11, "The Girl with the Black Velvet Band" (1 text, 1 tune)
Spaeth-WeepMore, pp. 148-150, "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band" (1 text)
JHJohnson, pp. 38-41, "The Girl with the Blue Velvet Band" (1 text)
DT 313, BLACKVEL BLKVEL2 BLUEVEL (BLUEVELV2 -- definitely a parody, possibly traditional)
Roud #2146 and 3764
RECORDINGS:
Cliff Carlisle, "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band" (Melotone 5-12-61, 1935)
Tex Fletcher & Joe Rogers, "The Girl in the Blue Velvet Band" (Decca 5403, 1937)
Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, "The Girl In The Blue Velvet Band" (Columbia 20648, 1949)
Hank Snow, "The Blue Velvet Band" (Bluebird [Canada] B-4635, c. 1939)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Black Velvet Band (II -- New Zealand)" (tune, meter, lyrics)
cf. "The Black Velvet Band (III)"
cf. "The Charming Young Widow I Met on the Train" (woman pickpocket theme)
SAME_TUNE:
Hank Snow, "Answer to 'The Blue Velvet Band'" (Bluebird [Canada] B-4688, c. 1939) 
NOTES: Roud splits this into two songs, based perhaps on whether the band is black (#2146) or blue (#3764). It may well be that the "blue velvet band" versions are a rewrite. Certainly the version produced by Spaeth is the sort of thing you'd expect when someone "improves" a traditional piece: The stanza form is different, and it's full of cutesy forms.
But it's the same story, and the "blue" form is less popular, so I'm content to lump them while considering the blue velvet band secondary and the result of redaction.
It should be noted that the fullest versions of the "Blue" version, such as Spaeth's, are extremely full, with (in effect) two plots: First the wild meeting which results in the young man being convicted and punished, and then a final scene in which the young man misses the girl and goes to find her, only to find her dead. There is another "Blue" version (in the Index as "Blue Velvet Band (II)" ) in which the middle part, about the prison, has broken off. Genetically, it's still the same song, and perhaps should file here -- but the parts have separated so far that it seemed better to split them.
In any case, there are so many black and blue velvet bands floating around the tradition that you probably should check all songs which use these titles.
Inceidentally, it seems pretty certain that the song was well-known in the ninetheenth century; according to Spaeth's _A History of Popular Music in America_, p. 608, there was a popular piece of 1894 entitled "Her Eyes Don't Shine Like Diamonds" by Dave Marion. - RBW
File: R672
===
NAME: Black Velvet Band (II -- New Zealand)
DESCRIPTION: In a form clearly based on the transportation song "The Black Velvet Band," the singer -- who has chosen to emigrate to New Zealand -- bids farewell to his girl and sails away. He tells how he is saving up to be reunited with his girl in the velvet band.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1961 (recording, Bruce Hall)
KEYWORDS: love separation clothes emigration New Zealand
FOUND_IN: New Zealand
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, BLKVEL3*
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Black Velvet Band (I)" (tune, meter, lyrics)
cf. "The Black Velvet Band (III)"
NOTES: I suspect this is not really traditional, but rather is an adaption of the standard Black Velvet Band to New Zealand conditions (i.e. no transportation). But I gather it was found in some manuscript somewhere, so it *may* have been passed from hand to hand at some time. - RBW
File: DTBlkve3
===
NAME: Black Velvet Band (III), The
DESCRIPTION: Singer loves a girl who wears a blue (black) velvet band. He leaves her to find work. She appears to him by firelight; he returns home, to discover or learn from his captain that she has died. She is buried wearing his ring and the velvet band
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1961 (recording, Stanley G. Triggs)
KEYWORDS: loneliness love rambling separation beauty clothes burial death work supernatural lover worker ghost
FOUND_IN: Can(West)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
DT, BLUEVEL2, BLUVELV2
RECORDINGS:
Stanley G. Triggs, "The Blue Velvet Band" (on Triggs1)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Black Velvet Band (I)"
cf. "The Black Velvet Band (II - New Zealand)"
NOTES: The relationship to the other "Black Velvet Band" songs is clear -- this one shares the chorus "Her cheeks were the full flush of nature/Her beauty it seemed to expand/Her hair hung down in long tresses/Tied back by the blue velvet band." But the theme of betrayal common in the other songs is wholly absent; in this case the lady is innocent, and dies. So I separate them. - PJS
File: RcBlVel3
===
NAME: Black Water Side, The [Laws O1]
DESCRIPTION: A boy and girl have long been courting. He offers to marry her; she objects that she is too poor. He says that, though he loves only her, this is her only chance; he has another girl in reserve. She gains her mother's permission and they are married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1933 (Flanders/Olney)
KEYWORDS: courting poverty love marriage
FOUND_IN: US(NE) Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Laws O1, "The Black Water Side"
Flanders/Olney, pp. 39-41, "Black Water Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H811, pp. 461-462, "The Blackwaterside" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 503-504, "The Blackwater Side" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #312
NOTES: Not to be confused with Kennedy's song "Down by Blackwaterside" ("Abroad As I Was Walking"), which is a seduction ballad. The two appear to have cross-fertilized heavily, but the plots are distinct. - RBW
File: LO01
===
NAME: Black Woman
DESCRIPTION: "Come here Black woman...ah-hmm, sit on Black daddy's knee." Singer asks if her house is lonesome with her biscuit-roller gone. He's going to Texas "to hear the wild ox moan. He asks where she stayed last night and threatens to tell her daddy on her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1940 (recording, Vera Hall)
KEYWORDS: separation loneliness courting love sex abandonment travel lyric nonballad animal lover
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Courlander-NFM, pp. 140-141, "(Black Woman)" (1 text); pp. 266-268, "Black Woman" (1 tune, partial text)
Roud #10987
RECORDINGS:
Rich Amerson, "Black Woman" (on NFMAla1, DownHome)
Vera Hall, "Black Woman" (on AFS 4067 B1, 1940)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
Wild Ox Moan
NOTES: Vera Hall recorded this subsequently as "Wild Ox Moan," the name by which it became popular in the folk revival. - PJS
File: CNFM140
===
NAME: Black-Eyed Daisy, The
DESCRIPTION: "Send for the fiddle and send for the bow, Send for the black-eyed Daisy, Don't reach here by the middle of the week, It's almost drive me crazy...." "Who'se been here since I been gone? Send for the... Pretty little girl with a red dress on...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1921 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: music nonballad floatingverses
FOUND_IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
BrownIII 310, "The Black-Eyed Daisy" (1 text)
File: Br3310
===
NAME: Black-Eyed Mary: see Farewell Ballymoney (Loving Hannah; Lovely Molly) (File: R749)
===
NAME: Black-Eyed Susan: see Black-Eyed Susie (Green Corn) (File: R568)
===
NAME: Black-Eyed Susan (Dark-Eyed Susan) [Laws O28]
DESCRIPTION: Susan boards a ship to seek William. He hears her voice and greets her on the deck, promising to be true wherever he goes. Susan bids a sad farewell as the ship prepares to leave
AUTHOR: words: John Gay / music: Richard Leveridge
EARLIEST_DATE: 1730
KEYWORDS: ship separation love
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws O28, "Black-Eyed Susan (Dark-Eyed Susan)"
Creighton/Senior, pp. 131-132, "Black-Eyed Susan" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-Maritime, pp. 90-91, "Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lehr/Best 28, "Dark-eyed Susan" (1 text, 1 tune)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 402-403, "Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text)
DT 672, BLKEYSUS
Roud #560
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 1(7), "William and Susan," W. and C. Dicey (London), 1736-1763; also Harding B 1(12), Harding B 1(8), Firth c.12(3), Harding B 1(11), Harding B 1(6), Harding B 1(9), "William and Susan"; Harding B 11(304), Harding B 11(2498), Firth b.26(37), Harding B 11(307), "Black Eyed Susan"; 2806 c.16.(122), Harding B 11(306), "Black-Ey'd Susan"; Harding B 11(2206), Firth b.25(241), Harding B 11(527), Harding B 28(74), Harding B 28(74), 2806 b.10(120), Harding B 18(42), "Black-Eyed Susan"
NLScotland, L.C.1270(002), "Black-Eyed Susan," unknown, c.1840-1850
SAME_TUNE:
Black-eyed Susan (broadside Bodleian Harding B 1(7))
Black-ey'd Susan (broadside Bodleian Harding B 1(6))
NOTES: Written by John Gay, and fairly common in printed sources (Laws lists several broadsides, and it is item CLXVI in Palgrave's _Golden Treasury_). The only collections in oral tradition listed by Laws, however, are Nova Scotia versions found in Creighton; I am surprised to see that Laws regards it as a genuine traditional song. - RBW
Lehr/Best has a note on the transmission of this ballad.
Best collected the song from her mother who had also passed it to a friend who "wrote it down in her song scribbler." In the book's intoduction Best notes that "we encountered women who had compiled their own songbooks, usually two or three scribblers bound together 'so as not to be always forgetting the words.' These books are treasured and carefully kept clear of the children."  [Of] "Dark-eyed Susan," Best goes on to note "Great was my surprise to find out, much later, that John Gay of Beggar's Opera fame had composed it in 1760, and that our version matched his almost word for word."
Almost word for word, in fact. In comparing Lehr/Best 28 to Harding B 1(6) no line is dropped or added or substantially changed. "The" may be replaced by "with" and "black-ey'd Susan" becomes "dark-eyed Susan," for example, but the most substantial change is that "In every port a mistress finds" becomes "In every port a sweetheart find": likely intentional censorship. Transmission then seems likely to have been from broadside through two hundred years of "scribblers" - BS
File: LO28
===
NAME: Black-Eyed Susie (Green Corn)
DESCRIPTION: Floating verses about courting and marriage: "All I want in this creation / Pretty little wife and a big plantation.... Two little boys to call me pappy, One named sup and the other named gravy. Hey, black-eyed Susie" (or "Green corn," or other chorus)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1924 (recording, Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage children nonballad playparty
FOUND_IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES: (9 citations)
Randolph 568, "Black-Eyed Susan" (1 short text plus a fragment, 1 tune); also perhaps 415, "Possum Sop and Polecat Jelly" (1 text, 1 tune -- a playparty that shares some lyrics and is too short to classify on its own)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 410-411, "Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 568A)
BrownIII 311, "Black-Eyes Susie" (2 fragments, presumably of this piece)
Cambiaire, p. 86, "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text)
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 184, "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susan" (1 text)
Lomax-FSUSA 29, "Black-eyed Susie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 286-288, "Black-eyed Susie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 38, "Green Corn"; p. 39, "Black-Eyed Susie" (2 texts)
DT, BLKEYESZ
Roud #4954 and 3426
RECORDINGS:
Roscoe Holcomb, "Blackeyed Susie" (on MMOK, MMOKCD)
Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters, "Black Eyed Susie" (Brunswick 175/Vocalion 5179 [as the Hill Billies], 1927)
J. P Nestor, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Victor 21070, 1927; on TimesAint05)
New Lost City Ramblers, "Blackeyed Susie" (on NLCR07)
Land Norris, "Kitty Puss" (OKeh 40212, 1924)
Fiddlin' Doc Roberts, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Gennett 6257, 1927)
Pete Seeger, "Black-Eyed Suzie" (on LonesomeValley);"Green Corn" (on BroonzySeeger2)
Jilson Setters [pseud. for James W. "Blind Bill" Day], "Black Eyed Susie" (Victor V-40127, 1929)
Gid Tanner & Riley Puckett, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Columbia 119-D, 1924)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Black-Eyed Susie" (Columbia 15283-D, 1928)
Henry Whitter [Whitter's Virginia Breakdowners], "Black-Eyed Susie" (OKeh 40320, 1925)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Shady Grove" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Hot Corn, Cold Corn (I'll Meet You in the Evening)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Davy" (meter)
NOTES: It is possible that this song and "Hot Corn, Cold Corn (I'll Meet You in the Evening)" spring from the same sources, since they share lyrics and themes. However, they have evolved far enough apart that I feel I have to split them.
Roud seems to split the group even more, with "Black Eyed Susie" being his #3426 and "Green Corn" his #4954. The versions I've seen, though, are so mixed up that I decided to lump them because almost any split would be somewhat arbitrary. Nor are the titles any help; Cambiaire's "Pretty Little Black-Eyed Susie." for instance, never mentions Susie; the girl in the song is Sally. - RBW
File: R568
===
NAME: Black, Brown, and White
DESCRIPTION: About the troubles suffered by American blacks, who must take poor jobs (if any are available) for poor pay. "If you're white, you're all right; If you're brown, stick around, But if you're black, O brother, git back, git back, git back."
AUTHOR: Big Bill Broonzy
EARLIEST_DATE: 1945
KEYWORDS: discrimination hardtimes work
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Scott-BoA, pp. 350-351, "Discrimination Blues" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA316 , "Black, Brown, and White" (1 text, 1 tune)
Arnett, p. 176, "Git Back Blues (Black, Brown, and White Blues)" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, GITBACK*
File: SBoA350
===
NAME: Blackberries, The: see Na Smeara (The Blackberries) (File: TST009)
===
NAME: Blackberry Grove
DESCRIPTION: The singer is eating blackberries when he spies a milkmaid. He asks to buy milk; she says the cow has kicked over the bucket. She hints that the loan of a shilling would be quickly repaid; he takes the hint, she takes the shillings, and he takes her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1892 (Baring-Gould and Sheppard)
KEYWORDS: courting sex commerce farming money food animal worker
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Kennedy 122, "Blackberry Grove" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BLKBERGR*
Roud #9176
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Harmless Young Jim" (innuendoes)
cf. "Buttercup Joe" (innuendoes)
cf. "The Spotted Cow" (theme)
cf. "Kitty of Coleraine" (theme)
cf. "Three Maidens to Milking Did Go" (theme)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
One Michaelmas Morn
NOTES: Not to be confused with "Pretty Betsy the Milkmaid (Blackberry Fold)," 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
Kennedy observes that the song dates itself to Michaelmas (September 29), a day on which hired workers finished their terms and were paid off. Thus the youth would have money to spend -- and the girl would have every reason to latch onto him *now* (even if it meant spilling the milk) before he left the vicinity.
I know of no version in which the two explicitly sleep together (and can't imagine Baring-Gould printing such!), but the implication is strong. - RBW
File: K122
===
NAME: Blackbird (I), The (Jacobite)
DESCRIPTION: A lady is mourning for her blackbird, who "once in fair England... did flourish." Now he has been driven far away "because he was the true son of the king." She resolves to seek him out, and wishes him well wherever he may be
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1651 (Broadside, reprinted by Ramsay, 1740)
KEYWORDS: lament separation Jacobites
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: 1625 - Accession of Charles I
1649 - Execution of Charles I. Charles (II) forced into hiding. Britain becomes a commonwealth
1660 - Restoration of monarchy. Accession of Charles II.
1685 - Death of Charles II. Accession of James II and VII (a Catholic)
1688-1689 - Glorious Revolution deposes King James II
1720-1788 - Life of Bonnie Prince Charlie
1745-1746 - Jacobite rebellion of 1745, which ended in the defeat and final exile of Bonnie Prince Charlie
FOUND_IN: US(So) Ireland Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (15 citations)
Hogg2 33, "The Blackbird" (1 text, 1 tune)
GreigDuncan1 117, "The Blackbird" (1 fragment)
Randolph 116, "The Blackbird" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 115-117, "The Blackbird" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 116B)
OLochlainn-More 78, "The Blackbird" (1 text, 1 tune)
PGalvin, pp. 16-17, "The Royal Blackbird" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 36, "The Blackbird" (1 text)
Zimmermann 1, "The Blackbird" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Hayward-Ulster, pp. 19-21, "The Royal Blackbird" (1 text)
DT, RYLBLKBD*
ADDITIONAL: Charles Gavan Duffy, editor, The Ballad Poetry of Ireland (1845), pp. 139, "The Blackbird"
Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), pp. 246-248, "The Blackbird" (1 text)
H. Halliday Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy (London, 1888), pp. 143-144, 510, "The Blackbird"
ADDITIONAL: Thomas Kinsella, _The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse_ (Oxford, 1989), p. 255, "The Blackbird"  (1 text)
Edward Bunting, The Ancient Music of Ireland (Mineola, 2000 (reprint of 1840 Dublin edition)), #98 and p. 92 [one verse], "The Blackbird"
Roud #2375
RECORDINGS:
Paddy Tunney, "The Royal Blackbird" (on IRTunneyFamily01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(67), "The Blackbird" ("Upon a fair morning, for soft recreation"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Harding B 17(27a), Harding B 16(25a), Harding B 6(18), 2806 b.11(71), Harding B 11(297), Johnson Ballads 3041, Harding B 20(16), Firth c.26(219), "The Blackbird"; Harding B 19(107), Firth c.14(250), Harding B 11(1038), Harding B 11(3357), 2806 c.15(167) [almost entirely illegible], "The Royal Blackbird"
LOCSinging, sb10013b, "The Blackbird," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also as112050, "Royal Blackbird"
Murray, Mu23-y4:016, "The Blackbird," John Ross (Newcastle), 19C
NLScotland, L.C.1270(003), "The Blackbird," unknown, c. 1845
SAME_TUNE:
The Lark Is Up (broadside Bodleian 2806 b.11(71))
NOTES: Sparling claims his six verse text is "an unmutilated version" accessible "for the first time in a hundred years.... In every other collection [including Duffy] it has appeared as three stanzas, made up of fragments." Zimmermann's text agrees essentially with Sparling's. - BS
The first broadside versions of this song date to 1650, obviously referring to Charles II, who was then in exile. It wasn't safe to refer to him by name, so the allegorical "blackbird" was used. It seems also to have been used of James II, and perhaps also to his son James III. However, the title came to be most strongly associated with Bonnie Prince Charlie.
After the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745, the same situation arose as in 1650. It was generally not safe to speak of Charlie, so the Jacobites adopted various circumlocutions -- the "blackbird," the "moorhen," or simply "Somebody."
The Jacobite Rebellions had their roots in the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688/9. The British King James II (James VII of Scotland) was Catholic, and had just had a Catholic son. This was unacceptable, and James was overthrown on behalf of his Protestant daughter Mary II (died 1694) and her husband William III (died 1702). When Mary and her sister Anne died without issue (1714), the throne was awarded to the utterly disgusting George I of Hannover (died 1727). The result was the first Jacobite Rebellion in 1715, intended to bring James II's son James (III) back to the throne.
The rebellion sputtered, and another revolt in 1719 was stillborn.
In 1745, Prince Charles Edward (the son of James III) took up his father's cause. 24 years old, handsome, and with an aura of nobility, Charles thoroughly scared the Hannoverian dynasty, but was at last defeated and driven into exile. But his face and bearing burned their way into the hearts of the Scots for many years to come. - RBW
Also collected and sung by Kevin Mitchell, "The Royal Blackbird" (on Kevin and Ellen Mitchell, "Have a Drop Mair," Musical Tradition Records MTCD315-6 CD (2001)) - BS
File: R116
===
NAME: Blackbird (III), The : see Logan's Lament (File: E112)
===
NAME: Blackbird (IV), The: see Granua's Lament for the Loss of her Blackbird Mitchel the Irish Patriot (File: Zimm060)
===
NAME: Blackbird and Thrush, The
DESCRIPTION: The singer hears two birds rejoicing because they are "single and free." The girl goes to meet Johnny, but "the dearer I loved him, the saucier he grew." At last he rejects her, and she says she can do better elsewhere
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1928 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting rejection flowers gift
FOUND_IN: Ireland  Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
SHenry H241, pp. 346-347, "The Blackbird and Thrush" (1 text, 1 tune)
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 290-291, "So Abroad as I was Walking" (1 text, 1 tune, with no particular plot but with verses reminiscent of "Old Smokey" or this piece)
Roud #2380
RECORDINGS:
Turp Brown, "Abroad As I Was Walking" (on Voice01)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "On Top of Old Smokey" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Farewell He" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Green Grows the Laurel (Green Grow the Lilacs)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Ploughboy (I)" (theme)
NOTES: The full version of this song, from the Sam Henry collection, is little more than a pastiche of floating lyrics (see the cross-references). I've thrown in the Copper text (which Roud actually splits off as its own song) because it, like the Henry text, contains lyrics we ordinarily associate with "Old Smokey." Presumably both songs derive from the same source as gave us the American text.
The key lines are "A meeting's a pleasure, a parting's a grief, And an (unconstant young man) is worse than a thief." - RBW
File: HHH241
===
NAME: Blackbird in the Bush, The: see Three Maidens to Milking Did Go (File: K191)
===
NAME: Blackbird of Avondale, The (The Arrest of Parnell)
DESCRIPTION: A fair maid mourns "Oh, where is my Blackbird of sweet Avondale." The fowler caught him in Dublin and he is behind "the walls of Kilmainham." She says "God grant that my country will soon be a nation And bring back my Blackbird to sweet Avondale"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1881 (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: 
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: Oct12, 1881 - Charles Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) is arrested in Dublin. He is released from Kilmainham Jail May 2, 1882 (source: Zimmermann)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 81, "The Blackbird of Avondale" or "The Arrest of Parnell" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5174
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(59), "The Blackbird of Avondale" or "The Arrest of Parnell" ("By the sweet bay of Dublin whilst carelessly strolling"), unknown, n.d.
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Michael Davitt" (subject and references there)
cf. "The Bold Tenant Farmer" (character of Parnell) and references there)
NOTES: Parnell, who was born in Avondale, County Wicklow, is arrested under the Coercion Act of 1881, which was intended to inhibit Land League activities. Parnell was the head of the Land League at the time. (source: "Charles Stuart Parnell (1846-1891)" at the Alumni Website of Magdalene College, Cambridge) - BS
[We should note that almost all sources spell Parnell's name "Charles Stewart Parnell."]
For the Land League, see the notes to "The Bold Tenant Farmer."
This, incidentally, was one of the Great Mistakes of Britain's dealings with Ireland. Prior to his arrest, Parnell was in the uncomfortable position of leading a divided organization: Many Land Leaguers were for fighting the British with all their might, others favored purely parliamentary means. Both were growing somewhat suspicious of Parnell (who seems to have favoured whatever was most effective at a particular time). But the radicals' activism caused Gladstone to pass a Coersion Act, and to round up Parnell and his associates. That united all Ireland behind him; by the time he was released, he was Ireland's dominant politician (see Robert Kee, _The Bold Fenian Men_, being volume II of _The Green Flag_, pp. 81-85).
I should say, *almost* all Ireland. The exception was the Ulster presbyterians. According to Kee, p. 103, the Kilmainham "treaty" which led to the release of Parnell, and the accompanying British concessions, alarmed the workers of northeast Ulster. The result was the revival of the Orange Society, and the rise of the Ulster Unionists, and eventually partition; see, e.g. the notes to "A Loyal Song Against Home Rule."   - RBW
File: Zimm081
===
NAME: Blackbird of Mullaghmore, The
DESCRIPTION: For money the singer will "supply you with a good friend" and a glass. The "loyal blackbird" of Mullaghmore has been driven away to some fine still. "Her offspring are well proven in America, France and Spain" She will return "but not to the same place"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1952 (Tunney-StoneFiddle)
KEYWORDS: drink nonballad emigration bird
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 123-124, "The Blackbird of Mullaghmore" (1 text, 1 tune)
OBoyle 4, "Blackbird of Mullaghmore" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3474
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
The Loyal Blackbird
NOTES: Tunney-StoneFiddle: "If poteen was so potent surely it inspired the poets. Isn't 'The Loyal Blackbird' or 'The Blackbird of Mullaghmore' one of the many songs in praise of stills and poteen-making?"
OBoyle: .".. the Blackbird of the song is the hidden name for the hidden Still. Mullaghmore (The Big Height) is a townland on the slopes of the Mournes above Hilltown in County Down, where I first heard the song from Owen McAteer in July 1952." - BS
File: TSF124
===
NAME: Blackbirds and Thrushes (I)
DESCRIPTION: Young man meets young woman; she laments her Jimmy, who is off to the wars. She fears he will be killed, but when he returns, he finds her dead instead. He regrets having left.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1916
KEYWORDS: love separation death soldier
FOUND_IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Sharp-100E 36, "Blackbirds and Thrushes" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #12657
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Cowboy Jack" [Laws B24] (plot)
cf. "The Lass of Roch Royal" [Child 76] (theme)
cf. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there (theme)
cf. "Ball of Yarn"
File: ShH36
===
NAME: Blackbirds and Thrushes (II): see Hares on the Mountain (File: ShH63)
===
NAME: Blackboy's Waltzing Matilda, The: see Waltzing Matilda (File: PBB119)
===
NAME: Blackeyed Susie: see Black-Eyed Susie (Green Corn) (File: R568)
===
NAME: Blackfoot Rangers
DESCRIPTION: "Mount! mount! and away o'er the greenwood so wide, The sword is our sceptre, the fleet steed our pride...." The Blackfoot rangers will raid and bushwhack the Federals, who cannot hope to defeat them; God will support them
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1912 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: outlaw horse Civilwar
FOUND_IN: US(So)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Belden, p. 354, "Blackfoot Rangers" (1 text)
Roud #7770
NOTES: Although the reader may be tempted to refer this to the Blackfoot Indians (who lived primarily in Montana and Alberta east of the Rockies), Belden refers this to the Blackfoot region in Missouri, and to the Civil War, and he is likely right.
Missouri was long a center of intense guerrilla activity, starting actually *before* the Civil War (as raiders crossed over into "Bleeding Kansas" to try to force that state to become slave or free). These particular raiders were probably Confederate (since they were anti-Federal), but it's barely possible that they were abolitionist and trying to overthrow the pro-slavery Lecompton government.
In any case, given the way these guerillas behaved, the only god who could approve of their behavior is one which fed on human sacrifice.
Belden does not mention an ancestor of this piece, but looking at it, I cannot help but feel that it is adapted from something else, though I'm not sure what. - RBW
File: Beld354
===
NAME: Blackman's Dream, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer dreams of a mystical trip. At different points on the desert trip he is given colored garments to wear. He encounters the burning bush, a toad, armed strangers, mountains, a pyramid and a fountain and cup for toasting all that don't bow to Baal.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1987 (OrangeLark)
KEYWORDS: dream ritual religious
FOUND_IN: 
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OrangeLark 35, "The Blackman's Dream" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Knight Templar's Dream" (subject) and references there
cf. "The Grand Mystic Order" (subject) and references there
NOTES: OrangeLark: "The title is a sufficient description of the song's contents." [?!]
According to Zimmermann, p. 303, "Other [than Orange Lodge] Protestant organizations, such as the Grand Black Chapter or the Royal Arch Purple Chapter, developed parallel with Orangeism, and their rituals were also themes of allegorical songs which appeared, along with masonic texts, in Orange collections." His footnote to that statement lists among songs not inspired by Orange ritual, "The Black Man's Dream."
The Royal Black Institution was formed in Ireland in 1797; the Orange Order had been formed in 1795. To this day it has an annual July 13 demonstration at Scarva in Co. Down. (source: "Our Background" at The Royal Black Institution site) - BS
The Burning Bush is of course a reference to Exodus 3. Most of the other references are non-Biblical, except for the one to bowing to Baal. I suspect this is a reference to 1 Kings 19:18. Elijah had fled to Mount Horeb, saying that he is left alone as a worshipper of YHWH, but YHWH answers, "Yet I have left _me_ seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Ba'al." This must have seemed unusually suitable imagery to the Protestants of Ulster, who were so conscious of being a minority in a Catholic nation. - RBW
File: OrLa035
===
NAME: Blacksmith (II), The: see Whiskey Is My Name (Donald Blue) (File: HHH835)
===
NAME: Blacksmith Courted Me, A: see The Blacksmith (File: K146)
===
NAME: Blacksmith of Cloghroe, The
DESCRIPTION: "The rebels' hall of meeting was the forge of sweet Cloghroe" where they learned the soldier's drill. Sean Magee, the blacksmith there, is now buried in Kilmurry. "Ireland lost a gallant son in the blacksmith of Cloghroe"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1978 (OCanainn)
KEYWORDS: rebellion death Ireland nonballad patriotic
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
OCanainn, pp. 66,122, "The Blacksmith of Cloghroe" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Skibbereen" (tune, per OCanainn)
NOTES: OCanainn calls this "another patriotic song of West Cork." I assume that it is -- like many of the other songs in the collection -- a song of the Irish Civil Wars of 1920-1922. - BS
The flip side is, blacksmiths had often been at the center of earlier rebellions, simply because they could make pikes. By 1920, even the Irish had realized that pikes were useless against modern weapons. But, of course, the flip side is that rebellions such as 1848 and 1867 had almost no casualties. So the Civil War does indeed seem the most likely occasion. - RBW
File: OCan066
===
NAME: Blacksmith, The
DESCRIPTION: "A blacksmith courted me, Nine months or better. He fairly won my heart, Wrote me a letter.... And if I were with my love, I'd live forever." Sadly, her love has departed (for the wars? To be married?); she wishes she were with him wherever he goes
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1901
KEYWORDS: love separation courting lie betrayal lament lover
FOUND_IN: Britain(England(South)) Canada
REFERENCES: (4 citations)
Kennedy 146, "A Blacksmith Courted Me" (1 text, 1 tune)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 22, "The Blacksmith" (1 text, 1 tune)
MacSeegTrav 56, "The Blacksmith" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
DT, BLAKSMIT* BLAKSMT2* BLAKSMI2*
Roud #816
RECORDINGS:
Harry Brazil, "A Blacksmith Courted Me" (on Voice11)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.18(130), "The Blacksmith," H. Such (London), 1863-1885
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Brave Wolfe" [Laws A1] (tune & meter)
cf. "Our Captain Called" (tune & meter, lyrics)
cf. "Pining Daily and Daily" (theme)
SAME_TUNE:
Brave Wolfe [Laws A1] (File: LA01)
NOTES: Lines are similar to Opie-Oxford2 270, "Brave news is come to town" (earliest date in Opie-Oxford2 is 1842).
Firth c.18(130): "Strange news has come to me, strange news is carried, And now it's all the talk, my love he is married."
Opie-Oxford2 270: "Brave news is come to town, Brave news is carried; Brave news is come to town, Jemmy Dawson's married." - BS
(For the items listed above, see also Baring-Gould-MotherGoose #280, p. 165, "(Brave news is come to town)"; also Montgomerie-ScottishNR 96, "(Braw News is come to town)," in which the girl is Jean Tamson.  The similarity is only in the lyrics, though, not in the plot.)
Kennedy lists in excess of a dozen collections of this song, almost all from the south of England. Normally I would interpret this to mean that it is recent but popular -- but of course it is old enough to have supplied the tune for "Brave Wolfe." - RBW
File: K146
===
NAME: Blacksmith's Song, The: see Twankydillo (The Blacksmith's Song) (File: K286)
===
NAME: Blackwater Side (I): see Down By Blackwaterside (File: K151)
===
NAME: Blackwater Side (II), The: see The Bann Water Side (File: HHH685)
===
NAME: Blackwater Side (III): see The Lovely Irish Maid (File: Pea551)
===
NAME: Blackwaterside, The: see The Black Water Side [Laws O1] (File: LO01)
===
NAME: Blaeberries, The: see The Blaeberry Courtship [Laws N19] (File: LN19)
===
NAME: Blaeberry Courtship, The [Laws N19]
DESCRIPTION: A Lowland girl is induced to follow a Highland lad home "to pick blueberries" (and get married). The girl is worn out by the time they reach his home -- only to discover that his poverty is a sham and he is a great lord whom she knew in childhood 
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: before 1835 (broadside, Bodleian Johnson Ballads 1570)
KEYWORDS: courting poverty money harvest
FOUND_IN: Canada(Mar) Britain(England(North),Scotland) Ireland
REFERENCES: (6 citations)
Laws N19, "The Blaeberry Courtship"
SHenry H193, pp. 487-488, "The Hielan's o' Scotland" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 190-191, "The Blaeberry Courtship" (1 text)
Stokoe/Reay, pp.  62-63, "The Blaeberries" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 18, "The Blaeberry Courtship" (2 texts)
DT 450, BLAEBRRY BLAEBRR2
Roud #1888
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 1570, "The Blaeberries" or "Highland Laird's Courtship," G Walker (Durham), 1797-1834
NLScotland, RB.m.143(004), "The Blaeberry Courtship," Pos Box (sic.), i.e. Poet's Box (Glasgow), c. 1880
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "Lizie Lindsay" [Child 226] (plot)
cf. "Glasgow Peggy" [Child 228] (plot)
NOTES: Laws calls this a "modernization of the story" told in "Lizie Lindsay" (Child #226). It is possible that this is technically true -- that is, that "The Blaeberry Courtship" was inspired by the Child Ballad. Certainly a number of scholars (far too many!) have lumped them together. But they are clearly and obviously separate songs, and should be treated as such. In terms of plot, "The Blaeberry Courtship" is nearly as close to "Glasgow Peggy" as to "Lizie Lindsay"; note that the suitor reveals his wealth only *after* the lady comes away with him. - RBW
File: LN19
===
NAME: Blanche Comme la Niege (White as Snow)
DESCRIPTION: French. A lady is taken home by a captain. They eat before making love, but she falls dead during the meal. She is buried in her father's garden. When her father comes, she calls him to open her tomb: She has pretended to be dead to save her honor.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1959 (Peacock)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage courting sex virginity escape beauty trick burial father
FOUND_IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Peacock, pp. 174-178, "Blanche Comme la Niege" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
RECORDINGS:
Anita Best, "Blanche Comme la Neige" (on NFABest01)
ALTERNATE_TITLES:
La Belle Qui Fait la Morte Pour Son Honneur Garder
NOTES: In Peacock's version there is only one lady rather than three. In some versions one lady, white as snow and beautiful as day, falls asleep on a bed of roses and three captains come courting. - BS
File: Pea174
===
NAME: Blancheflour and Jellyflorice [Child 300]
DESCRIPTION: Blancheflour, a pretty servant girl, finds a place sewing for a queen. The queen warns the girl away from her son Jellyflorice, but the two fall in love. The queen would kill the girl, but Jellyflorice rescues and marries her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1828 (Buchan)
KEYWORDS: royalty courting servant punishment rescue marriage
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Child 300, "Blancheflour and Jellyflorice" (1 text)
Roud #3904
NOTES: Compare the "naive and quant" Middle English romance "Floris and Blancheflour," also known as "Floriz and Blauncheflur," etc.
That romance is not really the source of the plot of this piece, but probably the ultimate inspiration. Bruce Dickens and R. M. Wilson, in _Early Middle English Texts_ (p. 43), report that there are two European versions of the story, one for aristocratic and one for popular audiences; both exist, e.g., in French.
The Middle English version seems to be derived from the aristocratic version.
A band of pilgrims is attacked by Saracens. A young pregnant widow is taken prisoner when her father is killed. Taken to Spain, she bears a daughter Blancheflur. On that day, the Saracen queen has a son Floris. Brought up together, they fall in love. The parents oppose the match, and sell Blancheflur into slavery. Floris attempts suicide; his parents relent and equip him for a journey to find her. He discovers her in an eastern harem and manages to rescue her.
(The popular version makes the ending simpler; Floris simply performs some of the tasks of a knight errant.)
The plot is common; Boccaccio used it in _Il Filocopo_, and the idea at least is found in Chaucer's "Franklin's Tale" and is said to go all the way back to India.
The Middle English "Floris and Blauncheflur" romance, according to Dickens and Wilson, has been "severely pruned... to such a degree that occasionally details vital to the plot have been omitted." This includes even the introductory material, about the capture of the Christian widow that motivates the plot -- though all the surviving Middle English versions seem to have lost material at the beginning, so that lack may be accidental.
The history of this romance is curious. Donald B. Sands, in _Middle English Verse Romances_, p. 280, dates it c. 1250. Dickens and Wilson report four manuscripts, B.M. Cotton Vitellius D III (late XIII century), Cambridge Gg.4.27.2 (early XIV century), Edinburgh Auchinleck MS (XIV century), B. M. Egerton 2862 (early XV century). They make the odd claim that "All MSS. go back to a single lost original, but the wide discrepancies between them suggest that the intervening links were more probably oral than written."
Sands seems to offer a simpler explanation: The manuscripts have all been edited, with much material being omitted along the way. The result is erratic and the meter often defective, but Sands notes (p. 282) that it is a "well-structured story" and believes that this makes up for the "undistinguished verse."
Several other ballads also derive loosely or from Middle English romance, or from the legends that underlie it, examples being:
* "Hind Horn" [Child 17], from "King Horn" (3 MSS., including Cambridge Gg.4.27.2, which also contains "Floris and Blancheflour")
* "King Orfeo" [Child 19], from "Sir Orfeo" (3 MSS., including the Auchinlek MS, which also contains "Floris and Blancheflour")
* "The Marriage of Sir Gawain" [Child 31], from "The Weddynge of Sir Gawe and Dame Ragnell" (1 defective MS, Bodleian MS Rawlinson C 86) - RBW
File: C300
===
NAME: Blandon Blarney Stone, The: see The Blarney Stone (File: DTblrnst)
===
NAME: Blantyre Explosion, The: see The High Blantyre Explosion [Laws Q35] (File: LQ35)
===
NAME: Blaris Moor
DESCRIPTION: It would be "treason" to accuse Colonel Barber of "murder." Those shot "were lads of good behaviour" but "O'Brien and Lynch" betrayed them for gold. Offered a pardon and gold themselves, those condemned as "united" chose death, and were shot.
AUTHOR: ascribed to James Garland (d. c.1842) (Source: Zimmermann)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1797 ("as sung in Belfast in 1797," according to Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: army betrayal execution Ireland
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: May 16, 1797 - William and Owen McKenna, Peter McCarren and Daniel McGillain, soldiers in the Monaghan militia, executed after sentence by court martial. (source: United Irishmen handbill quoted by Zimmermann)
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Zimmermann 6, "Blaris Moor" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #13386
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of Blaris Moor" (subject)
NOTES: Blaris is a civil parish in County Antrim and County Down.
IRCroppysComplaint notes re "The Blarismoor Tragedy": "In 1797 the Monaghan Militia were quartered in Belfast. In May of that year it was discovered that large numbers of them had been secretly recruited as United Irishmen." 
Zimmermann quotes a 1798 United Irishmen handbill describing the execution and refusal by the men convicted as United Irishmen to inform in spite of offers of pardon and reward.
Zimmermann's two versions have many differences but share a rhyme scheme and so many lines that I would not separate them. One seems a badly remembered version of the other. - BS
File: Zimm006
===
NAME: Blarismoor Tragedy, The
DESCRIPTION: "Oh, Lord, grant me direction To sing this foul transaction... Late done at Blarismoor." Three Irishmen are accused, and offered pardon and promotion if they list their accomplices. They refuse and are executed
AUTHOR: James Garland (d. c.1842) (source: Moylan)
EARLIEST_DATE: 1897 (P.W. Joyce finds it in _The Weekly Nation_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: Ireland rebellion trial crime execution
HISTORICAL_REFERENCES: May 17, 1797 - The Blarismoor Tragedy
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (3 citations)
PGalvin, pp. 86-87, "The Blarismoor Tragedy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Moylan 47, "The Blarismoor Tragedy" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BLARISMOOR
Roud #13386
NOTES: Moylan has a long note, quoting Madden, describing the event.
The ballad is recorded on one of the CD's issued around the time of the bicentenial of the 1798 Irish Rebellion. See:
Jim McFarland, "The Blarismoor Tragedy" (on "The Croppy's Complaint," Craft Recordings CRCD03 (1998); Terry Moylan notes) - BS
File: PGa086
===
NAME: Blarney Stone, The
DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a pretty girl on the road to Bandon, who tells him she's lonely and asks "where I'd find that little Blarney stone." He shows her, to their mutual delight. The chorus points out there's a Blarney Stone in every town in Ireland
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1926 (recorded by Shaun O'Nolan, according to Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan)
LONG_DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a pretty girl on the road to Bandon, who tells him she's lonely and asks "where I'd find that little Blarney stone." He shows her, to their mutual delight -- "He rolled me in his arms where I never had been before/Sure he's kissed the blooming roses on my Bandon Blarney Stone." The chorus lists various places with Blarney Stones, ad notes that one is found in every town in Ireland
KEYWORDS: courting sex Ireland
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (2 citations)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 41, "The Bandon Blarney Stone" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, BLARNSTN, BLRNSTON
Roud #4800
RECORDINGS:
Margaret Barry w. Michael Gorman, "The Blarney Stone" (on Pubs1); Margaret Barry, "The Blarney Stone" (on IRMBarry-Fairs) (on Voice01)
Tom Lenihan, "The Bandon Blarney Stone" (on IRTLenihan01)
NOTES: The famous stone is located at Blarney, County Cork; according to legend, if one can stretch across a gap between two cliffs and kiss the stone, one will acquire the "gift of gab" -- that is, the "eloquence of flattery," to use Rinzler's term. The song points out that everyone in Ireland has acquired that gift, Blarney Stone or no, and the chorus tells why. - PJS
File: DTblrnst
===
NAME: Blaser Kallt, Kallt Vader Ifran Sjon, Det (The Cold Weather's Blowin' in From the Sea)
DESCRIPTION: Swedish shanty. Sailor goes to sea at the age of 14. Sometime later meets a girl in Kalmar Harbour, convinces her to come along and marry him. Chorus after each verse line: "Det blaser kallt vader ifran sjon (The cold weather's blowin' in from the sea)"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1935 (Sternvall, _Sang under Segel_)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage shanty courting
FOUND_IN: Sweden
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Hugill, pp. 543-545, "Det Blaser Kallt, Kallt Vader Ifran Sjon" (1 Swedish plus 1 English text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Sternvall has a note that this was already popular by the beginning of the 19th century. - SL
File: Hugi543
===
NAME: Blaw the Wind Southerly: see Blow the Wind Southerly (File: StoR018)
===
NAME: Blazing Star of Drum (Drim, Drung), The
DESCRIPTION: The singer out late on a snowy night when he sees the girl. They meet again. He asks her dwelling. She says she is too young. He says he would treat her well if she would come away. He goes across the sea without her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1903 (JIFSS)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty emigration rejection
FOUND_IN: Ireland
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
SHenry H197a, pp. 247-248, "The Blazing Star of Drim"; H197b, p. 248, "The Blazing Star of Drung" (2 texts, allegedly from the same source but with substantial differences, 1 tune)
Roud #2945
NOTES: Reading this reminds me very strongly of "Farewell Ballymoney (Loving Hannah; Lovely Molly)," and to a lesser extent of other courting/lost love type songs. Yet they don't actually have lyrics in common. - RBW
File: HHH197a
===
NAME: Bleacher Lassie o' Kelvinhaugh
DESCRIPTION: "As I went out on a summer's evening," the singer meets a pretty girl in Kelvinhaugh. He asks what she is doing, then enquires if she will go with him. She refuses; she is waiting for her love, gone for seven years. He reveals himself as the missing lover
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST_DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love reunion disguise
FOUND_IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES: (1 citation)
Ord, p. 77, "The Bleacher Lassie o' Kelvinhaugh" (1 text)
Roud #3325
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(24b), "Bleaching Lassie of Kelvinhaugh," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890 [despite the title, the girl is called a "bleacher lassie"]
CROSS_REFERENCES:
cf. esp. "John (George) Riley (I)" [Laws N36] and references there
File: Ord077
===