Two Lovers Discoursing [Laws O22]


DESCRIPTION: Mary accuses her lover of breaking his promise to marry her; he denies this and asks who has spread the rumor that he is courting Nancy. But he still will not wed, until Mary points out that even birds are truer than he is. He gives in; they are married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1954 (Creighton-Maritime)
KEYWORDS: courting marriage promise infidelity
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Laws O22, "Two Lovers Discoursing"
Doerflinger, pp. 316-317, "Two Lovers Discoursing" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-Maritime, p. 50, "Nancy's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 31, "The Most Unconstant of Young Men" (1 text, 1 tune); 39A, "The True Lovers' Discussion" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 481, TWOLOVRS
Roud #991
NOTES: Creighton-SNewBrunswick: "There must be some relation between 39A and B. The former seems to have originated with the folk and the latter to have been a literary composition taken over by the folk. They are placed together because of subject matter and also because singers give variants of the same title." If so they have grown so far apart that there is no hint in the words that they are related. For 39B see "The True Lovers' Discussion." - BS
It's interesting to note that both of the Creighton-SNewBrunswick versions of this song are from the same informant, but differ in both text and tune. Though it's perhaps not as exceptional as Creighton thinks; consider how many different versions *you* probably know of "The Gypsy Laddie." - RBW
File: LO22

Two Magicians, The


See The Twa Magicians [Child 44] (File: C044)

Two O'Donahues, The


DESCRIPTION: "We came from Tipperary a few short weeks ago, With spirits light and airy, two emigrants, you know." The two O'Donahues intend to get rich, return to Ireland, and become famous
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Dean)
KEYWORDS: home emigration
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Dean, p. 130, "The Two O'Donahues" (1 text)
Roud #9587
File: Dean130B

Two Old Crows


See The Three Ravens [Child 26] (File: C026)

Two Professional Hums, The


See The Great American Bum (Three Jolly Bums) (File: FaE192)

Two Ravens, The


See The Three Ravens [Child 26] (File: C026)

Two Rigs of Rye [Laws O11]


DESCRIPTION: (The girl tells her lover that her family opposes her marriage.) Uncertain of her dowry, he has doubts about the marriage. When she breaks into tears, he assures her he did not mean it. The two settle down to a long and happy marriage
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan5)
KEYWORDS: courting dowry marriage
FOUND IN: US(MW) Britain(England,Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Laws O11, "Two Rigs of Rye"
GreigDuncan5 1054, "The Rigs o' Rye" (29 texts, 24 tunes)
Ord, pp. 31-32, "The Rigs of Rye" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 58, "Two Rigs of Rye" (1 short text, 1 tune)
DT 475, RIGSORYE*
ST LO11 (Full)
Roud #985
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, RB.m.143(122), "Twas in the Month of Sweet July," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "There Was a Squire" (tune, per GreigDuncan5)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Rigs of Rye
File: LO11

Two Ruby Red Lips


See The Wayward Boy" (File: EM086)

Two Sisters That Loved One Man, The


See The Twa Sisters [Child 10] (File: C010)

Two Sisters, The


See The Twa Sisters [Child 10] (File: C010)

Two Soldiers, The


See The Last Fierce Charge [Laws A17] (File: LA17)

Two Sweethearts


DESCRIPTION: "A bunch of young fellows one night at a club Were telling of sweethearts they had." They tease one boy about not having a love; he says he loves two women: His mother and his sweetheart
AUTHOR: Words: E. P. Moran / Music: J. Fred Holf ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1897 (copyright claim)
KEYWORDS: mother love
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph 864, "Two Sweethearts" (1 text)
Roud #4231
RECORDINGS:
Carter Family, "Two Sweethearts" (Bluebird B-6106/Montgomery Ward M-4433, 1935; Regal Zonophone [Australia] G23169, n.d.)
File: R864

Two T.D.'s


DESCRIPTION: Political rhymes: "Artists draw pictures and barmaids draw beer"; the TD's draw 480 a year. Hitler brags of conquering the Rhineland; we conquered Beare Island. Telegram cost is a hardship on us and delivery is faster by bus....
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1978 (OCanainn)
KEYWORDS: humorous nonballad political
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1936 - German forces reoccupy the Rhineland, occupied and demilitarized by the French after World War I
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OCanainn, pp. 78-79, "Two T.D.'s" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OCanainn: "T.D. (teachta dala or member of parliament)" - BS
File: OCan078

Two Travellers, The


DESCRIPTION: Two travellers compare notes. One has been everywhere, done everything and seen the wonders of the world. The other asks what of Ireland the first has seen: "the man that ne'er saw Mullinahone Shouldn't say he had travelled at all"
AUTHOR: C.J. Boland
EARLIEST DATE: 1965 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: travel Ireland humorous nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OLochlainn-More, pp. 259-261, "The Two Travellers" (1 text)
SAME TUNE:
cf. "Hannigan's Aunt" (tune)
File: OLcM259

Two We Sunk, and Two We Brunt


See The Royal Oak (File: VWL091)

Two White Horses (I)


DESCRIPTION: "Two white horses, Two white horses, side by side (x3), Nobody can ride but the sanctified." "Daniel was a man in the lion's den The good Lord proved to be Daniel's friend." "Zek'l was a man and he rassled with sin Heb'n gate opened... he rolled... in"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: religious Bible nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
BrownIII 646, "Two White Horses Side by Side" (1 fragment)
Sandburg, pp. 472-473, "Two White Horses" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11939
NOTES: The story of Daniel in the lion's den is found in 6:6-24. There is no explicit reference to Ezekiel wrestling with sin (let alone rolling right into heaven) -- but certainly Ezekiel spent more time than any other prophet wrestling with wild, crazed visions. - RBW
File: San472

Two White Horses (II)


See See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (File: ADR92)

Two White Horses In a Line


See See That My Grave Is Kept Clean (File: ADR92)

Two White Horses Side by Side


See Two White Horses (I) (File: San472)

Two Years Owre Young


See Seven Years O'er Young (File: Ord170)

Two-Gun Cowboy, The (Son of a Gun)


DESCRIPTION: "Out on a ranch way out west," the cowboys "never rest" until Saturday. One cowboy rides into town to see his girl, and is greeted by a shot through his hat. He finishes off the assailants, meets his girl, and heads off to be married
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1932 (Henry, collected from Jessie Pressley)
KEYWORDS: cowboy fight death marriage horse
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
MHenry-Appalachians, pp. 91-92, "The Two-Gun Cowboy" (1 text)
Roud #12709
NOTES: This is so obviously false-to-life that I find myself wondering if it doesn't come from a movie Western. I really doubt it derived from actual cowboys. But I don't know who would make up such a thing. - RBW
File: MHAp091

Tyburn Hill


DESCRIPTION: "A beggar man laid himself down to sleep, Rumsty-o, Rumsty-o. A beggar man laid himself down to sleep, On the banks of the Mersey so wide and steep." Two thieves come by and rob the beggar. The singer sees them in the dock, then on Tyburn gallows
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Linscott)
KEYWORDS: thief begging punishment execution
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Linscott, pp. 295-296, "Tyburn Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Lins295 (Partial)
Roud #3746
NOTES: Linscott points out that executions at Tyburn (Tye Burn) stopped in 1783 (after which time they took place at Newgate), implying that that dates this song. This doesn't really follow; "Tyburn" had by then become a byword of sorts.
In fact the song seems somewhat confused; why would robbers who worked near the Mersey be hanged at Tyburn? Also, the form looks rather like a singing game. It's most unfortunate that we can't find more versions of this piece. - RBW
File: Lins295

Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail [Laws B17]


DESCRIPTION: Two cowboys, having spent a wild time in town, are returning to camp when they meet the Devil. The Devil tries to collect their souls; the cowboys have the better of the fight, leaving the Devil tied up, branded, and with its tail in knots
AUTHOR: almost certainly Gail Gardner
EARLIEST DATE: 1917
KEYWORDS: Devil cowboy fight humorous
FOUND IN: US(SW)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Laws B17, "Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail"
Larkin, pp. 75-78, "Rusty Jiggs and Sandy Sam" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 74, "Tying Knots in the Devil's Tail" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 203, "Tyin' a Knot in the Devil's Tail" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 406-409, "Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail" (1 text)
Ohrlin-HBT 27, "The Sierry Petes" (1 text, 1 tune)
Logsdon 19, pp. 127-132, "The Soughrty Peaks" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 174-176, "Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 112, "Tyin' A Knot In The Devil's Tail" (1 text)
DT 384, DVLTAIL*
ADDITIONAL: Hal Cannon, editor, _Cowboy Poetry: A Gathering_, Giles M. Smith, 1985, pp. 3-5, "The Sierry Petes" (1 text)
Roud #3238
RECORDINGS:
Cisco Houston, "Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail" (Disc 5069, 1940s)
Harry Jackson, "Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail" (on HJackson1)
Powder River Jack & Kitty Lee, "Tying A Knot In The Devil's Tail" (Victor 23527, 1930; Montgomery Ward M-4462, 1934; on AuthCowboys, BackSaddle, WhenIWas1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "De Hoffnung" (theme)
SAME TUNE:
East Texas Red (by Woody Guthrie) (on Thieme03)
NOTES: Logsdon lists various authors who have been credited with this piece, but states pretty unequivocally that Gail Gardner is the actual author. Gardner did obtain the copyright, and Logsdon's evidence does add up to a very strong case; none of the other claimants appear to have any real supporting documentation.
According to Cannon, the "Sierry Petes" (Gardner's official title) refers specifically to the Sierra Prieta range in Arizona. - RBW
File: LB17

Tying Knots in the Devil's Tail


See Tying a Knot in the Devil's Tail [Laws B17] (File: LB17)

Tylus and Talus


DESCRIPTION: "Tylus and talus and rippity-ting, All the girls gather and all the boys sing, Choose you the nearest one, Choose you the dearest one, All join together to make a big ring." Verses begin "Tylus and talus" and encourage the couples
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: playparty courting
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph 542, "Tylus and Talus" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7655
File: R542

Tyne Exile's Lament, The


DESCRIPTION: "I sat by the side of a broad rolling river That sparkles along on its way to the sea; By my thoughts fly again o'er the wide-heaving main... I wish I were again on the banks of the Tyne." The singer recalls Tynside and hopes to be buried there
AUTHOR: Words: Anonymous (John Stokoe)/Music: Samuel Reay
EARLIEST DATE: 1900 (Stokoe/Reay)
KEYWORDS: homesickness river exile burial
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 78-79, "The Tyne Exile's Lament" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3143
NOTES: The notes in Stokoe/Reay say that an anonymous author wrote this and wanted his name to remain secret. It seems rather likely that Stokoe himself was responsible for this banal piece of local patriotism. - RBW
File: StoR978

Tyrie Plooin' Match, The


DESCRIPTION: The contestants at Tyrie "warlike were ... Their tickets drew wi' anxious han', Ilk ane thinkin' he'd be the man." "They did their wark in first-rate style." "Jim was well pleased" although he had the tenth prize, "the hinmost ane o' a' the lot"
AUTHOR: William D. Jeffrey (1845-1892) (source: Greig)
EARLIEST DATE: 1866 (copy of text, according to Greig)
KEYWORDS: contest farming
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #161, p. 2, ("A plooin' match here I'll insert") (1 text)
GreigDuncan3 424, "The Tyrie Plooin' Match" (1 text)
Roud #5941
NOTES: Greig: "... I would extract a few verses." - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GdD3424

U. S. A., The


DESCRIPTION: "Tell me, daddy, tell me, why the men in yonder crowd, Can you tell me why they are marching...?" The father tells his son that they are marching because they are proud of American freedom; both his grandfathers died fighting for it
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Dean)
KEYWORDS: patriotic America death nonballad
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Dean, pp. 28-29, "The U. S. A." (1 text)
Roud #9555
NOTES: A;though it seems certain that this hearkens back to the American Civil War (there was no other war in American history where the odds are significant that both of a child's grandparents would have died), I have been unable to find out anything more about the song. - RBW
File: Dean028

U. S. Lightship 98, The


DESCRIPTION: "They may boast of their dreadnaughts and cruisers likewise... But there is another whose fame I'll relate, It's Uncle Sam's little watchdog, the L. V. 98." She has a red hull, a small, efficient crew. It's a lonely job. We should take off our hats to her
AUTHOR: probably Frank McCauley
EARLIEST DATE: before 1952 (Walton collection)
KEYWORDS: ship nonballad
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
November 6-13, 1913 - The Great Storm on the Lakes
FOUND IN: US9MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Walton/Grimm/Murdock, pp. 185-186, "The U. S. Lightship 98" (1 text)
NOTES: This song does not tell the eventual fate of the Lightship 98, but if the vessel is remembered at all, it is as one of the vessels which sank in the "Great Storm of 1913." The Lightship 98, stationed near the foot of Lake Huron, foundered on the night on November 9-10; all of her six crewmen were lost.
Ratigan, p 125, says "It is generally agreed that Lake Huron's 1913 storm was the greatest ever to strike the Lakes. Beyond all argument it must be called the worst in loss of life and loss of shipping. No other Lake storm in modern history even begins to compare with its toll of 235 lives and forty shipwrecks." On page 135, he quotes a monument set up at Port Sanilac, Michigan: "The grim toll was 235 seamen drowned, ten ships sunk, and more than twenty others driven ashore. Here on Lake Huron all 178 crewmen on the eight ships claimed by its waters were lost. For sixteen terrible hours gales of cyclonic fury made men and his machines helpless."
Thompson, p. 250, tells of the first storm flags being raised on Friday, November 7, "when the storm was still centered over Minnesota. It wasn't until late Sunday morning... that the worst of the storm hit the lakes." He observes that, because there was no flag for gale-force winds, many captains ignored the flags. Especially since the storm did not grow severe until two days after the flags went up. Thompson, p. 252, implies that this came about when a second low pressure system (this one from the south) collided with the pressure system which had formed over Lake Superior and headed east.
"Most of the twenty-four ships that sank or were seriously damaged on Lake Huron during the storm were sneaking along the west shore of the lake on Sunday when the approach of the second storm caused winds to veer unexpectedly to the northeast and leave them in dangerously exposed positions."
Even the first storm was fairly severe. Wolff, p. 148, says that "Head-of-the-Lakes residents were enjoying lovely Indian Summer weather on Thursday, November 6, with the mercury at 58 degrees F... Storm warnings were raised at Duluth at 10:00 a.m., November 7. The weathermen were correct. A 60 mph gale struck Duluth around 6 p.m., raging for several hours before diminishing to lesser blasts the next day. A sharp temperature drop saw the thermometer descending to 20 degrees above zero accompanied by strong winds and local snows." But, because the wind blew mostly down the lake, losses on Lake Superior were lighter than those on Lake Huron.
In all this, little wonder that none of the books specifically mention the Lightship 98.Thompson, p. 252, does mention the Lightship 82, which was based at Buffalo and sank with six sailors. There is even a photo of the Lightship 82 being salvaged; presumably the Lightship 98 was fairly similar.
Amazingly for such a major event, there seem to be few songs about ships lost in the 1913 storm. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: WGM185

Uh-Uh, No


See No, John, No (File: R385)

Ulan Girls


See The Girls of Ulan (File: MA213)

Umeralla Shore, The


See The Eumerella Shore (File: MA155)

Un Canadien Errant


DESCRIPTION: Canadian French: A Canadien rebel has been forced from his home. Stopping by a stream, he bids it -- should it flow through his homeland -- to greet his friends. He promises not to forget his homeland
AUTHOR: M. A. Gerin-Lajoie
EARLIEST DATE: 1842
KEYWORDS: exile rebellion Canada foreignlanguage
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1837 - Revolt in Canada. The failure of the uprising forces many rebels into exile
FOUND IN: Canada(Que)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 26-27, "Un Canadien Errant" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 82-84, "Un Canadien Errant" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 4, "Un Canadien Errant" (1 English and 1 French version, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 339, "Un Canadien Errant (An Exiled Canadien)" (1 text)
DT, CANADERR
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Un Canadien Errant" (on PeteSeeger29)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "An Anti-Rebel Song" (subject)
cf. "Farewell to Mackenzie" (subject)
cf. "Les Metamorphoses" (tune)
NOTES: For further details about the Canadian revolt, caused by the oppression of an oligarchic government, see the songs mentioned in the cross-references. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: FJ026

Un, Deux, Trois


DESCRIPTION: Creole French: "Un, deux, trois, Caroline qui fais comme sa, ma chere?" The singer asks Caroline what is the matter. She reports that mama says yes but papa says no. She is determined to have the young man anyway.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: courting love family father mother foreignlanguage
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 120, "Un Deux Trois" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 218-219, "Un, Deux, Trois" (1 text plus translation, 1 tune)
File: LxA218

Una Bhan (Fair Una)


DESCRIPTION: Irish Gaelic: Una's father locks her up rather than let her marry the singer. Ill, she sends for him; he finds the gates shut. If he doesn't hear from her before he has crossed the river, he won't return. A servant reaches him too late. Una dies of grief
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1960 (recording, Maire Aine Ni Dhonnchadha)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Irish Gaelic: Una's father imprisons her in her room rather than allow her to marry the singer. Ill, she sends for him, but he finds the gates shut against him. Angry, he turns away, crying that if he doesn't hear from her by the time he has crossed the river, he'll never return. He hesitates midstream; a servant is sent after him, but he has crossed the river before the servant arrives. Una dies of grief; still bitter, he comes to visit her grave for the last time, asking her spirit to visit him (and telling her it's awful for her to be lying there with the rotting corpses). Nothing happens, and he turns away into the darkness
KEYWORDS: captivity disease grief hardheartedness courting love rejection corpse death mourning foreignlanguage lament father lover
FOUND IN: Ireland
RECORDINGS:
Maire Aine Ni Dhonnchadha, "Una Bhan" (on TradIre01)
NOTES: Maire Aine Ni Dhonnchadha learned the song from an old woman in Rosaveel, the only person from whom it's apparently been collected. - PJS
File: RcUnaBha

Uncle Bill Teller


DESCRIPTION: "Uncle Bill Teller died las' fall, Young maiden, where ye bound to? We jigged t'ree days an' niver got one, Across de Western Ocean." "Bill K is de divil fer fat, Hang to 'er, b'ys, hang to 'er." "Billy K. got a fine old bark."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (England, Vikings of the Ice)
KEYWORDS: hunting derivative
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ryan/Small, p. 106, "Uncle Bill Teller" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Across the Western Ocean" (form, lyrics)
NOTES: Evidently a sealing parody of "Across the Western Ocean." - RBW
File: RySma106B

Uncle Bud


DESCRIPTION: "Oh, Uncle Bud goin' down the road, Haulin' women by the wagon load, Uncle Bud (x3), Bud, Doggone it, Uncle Bud." About Uncle Bud's odd exploits, sexual anatomy, and extravagant farming methods, as well as poverty and perhaps the hope for salvation
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (recording, Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers)
KEYWORDS: humorous drink death sex bawdy
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
MWheeler, pp. 95-97, "Uncle Bud" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #10035
RECORDINGS:
Anonymous singer, "Uncle Bud" (on Unexp1)
Grant & Wilson, "Uncle Joe" (QRS, 1929) (Decca, 1938)
Booker T. Sapps, "Uncle Bud" (AFS 370 A1, 370 A2, 1935)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Uncle Bud" (Columbia 15134-D, 1927; rec. 1926) (Columbia 15221-D, 1928; rec. 1927)
NOTES: Most versions of this song are bawdy, to a greater or lesser extent. A Texas variant, recorded by the anonymous singer on Unexp1, recounts stories about Uncle Bud Russell, who was in charge of transporting prisoners to the state prison at Huntsville -- but the song clearly existed in tradition before then, and was adapted to local use. - PJS
File: MWhee095

Uncle Dan Song, The


DESCRIPTION: "A sly young maid" warns Uncle Dan of a predatory widow who "set her cap" for him. He thanks the maid for the warning; if she marries she should treat her man well but "if he should die and you want another man, Just clear the road for Uncle Dan"
AUTHOR: Dan Riley
EARLIEST DATE: 1957 (Ives-DullCare)
KEYWORDS: courting warning humorous
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ives-DullCare, pp. 48-49, 256, "The Uncle Dan Song" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13998
RECORDINGS:
Mary Cousins, "The Uncle Dan Song" (on MREIves01)
File: IvDC048

Uncle Eph


DESCRIPTION: About Uncle Eef/Eph/Ephraem's exploits, usually in hunting raccoons. May include recitations. Chorus: "Uncle Eph's got the coon and gone on And left us looking up a tree."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (recording, Dunham Jazz Singers)
KEYWORDS: animal hunting nonballad floatingverses humorous talltale
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
BrownIII 433, "Broder Eton Got de Coon" (1 text); also 511, "The Preacher Song" (1 text, a complex mix of verses from "Turkey in the Stray" and "Some Folks Say that a Preacher Won't Steal" with the "Uncle Eph" chorus)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 101-102, "Brother Ephrum Got de Coon and Gone On" (1 text, 1 tune, with even more floating material than usual, e.g. from "Don't Get Weary Children (Massa Had a Yellow Gal)")
DT, (BRORPHUS -- on the face of it, a combination of this with a song about Moses)
Roud #11775
RECORDINGS:
Anglin Twins, "Uncle Eph's Got the Coon" (Vocalion 03904, 1937)
Dunham Jazz Singers, "Ephraim Got the Coon" (Columbia 14609-D, 1931)
Grandpa Jones, "Uncle Eph's Got The Coon" (King 867, 1950)
Art Thieme, "Uncle Eph/The Great Raccoon Hunt" [combines song and tall-tale] (on Thieme03)
Wade Ward, "Brother Ephram" (Okeh, unissued, 1925); "Uncle Eef" [instrumental] (on Holcomb-Ward1)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Uncle Reuben" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Mourner, You Shall Be Free (Moanish Lady)" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: Presumably the same as Bob Allen's 1878 song "Old Uncle Eph," but I haven't seen the latter to prove it.
It is interesting to note that at least two versions of this song -- Brown's #511 and the Hedy West text recorded in the Digital Tradition -- combine this with the chorus, "Where you going, Moses? None of your business.Come here, Moses. I ain't gonna do it." - RBW
File: RcUncEph

Uncle Joe


See Hop High Ladies (Uncle Joe) (File: R252)

Uncle Joe (I)


See If I Were As Young As I Used to Be (Uncle Joe) (File: R434)

Uncle Joe and Aunty Mabel


DESCRIPTION: Joe and Mabel are restored to sexual vigor by a glass of Ovaltine. (Alternately, Fleischmann's Yeast or other improbable concoction)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Anecdota Americana)
KEYWORDS: bawdy humorous derivative
FOUND IN: Britain(England) US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Cray, pp. 374-376, "Uncle Joe and Aunty Mabel" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 37, "Fleischmann's Yeast" (1 text, tune referenced)
DT, OVALTPM*
Roud #10325
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing" (tune)
File: EM374

Uncle Joe Cut Off His Toe (Rock the Cradle Joe)


DESCRIPTION: "Uncle Joe cut off his toe And hung it up to dry; And all the girls began to laugh And Joe began to cry." "Rock the cradle, rock the cradle, Rock the cradle, Joe...." Remaining verses, if any, appear to float; those quoted are characteristic
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: nonballad injury floatingverses playparty
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
BrownIII 97, "Uncle Joe Cut Off His Toe" (3 texts plus mention of 2 more, but "B" is probably "Shady Grove"; "A" is an incredible mix with verses typical of "Raccoon," "If I Had a Scolding Wife," a "Liza Jane" song, a mule song, and "Shady Grove")
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 153-154, "Cradle Song" (1 text)
Roud #741
File: Br3097

Uncle John -- The Sealer, 1951


DESCRIPTION: "Among the sealers who came home... was... Uncle John, As mad as he could be." John complains of the new law which allows sealing to begin before March 13, forcing them to take seals too young. He will not rest till the old law is restored
AUTHOR: Solomon Samson?
EARLIEST DATE: 1963 (A Glimpse of Newfoundland in Poetry and Pictures)
KEYWORDS: hunting political
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ryan/Small, p. 154, "Uncle John -- The Sealer, 1951" (1 text)
File: RySm154

Uncle John is Sick Abed


DESCRIPTION: "Uncle John is sick abed, What shall we send him? Three good wishes, three good kisses, And a slice of ginger bread." "Who shall we send it by?" "[Player's name], so they say, goes a-couring night and day... And takes Miss [name] for his bride."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Wolford)
KEYWORDS: courting playparty food disease
FOUND IN: US(MW,So) Britain
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph 678, "Ride About, Ride About" (1 text plus a fragment, 1 tune; the "B" text starts with a stanza of this though the "A" text and the last two stanzas of "B" appear to be something unrelated)
Roud #13080
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Cockabendy" (lyrics, theme)
cf. "Yankee Doodle" (tune)
NOTES: This is rather a puzzling piece. Roud lumps it with the old Scots game of "Cockabendie," collected several times by Grieg, Certainly they share lyrics, and both are game songs. The overall text, however, is fairly distinct. Randolph's version begins with a verse from this, then goes off on what appears a different game -- and yet many of the lyrics appear in Gomme's "Uncle Tom is Very Sick."
If we take as our starting point the line "Uncle X is sick abed," we find that one of the few coherent versions is Wolford's, which is used as the basis for the description here. She describes her version as a kissing game, though the figures have been lost. The tune is "Yankee Doodle."
Laura Ingalls Wilder, On the Banks of Plum Creek, chapter 21 (p. 159 of the paperback edition) has a version which is very similar to Wolford's but shorter -- and peculiar, since it appears to have *ten* lines, not eight or 12 or 16.
This raises an interesting question: Wilder seems to imply that her version is a ring game, not a kissing game. But Laura disliked kissing games, and once brushed off a suitor because he put his arm around her waist (see John E. Miller, Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend, University of Misouri Press, 1998, p. 64. If you want a measure of how sexually conservative Laura was, consider the fact that, at the end of their lives, she and her husband had separate beds even though the evidence is strong that she still loved him -- after he died, she preferred to sleep in his bed! -- Miller, p. 251).
Also, if this were the same as "Cockabendie," how did it end up being sung to the tune of "Yankee Doodle" -- hardly a Scottish tune!
My tentative conclusions:
1. That this song, though from the same roots as "Cockabendie," is now so distinct as to deserve separate filing.
2. That it was known as a kissing game, even to Wilder
3. That Wilder really did play it in Walnut Grove, Minnesota -- why else cite it at that point, since she would presumably have disapproved of the song? - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: LIWUJISA

Uncle John's Fiddle


DESCRIPTION: Uncle John -- "the greatest performer that ever was known" -- died and left the singer his wonderful fiddle. He describes his uncle's feats, his fiddle's miraculous attributes and, now, his own playing feats which are not quite as good as his uncle's.
AUTHOR: James Davidson (source: Greig)
EARLIEST DATE: 1861 (Davidson, Poems: Chiefly in the Buchan Dialect, according to GreigDuncan4)
KEYWORDS: death fiddle music humorous
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig #30, p. 2, "Uncle John's Fiddle"; Greig #38, pp. 1-2, "Uncle John's Fiddle" (2 texts)
GreigDuncan4 742, "Uncle John's Fiddle" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Roud #5641
NOTES: Greig: "Mr John Milne, Maud, says he first heard 'Uncle John's Fiddle' some time between 1856 and 1860, when it was sung into popularity by Wm. M'Kay, Bransbog, Strichen, and other local singers. 'Uncle John' was an eccentric character and well known in the district. He was no fiddler, and Davidson is simply making fun of his attempts at playing." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD4742

Uncle Ned


DESCRIPTION: Uncle Ned was so old when he died that he had no wool (hair) on his head, no teeth, and was blind. Even so, both his fellow-slaves and his owners grieved at his death
AUTHOR: Stephen C. Foster
EARLIEST DATE: 1848 (copyright)
KEYWORDS: death mourning slave
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Randolph 261, "Uncle Ned" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 223-225, "Uncle Ned" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 261)
BrownIII 420, "Uncle Ned" (2 texts plus an exaggerated parody, "There was an ancient colored individual, and his cognomen was Uncle Edward")
Thomas-Makin', pp. 236-237, ("Uncle Ned") (1 fragment plus a Great Depression parod noting that "All the Democrats are working on the State Highway Job And the Republicans are all on Relief")
ST R261 (Full)
Roud #4871
RECORDINGS:
Elda Blackwood, "Uncle Ned" [fragment] (on USWarnerColl01)
Fiddlin' John Carson, "Old Uncle Ned" (OKeh 40263, 1925; rec. 1924)
Al Hopkins & his Buckle Busters, "Old Uncle Ned" (Brunswick 300, 1929; rec. 1928)
Uncle Dave Macon, "Uncle Ned" (Vocalion 5011, 1926)
Harry "Haywire Mac" McClintock, "Darkie Uncle Ned" (on McClintock02)
Chubby Parker, "Uncle Ned" (Silvertone 25103, 1927; Supertone 9192, 1928)
Leake County Revelers, "Uncle Ned" (Columbia 15470-D, 1929)
Oscar Seagle, "Uncle Ned" (Columbia A-3582, 1922)
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y4:0048, "Uncle Ned," unknown, 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Johnny Walk Along to Hilo" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Way Down on the Old Peedee" (plot)
SAME TUNE:
Uncle Ned's Ghost (broadside Murray, Mu23-y1:011, "Uncle Ned's Ghost," J. Bristow (Glasgow), no date; a sequel to this song describing Ned's afterlife)
Dere Was a Little Man, and His Name was Stevy Dug (Campaign song for Abraham Lincoln, 1870, quoted in Bruce Catton, _The Coming Fury_, p. 93)
NOTES: Randolph, following White, says this song is common in African-American tradition, but collections from tradition (Black or White) seem relatively few. (And it's hard to see why African-Americans would make it their own, given its obvious pro-slavery bias. White found several versions, and Talley had one much-modified text, but that's about it for collections from non-Whites.) Brown had a genuine collection; Randolph also has one, plus there is also a fragment in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods (chapter 5). But the latter two versions, we might note, have Ozark connections.
This was one of Foster's very earliest pieces, and one of his first big hits. According to Bernard DeVoto, The Year of Decision: 1846, Little, Brown and Company, 1943, p. 134, 'in March of [1846] a twenty-year-old Pittsburg youth failed of appointment at West Point, and so at the end of the year he went to keep books in his brother's commission house at Cincinnati. He took with him the manuscripts of three songs, all apparently written in this year, all compact of the minstrel-nigger tradition. One celebrates a lubly collud gal, Lou'siana Belle. In another an old nigger has no wool on the top of his head in the place whar de wool ought to grow.... And in the third American pioneering was to find its leitmotif for all time: it was 'Oh Susanna!'"
This is one of the first pieces Foster had published; he *gave* it to W. C. Peter, who proceeded to sell thousands of copies without giving Foster royalties. - RBW
File: R261

Uncle Reuben


DESCRIPTION: "Uncle Reuben caught a coon, done gone, Chick-a-chick, done gone... and left me here behind." Assorted verses about animals, hunting, love: "Rabbit running through the grass, Foxes close behind, Trees and weeds and cockleburrs Is all the foxes find"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1973
KEYWORDS: animal hunting nonballad floatingverses
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Silber-FSWB, p. 38, "Uncle Reuben" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Possum Up a Gum Stump" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Uncle Eph" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This seems to be almost purely floating verses (e.g. "Possum up a 'simmon tree..."), but the collection as a whole does not seem to go with any other song, and so it gets its own listing.
Paul Stamler has suggested that this is a version of "Uncle Eph." They probably have some common ancestry. But this is less of a talltale, and the form is different, so I tentatively split them -- at least until I find out where the Silber version came from. (A perpetual problem with Silber.) - RBW
Silber's version almost certainly came from folk-revival singer Tom Glazer, who recorded it in the early 1950s on his album "Olden Balads." The "Chick-a-chick" is the most important clue. My guess is that Glazer conflated "Uncle Eph" and some floaters. - PJS
File: FSWB038

Uncle Sam Simmie


See There Was an Old Woman and She Had a Little Pig (File: E068)

Uncle Sam's Farm


DESCRIPTION: "Of all the mighty nations in the east or in the west, Oh this glorious Yankee nation is the greatest and the best... Here's a general invitation to the people of the world." The singer promises them farms, lists the U.S. boundaries, praises its freedom
AUTHOR: The Hutchinson family (credited to Jesse Hutchinson Jr.)
EARLIEST DATE: 1850 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: political nonballad America technology work
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 20, 1862 - President Lincoln signs the Homestead Act
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
BrownIII 399, "Uncle Sam's Farm" (1 text)
DT, USFARM
ADDITIONAL: James Taylor Dunn, _The St. Croix: Midwest Border River_, reprint edition with new introduction published 1979 by the Minnesota Historical Society press, p. 58, [no title] (1 fragment, which he dates to the Civil War and which has an addendum stating that the farm is in Polk County in northwestern Wisconsin, i.e. in the same county as St. Croix Falls and Balsam Lake)
Roud #4556
NOTES: The statement, "Uncle Sam's rich enough to give us all a farm" appears to refer to the Homestead Act, allowing anyone to acquire western land for a nominal fee. Obviously it dates from before 1923, when the U. S. effectively closed its doors to immigrants.
It will be noted that the song seems to predate the Homestead Act. It does not, however, predate the idea of a homestead act. J. G. Randall's The Civil War and Reconstruction (second edition by David Donald, Heath, 1961), p. 81, notes that "Southern congressmen repeatedly helped defeat homestead legislation which would have encouraged free-soil settlement of the national territories." Once the South was out of Congress due to the Civil War, the act passed.
Laura Ingalls Wilder quotes a snippet of this in chapter seven of By the Shores of Silver Lake; she does not follow the Hutchinson Family words very closely. I find myself wondering what Laura -- who was quite conservative -- would have thought of the song had she realized that it was by those radical egalitarian liberals the Hutchinsons. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Br3399

Uncle Tahiah


See Aged Indian, The (Uncle Tohido) (File: LPnd124)

Unconstant Lover (I), The


See The Nobleman's Wedding (The Faultless Bride; The Love Token) [Laws P31] (File: LP31)

Unconstant Lover (II), The


See On Top of Old Smokey (File: BSoF740)

Undaunted Female, The (The Box Upon Her Head; The Staffordshire Maid; The Maid and the Robber) [Laws L3]


DESCRIPTION: A servant girl sets out for home to help her father. She meets a robber and kills him. She meets another stranger who returns with her to the body. They find a whistle which summons more robbers. Girl and stranger dispose of them and agree to marry
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1825 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.17(446))
KEYWORDS: outlaw marriage
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar) Britain(England,Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws L3, "The Undaunted Female"
Greig #35, p. 2, "The Maid and the Robber" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 268, "The Maid and the Robber" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Mackenzie 130, "The Box Upon Her Head" (1 text)
BBI, ZN514, "Come all ye young gallants and listen a while" (?)
DT 419, MAIDROBR
Roud #289
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.17(446), "The Undaunted Female" ("It's of a fair damsel in London did dwell"), W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Harding B 11(3939), Firth c.17(22), Firth c.17(23), Johnson Ballads 610, Firth b.25(41/42), Johnson Ballads 3154, Firth c.26(47), Harding B 11(3940), Harding B 11(3934), Harding B 11(3935), Harding B 11(3941), Harding B 11(3937), Harding B 11(3936), Harding B 16(292c), 2806 d.31(40), 2806 c.17(448), 2806 c.17(447), Harding B 20(229), Harding B 25(1962), "The Undaunted Female"; Harding B 1(99), "The Tinker and Stafforshire Maid" ("Come all you bold Britons and listen awhile"), J. Jennings (London), 1790-1840
Murray, Mu23-y1:052, "The Undaunted Female," James Lindsay (Glasgow), 19C
File: LL03

Under Her Apron


See Aneath My Apron (File: KinBB21)

Under the Garden Wall


DESCRIPTION: The singer spies a man and a maid under or over the garden wall. The two have sex, leaving the spy sexually aroused and unfulfilled.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: bawdy sex hiding
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 535-537, "Under the Garden Wall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #8382
File: RL535

Under the Greenwood Tree


DESCRIPTION: "In summertime, when flow'rs do spring, And birds sit on the tree, Let Lords and Knights say what they will, There's none so merry as we. There's Will and Moll, with Harry and Doll, and Tom and bonny Bettee... Under the greenwood tree
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1686 (The Dancing Master)
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Chappell/Wooldridge II, pp. 53-54, "Oh, How They Frisk It, or, Leather Apron, or Under the Greenwood Tree" (1 tune; partial text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Dame Durden" (form)
cf. "Widdicombe Fair (II)" (form)
SAME TUNE:
cf. Bronson's notes to "Robin Hood and the Monk" [Child 119]
NOTES: This may not be traditional, but it appears to be the earliest example of this form of "lusty lads and lasses are merry" sort of song, so I put it in here for cross-reference purposes. - RBW
File: ChWIII053

Under the Juniper Tree


See The Juniper Tree (File: R540)

Under the Leaves


See The Seven Virgins (The Leaves of Life) (File: OBB111)

Under the Moon One Thing I Crave


DESCRIPTION: She says, "without you, nothing I find That can bring contentment to my mind." She complains that he is hard hearted but she'll "be like unto yon dove that's chaste." He says he loves her and he'll cross hills and mountains and the sea to be with her.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1875 (GreigDuncan8)
KEYWORDS: love dialog nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan8 1543, "Under the Moon One Thing I Crave" (1 text plus several lines on p. 380, 2 tunes)
Roud #8282
File: GrD81543

Under the Pale Moonlight


See Out In the Moonlight (I Will Love Thee Always) (File: R803)

Under the Shade of a Bonny Green Tree


See Tripping Over the Lea [Laws P19] (File: LP19)

Under the Willow She's Sleeping (The Willow Tree)


DESCRIPTION: "Under the willow she's laid with care (Sang a lone mother while weeping,) Under the willow with golden hair, My little one's quietly sleeping. Fair, fair and golden hair...." The mother laments that the girl sings and plays no more
AUTHOR: Stephen C. Foster
EARLIEST DATE: 1860 (sheet music)
KEYWORDS: death love burial mother children
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Belden, p. 484, "Under the Willow" (1 text)
Randolph 711, "The Willow Tree" (1 text, a fragment which Randolph calls "pretty close" to the Foster song, although it has only a few phrases found in the original Foster text)
Saunders/Root-Foster 2, pp. 89-92+427, "Under the Willow She's Sleeping" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7377
File: R711

Under the Willow Tree


See Bury Me Beneath the Willow (File: R747)

Underneath Her Apron


See Gathering Rushes in the Month of May (Underneath Her Apron) (File: DTundrap)

Undutiful Daughter, The


See Gosport Beach (The Undutiful Daughter) (File: SWMS127)

Unemployment Insurance


DESCRIPTION: "I'm sitting here waiting for the mail" with my unemployment insurance cheque. "I go into the office to fill out my claim, Praying to Jesus the jobs will be few." The cheque arrives. "Dear Lord.... If you find work for someone I sure hope it's not me!"
AUTHOR: Alton MacLean
EARLIEST DATE: 1982 (Ives-DullCare)
KEYWORDS: unemployment political humorous nonballad
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ives-DullCare, pp. 219-221, 256, "Unemployment Insurance" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13999
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Catch of the Season" (theme)
NOTES: Ives-DullCare: "Ten weeks of summer work could be sufficient for a person to file. Then -- after the obligatory but painful six-week waiting period -- the cheques would start coming, and they could very well carry a person through the whole winter and even up to the next summer season, but, of course, the claimant was obligated to be 'actively seeking work' all that time. The song suggests that perhaps not everyone operates fully within the spirit of this program." - BS
File: IvDC219

Unfinished Letter, The


See The Last Letter (File: GrMa101)

Unfortunate Boot, The


DESCRIPTION: A blacksmith is courting Jessie when two farmers rap on her window to court her and her sister. He hides, thinking it is her father, but runs off with one of their boots when the sex resumes. In the snow next day one brother had to carry the other home
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1908 (GreigDuncan2)
KEYWORDS: sex trick humorous
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan2 315, "The Unfortunate Boot" (2 texts)
Roud #5867
NOTES: In the ballad the blacksmith is called "Vulcan." The whole tale then becomes an analog for the Hephaestus/Vulcan, Aphrodite, Ares triangle in which Hephaestus uncovers the illicit affair between the other two and exposes them to public ridicule.
GreigDuncan2: "Written about 1852" about events the previous year at Pitnycalder in the parish of Aberdour. The notes name the participants. - BS
"The love of Ares and Aphrodite crowned with flowers" occurs first in the Odyssey, told as a tale in book VIII, starting around line 300. It was a popular tale, and came to the Latin-speaking world, e.g., through Ovid, Metamorphoses, book IV, starting around 170. I have to wonder how a folk poet would know about it, though. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD2315

Unfortunate Man (II), The


See The Warranty Deed (The Wealthy Old Maid) [Laws H24] (File: LH24)

Unfortunate Man, The


DESCRIPTION: The "unfortunate man" has all sorts of troubles. His sweetheart jilts him. He runs off with another man's wife, but is quickly captured. His friends cheat him. Now he can only hope a girl will "think more of my heart than she did of my face."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: courting separation adultery punishment trick loneliness
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Randolph 440, "The Unfortunate Man" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 319-320, "The Unfortunate Man" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 440A)
DT, UNFORTU2*
Roud #6367
NOTES: Not to be confused with the pop folk song "The Warranty Deed" (sometimes known as "The Unfortunate Man" or "The Very Unfortunate Man") about the poor lawyer and the disassembleable woman. - RBW, PJS
File: R440

Unfortunate Miss Bailey


DESCRIPTION: Captain Smith seduces Miss Bailey, who hangs herself. One night her ghost returns and upbraids him, saying she's been ill-used, and the parson won't bury her. The captain gives her money to bribe the sexton, whereupon she vanishes, content.
AUTHOR: George Colman
EARLIEST DATE: 1840 (broadside by Such of London)
KEYWORDS: seduction suicide humorous nightvisit ghost soldier
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond)) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Friedman, p. 54, "Unfortunate Miss Bailey" (1 text)
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 183-185, "Unfortunate Miss Bailey" (1 text, 1 tune)
PBB 88, "Unfortunate Miss Bailey" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 182, "Unfortunate Miss Bailey" (1 text)
DT, BAILYGHO
Roud #4549
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Hard B 25(1257), "Miss Bailey's Ghost," J. Evans (London), 1780-1812 [only partly legible]; also probably Harding B 25(1869), "Unfortunate Miss Bailey," J. Jennings (London), 1790-1840 [illegible]
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Hunters of Kentucky" [Laws A25] (tune)
NOTES: This song is variously credited to George Colman the elder (1732-1794) and George Colman the younger (1762-1836). As it appears in the latter's play "Love Laughs at Locksmiths," the younger seems a stronger candidate. - RBW
File: FR054

Unfortunate Rake (II), The


See The Streets of Laredo [Laws B1] (File: LB01)

Unfortunate Rake, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer meets a young man/woman wrapped in flannel. The young person says that he/she is dying, originally of syphilis but in some versions of wounds or unspecified disease. The young person requests an elaborate military funeral.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1790
KEYWORDS: disease death dying funeral lament whore
FOUND IN: Britain (England(All),Scotland(Aber)) Ireland US(Ap)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
GreigDuncan7 1404, "Disordered" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Vaughan Williams/Lloyd, p. 108, "The Young Girl Cut Down In Her Prime" (1 text, 1 tune)
SharpAp 131, "St. James's Hospital, or The Sailor Cut Down in his Prime" (2 texts, 2 tunes, but the "B" text really belongs with "Streets of Laredo")
Silber-FSWB, p. 217, "Young Man Cut Down In His Prime (St. James Hospital)" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, p. 5, "The Unfortunate Rake" (1 text)
Roud #2
RECORDINGS:
Harry Cox, "The Young Sailor Cut Down in His Prime" (on FieldTrip1)
Texas Gladden, "One Morning in May" (AFS, 1941; on LCTreas)
A. L. Lloyd, "St. James's Hospital" (on Lloyd2, Lloyd3)
Pete Seeger, "St. James Hospital" (on PeteSeeger16)
BROADSIDES:
Murray, Mu23-y4:039, "The Unfortunate Lad," unknown, 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Streets of Laredo" [Laws B1] (tune & meter, plot) and references there
cf. "The Bad Girl's Lament (St. James' Hospital; The Young Girl Cut Down in her Prime) [Laws Q26] (tune & meter, plot)
cf. "The Sailor Cut Down in His Prime" (tune & meter, plot)
cf. "My Home's in Montana" (tune, floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Unfortunate Lad
The Whores of the City
NOTES: Syphilis first appeared in Europe in epidemic form, with devastating effects, in the early 1500s. It was often treated with compounds of mercury, mentioned in some versions of the song.
Clearly this is the ancestral ballad to "The Bad Girl's Lament", "St. James Infirmary", "The Whore's Lament", "Streets of Laredo", "The Dying Marine", etc. -PJS
Silber & Silber subtitle their text "St. James Hospital," since the name is mentioned in the text. This title, however, seems to be associated primarily with the "Bad Girl's Lament."
Archaeological findings indicate that syphilis had a long history in the Americas, but what seem to be the oldest cases in Europe date from 1494-1495, during a French incursion into what is now Italy (Kohn, p. 106). It has been speculated that Columbus's sailors brought it back from the New World after their extensive relations with the women of the Carribean.
At least a few versions refer to dosing syphilis with "arsenic and salts of white mercury." Mercury as a cure is older, as Paul notes; according to Le Couteur/Burreston, p. 187, the earliest use of mercury against syphilis apparently go back to about the beginning of the sixteenth century. It was a cure nearly as bad as the disease: "[M]ercury could hardly be considered a magic bullet for syphilis, as it often killed its patients. Victims died of heart failure, dehydration, and suffocation during the process of being heated in an oven while breathing mercury fumes. If one survived this procedure, typical symptoms of mercury poisoning -- loss of hair and teeth, uncontrolled drooling, anemia, depression, and kidney and liver failure -- took their toll" (Le Couteur/Burreston, pp, 186-187).
Consumption of mercury salts was perhaps slightly better, but not much. The use of the "corrosive sublimate" of mercury (i.e. HgCl2) as a treatment for syphilis goes back to the late fifteenth century (Emsley, pp. 255-256). Henry VIII and Robert Burns are among those found to have had high levels of mercury in their bodies at the time of their death, possibly due to treatments for venereal disease (Emsley, p. 257).
Arsenic was also used in various medicines during the nineteenth century and earlier, some of them effective but mostly, like mercury, more dangerous than helpful. Arsenic as a true remedy for syphilis came into use in 1909, when Paul Ehrlich found arsphenamine (Salvarsan) to be effective; it remained in use until the coming of penicillin (Emsley, p. 42; Timbrell, p. 224). Ehrlich had earlier discovered dyes which stained some cells and not others; he thought it would therefore be possible to find the "magic bullet" which could attack bacteria or diseased cells while leaving ordinary cells alone. (He eventually called this "chemotherapy.") He didn't have much luck; arsphenamine was his #606, which failed to do any good against the target organisms (trypanosomes) -- but a few years later was found to be effective against spirochaetes, the syphilis organism (Porter, pp. 204-205). This obviously dates the arsenic and mercury stanzas before 1909, when the first real cure came out. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: VWL108

Unfortunate Shepherdess, The


See The Young Shepherd (I) (File: CrMa108)

Unfortunate Swain, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer goes to a meadow to pick a rose and asks why he must "love a girl that will break my heart." He will love only her. "He that loves an unkind maid, I am sure he strives against the stream" When she dies he will still think about her.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1975 (recording, Jasper Smith)
KEYWORDS: love separation death ship flowers grief floatingverses nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond))
Roud #60
RECORDINGS:
Jasper Smith, "Down In The Meadow" (on Voice11)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 22(312), "The Unfortunate Swain" ("Down in a meadow fair and gay"), unknown, n.d.
NOTES: The description is from broadside Bodleian Harding B 22(312).
Roud puts this with "Love Has Brought Me to Despair" [Laws P25]. I agree that it shares floating verses with the family of songs Roud lumps together under that number. If I had only the Jasper Smith version on Voice11 I would have done the same. The broadside Bodleian Harding B 22(312), has (almost) the same first verse and shares the remaining two verses of Smith's version including one that I haven't seen among the floaters:
A ship there is that sails the sea.
She's loaded deep as deep can be,
But not so deep as the love I'm in.
I care not whether I sink or swim.
The broadside makes it clear that the man of the couple is the singer. It ends
When my love is dead and at her rest
I'll think of her whom I love best.
To wrap her up in linen strong
I'll think of her when dead and gone.
Smith's version seems so likely to have come directly from this or a closely related broadside that I think I am justified in making the broadside and its derivative a separate song. - BS
File: RcUSDitM

Ung Sjoman Forlustar Sig, En (A Young Seaman Enjoys Himself)


DESCRIPTION: Swedish shanty. Sailor meets a maid in a meadow, suggests that they make a bed of roses. By morning the roses have faded, and with them the girl's beauty. She begs him to marry her anyway, he refuses saying his ship is ready to sail.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1840 (Gavle)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage shanty sailor courting betrayal abandonment beauty
FOUND IN: Sweden
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hugill, pp. 530-532, "En Ung Sjoman Forlustar Sig" (2 texts-Swedish & English, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Trooper and Maid" [Child 299] (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Sjomans Visa Fram Bohuslan (Finnish or Swedish version)
Ein Junger Sesmann Schlenderte (German version)
NOTES: Hugill took this from Sternvall's "Sang under Segel", and added a note that the oldest known written version is from Gavle, 1840. He mentions several versions of this found in various Scandinavian countries. - SL
File: Hugi530

Unhappy Jeremiah (The Brats of Jeremiah)


DESCRIPTION: The singer, Jeremiah, takes a wife. But soon she turns her attention from her husband to a lodger. She bears two children, but "they did not look... one bit like Jeremiah." At last she runs off with the lodger, "and left the brats for Jeremiah"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1858
KEYWORDS: family children husband wife infidelity
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
FSCatskills 134, "The Brats of Jeremiah" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST FSC134 (Partial)
Roud #4610
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Rocking the Cradle (and the Child Not His Own)" (plot)
cf. "Hush-a-Bye, Baby" (plot)
File: FSC134

Unicorn


DESCRIPTION: The orphaned singer is "going home to the old country" as a sailor on Unicorn. It is hard work and hard bread for twelve days to Liverpool. At Glasgow "girls were very kind ... I bid farewell To the darned old Unicorn"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1932 (Creighton-NovaScotia)
KEYWORDS: rambling sea ship sailor floatingverses
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Creighton-NovaScotia 149, "Unicorn" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST CrNS149 (Partial)
Roud #1844
NOTES: This song is item dD46 in Laws's Appendix II. - BS
Although this seems to be an independent song, I've given it the keyword "floatingverses" because so many of the lines are commonplace. - RBW
File: CrNS149

Union Boy, The


DESCRIPTION: "When first I arrived in Quirindi, those girls they jumped with joy, Saying one unto another, 'Here comes a Union boy.'" A girl falls in love with him. Her father says that he was once a scab. She says he has joined the union and is reformed.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1956
KEYWORDS: labor-movement courting
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 256-257, "The Union Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, p. 117, "The Union Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Maids of Simcoe (Ontario)" (tune, floating lyrics)
cf. "True-Born Irish Man (With My Swag All on My Shoulder; The True-Born Native Man)" (floating lyrics)
File: MA256

Union from St John's, The


DESCRIPTION: On December 18 a heavy storm drives the Union ashore. A rescue team boards the next morning and finds "three frozen seamen lashed to the pumps while six in her cabin lay cold."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Peacock); 19C (broadside, LOCSinging as114210)
KEYWORDS: death sea ship storm wreck
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf) US(NE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Peacock, pp. 978-980, "The Union from St John's" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Lehr/Best 112, "The Wreck of the Union" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Roud #4371
BROADSIDES:
LOCSinging, as114210, "Union of St. Johns," L. Deming (New York), 19C
NOTES: Broadside LOCSinging as114210, as well as one cited by Lehr/Best as being printed in Minstrelsy of Maine by Eckstorm and Smyth, have the site as Mt Desert Rock. There is a Mount Desert Rock in Maine which has been the site of a number of wrecks; there have also been a number of [ships named] Union with St John's registry wrecked; I cannot find any Union wrecked at Mount Desert Rock, or wrecked around February 9 (the date in the broadside), or November 18 or January 14 (the date in Lehr/Best versions A and B, respectively).
Eckstrom and Smythe Minstrelsy of Maine: "nobody knew it, but only knew someone else who used to know it. [One of the three] leaders in popularity among the shipwreck songs of the Maine coast ... About 1904, Mr Walter M Hady ... learned that the Union was a brig, wrecked off the Maine coast at least as early as 1837 .... [One broadside] may yet show that the wreck of the Union dates back into the eighteen-twenties." ( pp. 270, 276, 280). Unfortunately the broadside at America Singing is undated (printed by L Deming, No 62 Hanover Street, Boston). It would be nice to be able to date it early enough to rule out the Dec 21, 1884 wreck of the schooner Union, registered at St John, NB, at Mt Desert Island en route from New York to St John. (source: Northern Shipwrecks Database). - BS
File: Pea978

Union Girl, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer oversees a shearer talking with a girl. He is trying to con her into sleeping with him, pointing out that he can get rich as a scab during a strike. [Remainder omitted because Meredith & Anderson refused to print it]
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: scab money seduction
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 201-202, "The Union Girl" (1 text)
File: MA201A

Union Volunteer, The


See The Bold Privateer [Laws O32] (File: LO32)

Union We'll Maintain, The


DESCRIPTION: "Ye loyal sons of Ulster, why slumber and be still? Once more your rebel foemen demand a Home Rule Bill." "Had they an Irish Parliament, 'twere '98 again" "Forbid it ... the Union we'll maintain." Remember Bloody Mary; remember Derry and the Boyne.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1987 (OrangeLark)
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad political
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OrangeLark 19, "The Union We'll Maintain" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Home Rule for Ireland" (subject: the quest for Home Rule)
cf. "A Loyal Song Against Home Rule" (subject: opposition to Home Rule)
NOTES: William Ewart Gladstone became British prime minister in 1868 and supported Home Rule for Ireland. He introduced his first Home Rule Bill, which was defeated, in 1885. His second Home Rule Bill was defeated in 1893. (source: "Home Rule" on the Irelandseye site) - BS
The invocation to remember Bloody Mary is, at best, pretty improbable. Mary Tudor (reigned 1553-1558) was a Catholic who did violently punish Protestants, but
1. She ruled very little of Ireland; it was not until Elizabeth came along that large parts of Ireland were conquered
2. There were effectively no Protestants in Ireland at the time
3. Mary Tudor did not rule Scotland, and most Ulster Protestants were Scots brought in in the aftermath of Elizabeth's conquest
For the siege of (London)derry, see the notes to "The Shutting of the Gates of Derry." For the Battle of the Boyne, see "The Battle of the Boyne (I)." For extensive background on home rule, and the opposition to it, see "A Loyal Song Against Home Rule." - RBW
File: OrLa019

Union, The


DESCRIPTION: "How did they pass the Union?" Perjury and fraud. Pitt and Castlereagh used pitchcap, bayonet, gibbet and rack. "How thrive we by the Union?" Ruined trade, wealth decayed and slavery. "And shall it last?" "All Ireland thunders, No!" We'll conquer again
AUTHOR: Sliabh Cuilinn (said to be John O'Hagan, according to Sparling, _Irish Minstrelsy_, pp. 505,508)(source: Moylan)
EARLIEST DATE: 2000 (Moylan)
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad political
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1801 - Act of Union of Ireland and Great Britain
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 151, "The Union" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Moylan: "This piece was published in The Nation [; it was composed "around the 1840s or 50s"].... The Act of Union of Ireland and Great Britain was passed in the Irish Parliament on the 1st of August 1800.... Its passage was assured by the exercise of an extraordinary amount of bribery and corruption, even for that time and place."
"Pitch capping": filling a cap with boiling pitch and putting it on a peasant's head. (source: "The Search for Weapons" in 1798 Rebellion at Rathregan National School site). [This is, in fact, the milder form of pitch capping: Kee, p. 98, describes the more extreme form, in which the pitch was allowed to harden slightly, then set fire. This naturally increased the torture greatly, and generally caused permanent scarring of the scalp and loss of hair. It was not generally fatal, but even George W. Bush would surely call it torture. - RBW]
Sparling, Irish Minstrelsy p. 505: re John O'Hagan (1822-1890) "The splendid ringing songs and heartful poems which appeared in the Nation over the nom de plume of 'Sliabh Cuilinn' have often roused inquiry as to their author, but although attributed with great probability to Judge O'Hagan, have never been publicly acknowledged by him."
The 1801 "Act of Union" was supported by Pitt and Robert Stewart (Lord Castlereagh). Pitt was Prime Minister and Castlereach was his Itish chief secretary. The Act formed the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" and abolished the Dublin Parliament. (sources: Act of Union on the Spartacus Educational site site) - BS
We should note that the song is inaccurate in its charges -- though the true story is hardly better. The British did use torture (pitch-capping, half-hanging) in suppressing the 1798 rebellion (though the Irish too committed their share of atrocities, notably at Scullabogue).
But, just as no violence was used to pass the Union of England and Scotland a century earlier, no torture was involved in passing the Irish Act of Union -- because there was no need for popular support. The English simply had to bribe enough members of the Irish parliament to pull it off. The bribes were huge -- viceroy Cornwallis would confess, "I despise and hate myself for every hour engaging in such work" (Kee, p. 159; Golway, p. 90; for the general chicanery involved, see those sources or Fry/Fry, pp. 209-212 and after). But Cornwallis and (especially) Castlereigh bought enough peers to eventually pass Union.
It is ironic to note that, around 1770, the American colonies had desperately wanted Union (that is, a place in Parliament), and had been denied it; the Irish despised Union, and had it forced upon them. British colonial policy was an amazing thing.... - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: Moyl151

Unite and Be Free


DESCRIPTION: "The right hand of friendship to you I'll extend" no matter what Trade or Religion if you love Union. Reject the kings and "dupes of a priest" who say "divide and conquer": "Hibernians were made to unite and be free"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1796 (_Paddy's Resource_(Belfast), according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: Ireland nonballad political freedom
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 23, "Unite and Be Free" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: From the date, this presumably was a reference to the United Irishmen who were largely responsible for the 1798 rebellion. - RBW
File: Moyl023

Unknown Pine Log Rider, The


DESCRIPTION: Joe Muldoon is trapped by a log drive but a stranger rides a pine log to rescue him from "the rushing roaring timber pack." He "hurtled Muldoon upon the land ... Then disappeared and left no name"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1965 (Ives-NewBrunswick)
KEYWORDS: rescue river recitation logger
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ives-NewBrunswick, pp. 177-178, "The Unknown Pine Log Rider" (1 text)
Roud #1966
File: IvNB177

Unquiet Grave, The [Child 78]


DESCRIPTION: After a young man dies/is killed, his lover mourns by his grave for a year and a day and beyond. This prevents the dead man from resting. He comes to his sweetheart begging for release
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1832 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.17(460))
KEYWORDS: ghost mourning freedom
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,NE,SE) Britain(England(All),Scotland) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (25 citations):
Child 78, "The Unquiet Grave" (7 texts)
Bronson 78, "The Unquiet Grave" (43 versions+9, mostly tunes only, in addenda)
Leather, pp. 202-203, "Cold Blows the Wind; or, The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune, from different informants) {Bronson's #12}
Flanders/Olney, pp. 232-233, "Cold Blows the Wind" (1 text, 1 tune)
Flanders-Ancient2, pp. 184-186, ""The Unquiet Grave (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's }
Davis-More 22, pp. 157-160, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
BrownII 24, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
Ritchie-Southern, p. 58, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Greenleaf/Mansfield 10, "The Unquiet Grave" (2 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #36, #31}
Peacock, pp. 410-412, "The Unquiet Grave" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 10, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
Blondahl, p. 111, "The Auld Song From Cow Head" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 262-263, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
OBB 34, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
Friedman, p. 32, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune)
PBB 31, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
Sharp-100E 24, "The Unquiet Grave (or Cold Blows the Wind)" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #35}
Hodgart, p. 146, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
TBB 30, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
Niles 32, "The Unquiet Grave" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 40-41, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #36}
Silber-FSWB, p. 218, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
Darling-NAS, pp. 31-32, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
DT 78, UNQUIGR1* UNQUIGR2*
ADDITIONAL: Walter de la Mare, _Come Hither_, revised edition, 1928; #371, "The Unquiet Grave" (1 text)
Roud #51
RECORDINGS:
Omar Blondahl, "The Auld Ballad from Cow Head" (on NFOBlondahl04) [fragment]
New Lost City Ramblers, "The Unquiet Grave" (on NLCR16)
Jean Ritchie, "The Unquiet Grave" (on JRitchie02)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, 2806 c.17(460), "The Weeping Lover," W. Wright (Birmingham), 1820-1831; also 2806 c.17(461), "The Weeping Lover"; Firth c.18(123), Harding B 11(634), "Cold Blows the Wind"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Twa Brothers" [Child 49] (lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Wind Blew Up, the Wind Blew Down
The Resurrected Sweetheart
The Green Grave
The Restless Dead
The Restless Grave
Charles Graeme
Cold Falling Drops of Dew
Cold Blows the Winter's Winds
NOTES: Bronson speculates that a version of this inspired the carol "There blows a colde wynd todaye, todaye" (c. 1500; in MS Bodl. 7683=Ashmole 1379; Brown/Robbins Index #3525; for texts see Stevick-MEL 93; Luria & Hoffman, Middle English Lyrics #166, though the two offer noticeably different texts of the same unique original). I must say that I find this a stretch; the similarities are slight indeed.
The notion that excessive mourning (usually meaning mourning for more than a year and a day) results in the ghost being unable to rest is at least hinted at in several other songs, the most noteworthy being "The Wife of Usher's Well" [Child 79]. - RBW
File: C078

Unwilling Bride, The


See The Holly Twig [Laws Q6]; also The Wife Wrapped in Wether's Skin [Child 277] (File: LQ06)

Up


DESCRIPTION: It's Spring. The birds united in song are Up. Plants, flowers, weeds are Up. Trees, brambles, crops, frogs, cocks all are Up. "The progress of this rising rage, No human power can stop. Then Tyrants, cease your war to wage, For Nature will be -- Up"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1797 (_Northern Star_, according to Moylan)
KEYWORDS: flowers animal bird nonballad political
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Moylan 77, "Up" (1 text)
NOTES: Moylan: "The word 'Up' was a password of the United Irishmen." - BS
Unfortunately for the United Irish, in 1798 not only were the plants, flowers, trees, weeds, frogs and whatnot not up, but neither were most of the Irish. Large numbers had been disarmed (and they were going to be armed only with pikes anyway). Their leadership was imprisoned. The French came too late and in numbers too small. The rebelion fizzled almost completely; see, e.g., the notes to "The Shan Van Voght," "Boulavogue," "The Boys of Wexford," "General Monroe," and "Edward (III) (Edward Fitzgerald)." - RBW
File: Moyl077

Up a Tree


DESCRIPTION: Once I had friends that "came to dine and drank my wine." Now that I'm poor "when they see me on the Clyde They pass me on the other side." "While you have it keep it, or you'll soon be 'up a tree'." If I recover, "preserve me from my friends"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1868 (broadside, Bodleian Firth b.27(66))
KEYWORDS: poverty money drink abandonment hardtimes
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greig 63, p. 3, ("Once I could drive my four-in-hand") (1 fragment)
GreigDuncan3 668, "Up a Tree" (2 fragments)
Roud #6095
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth b.27(66), "Up a Tree" ("You see before you one who's been in life through many a changing scene"), The Poet's Box (Glasgow), 1868
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. " Hard Up and Broken Down" (theme) and references there
cf. "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime" (theme)
cf. "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" (theme)
cf. "If But One Heart Be True" (theme)
NOTES: GreigDuncan3 entries are fragments; broadside Bodleian Firth b.27(66) is the basis for the description. - BS
"Passing by on the other side" is pretty clearly a reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan, Luke 10:30-35. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD3668

Up an' Waur Them A', Willie (II)


DESCRIPTION: "Up an' waur them a', Willie ... Up an' shak' your pistol fit, An' tak her fae them a' ... Up an' kiss a bonny lass"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (GreigDuncan6)
KEYWORDS: courting nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan6 1268, "Up an' Waur Them A', Willie" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Roud #6790
NOTES: The current description is based on the GreigDuncan6 fragment.
Roud assigns this the same number as Johnson, Scots Musical Museum 2 pp. 195-196 (No. 188), which I take to be the same Jacobite song as "Up an' Waur Them A', Willie (I).". Hogg says of that song that it was "apparently made to the favourite old tune of 'Up an' waur them a', Willie'...." GreigDuncan6 says,"Stenhouse quotes from an older version of the words [than Johnson or Hogg]; the above may be from it." Since there is no "bonny lass" in the Jacobite songs I can't bring myself to lump this together with "Up an' Waur Them A', Willie (I)." The chorus of the Jacobite song is "Up and war them a' Willie, Up and war them a', Willie, Up and sell your sour milk, And dance, and ding them a', Willie." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD61268

Up and Down the Railroad Track


DESCRIPTION: "Up and down the railroad track And halfway swing around... Do-si-do my darling Miss with the white slippers on." "The higher up the cherry tree...." "Wish I had a needle and thread...." And miscellaneous other floating verses
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914
KEYWORDS: dancing floatingverses love horse
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fife-Cowboy/West 100, "Up and Down the Railroad Track" (1 text)
Roud #11091
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Jubilee" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Fly Around, My Pretty Little Miss" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This text was originally printed in the Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 27 [1914]. There is no tune. It will be obvious that it consists mostly of floating verses (from "Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss," "Jubilee," and the like), and it is probably an offshoot of one of these -- but there simply isn't enough information to classify it clearly. - RBW
File: FCW100

Up and Waur Them A', Willie (II)


DESCRIPTION: In battle against the Whigs the Highland standard loses its top and "second-sighted Sandy said, We'll do nae gude at a'." In battles the Whigs showed fear, but if you ask who won the day: "We baith did fight, and baith were beat, And baith did rin awa"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1821 (Hogg2)
KEYWORDS: rebellion nonballad Jacobites
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Nov 13, 1715 - Battle of Sheriffmuir
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Hogg2 5, "Up and Waur Them A', Willie" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL:James Kinsley, editor, Burns: Complete Poems and Songs (shorter edition, Oxford, 1969) #212, pp. 320-322, "Up and warn a' Willie" (1 text, 1 tune, from 1788)
Roud #6790
NOTES: Hogg2: .".., there not being a Willie of any note in the whole Jacobite army. So that the chorus must have been an older one, adapted, not improbably, from a song of King William's time."
Hogg2, regarding the standard, quoting George Charles of Alloa: "The Earl of Mar erected the Chevalier's standard there, on the 6th of September, 1715, and proclaimed him King of Scotland, England, France, and Ireland, &c.... It is reported, that when this standard was first erected the ornamental ball on the top fell off, which depressed the spirits of the superstitious Highlanders, who deemed it ominous of misfortune in the cause for which they were then appearing."
For a political anti-Whig song to the same tune and format see Robert Burns, The Complete Poems and Songs of Robert Burns (New Lanark,2005), p. 277, "Election Ballad for Westerha'." - BS
That John Erskine, Earl of Mar (1675-1732) could mess up even something this elementary is easy to imagine. He had signed the Act of Union joining England and Scotland, then tried to have it repealed (Fry/Fry, p. 191). The accession of George I caused him to send what Magnusson, p. 562, calls a "grovelling letter of loyalty," but George snubbed him (Mitchison, p. 322) and Mar decided to rebel and join the Jacobites. He had to leave London in disguise aboard a collier, He raised the Jacobite standard -- but he hadn't told his alleged King James VIII and III! (Magnusson, p. 563). Naturally it took the Old Pretender some time to arrive.
Mar meanwhile managed to raise a mixed force of Highlanders and Lowlanders -- but at Sheriffmuir, on November 13, 1715, could not beat an army he outnumbered at least two to one (Magnusson, pp. 564-565). Nor could he hold together his army after that (Magnusson, p. 566). The only other significant Jacobite field force had surrendered at Preston at almost the same time (Fry/Fry, p. 192. This was the force led by Lord Derwentwater, hero of the ballad of the same name). Combine the incompetent Mar with the unenthusiastic Old Pretender, and you had a disaster. The reference to "baith" sides running away is presumably to Sheriffmuir; both armies at that battle had their right wings flee (Mitchison, p. 323).
One wonders what would have happened had "second-sighted Sandy" told those around him that Mar would flee the country in 1716, to live in exile with the Old Pretender -- and become a double agent selling secrets to Westminster (OxfordCompanion, p. 616). The man had the brains of a sea slug, and even less principle. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: Hogg2005

Up at Piccadilly Oh!


See The Bristol Coachman (File: OO2409)

Up in Gurrane


DESCRIPTION: In Gurrane we're such good neighbors we share so that rations and gas restrictions don't bother us. We attacked City Hall "when the Corporation tried to raise the rent." We'll be there at Gabriel's horn because "it's only a step to Paradise up in Gurrane"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1978 (OCanainn)
KEYWORDS: pride nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OCanainn, pp. 118-119, "Up in Gurrane" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: OCanainn, quoting the singer: "'Gurrane is situated on the Northside of the city and was built around the time of the second World War.... I suppose it was a fairly tough area at the time....'" -BS
File: OCan118

Up in London Fair


See In London so Fair (File: HHH203)

Up Roanoke and Down the River


DESCRIPTION: Corn-husking song. "Up Roanoke and down the river, Oho, we are 'most done." "Two canoes, and nary paddle. "There is where we run the devils." Jack de Gillam shoots the devils with "blue ball and a pound of powder," and kills them
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: Devil work
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
BrownIII 205, "Up Roanoke and Down the River" (1 text)
NOTES: The first part of this actually sounds like some sort of rafting song, about running a rapids (perhaps a section called "the devil"?). This seems to have suggested the theme of killing the devils. But that's pure speculation on my part. - RBW
File: Br3205

Up She Goes


See Baltimore (Up She Goes) (File: Hugi418)

Up She Rises


See Drunken Sailor, The (Early in the Morning) (File: Doe048)

Up the Raw


DESCRIPTION: "Up the Raw, down the Raw, Up the Raw, lass, ev'ry day; For shape and colour, ma bonny hinny, Thou bangs thy mother, ma canny bairn." The mother (?) complains lovingly of the mischief her child gets into. (I think that's what it means)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1900 (Stokoe/Reay)
KEYWORDS: nonballad children
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 122-123, "Up the Raw" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST StoR122 (Full)
Roud #3155
File: StoR122

Up the Streets and Down the Streets


DESCRIPTION: "Up the streets and down the streets And in a narrow planting, Isn't (name) a nice young lassie? Isn't (name) as nice as she? They shall be married And they shall agree.... It's love... and don't say 'nay.' Next Monday morning is her wedding day."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Flanders/Brown)
KEYWORDS: love playparty nonballad
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Flanders/Brown, p. 189, "Up the Streets and Down the Streets" (1 text)
Roud #5453
NOTES: Gammer Gurton's Garland (1784) has a piece beginning "Up street and down street," but continues "Each window's made of glass; If you go to Tom Tickler's house, you'll find a pretty lass. Hug her and kiss her and take her on your knee...." Related? Hard to say. RBW
File: FlBr189

Up to the Rigs


DESCRIPTION: Singer goes to Cheapside in London, where he picks up a girl. He takes her to dinner; she invites him to bed. When she falls asleep, he steals a snuff box, gold watch, diamond ring, and money, then locks her in. He tells men to remember his example
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1851 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(1624))
KEYWORDS: courting seduction sex crime theft food trick
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland(Aber)), Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
GreigDuncan2 299, "The Rigs of London" (4 texts, 3 tunes)
Kennedy 192, "Up to the Rigs" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #868
RECORDINGS:
Harry Cox, "Up to the Rigs of London Town" (on HCox01)
Charlie Wills, "Up to the Rigs [of London Town]" (on FSB2, FSB2CD, Voice07)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1624), "The Rigs of London Town" ("As I walk'd up London streets one day"), C. Croshaw (York), 1814-1850
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Rigs of London Town
Cheapside
London Town
NOTES: Tables turned. - PJS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: K192

Up Wi' the Widow


DESCRIPTION: The singer tells Johnny that when he's 20 we could have plenty... horses and cattle, barnsful of grain, lots of money and a farm. You would have plenty to sell at market and fair. You'd "drive like a laird." "Ye may do waur than tak up wi' the widow"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1827 (Lyle, Ancient Ballads and Songs, according to Whitelaw)
KEYWORDS: marriage farming money nonballad
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan4 818, "The Widow" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Roud #6120
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hooly and Fairly" (tune, per GreigDuncan4 -- although GriegDuncan3 has no tune for either of his "Hooly and Fairly" texts!)
File: GrD4818

Uphead and Scatter, Boys


DESCRIPTION: "Uphead and scatter, boys, to learn how to row, You treat me so dirty it's a mis'ry in my soul." "When I had money, I had friends all around, But now I've no money, no friend can be found."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1944 (Wheeler)
KEYWORDS: work poverty hardtimes loneliness
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
MWheeler, pp. 83-84, "Uphead an' Scatter, Boys" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #10029
File: MWhee083

Upidee, Upidah


DESCRIPTION: German shanty. Chorus: "Upidee, Upidah! Schnalls is goot for de cholera! Upidee, Upidah"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1936 (Baltzer, _Knurrhahn_)
LONG DESCRIPTION: German shanty. Chorus: "Upidee, Upidah! Schnalls is goot for de cholera! Upidee, Upidah." Hugill gives two versions of the verses. The first begins "In the Flying P Line, I served my time" but the rest, according to Hugill is too coarse to include. In the second version the song told by the ship's cook, describing how he rises early to work, keeps the pots clean, and cooks various dishes.
KEYWORDS: shanty foreignlanguage cook sailor
FOUND IN: Germany
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hugill, pp. 485-488, "Upidee, Upidah" (3 texts-English & German, 2 tunes)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Julia" (similar tune)
NOTES: My German dictionary translates "schnale" as "buckles," which hardly seem likely to help with cholera. I assume "schnalls" is "snails." These hardly seem more likely to be useful, but the main trick in treating cholera is to keep the patient from dehydrating or dying of lack of salts or sugars. Perhaps the snails, if heated, could be dissolved in water and used to supply the needed nutrients.
Alternately, perhaps, the sailors thought snails caused cholera? - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Hugi485A

Upon the Twelfth o' August


DESCRIPTION: "I took my gun oot owre my shoulder A bag o' leads, a flask o' pouder And strode awa oot owre the heather Upon the twelfth o' August"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan8)
KEYWORDS: soldier
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan8 1765, "Upon the Twelfth o' August" (1 fragment)
Roud #13013
NOTES: The current description is all of the GreigDuncan8 fragment. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD81765

Uppermost Tub, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer "scarce could get any fun" goes to Leeds Fair, "bound for a spree." On the way he enters a church for the first time. He doesn't understand what is going on. At the end he offers to pay for the entertainment but is told there is no cost.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1907 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: humorous nonballad religious
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan3 686, "The Uppermost Tub" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #6109
NOTES: Unfortunately, I would be in the same position as the singer in that I don't understand what he is seeing either. There are two "lads": one, in an "uppermost tub" seems in charge of the service. The other, in a "lowermost tub," "mocked every word that the lad in the uppermost tub said." When "the lad in the uppermost tub says, Come let us sing, ... the lad in the lowermost tub made a' the hoose to sing." - BS
I would guess it's minister in the upper tub and the precentor in the lower, but beyond that I can say little. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD3686

Upside Down


DESCRIPTION: The singer and companions used to live a roving life, "but to my sad grief I married a wife...." His wife abuses him for drinking. His sister advises him to "hit her a smack across her back and turn her upside down." The remedy works
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1937 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: husband wife abuse fight
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H694, pp. 503-504, "Upside Down" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9467
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin" [Child 277] (theme) and references there
File: HHH694

Utah Carl


See Utah Carroll [Laws B4] (File: LB04)

Utah Carol


See Utah Carroll [Laws B4] (File: LB04)

Utah Carroll [Laws B4]


DESCRIPTION: A cowboy sadly remembers the death of his partner, Utah Carroll. When the herd stampedes, Utah manages to rescue the boss's daughter (who stood in the stampede's path), but himself dies in the process
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1910 (Lomax, Cowboy Songs)
KEYWORDS: cowboy death rescue friend
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Laws B4, "Utah Carroll"
Randolph 206, "Utah Carl" (1 text)
Hudson 94, pp. 224-226, "Utah Carroll" (1 text)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 154-156, "Utah Carroll" (1 text, 1 tune)
Larkin, pp. 119-122, "Utah Carroll" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 80, "Utah Carl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ohrlin-HBT 63, "Utah Carol" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 128-130, "Utah Carroll" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 113, "Utah Carroll" (1 text)
Saffel-CowboyP, pp. 215-216, "Utah Carroll" (1 text)
DT 372, UTAHCARL*
Roud #1929
RECORDINGS:
Charles Baker, "Utah Carroll" (Champion 45052, c. 1935)
Cartwright Bros., "Utah Carroll" (Columbia 15410-D, 1929; on WhenIWas1)
Harry Jackson, "Utah Carroll" (on HJackson1)
Harry "Mac" McClintock, "Utah Carl" (on McClintock01, CowFolkCD1) (on McClintock02)
Charles Nabell, "Utah Carl" (Okeh 7009, c. 1925)
Carl T. Sprague, "Utah Carroll" (Victor 21194, 1927; on AuthCowboys)
Arnold Keith Storm, "Utah Carl" (on AKStorm01)
Frank Wheeler & Monroe Lamb, "Utah Carl's Last Ride" (Victor V-40169, 1929; Montgomery Ward M-4470, 1934)
Marc Williams, "Utah Carroll" (Brunswick 304, 1929; rec. 1928)
NOTES: Logsdon, in his notes to CowFolkCD1, states definitively that [N. Howard] Thorp composed this piece, sending it to Kenneth S. Clark to be included in one of his cowboy song folios. - PJS
Against this we must set the observation that Thorp did not include the piece in Songs of the Cowboys even in the 1922 edition after Lomax had already published it. - RBW
File: LB04

Vacant Chair, The


DESCRIPTION: "We shall meet but we shall miss him, There will be one vacant chair, We shall linger to caress him While we breathe our evening prayer." The family remembers its beloved Willie, who now lies dead in a narrow grave, killed for his country
AUTHOR: Words: Henry Washburn/Music: George F. Root
EARLIEST DATE: 1861
KEYWORDS: Civilwar death burial mourning family
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Randolph 251, "The Vacant Chair" (1 text)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 30-31, "The Vacant Chair" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 269 "The Vacant Chair" (1 text)
DT, VCNTCHAR*
Roud #7714
RECORDINGS:
Columbia Stellar Quartet, "The Vacant Chair" (Columbia A1808, 1915)
Frank Coombs, "The Vacant Chair" (Columbia A913, 1910)
Byron G. Harlan, "The Vacant Chair" (CYL: Edison 8535, 1903)
Charles Harrison, "The Vacant Chair" (Resona 75074, 1920)
Frank & James McCravy, "The Vacant Chair" (Brunswick 4455, 1929; Supertone 2024-S, 1930; rec. 1928)
McKee Trio, "Vacant Chair" (Victor 18230, 1917)
New Lost City Ramblers, "The Vacant Chair" (on NLCREP4)
Shannon Four, "The Vacant Chair" (Pathe 20606, c. 1921)
Elizabeth Spencer, "The Vacant Chair" (Edison 1713, n.d.)
NOTES: Ironically, this song for a dead soldier was written in early 1861, when few battles had been fought. At this time, a few tens of thousands were mourning their lost soldier boys; four years later, those who had lost a loved one or friends would number in the millions (total losses in the Civil War exceeded 600,000, with the bulk of the losses coming in 1862-1864). - RBW
File: R251

Valiant London Apprentice, The [Laws Q38]


DESCRIPTION: The youth, sent to Turkey, praises Queen Elizabeth above all kings. When challenged, the youth breaks the Turkish prince's neck. Thrown to the lions, he kills the beasts. The Turkish emperor admits English superiority; his daughter marries the youth
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1595
KEYWORDS: royalty fight animal contest marriage apprentice
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1558-1603 - Reign of Elizabeth I of England
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws Q38, "The Valiant London Apprentice"
GreigDuncan5 1064, "The Honour of a London Prentice" (1 fragment)
Creighton/Senior, pp. 124-126, "The Wealthy London Prentice"(1 text, 1 tune)
BBI, ZN2080, "Of a worthy London Prentice"
DT 749, LONDPREN*
ADDITIONAL: Thomas Percy, Reliques of Ancient English Poetry ... with [an anonymous] Supplement (Porter & Coates, Philadelphia, 1876), pp. 527-529, "The Honour of a London Prentice"
Roud #1016
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Wood 401(63), "The Honour of an Apprentice of London" ("Of a worthy London prentice my purpose is to speake"), F. Coles (London), 1658-1664 ; also Douce Ballads 3(43b), Harding B 4(54), Douce Ballads 4(47), Vet. A3 b.43(11), "The Honour of a London Prentice"; Douce Ballads 1(118a), ("Of a worthy London prentice"); Mus. 1 c.118(6k) View 2 of 2, partial text.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "All You That Are Good Fellows" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Wood 401(63))
NOTES: The Reliques of Ancient English Poetry ... adds an Addenda, edited anonymously (obviously not Percy (1729-1811) since it includes references to Richardson's 1842-1846 The Local Historian's Table Book of Remarkable Occurences ...) [And this Addenda of course is not in Percy/Wheatley. - RBW]
Percy Supplement: "The following song relates to a noble piece of chivalry performed in Queen Elizabeth's days, and therefore claims a place here; though it must be acknowledged we have not been able to discover who the hero was, nor any account of the facts on which the ballad is founded." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: LQ38

Valiant Sailor, The


See Polly on the Shore (The Valiant Sailor) (File: Wa057)

Valiant Seaman's Happy Return to His Love, After a Long Seven Years' Absence, The


See A Seaman and His Love (The Welcome Sailor) [Laws N29] (File: LN29)

Valiant Soldier, The


See The Bold Soldier [Laws M27] (File: LM27)

Valley Below, The (She Lives in the Valley Below)


DESCRIPTION: "The broom bloomed so fresh and fair... As I wandered to breathe the fresh air, By chance a rich treasure I found." The singer praises the beauty and voice of the girl he sees. He will offer her his home and wealth if she will come with him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1924 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love beauty
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H47, pp. 236-237, "The Valley Below" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9446
NOTES: Henry offers evidence (based on birds mentioned in the song) that this piece must have originated in England, and a British printing is known. But the plot and style are very Irish.
Kennedy lumps this with "Well Met, Pretty Maid (The Sweet Nightingale)." He's nuts. - RBW
File: HHH047

Valley of Kilbride, The


DESCRIPTION: On a French battlefield, a soldier from Newfoundland thinks back to "boyhood days in the valley of Kilbride." A dying soldier asks him to comfort his parents, sister, and the girl he used to walk with "in Bowring Park."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1976 (Lehr/Best)
KEYWORDS: war dying France soldier death family farewell
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lehr/Best 113, "The Valley of Kilbride" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Lehr/Best speculates that "this song was possibly written by Johnny Burke." If [this] is right, the ballad refers to World War I. Burke died in 1930.
Bowring Park in Saint John's was opened in 1911 (Source: Tide's Point Magazine site for the "Newfoundland and Labrador Magazine for Workers"). GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador site includes the following note for "The Valley of Kilbride," but does not claim the battle is the inspiration for the Ballad: "Between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., on July 1, 1916, the First Newfoundland Regiment, part of the 29th British Division, was virtually annihilated at Beaumont Hamel as they advanced into point-blank enemy fire. Of the 801 who went into battle, only 68 were able to answer the roll call the next day."
Kilbride is a suburb south of St John's. I don't know about a Valley of Kilbride. - BS
File: LeBe113

Valley of Knockanure (I), The


DESCRIPTION: Coming from Mass, three IRA flying column boys are caught "on a bridge near Gortaglanna ... In the Valley of Knockanure" in May 1921. The three are named. They are beaten and shot.
AUTHOR: Tim Leary (source: OLochlainn-More)
EARLIEST DATE: 1955 (OLochlainn-More)
KEYWORDS: battle rebellion execution patriotic IRA
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 12, 1921 - A troop of Black and Tans capture and shoot Lyons, Walsh and Dalton in Gortaglanna, Knockanure, County Kerry. (source: the Moyvane site)
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
OLochlainn-More 42, "The Valley of Knockanure" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #17752
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Valley of Knockanure (II)" (subject)
NOTES: The "Black and Tans" were British reinforcements to regular British soldiers sent to Ireland in 1920. The "Auxiliary Cadets" were veteran British army officers sent to help the Black and Tans. (source: Michael Collins: A Man Against an Empire copyright by and available on the History Net site). For more information see RBW note for "The Bold Black and Tan" - BS
The IRA's "flying columns" were not quite what is usually meant by this term. They were guerrilla groups, usually of only a few dozen men, who did most of their damage in small raids on supply lines. Nonetheless, they were very effective -- the main strength of the rebellion, in fact. As a result, they were subject to severe punishment when caught.
This particular atrocity was fairly typical of the Black and Tan war -- minor enough that it is not mentioned in any of the history books I checked. Sadly, there are many similar incidents recorded. This one is remembered because it caught the fancy of poets.
The existence of two songs called "The Valley of Knockanure," both referring to the same event, has caused some confusion. (Not least in earlier versions of this index).
O Lochlainn lists the author of this as Tim Leary of Listowel, while Tunney lists the author of "Knockanure (II)" as Brian McMahon of Kerry. But the Digital Tradition lists "Knockanure (II)" as by "Tim Leahy" (presumably an error for Leary) Tunney's claim of (II) for McMahon is supported also by Soodlum's Irish Ballad Book. - RBW
File: OLcM042

Valley of Knockanure (II), The


DESCRIPTION: "You may sing and speak of Easter week and the heroes of ninety-eight" but nothing was said about Knockanure. Dalton, Walshe, and Lyons are killed by the Black and Tans. Dalton's mother wishes she could kiss him before burying him.
AUTHOR: Bryan McMahon (source: Tunney-SongsThunder)
EARLIEST DATE: 1950 (Tunney-SongsThunder)
KEYWORDS: battle rebellion execution patriotic IRA
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 12, 1921 - A troop of Black and Tans capture and shoot Lyons, Walsh and Dalton in Gortaglanna, Knockanure, County Kerry. (source: the Moyvane site)
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Tunney-SongsThunder, pp. 46-48, "The Valley of Knockanure" (1 text)
DT, KNOCKNUR*
Roud #9761
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Valley of Knockanure (I)" (subject) and references there
NOTES: The first line is a reference to songs: "Who fears to speak of Ninety-Eight?" from John Kells Ingram's "The Memory of the Dead," and the 1916 song "Who fears to speak of Easter Week?" - BS
For background on this song, and the confusions about authorship, see the notes to "The Valley of Knockanure (I)." - RBW
File: TST046

Valleys of Mormond, The


DESCRIPTION: "How sweet is my home in yon lovely valley" where birds sing, the spring is running, "in the valleys of Mormond, the home of my Jean"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan8)
KEYWORDS: home lyric nonballad bird wife
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan8 1812, "The Valleys of Mormond" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #13001
File: GrD81812

Valleys of Screen, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer tells the listeners of the beautiful girl he has seen. He gives directions for finding her, and describes her beauty. He recalls speaking to her, and her refusal to give her name. He compares her to classical beauties
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H752, p. 245, "The Valleys of Screen" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9481
File: HHH752

Van Dieman's Land (I) [Laws L18]


DESCRIPTION: Three poachers are taken and sent to Van Dieman's Land. Sold to planters, they are used to drive plows and live miserable lives until (Susan Summers), a fellow prisoner now married to a planter, treats them somewhat better
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1830 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 25(1979))
KEYWORDS: transportation abuse help poaching
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,South),Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland Australia US(MW)
REFERENCES (18 citations):
Laws L18, "Van Dieman's Land"
GreigDuncan2 252, "Van Dieman's Land" (5 texts, 2 tunes)
Colcord, p. 172, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text)
Hugill, p. 412, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, p. 314]
Dean, p. 95, "Vandiemens Land" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 708-709, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text)
Creighton-NovaScotia 63, "Van Diemen's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie 122, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy 262, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn 21, "Van Diemen's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 20-21, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hodgart, p.224, "Van Diemen's Land" (1 text)
Ord, pp. 384-285, "The Poachers" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 14-15, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 55-58, "Van Diemen's Land" (1 text)
MacSeegTrav 93, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 334, "Van Dieman's Land" (1 text)
DT 426, VANDIEMN*
Roud #519
RECORDINGS:
Robert Cinnamond, "Van Dieman's Land" (on IRRCinnamond01)
Jimmy MacBeath, "Van Diemen's Land" (on FSB7)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1979), "Van Dieman's Land," T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Firth b.34(147), Firth c.17(40), Firth c.17(41), Firth c.19(60), Harding B 11(1808), Harding B 11(1850), Harding B 11(2815), Harding B 11(3964), Harding B 17(325b), Harding B 20(177), Johnson Ballads 6, Firth b.34(119), "Van Dieman's Land"
Murray, Mu23-y4:034, "Van Dieman's Land," unknown, 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Van Dieman's Land (II - Young Henry's Downfall)" (plot)
cf. "Rounding the Horn" (tune)
cf. "Those Poor Convicts" (tune)
NOTES: The "other" "Van Dieman's Land" has a plot so similar that I was not sure but that they should be classified as one. The tunes and texts are, however, distinct.
A typical stanza for this text would run
Poor Tommy Brown from Nenagh Town, Jack Murphy and poor Joe
We were three daring poachers as the gentry well do know.
One night we were trepanned by the keepers hid in sand,
Who for fourteen years transported us unto Van Dieman's Land.
Van Diemen's Land was named after Anthony Van Diemen of the Dutch East India Company; Van Diemen chartered the expedition which discovered the island. Said expedition was led by Abel Tasman, who found the island in 1642 (as well as sighting New Zealand and some lesser islands).
The reputation of Van Diemen's Land was so bad that the residents in the nineteenth century demanded a name change. It therefore was renamed Tasmania after its discoverer.
The irony is that Van Diemen's Land was not really overburdened with "hard cases"; some were sent to the island, but most wound up on Norfolk Island or in settlements like Moreton Bay. But the settlers of Van Diemen's Land were perhaps the most destructive of all the colonists; the Tasmanian aborigines were systematically eradicated, as opposed to simply being brushed aside in most of Australia.
The reference to convicts driving the plows is an exaggeration -- of the wrong sort. At many of the British colonies, the convicts were indeed used instead of draft animals (few of which were available). But they didn't normally use plows; they had to hoe their own furrows! - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: LL18

Van Dieman's Land (II -- Young Henry's Downfall)


DESCRIPTION: (Six) poachers are taken and sent to Van Dieman's Land. Destined to work for a planter, the singer is frightened to see the conditions of the workers, but is instead picked out to be a bookkeeper. He meets another prisoner, Rosanna; they fall in love
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1845 (broadside, Bodleian Firth c.19(62))
KEYWORDS: transportation poaching love
FOUND IN: Australia Britain(England(Lond))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 16-17, "Henry's Downfall" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, VANDIEM2
ADDITIONAL: Roy Palmer, _The Folklore of Warwickshire_, Rowman and Littlefield, 1976, p. 146, "Young Henry the Poacher" (a facsimile of a broadside print)
Roud #221
RECORDINGS:
Walter Pardon, "Van Dieman's Land" (on Voice04)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.19(62), "Young Henry the Poacher," J. Pitts (London), 1819-1844; also Harding B 11(4369), Harding B 11(4370), Harding B 11(4371), Harding B 11(4372), "Young Henry the Poacher"; Firth c.19(61), "Henry's Downfall"; Harding B 17(349a), "Young Henry's Downfall"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Van Dieman's Land (I)" [Laws L18] (plot)
cf. "The Girls of the Shamrock Shore" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: Yates, Musical Traditions site Voice of the People suite "Notes - Volume 4" - 19.8.02: "Roy Palmer has traced this song (which has been found only in England [sic]) to two real poaching affrays that occurred in Warwickshire in 1829." - BS
The "other" "Van Dieman's Land" has a plot so similar that I was not sure but that they should be classified as one. The tunes and texts are, however, distinct.
A typical stanza of this version is:
I and five more went out one night
To Squire Dunhill's park
To see if we could get some game
But the night it proved too dark.
And to our sad misfortune
They've hemmed us in with speed
They sent us off to Warwick Gaol
Which caused our hearts to bleed.
Chorus:
Young men all now beware
Lest you are drawn into a snare.
For notes on the history of Van Diemen's Land, see the entry on "Van Diemen's Land (I)." - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: FaE16

Vance Song, The [Laws F17]


DESCRIPTION: [Abner] Vance is charged falsely with murder. Recalling his beautiful home, he castigates those who have caused his unjust condemnation. He bids his family farewell
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1918 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: murder execution farewell
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Laws F17, "The Vance Song"
JHCox 41, "The Vance Song" (3 texts)
Hudson 107, pp. 246-247, "The Vance Song" (1 text)
Combs/Wilgus 67, pp. 163-164, "The Vance Song" (1 text)
Burt, pp. 222-223, "The Vance Song" (1 text plus an excerpt Burt thinks might be of another Vance song)
DT 738, VANCESNG
Roud #2216
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Vance's Song
NOTES: This is one of the few "confession" songs that Laws believes was actually written by the narrator. Abner Vance was hanged for murder after shooting Lewis Horton (for seducing Vance's daughter). Laws does not offer a precise date; it was probably in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Some further details, including those surrounding the trial and murder, are found in Cox, but again, no date. Burt offers a date c. 1910.
We might note, however, the inscription on Cox's "A" text. This appears to be the original broadsheet slip of the song, and is dated 1897. I do not think this (quite) proves the date of the song, but it gives us a rough date for either the song or the murder. - RBW
File: LF17

Vandiemens Land


See Van Dieman's Land (I) [Laws L18] (File: LL18)

Varsouvienna


See references under Put Your Little Foot (Varsouvienna) (File: Ohr045)

Varsouvienne


See references under Put Your Little Foot (Varsouvienna) (File: Ohr045)

Varsoviana


See references under Put Your Little Foot (Varsouvienna) (File: Ohr045)

Venadito


DESCRIPTION: Spanish: "Young Dear." First line: "Lo que digo de hoy en dia Lo que digo sostengo." The singer promises that "What I say today I will always say." (He) will wait for (her) in the kiosk at eleven o'clock, and "you will know I love you."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: love courting nonballad Mexico foreignlanguage
FOUND IN: Mexico
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Sandburg, pp. 294-295, "Lo Que Digo" (1 text plus translation, 1 tune)
File: San294

Veni Emmanuel (O Come, O Come, Emmanuel)


DESCRIPTION: Latin: "Veni veni Emmanuel, Captivum solve Israel...." English: "O come, o come, Emmanuel, And ransom captive Israel." The advent of Emmanuel the savior, descendant of David, is requested, and people are told to celebrate his coming
AUTHOR: J. M. Neale (1818-1866)
EARLIEST DATE: English words by J. M. Neale, 1851; Latin words and tune 15th century or earlier
KEYWORDS: religious Jesus nonballad rescue
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Charles Johnson, One Hundred and One Famous Hymns (Hallberg, 1982), p. 13, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Although I know of no field collections which include this song, it seems to me that it is now widely enough sung that it belongs in the Ballad Index.
Certainly it is *old* enough. Johnson claims the words come from the seventh century. This is probably too early (my guess is that that's based on theories about the history of Latin hymnwriting). But the whole is found in the French National Library manuscript (Bibliotheque Nationale) fonds latin MS 10581.
Manuscripts of this era are very difficult to date; book hands hardly changed from the twelfth to fifteenth centuries. The New Oxford Book of Carols proposes a thirteenth century date. We can at least say that it is from the fifteenth century or earlier, with the text very likely older.
The standard translation is by J. M. Neale, who also gave us the much weaker "Good King Wenceslas." The New Oxford Book of Carols gives an alternate translation (termed a revision) by T. A. Lacey. It appears, at first glance, a more accurate translation -- but distinctly worse as poetry (e.g. the last line of the first Latin stanza is "privatus Dei Filio," loosely, "deprived of the Son of God." Neale butchers this as "until the Son of God appear," but at least gets an easy-to-sing line. Lacey produced "far from the face of God's dear son").
"Emmanuel" ("God With Us") refers back to Isaiah 7:14, where Isaiah prophecies that the threat to Judah from Israel and Damascus shall ease before the new-born child Immanuel (as it is properly transliterated from the Hebrew) reaches the age of having moral sense.
This prophecy is picked up in Matthew 1:23, which uses the Greek spelling "Emmanuel" (which worked its way into Latin and hence into the song). There is rather a curiosity here, in that Matthew normally translates the Hebrew himself, but in this particular version cites the previous Septuagint translation, which has in fact a mistranslation (Septuagint and Matthew read "a virgin shall bear a son," but the Hebrew reads "a young woman shall bear a son"). Clearly this ties in somehow with the Matthean doctrine of the Virgin Birth (which is found in full form only in Matthew; while Luke calls Mary a virgin at the time of her betrothal, he doesn't say that Joseph didn't touch her after that).
Several verses of the song refer to Emmanuel as a descendent of David. This does not come from Isaiah; again, it's Matthew who provides the link, giving a genealogy of Jesus going back to David (Matt. 1:2-16, though Matthew's genealogy omits several names known from the Book of Kings, plus it is at least six or seven generations too short to bring us from the Exile to the time of Jesus).
All of this is somewhat reinforced by Luke. Luke never mentions Emmanuel, but he does have a genealogy linking Jesus to David (Luke 3:23-38), though it differs from Matthew's in irreconcilable ways. (Not that it matters. It was a thousand years from David to Jesus. By the time Jesus was born, everyone in Judea was descended from David, though not necessarily in the male line). Luke also provides much of the imagery of celebration at the arrival of the Messiah (see chapter 2). - RBW
File: CJ013

Verdant Braes o' Skreen, The


See The False Young Man (The Rose in the Garden, As I Walked Out) (File: FJ166)

Verdant Braes of Skreen, The


See The False Young Man (The Rose in the Garden, As I Walked Out) (File: FJ166)

Vermont Sugar-Maker's Song


DESCRIPTION: "When you see the vapor pillars lick the forest and the sky, You may know the days of sugar-making then are drawing nigh." A brief description of sugar-making; "Sweetest joys indeed we sugar-makers know." Use of sugar is strongly advised
AUTHOR: Perrin B. Fiske ? (born 1837)
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (Flanders/Brown)
KEYWORDS: food work nonballad
FOUND IN: US(NE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Flanders/Brown, p. 33, "Vermont Sugar-Maker's Song" (1 text)
ST FlBr033 (Partial)
Roud #5444
File: FlBr033

Versos de Montalgo


DESCRIPTION: Spanish. First line: "En el mil nueve cientos y diez -- Y los cuento sin edal...." Montalgo is killed from ambush in 1910 ten years after he killed Encarnacion. A month later, his body is found. His family mourns. Last verse says the other verses are lies
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: Mexico murder death trick foreignlanguage
FOUND IN: Mexico
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Sandburg, pp. 302-303, "Versos de Montalgo" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Sandburg prints this report from Frank J. Dobie: "In the year 1900, Encarnacion Garcia waylaid and killed another Mexican in Cameron County. Montalgo, a Mexican deputy sheriff, rode up on Encarnacion as the latter was burying his victim. Encarnacion resisted arrest, or at least Montalgo always so claimed, and Montalgo killed him. Ten years later to a day, Encarnacion's gente got their revenge by killed Montalgo." - RBW
File: San302

Very Unfortunate Man, The


See The Warranty Deed (The Wealthy Old Maid) [Laws H24] (File: LH24)

Vesta and Mattie's Blues


DESCRIPTION: "I've got a belly full o' whiskey an' a head full o' gin, The doctors say t'will kill me but they don't say when." Chorus: ""I'm a long line skinner an' my home's out west, Lookin' for a man to buy me a hobble dress." Verses float between blues
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Arrangement copyright by W. C. Handy)
KEYWORDS: floatingverses drink love separation clothes
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Handy/Silverman-Blues, p. 60, "Vesta and Mattie's Blues" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Easy Rider" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This looks to me like another one of those blues collections of floating verses (in addition to the first, from "Cocaine Blues" or the like, the second is from "Easy Rider": "Pretty papa, pretty papa, look what you've done: You made your mama love you, now your woman's come"). The notes in Handy, however, imply that it is an actual folk song, so here it is. - RBW
File: Handy060

Veteran's Song, The


DESCRIPTION: The Union veteran lists all the fights he's fought, and all the wounds he's received, and notes that he consistently gave better than he got. He says "[I] will not sheathe my sword Until from Florida to Maine the Stars and Stripes shall proudly float"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar soldier injury
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
July 21, 1861 - First Battle of Bull Run
May 31-June 1, 1862 - Battle of Fair Oaks/Seven Pines
Sept. 17, 1862 - Battle of Antietam
Dec. 13, 1862 - Battle of Fredericksburg
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
BrownIII 392, "The Veteran's Song" (1 text)
Roud #11754
NOTES: This is unquestionably a composed song, and not about an actual individual. You don't take "a grapeshot in my knee" and walk again thereafter!
There are other signs of confusion in the song -- e.g. there is a reference, between the mention of Fair Oaks and that of the Peninsula, to service in "Fighting Joe's Brigade" and crossing the Rapidan at Culpeper with Averell. But "Fighting Joe" Hooker never commanded a brigade in combat in the Peninsular campaign; he was already in charge of a division. And while William Woods Averell did lead a rearguard action in the Peninsula, it was during the retreat to the James. The reference to Culpeper is probably an errant reference to the Chancellorsville campaign.
The reference to General Bragg also seems out of place in the story of an Eastern soldier. - RBW
File: Br3392

Vi Styrte Utover Atlanten (We Set Out Over the Atlantic)


DESCRIPTION: Swedish shanty. No story line, just sailing comments and complaints. i.e. "Callao was our port, so we go... Like a louse on a tarry fist." Chorus: "Hala hem! Hala hem! Hala hem a belagg! (Haul them home, haul them home, haul them home and belay)"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1903 (Sternvall, _Sang under Segel_ )
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage shanty sailor
FOUND IN: Sweden
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hugill, p. 552, "Vi Styrte Utover Atlanten" (2 texts-Swedish & English, 1 tune)
NOTES: Note in Sternvall that this was sung aboard the Richelieu of Stromstad in 1903. - SL
This is not unlikely, since the late nineteenth century was they heyday of the South American guano trade (for which see the notes to "Tommy's Gone to Hilo"). Ilo and Callao were the two chief ports of this trade. And, of course, carrying guano was one of the less pleasant jobs for a sailor, and did generate complaints. - RBW
File: Hugi552

Vicar of Bray, The


DESCRIPTION: "In good King Charles's golden days... A zealous high churchman was I, and so I got preferment." In the reigns that follow, the Vicar changes his opinions to suit the monarch, "That whatsoever king shall reign, I'll be the Vicar of Bray."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1813 (broadside Bodleian, Douce Ballads 4(49))
KEYWORDS: clergy political royalty
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1660-1685 - Reign of Charles II (an Anglican, but devoted to "High Church" and probably baptised Catholic on his deathbed)
1685-1688 - Reign of James II (brother of Charles II; Catholic)
1688 - Glorious Revolution. William III of Orange overthrows James II in his own behalf and on behalf of his wife, James's daughter Mary II. William is Dutch, and favors a more Reformed faith.
1688-1702 - Reign of William III (first cousin of Mary and nephew of James. Mary died in 1694)
1702-1714 - Reign of Anne (second daughter of James II; Protestant but conservative)
1714-1727 - Reign of George I (a cousin of Charles II and James II, and far down in the line of succession -- but the closest relative of the Stuarts to be safely Protestant)
FOUND IN: Britain(England) US(SE)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Chappell/Wooldridge II, pp. 122-123, "The Country Garden, or, The Vicar of Bray" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 314, "The Vicar of Bray" (1 text)
cf. Fuld-WFM, p. 187, "Country Gardens"
BBI, ZN1416, "In Charles the second's Golden Reign"
DT, VICARBRY*
Roud #4998
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Douce Ballads 4(49), "The Time Server, or, Vicar of Bray," T. Evans (London), 1790-1813
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "When the Rebels Come A-Marchin'" (theme)
NOTES: Although this song is mostly a commentary on political trimming, it also reveals the strange and complex religious situation in late seventeenth century England. The ferment had been rising since the death of Elizabeth, really: James VI and I (reigned over England 1603-1625, having previously been king of Scotland) was inclined toward absolute monarchy, and his son Charles I (reigned 1625-1649) was even more so. This also naturally inclined them toward a heirarchical, ritualistic church. Neither king was popular, so they could do little to prevent the rise of the hard-line puritan denominations.
And then, of course, came the rebellion against Charles I, with Scotland turning to the Covenanting version of Presbyterian and England increasingly Puritan. When Oliver Cromwell died and the Commonwealth crumbled, Britain restored the monarchy, but it didn't at once solve the issue of the national faith. And, of course, for many years, the monarch had been the primary influence on the church: Henry VIII had instituted the Anglican church, Edward VI (or, rather, his ministers) had tried to codify it, then Mary I had inclined back toward Catholicism, leaving it for Elizabeth I to try to find a middle road.
It doesn't seem to have been a particularly big deal to Charles II on his restoration. Clark, p. 18, writes, "The king himself was the son and heir of one who was regarded as a martyr for the church of England, but he never showed much feeling for that church. He was without serious personal religion, and his theological opinions, so far as he had any, were those of the deism which was by this time common among unprejudiced men of position. He was therefore inclined to be tolerant of differences of belief, and he was disposed to be particularly indulgent to the Roman Catholics, that body among his subjects who were the most generally feared and ill-treated." Hence, perhaps, the description of the era as a "golden time."
But there seemed to be something about Catholicism that struck a note in the heart of all the Stuarts. Prall, p.44, records that "Charles II had developed a feeling of sympathy for the Roman Catholic Church and for French ways during his years of exile. How deeply his religious views went is certainly problematic, but there was an air about the court at Versailles [where Charles II spent much time after his father's execution and his own exile], Catholic and monarchical, that deeply impressed the young man in exile."
Certainly Charles liked control -- in the latter years of his reign, funded by a subsidy from France as well as revenues voted him for life by his subjects, he dispensed with parliament (Trevelyan, p. 22). Hence, presumably, the line in the song, "Kings are by God appointed" (something his father and grandfather believed even more profoundly; James I had actually written a book Trew Law of Free Monarchies, which in fact set forth his belief in the Divine Right of Kings; Davies, p. 30. Charles I didn't write any books, but he did say that he "owe[d] the account of [his] actions to God alone, and that a king "cannot be tried by any superior jurisdiction"; Davies, p. 32. Compare also the quotes from Charles I's trial in Wedgwood-Coffin, pp. 121-134. Somehow, that didn't stop parliament from executing him). Charles II is said to have joined the Catholic church on his deathbed (Kenyon, p. 224; Prall, p. 89).
And Charles II had no heir; he had sundry illegitimate children, the most important of whom became Duke of Monmouth, but even when England had had illegitimate Kings (William the Conqueror, Henry VII), great effort was made to pretend they were legitimate. Nor was Monmouth to prove a particularly good leader; shortly after his father's death in 1685, he tried to raise a rebellion (Chandler, p. 3, and most of the rest of his book; Trevelyan, pp. 26-27; Clark, pp. 113-115, etc.), and was quickly quashed at the battle of Sedgrmoor; he was executed, and his followers suffered very badly (Kenyon, pp. 228-229), as songs of the time tell:
Oh Lord, where is my husband now --
Where once he stood beside me?
His body lies at Sedgemoor
In grave of oak and ivy;
Come tell me you who beat the drum,
Why am I so mistreated? (Chandler, p. 92)
But that left only one other possible successor to Charles II: His brother James (II and VII). James, contrary to the song, did not "usurp" the throne -- but he was Catholic. Proudly and openly Catholic. Maybe it was the family attitude; maybe it was the effects of the exile he had shared with Charles II. But he openly professed the Roman faith (Prall, p. 46). At this time, Catholics were barred from almost every office in England by the Test Act and the penal laws. And here was one on the throne! (It is perhaps possible that a parliament might have barred James from the throne, but as noted, Charles II managed to avoid summoning parliament in the latter years of his reign; they had no opportunity to do so.)
What's more, James gained firm control in the aftermath of Monmouth's rebellion, and although he failed to induce parliament to repeal the penal laws against Catholics (Trevelyan, pp. 33-34; Kenyon, p. 229, says that he never even raised the issue), he *did* induce them to vote him subsidies for life (parliament would learn from this, and never again give a monarch life subsidies; Trevelyan, p. 26). Free of financial needs, James prorogued the parliament after it met for just a week and a half (this even though it was the most pro-Monarch parliament in decades; Prall, p. 92, says that its composition would have "made any Tudor or earlier Stuart king weep with envy").
Free of outside restrictions, James began to show clear favor to Catholics -- and to turn the machinery of government over to them ("Every effort was made to recruit Catholics and suitable Dissenters as magistrates and sheriffs" -- Kenyon, p. 238). And he was intent on creating a standing army -- something that was anathema to both the radical Whigs (because they didn't trust him) and the otherwise reliable Tories (because they remembered Cromwell and the Commonwealth and what it had done to the Church of England; Trevelyan, pp. 29-30). Trevelyan, p. 34, writes, "James, in short, in his desire to restore Romanism in England, found it necessary to become an absolute monarch like the other Princes of Europe."
The reference to the Vicar "read[ing] the Declaration" in the reign of James is perhaps somewhat confusing, because the natural thought would be that he is referring to the Declaration of Right, issued by William and Mary when they came to the throne. But James had made his own Declaration -- the Declaration of Indulgence (1687). This was, in effect, a unilateral repeal of the Test Act and anti-Catholic legislation (Prall, p. 126). This, on its face, was a liberal move -- James not only lifted the restrictions on Catholics but on Protestant Dissenters (Kendall, p. 236). But it was clear that he meant to use it to appoint more Catholics to high positions. And -- the key point, this -- he had done it without consent of parliament. The Test Act might be needless; it was certainly (by modern standards) odious, but it was the law. What James had done was patently unconstitutional.
Fortunately for the peace of the country, James's two daughters, Mary (born 1662) and Anne (born 1665), were safely Protestant, and Mary, his heir, was safely married to the equally Protestant William of Orange. Unfortunately, James's first wife Anne Hyde had died in 1671. And his second wife, Mary of Modena (1658-1718), was Catholic (Clark, p. 77). Parliament had opposed this marriage in 1674, but Charles II had allowed it to go forward (Kenyon, p. 209). It had looked for a time as if it wouldn't matter; Mary became pregnant five times, and none of the children lived (Kenyon, p. 239, attributes this to a venereal disease -- James's, not Mary's). And she had been barren for several years by the time James came to the throne. But then, in late 1687, it was announced that she was pregnant (Prall, p. 173). And the child proved to be a boy -- the future Old Pretender, "James III," of Jacobite fame. He proved to be not a very forceful character, but he was healthy, and everyone knew he would be raised Catholic, and he was now heir to the throne (Trevelyan, p. 49). The fragile religious balance in England was suddenly no balance at all.
And across the channel was William of Orange, stadtholder of the Netherlands, the husband of James's daughter Mary. Being both James's nephew (being the son of James's older sister Mary) and his son-in-law, he had long expected to succeed James (Prall, pp. 173-175). And, indeed, he desperately *needed* to succeed James, because his tiny country was trying to hold off the France of Louis XIV, and he could hardly hope to hold out much longer on his own. (This was a big reason Louis XIV had paid off first Charles II and then James II: To keep England from joining the Dutch war on the side of a fellow Protestant nation.)
On June 30, 1688, a group of English barons, frightened of James and his policies, issued an appeal to William of Orange to do something about the King (Trevelyan, p. 50; Clark, p. 127; Kenyon, p. 243, described William as actively inducing them to make their appeal; this may be his interpretation of a comment by William that he would not intervene in English affairs unless invited. For this situation, see Clark, p. 127f., Prall, p. 174fff.).
Whatever William's original intentions, once the invitation came, he pounced. His timing was excellent; the French navy was unavailable and could not stop him (Clark, p. 129), and the French army headed off on a wild goose chase into Germany (Clark, p. 130; Trevelyan, p. 56). William managed to get to sea by November. And he succeeded in a great gamble: He chose to sail past the English fleet (which, to be sure, was in a state of near-mutiny after James had installed Catholic chaplains; Clark, p. 132). Helpful weather allowed him to sail past them and land in the southwest of England; the conditions worked so well that people called it a "Protestant Wind" (Kenyon, p. 249); note the reference in the song to the "new wind."
James of course was still "in possession" in England, but it was not to last. The people were whistling "Lillibullero" (Trevelyan, p. 58), which was to "whistle James from his throne," and the lords started bailing out not long after (Trevelyan, p. 61). Hence the Vicar set aside the "doctrine of non-resistance" and "passive obedience," which basically meant, when ordered by a monarch to do something immoral, to refuse to do it but remain loyal (Clark, p. 33; the doctrine is stated most explicitly in 1 Peter 2:13-17, but is in accordance with passages such as Matthew 5:39). With the whole country turning against him, James's government fell apart.
The outcome was settled when James went into a panic. Everyone expected a parliament to be called -- but James, rather than letting it meet and hoping to dominate it, burned the writs of summons and fled to France (Prall, pp. 237-238). Perhaps, with his absolutist trend of mind, he thought that the government would be paralyzed -- it was, after all, the King's government, and without him parliament could not meet. In theory (cf. Trevelyan, p. 67). In practice -- well, England wasn't Iraq; they managed to use a legal fiction to cover up what had happened. By fleeing, James II was held, after some discussion, to have abdicated (Kenyon, pp. 254-257; Prall, p. 261; Trevelyan, p. 77). Parliament was regarded as having been properly summoned. And that parliament declared the infant James (who of course had gone off with his father; Kenyon, p. 255) illegitimate, or at least inelligible for the crown (Kenyon, pp. 259-260) because of his presumed Catholicism (Trevelyan, pp. 77-78).
Another compromise made the William of Orange and James's daughter Mary joint monarchs -- William III and Mary II -- with William being given control but it being understood that whichever lived longer would be sole monarch after the death of the other, and their children if any would succeed them, with Mary's sister Anne being next in line. (Since William was a dozen years older than Mary, and sickly, it was expected that she would outlast him, so it wasn't expected that the joint monarchy would matter. As it turned out, Mary died in 1694, and William in 1702, and they had no children -- a problem suffered by several other Stuarts as well).
A series of additional compromises -- the "Glorious Revolution" -- assured greater religious freedom and a more constitutional government, with an independent judiciary and stronger parliamentary controls (Trevelyan, p. 88, etc.), enshrined in the "Declaration of Right" (Trevelyan, p. 79). Not everyone was reconciled to the Revolution -- most of Ireland would follow James II to the banks of the Boyne, and Scotland would later break out in the Jacobite rebellions -- but the matter was pretty well settled in England, and what England said, went. Hence the Vicar's prompt conversion.
(Incidentally, it was probably a very good thing that James was displaced. Had William and Anne not been monarchs at the start of the eighteenth century, the France of Louis XIV would very likely had won the War of the Spanish Succession, resulting in France dominating all of Europe -- possibly for centuries to come.)
William himself, and his closest Dutch advisors, were "Calvinists in belief, congregationalists in religious observance -- the English dissenters were in a very real sense their coreligionists" (Kenyon, p. 236). But the Netherlands by this time was fundamentally tolerant; William did not impose any real religious restrictions. The Vicar needed only to return to the Protestant fold.
But then Mary died, followed by William, and Anne took the throne. William and Mary had in effect governed from the center of the newly-forming Whig/Tory spectrum -- the deposition of James II was entirely a Whig idea, but James's behavior had forced most Tories to join the anti-James crowd (Trevelyan, pp. 76-77); only the Jacobite extremists still held out for the full Tory position.
Anne wanted no part of this; she had the Stuart conservatism in a fairly pure form, and insisted on a Tory government. Most agree that she was a firm believer in High Church Anglicanism, and even Kenyon, who thinks she wasn't, admits that everyone *thought* she was (Kenyon, p. 299). And, politically, even Kenyon admits that her "reign opened with a bang, with the dismissal of every Whig in sight and their replacement with firm Tories" (Kenyon, p. 300). And even Kenyon (p. 299) admits she had no use at all for the habit of "occasional conformity" -- the fairly common practice of a Dissenter going to an Anglican church a few times a year to meet the requirements of the Test Act, allowing them to serve in government. Anne in 1711 pushed through a bill stopping this practice (Clark, p. 222), which the Vicar naturally approved of, as long as it was on the statute books.
It didn't last long. Anne herself died in 1714. Which revived the succession problem. When the Glorious Revolution took place, the succession had been defined only as far as Anne, to succeed William and Mary; Anne had just given birth at that time to the future Duke of Gloucester, and it seemed likely that the succession could pass through him.
But the Stuarts truly were jinxed. It is possible that this is due to the genes of King Charles VI of France. The mad king was the father of Queen Katherine of Valois, wife of Henry V. Her son by Henry V, who became King Henry VI, was feeble-minded and had at most one son. By her second husband/paramour Owen Tudor, Katherine was the grandmother of King Henry VII -- and while Henry VII was healthy, his heir Henry VIII's wives repeatedly miscarried, and of his three legitimate and one illegitimate children to reach the age of one year, none would have offspring of their own.
Charles I was the great(x6)-grandson of Charles VI -- via Katherine of Valois, Owen Tudor, Henry VII, Margaret Tudor, James V of Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots, and James VI and I -- and had nine legitimate children, six of whom died without legitimate issue. Of the remaining three, James II, like Henry VIII before, caused his wives to miscarry repeatedly, and Mary the mother of William of Orange had only one child. William and Mary, both grandchildren of Charles I, were childless, and Mary herself had been through miscarriages. James the Old Pretender had two sons, but neither produced a legitimate heir. And Anne -- well, Anne went through many pregnancies, almost all of which produced babies who died very young. The child of 1689 lived to become the Duke of Gloucester -- but then died in 1700 while still a boy.
That produced a crisis, which William of Orange sort of resolved by passing the Act of Settlement in 1701 (Prall, pp. 287-288). This made it official: A Catholic could not ascend to the throne of England (later broadened to all of Britain by the passage of the Act of Union in 1707), nor could the monarch marry a Catholic. This was the "Protestant Succession."
Anne had repeatedly talked, at the end of her life, of passing the throne to the Old Pretender, who was after all her closest living relative (her half-brother). Thackeray wrote, "Had the Queen lasted a month longer; had the English Tories been as bold and resolute as they were clever and crafty; had the Prince whom the nation loved and pitied been equal to his fortune, George Louis had never talked German in St. James's Chapel Royal" (quoted in Sinclair-Stevenson, p. 11). But Anne died too soon, and the law was not altered. The hunt was on for a Protestant heir.
In fact, the Protestant heir was already known -- except that he was far down the line of succession. Several people could have supplanted him -- but they would have had to give up their Catholic faith.
It really helps to see a genealogy here; I used the one in Oman, p. 458. Under strict blood succession, the heirs of Anne (after setting aside the Old Pretender) would have been the descendants of Henrieta, the daughter of Charles I who had married Philip, Duke of Orleans. These were, apart from the Old Pretender, the only legitimate descendents of Charles I. But they were all Catholic. That left the offspring of Elizabeth, the daughter of James I. (She and Charles I were the only children of James I to live to have children.)
Elizabeth had had a truly sad history: Born in 1596 (Oman, p. 1), her early portraits show a very pretty red-haired girl, who apparently was also quite clever (Oman, p. 36). Not too surprisingly, half a dozen princes were mentioned as possible marriage prospects (for the list, see p. 469 in Oman's index). Somehow, though, James decided to favor the suit of Frederick V, who, when he came of age in 1614, would be the Elector Palatine of the Holy Roman Empire (Oman, pp. 52-53). James's wife Anne of Denmark wasn't so happy (Oman, p. 62), but the young pair (Frederick was the older by just a few days; Oman, p. 54) were formally betrothed at the end of 1612. (Some think that Shakespeare's "The Tempest," or at least the Masque in IV.I.106 and following, was modified to suit her wedding; we know, according to The Riverside Shakespeare, p. 1606, that it was performed as part of the elaborate marriage festivities.)
Dill, p. 33, describes Frederick as Òyoung, handsome, charming... and a Calvinist," but not even that combination of traits could bring calm to Germany. The rest of Elizabeth's life was not so happy. Frederick soon decided to accept the vacant throne of Bohemia (Oman, p. 170), against the advice of most of those around him (Wedgwood-Thirty, pp. 97-99; the Bohemians, after all, had just ousted the previous King even as he was being elected Holy Roman Emperor; Wedgwood-Thirty, pp. 90-97).
That decision put Frederick squarely at the center of the Thirty Years' War; Bohemia, which was trying assure its Protestantism, was the front line. Elizabeth came to be called "The Winter Queen," because it was foretold that her husband, "The Winter King," would vanish with the snows (Oman, p. 202). He did. In November 1620, his forces lost the Battle of the White Mountain (Oman, pp. 223-224, etc.; Wedgwood-Thirty, pp. 122-125, describes the Bohemian forces, who were few, ill-paid because of the poverty of the crown, and ill-led, being destroyed in almost no time despite what should have been a strong position. Dill, p. 33, adds that James I of England provided no help to the Protestants, since he was "dallying with an alliance with the Spanish Habsburgs").
Frederick, and the Bohemian Protestants, were driven out as the Habsburg Emperor re-imposed Catholicism. (Elizabeth is surely the only Stuart to get in trouble for not being Catholic enough!) Frederick formally allowed Maximilian of Bavaria to become Elector, and got out of there. Elizabeth spent the rest of her life in exile of one sort or another: She and her husband, living in (by royal standards) poverty, tried to improve their position until Frederick died in 1632. Her son finally regained his status as Elector in 1648, but by then the Stuart dynasty in England was on the ropes. She finally returned to England in 1661 after the Stuart restoration -- and promptly died (Oman, p. 455). It was quite a drama -- but it shouldn't have mattered much in England, except for the failure of the Stuart line.
Even if you ignore the sad history of her life, Elizabeth had a typical Tudor/Stuart story: She had thirteen children (ncluding the famous Prince Rupert). But nine died without any children at all, and Rupert had no legitimate children. That left three: Charles Louis, the Elector Palatine (restored after the 1648 Peace of Westphalia, but with reduced territory; Dill, p. 37), whose offspring were Catholic; Edward, whose offspring were Catholic, and Sophia, who married the Elector of Hanover. (It is interesting to note that the Guelfs of Hanover had only recently become electors -- they were given a new, ninth electorate in 1692; Dill, p. 43. Thus the Hanoverian dynasty only became Electors *after* the Glorious Revolution!)
If it's any consolation to the memory of Elizabeth, it appears that *every* remaining crowned head of Europe is her descendant; the monarchs of Britain, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden are all descended from Sophia of Hanover (as were the pre-World War II monarchs of Greece, Yugoslavia, and Romania among others), and the royal house of Belgium, along with the extinct dynasties of Bulgaria and Italy and others, descend from Liselotte daughter of the Elector Palatinate (Oman, p. 457).
By 1710, it was of course clear that none of the people ahead of her would turn Protestant, so Sophia became Anne's heir apparent. She did not quite live to succeed, dying in 1714 at the age of 84 (perhaps, some have argued romantically, as a result of news from England which seemed to imply that Anne would disinherit her; Sinclair-Stevenson, pp. 13-15).
And so, in default of anyone else, George Lewis, Elector of Hannover, became King George I of England. He was not in any way exceptional -- Sinclair-Stevenson, p. 24, quotes an unnamed source as saying, "To imagine George I possessed any exalted views regarding either the supremacy of the Protestant religion or the economic and progressive development is to credit a mollusc with the aspirations of an eagle." As it turned out, none of his descendants to the present day has been exceptional, either (except George III, who was exceptional for stupidity); the only one whom I can imagine making even a decent ruler in his own right is George V. But England had had its handsome Plantaganets and its triumphant Lancastrians and its romantic Stuarts, maybe it had had enough of exceptional monarchs. George was much laughed at -- for his lack of English, his two ugly mistresses, his clan of German friends (Sinclair-Stevenson, p. 26). But even though he faced two Jacobite rebellions (1715 and 1719), there was never any serious danger of his overthrow. Even the Vicar had little to say about George's theology -- except that he would follow it.
The reference to George arriving in Pudding Time has perhaps as many as three meanings. It refers to a the beginning of a meal, as George was the beginning of a new dynasty. It also implies a good meal, in which case the Vicar might be using it to try to compliment the new king. And -- well, George I, by the time he succeeded to the English throne, was rather pudgy, and his expansive cheekbones made him appear pudgier. He had the look of a man fond of his pudding.
There does not seem to have been an actual Vicar of Bray, but this sort of shifting-of-allegiance is by no means unknown in British history.
The Wars of the Roses brought many instances of turning one's coat. The greatest example I can think of is Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick (died 1471). Warwick became an earl in the reign of King Henry VI, to whom he initially gave his loyalty (Ross-Wars, p. 34). But then he joined the opposition under the Duke of York (Ross-Wars, p. 31). Eventually he became one of the "Yorkist Earls" who invaded England to overthrow Henry VI (Ross-Wars, p. 45). When York was killed, it is possible that Warwick thought to try to rule again through Henry , but then Henry VI fell back into the hands of Queen Margaret (Ross-Wars, p. 52), so Warwick, in desperation, joined with York's son Edward IV, who went on to become King.
Warwick had become "The Kingmaker" (Ross-Wars, p. 54), but soon grew disillusioned with his role and began to intrigue on behalf of Edward IV's brother George of Clarence (Ross-Wars, p. 77). This failed, so Warwick eventually made a deal with ex-Queen Margaret and the French to support the old King Henry VI (Ross-Wars, p. 85). They briefly drove out Edward IV, and "re-adepted" (their spelling, and their invented word; Kendall, p. 100) King Henry. But Edward IV killed Warwick at the Battle of Barnet (Ross-Wars, p. 90). The Kingmaker's career was over.
But Warwick at least was overt in his actions. A better example of the pure trimmer comes in the form of the brothers Thomas Stanley (c. 1435-1504), later Earl of Derby, and his brother Sir William Stanley (c. 1440-1495). Thomas Stanley succeeded his father as Lord Stanley in 1459 (a title bringing with it control of the Isle of Man); this was in the reign of Henry VI, though the Wars of the Roses were already underway. Longford, p. 48, says that Henry VI admitted him to the Order of the Garter (though Kendall, p. 381, attributes this to Richard III), then Edward IV made him Steward of the Household. Stanley retained power under Richard III, even though he had married Margaret Beaufort (the mother of the future Henry VII) around 1482. He brought an army to Bosworth (where Richard III died), carefully did not fight in the battle, but when Richard died, reportedly put the crown on Henry VII's head.
In fact it appears the situation was even more complicated than Longford admits. Kendall, p. 404, notes that the Stanleys "thrived by daring to make politics their trade, by sloughing off the encumbrances of loyalty an honor, by developing an ambiguity of attitude which enabled them to join the winning side."
Kendall implies that, early on, the brothers Stanley deliberately played both sides (see pp. 404-406): In 1459, William joined the Yorkists (and was attainted by a Lancastrian parliament), while Thomas, claiming to be Lancastrian, kept his troops idle at Blore Heath. Thomas did fight for the Lancastrians at Northampton, but when Edward IV became King, Thomas was made Chief Justice of Cheshire and Flint.
When in the late 1460s Warwick made the first of two attempts to bring back Henry VI, Thomas made sympathetic noises but did nothing and was taken back into favor. In the second attempt, he joined Warwick -- but did nothing at the battles of Barnet and Tewkesbury. Since William had joined the Yorkists, Thomas was allowed to rejoin the government. It was after this that he became Steward. During the reign of Richard III, even though his wife lost her estates after Buckingham's rebellion, Thomas Stanley became treasurer.
Then came the invasion of Henry VII, which eventually overthrew Richard. Stanley was, by now, the third-greatest landholder in England, after the Howard Duke of Norfolk and the Percy Earl of Northumberland. When Henry VII landed, Stanley asked to be allowed to leave Richard. Richard consented, though he made Stanley turn over his son Lord Strange as a hostage. (But, we note for the Richard III haters out there, once it was clear that Stanley would not support Richard at Bosworth, Richard let Strange live.)
Even after the death of Richard, the Stanleys kept their feet in both camps. Thomas became Earl of Derby (a title that is still in his family) -- though Kendall, p. 457, says that Margaret Beaufort eventually refused to share his bed any longer. But William, the man who had ordered the counter-charge that killed Richard III and won England for Henry, did not even receive a peerage. He allegedly conspired with the pretender Perkin Warbeck, and the Stanley luck finally ran out; Henry VII had him executed. (To be sure, there are those who think Henry just wanted Sir William's money; Poole, p. 18)
It should be noted that Kendall's was the most vigorous defence of Richard III in the twentieth century; to preserve Richard, he must inherently blacken the Stanleys. But others tell the same story. Gillingham seems to try to be balanced, in that it does not condemn Richard out of hand (but he betrays his bias in failing to note that Henry VII faced as many rebellions in his first two years as Richard did in his, and had a little support from peers; the only difference is that Richard was killed at Bosworth, whereas Henry won his battle at Stoke -- fortunately, since there would have been at least one more round of civil wars had he lost). But Gillingham's account of the Bosworth campaign (pp. 233-242) cannot conceal the extensive treachery of the Stanleys, though it tries to hide it under the cloak of necessity.
Seward-Roses, pp. 303-304, in the space of two pages manages to refer to "Lord Stanley's well-deserved reputation for trimming," and his "treacherous behavior in 1470-1471," also mentioning that "Thomas Stanley had survived the Wars of the Roses... by his shrewdness in identifying and backing the more powerful side" and noting that Henry and the Stanleys "were men of utmost cynicism," as well as that "the Stanleys were never men of their word."
Long after I wrote the above, I was amazed to find that Ross-Richard, p. 162, took exactly the same view, referring to "the Vicar of Bray attitude which the Stanley family usually adopted."
Perhaps the best evidence of all comes from the will of William Catesby, one of Richard III's closest associates. Three days after the Battle of Bosworth, as he prepared for execution, he wrote his will. Cunningham, pp. 76-77, shows a reduced image of the will, which reads in part, "My lords, Stanley, Strange and all that blood help and pray for my soul for you have not for my body as I trusted in you."
No matter what source you consult, both brothers had careers with even more changes of coat than the Vicar of Bray (who just went along with whoever was in charge). Can you imagine what George W. Bush would have made of these people?
For additional details on Richard III's story, see the notes to "The Children in the Wood (The Babes in the Woods) [Laws Q34]" and "The Rose of England" [Child 166].
England had also had a period of almost as much religious instability from about 1530-1560. Henry VIII (reigned 1509-1547) began as a staunch defender of Catholicism against Lutheranism, but when he wanted to dump his wife Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn (Williamson, p. 111) , and was refused, he created Harryism (as it should have been called) or Anglicanism (as it calls itself). By 1529, he summoned the Reformation Parliament, which would work with him in creating the new denomination (Scarisbrick, p. 245).
Following Henry VIII was his son Edward VI. Although only a boy, his protector, Somerset, was a zealous protestant who moved toward a much more strict position (Ashley, p. 637). Somerset did not last long, but his opinions lasted until Edward VI himself died, still in his teens, in 1553 (Loach, p. 167). Edward had been persuaded to name Jane Grey, the "Nine Days' Queen," as his successor (Ashley, p. 638). But Henry VIII's eldest daughter, Mary (I), raised an army and was able to take control (Loach, p. 170).
Had her supporters known what was coming, they might not have been so adamant. She was a fanatical Catholic, and a foolish one, with no understanding of the people; her attempts to reimpose Catholicism earned her the name "Bloody Mary" (Ashley, p. 640). She lost Calais, England's last possession in the continent, and had no heir; she died, as 2 Chronicles says of Jehoram, "with no one's regret." Her half-sister Elizabeth succeeded, and put Anglicanism in roughly its final form (Ashley, p. 641): Largely Catholic in worship and in episcopal organization, but separate from Rome and with a more Protestant theology.
It would have taken a rare trimmer to manage to keep his congregation from 1529 to (say) 1559, however. Henry VIII disposed of uncompromising Catholics, Bloody Mary burned any number of Protestants (and didn't trust those who recanted), and even Elizabeth was at times forced to deal harshly with Catholics (Ashley, p. 642). It was a far harsher period than 1685-1714; James II and William III, because their positions had been so weak, had generally been willing to accept any followers they could find. Whereas Bloody Mary was a true zealot. - RBW
The form of broadside Bodleian Firth c.8(33), "Beef and Butt Beer, Against Mum and Pumpernickle" or "A Bumper to Old England, Huzza," B. C. (London), 1743, shows it either to be a forerunner or derivative of "The Vicar of Bray." Here is the first verse:
In good King G---'s golden days,
Whoe'er advis'd the King, Sir,
To give H---r the Bays,
Deserv'd a hempen String, Sir.
For this is true, I will maintain,
Give H----r away, Sir,
Or whatsoever K---g shall reign,
Will ne'er have a happy Day, Sir. - BS
The king in the item above must be one or another King George (no other English king has had the initial "G," unless you count Richard of Gloucester). And since the king mentioned clearly is no longer on the throne, and the song was published in the 1740s, it must be George I.
This strongly implies that "H---r" is Hanover, the German principality that England had inherited with George I.
My guess is that the reference is to the Battle of Dettingen (1743) during the War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748). Britain had joined the war on the Austrian side, partly because France was on the other side, partly because Hanover was part of the Holy Roman Empire (of which the Habsburg Emperor of Austria was usually Emperor, though an exception had had to be made at this time; Maria Theresa of Austria was a woman and therefore ineligible), and partly because Britain wanted to maintain the balance of power.
The War of the Austian Succession was very expensive for Britain, and unpopular, causing several governments to fall rather spectacularly. Dettingen was of particular note because it was very bloody, and a strategic defeat for the British, who ended up sitting and licking their wounds, rather than continuing to campagn, afterward (Browning, p. 140).
Dettingen also was remembered because George II personally led troops (Browning, p. 137; the last time a British monarch was directly involved in battle). It frankly should have been worse, except that the French Duke of Grammont gave up an almost unassailable position, allowing the British to escape a trap (Browning, p. 139). According to Browning, p. 139, "George II basked in his long-sought (and unmerited) glory." But Browning, p. 140, notes that he wore Hanoverian, not British, insignia in the battle (something his British officers strongly resented; Brumwell/Speck, pp. 175-176).
Also, the Hanoverian connection was very unpopular in Britain, where it was felt that the Georges paid too much attention to their continental domains. It is easy to understand a British writer saying, "Give Hanover away!"
George I was, of course, the last King mentioned in the "standard" Vicar of Bray. It thus seems likely that the Bodleian broadside is a follow-on to the Vicar -- which in turn implies that the Vicar was in existence by the reign of George II if not earlier.
Just how traditional "The Vicar of Bray" is is an open question. That it's well-known, however, cannot be denied.
Improbable as it sounds, a bark named The Vicar of Bray was built in 1841. After a complicated career, it ended up in a decrepit state in Port Stanley in the Falklands. It still exists as part of a pier there, and is believed to be the only surviving ship to have made the voyage to San Francisco during the 1849 gold rush. (See Paine, pp. 546-547).
The song also gave its name to a biological theory. Ridley, p. 31 etc., describes how biologists for long thought that sex existed in order to promote the diffusion of good genes, helping along evolution. This came to be called the "Vicar of Bray" theory. Alternatives go by such names as the "Tangled Bank" and the "Red Queen" (after the Red Queen's Race in Through the Looking Glass).
Unlike its namesake, though, the "Vicar" theory proved inadequately adaptable. The basic premise is sound: Sex allows the diffusion of genes (i.e. it allows genes A and B, which arose independenty, to end up in the same organism), and sharing of genes is indeed helpful when a species must seek to optimize behavior; it is the best way to create superior mixes of genes. But this does not explain why so many creatures reproduce only by means of sex. Mammals use sex exclusively, and most other vertebrates and many invertebrates also reproduce exclusively sexually.
The problem with the Vicar of Bray is that sex is not needed for genetic diffusion. It's perfectly possible to swap genes without sex; bacteria often do it, and viruses manage it by invading a cell at the same time. And in the ordinary course of things asexual reproduction (cloning or fissioning) is a faster way to reproduce. Indeed, we see a mix of such strategies in many creatures (strawberries, for instance, send out runners to populate their local area, while spreading seeds to the wind. And there are a number of species which reproduce primarily asexually while going through an occasional sexual phase, e.g. at the end of a growing season).
Plus, while sex serves to distribute good genes, it also serves to break up good gene combinations. As Ridley puts it on page 47, "Sex disobeys that great injunction, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it.'"
It has been noted, however, that asexual reproduction seems to be a very rare thing; if one looks at a "Tree of Life" (one of those drawings that show species splitting off from each other), and marks the multicellular creatures which reproduce asexually, they are few and scattered (see the description in Dawkins, p. 425). The one major exception is the bdelloid rotifers, which -- unlike all other rotifers -- reproduce exclusively asexually, and have managed to persist for an estimated 85 million years and spawn some 360 species (Judson, pp. 219-220; Dawkins, p. 425). Judson, p. 213, calls it a "notorous scandal" (in the circles of evolutionary biology). According to Ridley, p. 85, it was John Maynard Smith who first used the term. Scandal they may be, but they are still very much the exception. Almost every other species reproduces sexually. It must have some strong advantage -- but no one knows what.
(This gives rise to an irony: The Vicar of Bray in the song kept himself in business by selfishly concerning himself solely with his own survival. The Vicar of Bray hypothesis regarding evolution failed because it does not take into account the selfish desires of each creature that its genes, and only its genes, survive.)
Because of these problems, there is still debate about why sex persists. It will be interesting to see the name applied to the consensus theory if and when a consensus forms. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: ChWII122

Vicksburg Round the Bend


See Captain Jim Rees and the Katie (File: MWhee010)

Vicksburg Soldier, The


See The Battle of Vicksburg (File: R225)

Victorious Goalers of Carrigaline and Kilmoney, The


DESCRIPTION: "There's joy throughout the nation... our goalers ... have won the victory... on the plains of Onnabuoy" Ancient heroes of the game would join the acclamation. The game is described. O'Day is the hero. Players on both teams are named.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1839 (Croker-PopularSongs)
KEYWORDS: pride sports Ireland moniker
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Croker-PopularSongs, pp. 148-155, "The Victorious Goalers of Carrigaline and Kilmoney" (1 text)

CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Mourneen Gal Ma Chree" (tune, according to Croker-PopularSongs)
cf. "Bold Thady Quill" (subject of hurling) and references there
cf. "The Carrigaline Goalers Defeated" (subject of hurling, plus these particular games)
NOTES: The name of the Irish game is "goal" or "hurling." This match takes place near Cork harbour.
Croker-PopularSongs quoting "Miss Conner, sister to the hero of the ballad": "The famed contests of Onnabuoy occurred in December, 1828, and the second in April, 1829." - BS
File: CrPs148

Victorious March


DESCRIPTION: General Grant sets out to capture Vicksburg. He wins assorted small battles and besieges the city; it surrenders on July 4.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1909 (Belden), based on a diary entry from 1864
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
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 (1 citation):
Belden, pp. 369-371, "Victorious March" (1 text)
Roud #7765
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Battle of Vicksburg" (subject)
cf. "Late Battle in the West" (subject)
NOTES: Historical allusions in this piece include:
"In the early part of May": Grant actually brought his forces across the Mississippi below Vicksburg on April 30, 1863
"Grand Gulf": On May 1, two Confederate brigades arrived from Grand Gulf to dispute Grant's crossing. The actual battle was fought at Port Gibson, and resulted in a rebel defeat. The survivors then abandoned Grand Gulf to Grant.
"Raymond": After crossing the river, Grant had intended to head downstream and capture the auxiliary fortress of Port Hudson, but instead decided that Vicksburg was his primary objective. He moved inland, defeating a small force at Raymond, Mississippi on May 12
"Jackson" and "the seniors of rebellion": There were two rebel forces in central Mississippi: Pemberton's Vicksburg garrison, and an additional force under Joseph E. Johnston near Jackson. Johnston was the senior officer in the west, and in theoretical charge of Pemberton -- but he couldn't get Pemberton to obey him, and his own force was small (no more than 12, 000 men, and probably less than 10,000). Grant, with at least a 4:1 advantage, beat the force at Jackson on May 14, freeing the Union army to deal with Pemberton without worrying about his back.
"Champion Hill": Properly Champion's Hill. Johnston had vainly tried to get Pemberton to pitch into Grant's army while Johnston was still fighting. Pemberton sat -- then finally came on on May 15, changed his mind, and awaited Grant on the hill. Grant attacked on May 16, and after a bloody battle pushed Pemberton back toward Vicksburg
"Black River": On May 17, Pemberton tried a rearguard action at the river crossing. Grant forced a crossing without much trouble, and Pemberton was trapped. Grant besieged the city starting May 19, although his initial assault was defeated
"Genral Pem": Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton (1814-1881), the commander of the Vickburg garrison. His handling of the campaign was so inept that some confederates accused him of treason (he was born in the North).
"General Logan": John A. Logan (1826-1886). Commander of a division in the Union army
"Their works he undermined": Union engineers twice (June 25, July 1) exploded mines under the Confederate works. Neither explosion produced a breakthrough, though they may have influenced Pemberton's decision to surrender.
"All hope of Johnston's aid": After the battle of Jackson, Johnston tried to assemble a relieving force, but the only troops available were green as grass. In addition, Grant was given some 30,000 additional troops, with which to hold off Johnston. Johnston declared on June 15 that Vicksburg could not be saved. - RBW
File: Beld369

Victory


See On Board of The Victory (File: Peac484)

Victory Shall Be Mine


DESCRIPTION: "Victory, victory shall be mine (x2); Just hold your peace and the Lord will fight your battles, Victory, victory shall be mine." "Victory, victory shall be mine in the morning..."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1937 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: religious
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Warner 176, "Wictory Shall Be Mine" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa176 (Partial)
Roud #16403
NOTES: Yes, the Warners' informant (name uncertain) pronounced it "wictory" -- a peculiar error for an American, as it is considered characteristic of Cockney speech (and even in that dialect, some insist that its frequency is exaggerated).
The tune has another, even more surprising, peculiarity: It uses quarter tones. And not just any quarter tone; it has a quarter tone in place of the fifth (i.e. Ab# instead of G in the key of C). - RBW
File: Wa176

Victory She Came Bearing Down, The


See Nelson's Fame, and England's Glory (File: GrD1146)

Victory Won at Richmond, The


DESCRIPTION: "The southern boys may longer lie On the first and fourth of sweet July, Our General Beauregard resound For his southern boys at Richmond." In a bloody battle, the southerners save Richmond while the Yankees run
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1917 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: battle Civilwar
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
JHCox 66, "The Victory Won at Richmond" (1 text)
DT, VRCHMND
ST JHCox066 (Full)
Roud #3629
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Heights of Alma (I)" [Laws J10] (meter, lyrics)
NOTES: This song is item dA37 in Laws's Appendix II. Laws lists two texts in Cox, but this is a typographical error.
This song is truly a curiosity. The form and lyrics are straight from "The Heights of Alma" (with this clearly being a rewrite) -- yet "The Heights of Alma" was about an event of the Crimean War; what was it doing being parodied in the American South in the 1860s? I suppose there could be an earlier song which inspired both (Alma was hardly the sort of battle to produce a brilliant broadside), but I hadn't found it.
The history here is also confused. The only general named on either side is Beauregard. But Beauregard never commanded at Richmond. He could be treated as the Confederate commander at First Bull Run/Manasses (though the actual field commander was Joseph E. Johnston), but that was a long way from Richmond (McPherson, pp. 339-346, especially p. 340). Beauregard did command the defenses of Petersburg (south of Richmond) in 1864, and fought the Yankees in the Bermuda Hundred campaign (Boatner, p. 55) -- but this was as a subordinate of Lee's.
It seems likely that this line is an interpolation, as it does not fit the stanza form. But that just leaves things more murky. So do the initial dates: The first and fourth of July. No significant battles happened on those days -- except the Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) and the surrender of Vicksburg (given up on July 4, 1863; for the dates of battles, see Phisterer, pp. 83-220), neither of which a Confederate would celebrate.
The description of the battle also fails to match any actual battle. The casualty ratios are reminiscent of two fights (Fredericksburg, where according to Boatner, p. 313, the Union lost 12,700, compared to 5200 Confederates; and Cold Harbor, where Boatner, p. 163, makes the ratio of casualties 7000:1500), but again, these were Lee's battles, and neither was fought near Richmond. In any case, the Confederates fought all of the above battles on the strict defensive; nowhere did they capture a height.
If one were to list one battle as a "Victory at Richmond," it would probably be the Seven Days' Battles, but this was Lee's fight, with an army recently Johnston's; Confederate losses *exceeded* Union casualties (McPherson, p. 470), and at no point did the Confederates take a ridge (they in fact signally failed to take one in the Battle of Malvern Hill).
I think the only possible conclusion is that this is a localized version of "The Heights of Alma," not based on an actual battle but rather on a few names the writer had heard. It may even be conflation of northern and southern versions (that would explain a lot of the confusions).
Alternately, it may be that it conflates battles. Second Bull Run was fought August 29-30, 1862 (Phisterer, p. 112; Boatner, pp. 104-105), with an afterthought at Chantilly on 1 September, 1862. Maybe the author heard the news on 1 or 4 September, confused the date with July -- and then confused Second Bull Run, where Lee commanded, with First Bull Run, where Beauregard sort of commanded. In any case, the result is a mess.
It's too bad, in a way; the version of "Heights of Alma" I know is incredibly energetic, and could use a solid American version.
As a footnote, there was a "Battle of Richmond" in Civil War annals. But it was a small conflict fought near Richmond, Kentucky in August 1862 (Phisterer, p. 112). Beauregard was not involved, of course. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: JHCox066

Vilikens and his Dinah (William and Dinah) [Laws M31A/B]


DESCRIPTION: Dinah is in love with (William/Vilikens); her father insists that she will marry someone else. Dinah steals away, writes a note to her love, and drinks poison. Her love finds her body and in turn kills himself. They are buried in the same grave
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: M31A: before 1821 (broadside, Bodleian 2806 c.17(469)).
M31B: before 1853 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 26(662))
KEYWORDS: courting death poverty
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,So,SE) Canada(Mar) Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (19 citations):
Laws M31A, "William and Dinah A"/M31B "Vilikens and His Dinah (William and Dinah B)"
GreigDuncan2 211, "Villikens and His Dinah" (1 fragment, 2 tunes)
Belden, pp. 147-148, "Wilkins and Dinah" (1 text)
Randolph 80, "Vilikens and Dinah" (1 text plus an excerpt, 1 tune)
Eddy 50, "Vilikens and his Dinah" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 162, "Young Diana" (2 texts plus mention of 1 more, 1 tune; the "A" text is "William and Dinah"; "B" is "Vilikens")
JHCox 105, "Vilikins and His Dinah" (1 text)
Fuson, p. 90, "Billy and Diana" (1 short text)
BrownII 204, "Wilkins and His Dinah" (1 text plus 1 excerpt and mention of 3 more)
Hudson 33, pp. 146-147, "Villikins and His Dinah" (1 text)
Flanders/Brown, p. 49, "Dinah's Lovers" (1 text, in which William becomes "Sambo"!)
Linscott, pp. 301-303, "Willikins and His Dinah" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 17, "Diana and Sweet William" (1 text, 1 tune); 18, "Villikens and his Dinah" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach, pp. 767-769, "Villkins and his Dinah" (2 texts)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 53-54, "Vilikins and His Dinah" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, pp. 118-119, "William and Dinah" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 266, "Villikins And His Dinah" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 603-604, "Vilikens and His Dinah -- (Sweet Betsey from Pike)"
DT 435, VILDINAH*
Roud #271
RECORDINGS:
Logan English, "William and Dinah" (on LEnglish01)
BROADSIDES:
Laws M31A:
Bodleian, 2806 c.17(469), "William and Diana," G. Thompson (Liverpool), 1789-1820; also Harding B 15(379a), Harding B 11(3592), Harding B 11(1311), Johnson Ballads 1842, "William and Dinah"
Laws M31B:
Bodleian, Harding B 26(662), "Villikins and His Dinah," J. Moore (Belfast) , 1846-1852; also Firth c.18(231), Firth b.27(61), "Vilikens and His Dinah"; Firth b.27(159), Harding B 11(3981), Firth c.18(232), "Vilikins and His Dinah"; Harding B 11(3982), "Vilikins and His Dinah!"
LOCSheet, sm1854 551640, "Vilikens and His Dinah," Horace Waters (New York), 1854 (tune)
LOCSinging, as114360, "Villikins and Dinah," unknown, 19C
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Sweet Betsy from Pike [Laws B9]" (tune & meter)
cf. "The Grand Hotel" (tune & meter)
cf. "Squarin' Up Time" (tune & meter)
cf. "Blinded by Shit" (tune & meter)
cf. "Dinky Die" (tune)
cf. "Pokegama Bear" (tune)
cf. "The H'Emmer Jane" (tune)
cf. "Johnston's Hotel" (tune)
cf. "Moses Ritoora-li-ay" (tune)
cf. "Duncan Campbell (Erin-Go-Bragh)" [Laws Q20] (tune)
cf. "Four Horses" (tune)
cf. "Nothing at All" (tune)
cf. "Dalmuir Ploughing Match" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
Sweet Betsy from Pike [Laws B9] (File: LB09)
The Grand Hotel (File: FJ180)
Squarin' Up Time (File: FJ182)
Blinded by Shit (File: EM125)
Dinky Die (File: EM403)
Pokegama Bear (File: RcPokegB)
Johnston's Hotel (File: RcJohHot)
Four Horses (File: Rc4Horse)
Nothing At All (File: RcNoAtAl)
Dalmuir Ploughing Match (File: GrD3427)
We Sing of the Polar Bear (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 43)
The Abolition Show (words by Stephen Foster; Saunders/Root-Foster 2, pp. 12-13+418)
They Died as They Lived (per broadside Bodleian Firth b.27(61))
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Diana
Jimmy and Diana
Billikins
NOTES: As Laws's numbers show, this ballad has two versions. The first, "William and Dinah," is a straightforward tragic piece. At some point this was rewritten as a comic piece, "Vilikens and His Dinah." The two retain enough similarity that they can still be treated as one song.
There are enough claims of authorship that I chose to leave the "Author" field empty. Jonathan Lighter and John Moulden, in posts to Ballad-L in 2010, reports that two early but undated printings in the Levy collection list John Parry as the author; another lists John Barnard. But sheet music attributions aren't always very reliable.
In the department of Truly Useless Knowledge, we might note that the cat Dinah of Caroll's Through the Looking Glass derived its name from this song. The two cats kept by the Liddell family were Vilikens and Dinah. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: LM31

Village Pride (I), The


See The Paisley Officer (India's Burning Sands) [Laws N2] (File: LN02)

Village Pride (II), The


See Mary of the Wild Moor [Laws P21] (File: LP21)

Villkins and his Dinah


See Vilikens and His Dinah [LawsM31A/B] (File: LM31)

Vince Leahy


DESCRIPTION: The singer tells of the drowning of Leahy. The young man is well liked for his hard work at Young's Point. The morning of his death, his mother begs him to stay home. But he goes to work, slips into a "stop log place," and is found much later
AUTHOR: Dave McMahon
EARLIEST DATE: 1957 (Fowke)
KEYWORDS: death drowning lumbering river family
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1927 - Death of Vince Leahy of Peterborough
FOUND IN: Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke-Lumbering #43, "Vince Leahy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #3683
File: FowL43

Vingt-cinq de Juillet, Le (The Twenty-fifth of July)


DESCRIPTION: French. July 25 the ship sets sail for France. Surviving a storm, the ship arrives safely at Rochelle. The girls go on board with their men. When the owner is told that his ship has arrived safe and sound with a load of cargo and silver he thanks God.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1971 (Lehr/Best)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage sex commerce sea ship storm
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lehr/Best 114, "Le Vingt-cinq de Juillet" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Anita Best and Pamela Morgan, "Le Vingt-cinq de Juillet" (on NFABestPMorgan01)
File: LeBe114

Virgin Mary Had a Little Baby


DESCRIPTION: "The Virgin Mary had a little baby, O, glory hallelujah. O, pretty little baby, Glory be to the newborn King." "What you gonna name that pretty little baby?" "Some call him one thing, think I'll call him Jesus"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1953 (R. C. Seeger, American Folk Songs for Christmas)
KEYWORDS: religious Jesus Christmas
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Silber-FSWB, p. 384, "Virgin Mary Had One Son" (1 text)
Roud #12207
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Glory to the New Born King" (on PeteSeeger37, PeteSeeger42)
File: FSWB384A

Virgin Mary Had One Son


See Virgin Mary Had a Little Baby (File: FSWB384A)

Virgin Mary's Bank, The


DESCRIPTION: A ship sees Virgin Mary praying on the bank. The captain leads the crew in jeering and a storm wrecks the ship "on Ichidony's rock." The crew are drowned. Local fishermen call "that hillock green 'the Virgin Mary's bank.'"
AUTHOR: J. J. Callanan
EARLIEST DATE: 1855 (Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859), Vol II)
KEYWORDS: death ship storm wreck religious supernatural
FOUND IN: Ireland Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Lehr/Best 115, "The Virgin on the Strand" (1 text, 1 tune)
O'Conor, p. 77, "The Virgin Mary's Bank" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859), Vol II, pp. 177-178, "The Virgin Mary's Bank"
NOTES: There is a certain amount of confusion about this author. Most sources list his name as James Joseph Callanan, but he is also sometimes listed under the name "Jeremiah" (and, yes, it is known that it is the same guy). Most sources agree that he was born in 1795, but his death date seemingly varies; Hoagland and MacDonagh/Robinson give 1829. He wrote some poetry of his own, but is probably best known for his translations from Gaelic. Works of his found in this index include "The Convict of Clonmel," "The Outlaw of Loch Lene," "Sweet Avondu," "The Virgin Mary's Bank," "Gougane Barra," and a translation of "Drimindown." - RBW
File: LeBe115

Virgin Most Pure, A


DESCRIPTION: "A virgin most pure, as the prophets do tell, Hath brought forth a baby, as it hath befell." "Set sorrows aside; Christ Jesus, our Savior, was born on this tide." Jesus is born in Bethlehem, in a stable -- you know the rest
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1822 (Gilbert)
KEYWORDS: Jesus religious animal
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Ian Bradley, _The Penguin Book of Carols_ (1999), #3, "A Virgin Most Pure" (1 text)
Roud #1378
NOTES: The history of this song is a little murky; according to the New Oxford Book of Carols, the "rejoice and be merry" refrain and 11-syllable lines is attested as early as 1661. It then fades away for a century and a half until found in Gilbert and Sandys. Bradley cites the tune as "Admiral Benbow" as given in Chappell. - RBW
File: PBOC003

Virgin on the Strand, The


See The Virgin Mary's Bank (File: LeBe115)

Virgin Sturgeon, The


See Caviar Comes from the Virgin Sturgeon (File: EM240)

Virginia Lived down in Treoqueen


DESCRIPTION: "Virginia lived down in Treoqueen, Married a Baltimore boy who was long and lean." Sam two-times her; she declares, "You thought I was blind but now I see" -- and admits to having an "off-side man [whp] keeps his light-house on the sea."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (Henry, collected from Ray Bohanan)
KEYWORDS: infidelity humorous
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
MHenry-Appalachians, p. 17, "Virginia Lived down in Treoqueen" (1 text)
NOTES: I strongly suspect that this was learned, perhaps indirectly, from a recording (this based on the "hip" euphemisms and the stanza form), but I can't locate a probably original. - RBW
File: MHAp17

Virginia Lover, The


DESCRIPTION: Singer courts (Martha), who returns his affection. Her mother/brother opposes the marriage because he is unpropertied, and offers her land/gowns if she'll reject him. She weeps; he tells her "if you hadn't been so faithful, I wouldn't have been so true"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Cecil Sharp collection)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer courts fair Martha (Polly) (of Blackwaters, dark waters), who returns his affection, but her mother (brother) opposes their marriage because he is unpropertied, and offers her land (or gowns) if she'll reject him. She weeps; he asks if he's given her any occasion to be angry, and tells her "if you hadn't been so faithful, I wouldn't have been so true"
KEYWORDS: grief poverty courting marriage brother lover mother clothes
FOUND IN: US(Ap, SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SharpAp 124, "The Virginia Lover" (3 texts, 3 tunes)
Roud #420
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Wagoner's Lad" (plot)
NOTES: The plot of this song powerfully resembles others, notably "The Wagoner's Lad," but it seems to be distinct. - PJS
File: ShAp2124

Virginia Strike of '23, The


DESCRIPTION: "In the dear old town of Princeton... Fire hundred railroad employees were as happy as could be... But they believed in Satan and quit their jobs that fall." The singer was one of those fooled into striking. Now he wishes he had his job back.
AUTHOR: Roy Harvey
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (recording, Roy Harvey and Earl Shirkey)
KEYWORDS: train strike hardtimes request
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1923 - about two thirds of the employees of the Virginia Railroad go on strike. The union brings in replacements; the company suffers several accidents in coming years but never rehires the strikers
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 591-595, "The Virginia Strike of '23" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Roy Harper [pseud. for Roy Harvey] and Earl Shirkey, "The Virginia Strike of '23" (Columbia 15535-D, 1930; rec. 1929)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "When the Work's All Done This Fall" [Laws B3] (tune)
NOTES: According to Cohen, Roy Harvey was an engineer on the Virgina Railroad, and was one of those who struck in 1923. He and many of his fellow workers came to believe that they had been deceived by their union. He reportedly wrote this song to try to get his job back. Reportedly there was some sympathy for him in the company, but not enough. And then, of course, came the Depression. - RBW
File: LSRai591

Virginia's Alders


See Friends and Neighbors (Virginia's Alders) (File: FSC035)

Virginia's Bloody Soil


DESCRIPTION: The singer calls on his audience to listen as he tells of the troubles of the Civil War, and describes how Unionists sprang to the colors after Fort Sumter. The rest of the song describes the battle of the Wilderness, and the death of the captain there
AUTHOR: James McCoy?
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 5-7, 1864 - Battle of the Wilderness
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Warner 24, "Virginia's Bloody Soil" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-CivWar, pp. 80-81, "Virginia's Bloody Soil" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 52, "Virginia's Bloody Soil" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa024 (Partial)
Roud #2802
NOTES: It appears that this song has been collected only once, by the Warners. Their informant, "Yankee" John Galusha, said that this was a song local to his area, written by James McCoy about Captain Dennis Barnes, killed at the Battle of the Wilderness.
This seems likely enough. Although two battles were fought in the Rappahannock Wilderness (The Wilderness in 1864 and the earlier Battle of Chancellorsville on May 1-4, 1863), the song seems better suited to the 1864 battle, as it mentions the fires which consumed the Wilderness and also denies that the Federals retreated (after Chancellorsville the Union forces retreated; after the Wilderness, although it had suffered almost as bad a pounding as at Chancellorsville, Grant and Meade forced the federal army on to Spotsylvania).
This song is item dA35 in Laws's Appendix II. - RBW
File: Wa024

Virginian Maid's Lament, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer, a woman, was sold after seven years service, by Captain Welsh to Madam Guy. She tells how "we are yoked in a plough," badly fed and "whipt at every meal," and must keep her baby quiet. She wants to return to Scotland. "I'm weary, weary, O"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1828 (Buchan)
KEYWORDS: ordeal slavery America Scotland baby servant
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
GreigDuncan6 1095, "The Virginian Maid's Lament" (2 text fragments, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Peter Buchan, Ancient Ballads and Songs of the North of Scotland (Edinburgh, 1875 (reprint of 1828 edition)), Vol II, pp. 205-206,322, "The Virginian Maid's Lament"
Roud #3919
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Slave's Lament
NOTES: One GreigDuncan6 fragment has the singer sold to Madam Guy and separated from a lover.
Buchan: "The practice of kidnapping or stealing children from their parents, in the north of Scotland, from 1735 down to 1753, a period of eighteen years inclusive, and selling them for slaves to the planters of Maryland, Virginia, &c. in North America, is too notorious to require any illustration here." - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD61095

Virginny


See Australia (Virginny) (File: FaE012)

Visit to Morans, The


DESCRIPTION: "In the month of January, ninety-two... We harnessed up our team" and visited John Moran in DeGros Marsh. On the way home the snow forces them off the road. They replace a broken harness with rope and make it to Martin's for beer, then go home next day.
AUTHOR: Lawrence Doyle and Patrick William Farrell
EARLIEST DATE: 1969 (Ives-DullCare)
KEYWORDS: ordeal storm travel
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ives-DullCare, pp. 204-207, 256, "The Visit to Morans" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #14000
NOTES: DeGros Marsh is on the east coast of Kings County, Prince Edward Island. - BS
File: IvDC204

Vivandeer, The


DESCRIPTION: Vivandeer was built "to sail the ocean round ... But they left her on Blackwater Bank, a dire and total wreck." Tinnaberna men launch their boats, step aboard, and, with help of a tug, "brought the gallant Vivandeer safe into Wexford Quay"
AUTHOR: Miley Roche, Kilmuckridge
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Ranson)
KEYWORDS: sea ship wreck sailor help
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ranson, pp. 112-113, "The Vivandeer" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7354
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The North Star" (tune)
NOTES: 1885: "The new sailing ship Vivandiere struck the Blackwater Bank.... She was abandoned by her crew. A local group from Tinnabearna put out and boarded her. They succeeded in bringing her into Wexford with the aid of a tug." (source: Bourke in Shipwrecks of the Irish Coast v1, p. 71) - BS
File: Ran112

Vive la Canadienne!


DESCRIPTION: French: The singer rejoices in his Canadien girl. He celebrates her blue eyes. He describes their meeting, mentioning how quickly their hearts are beating. "So go the hours a-flying Until our wedding day."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1880 (E. Gagnon, "Chansons Populaires de Canada")
KEYWORDS: love courting marriage foreignlanguage
FOUND IN: Canada(Que)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Fowke/Johnston, pp. 146-147, "Vive la Canadienne! (Of My Canadian Girl I Sing)" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fowke/MacMillan 45, "Vive La Canadienne!" (1 English and 1 French text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Pete Seeger, "Vive La Canadienne" (on PeteSeeger29)
File: FJ146

Vive la Compagnie


DESCRIPTION: "Let Bacchus to Venus libations pour forth, Vive la compagnie. And let us make use of our time while it lasts, Vive la compagnie. Vive la, vive la, vive l'amour...." Bachelors toast their lasses, husbands their wives, all toast their friends
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1818
KEYWORDS: drink friend nonballad
FOUND IN: US Britain(England) Germany
REFERENCES (5 citations):
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 218-221, "Vive la Compagnie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 288, "Vive la Compagnie" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 235, "Vive La Compagnie (Vive l'Amour)" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 606-607, "Vive la Compaigne"
DT, VIVLAMOR
ST RJ19218 (Full)
SAME TUNE:
Vive le Captain John (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 161)
NOTES: Fuld points out that this song has been printed in England, America, and Germany, but no early French printings are known. It may, in fact, be an English song; at least, the tune is close to "The Lincolnshire Poacher." - RBW
File: RJ19218

Vive La Republican


DESCRIPTION: January 2 "they cried, 'to arms my clever fellows The Russians are advancing.'" "Vive la" the new convention, Republican, America "for it was in you that it a' began." America "have spent their dear heart's blood To plant the tree of liberty."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan1)
KEYWORDS: America nonballad political
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan1 142, "Vive La Republican" (1 text)
Roud #5775
NOTES: GreigDuncan1: "The war episode suggested in stanza 1 has not been identified. The refrain may refer to the new convention held in Edinburgh in November 1793."
"Vive la" and "Tree of Liberty" occur in Irish political songs. See, for example, "Rouse Hibernians" for the former and "Freedom Triumphant," "Ireland's Liberty Tree" and "The Liberty Tree" for the latter. - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD1142

Vive les matelots!


DESCRIPTION: French (Voyageurs): "Nous etions trois garcons, tous jolis capitaines (x2), Y'en a un a Paris, et a'autre a La Rochelle. Vive les matelots dessus la mer jolie...." Song concerns three captains. One comes to court a girl. He cares not if he is rejected
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1937
KEYWORDS: courting sailor nonballad foreignlanguage
FOUND IN: Canada
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fowke/Mills/Blume, pp. 21-24, "Vive les matelots!" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: FMB021

Voice from the Tombs (Lonely Tombs)


DESCRIPTION: The singer passes a tomb and hears a voice, "I once lived as you live, walked and talked as you talk, Then from earth I was soon torn away." Other voices chip in about the joys of heaven and the brevity of life. At last his mother's voice says she is safe
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (recording, Wade Mainer)
KEYWORDS: death ghost religious grief loneliness mother
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Warner 87, "Voice from the Tombs" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa087 (Partial)
Roud #3399
RECORDINGS:
J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, "Lonely Tombs" (King 661, 1947)
Wade Mainer, "Lonely Tombs" (Bluebird B-7424, 1938)
Preston & Hobart Smith, "Lonely Tombs" (on LomaxCD1704)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hark from the Tombs (Plenary)" (theme)
NOTES: I find, in looking through our keywords, that we have Hell as a place name but not Heaven. Given our subject matter, that's probably appropriate. - PJS
File: Wa087

Volunteer Organist, The


DESCRIPTION: The preacher announces that the organist is ill. No one volunteers to play except a drunken-looking man. He tells his story in music, amazing them all. The preacher doesn't try to preach; he just has the congregation pray as the man leaves
AUTHOR: Words: William B. Gray ("Glenroy") / Music: Henry Lamb
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: music clergy
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Randolph 826, "The Volunteer Organist" (1 text)
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 191-192, "[The Volunteer Organist]" (1 excerpt)
Roud #5378
RECORDINGS:
John McGhee, "The Volunteer Organist" (Champion 15483, 1928)
NOTES: Spaeth (A History of Popular Music in America, p. 271) calls this "the sport of 1893," and goes on to detail how it spawned a play of the same title -- as well as a short-lived rush to produce imitations.
I suspect that the most popular imitation (indeed, the only one still remembered at all) is Myra Brooks Welch's "The Touch of the Master's Hand." Welch was born in 1877, according to Internet sources, and wrote her piece in 1921, which fits. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: R826

Volunteers, The


DESCRIPTION: Mabel asks her mother about the passing troops and their leader. Mother answers that the men are the Volunteers and Grattan their leader. "They rose to guard from foreign foes, as well from British guile" Witness "the baffled hosts of Gaul"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1855 (Hayes)
KEYWORDS: pride army England France Ireland dialog patriotic
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
O'Conor, pp. 117-118, "The Volunteers" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859 (reprint of 1855 London edition)), Vol I, pp. 235-236, "The Volunteers"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Song of the Volunteers" (subject) and references there
NOTES: The Belfast Volunteers were formed in 1778 because of the threat of war between France and Britain. Similar groups formed, became politicized, and supported "those in favour of legislative independence from the British parliament and the removal of impediments to Irish commerce." Henry Grattan and Harry Flood supported this program in the Irish House of Commons. (Source} Moylan)
O'Conor shows the author as "M.O.B." I posted an inquiry for speculation as to who "M.O.B." might be. John Moulden -- researcher at the "Centre for the Study of Human Settlement and Historical Change" at National University of Ireland, Galway, whose subject is "the printed ballad in Ireland" -- gave me two leads. First, he pointed out that Hayes (see ADDITIONAL, above) -- possibly O'Conor's source -- has the author as "M.O'B" and that another good resource might be David James O'Donoghue, The Poets of Ireland: a Biographical Dictionary (O'Donoghue, 1892-3). One possibility in O'Donoghue is O'Brien, M.E., a "very frequent contributor of verse to Sentimental and Masonic Magazine of 1794-5.... He may have been the 'O'B' of Sentimental and Masonic Magazine 1794." (p. 180). - BS
For more on Grattan, see e.g. "Ireland's Glory." For the Volunteers, see among others "The Green Cockade," "The Shamrock Cockade," and "The Song of the Volunteers."
The reference to the "baffled hosts of Gaul" makes me think this might refer to a period somewhat after Grattan's great success (which Ben's research on the author indirectly supports). This sounds as if it might come from around the period of the French failure at Bantry Bay -- when Grattan's parliament was functioning but before the 1798 rebellion. - RBW
File: OCon117

Volunteers' March, The


DESCRIPTION: "Was she not a fool, When she took off our wool, To leave us so much of the Leather, the leather? It ne'er entered her pate, That a sheepskin well beat, Would draw a whole nation Together, together."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1780s (Zimmermann)
KEYWORDS: nonballad patriotic clothes
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Zimmermann 2, "The Volunteers' March" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
NOTES: The current description is all of the Zimmermann fragment.
Zimmermann p. 117: "'The Volunteers' March' ... represents the first group of really nationalist Irish songs written in English, though most of the words are lost."
Moylan notes the tune Zimmermann uses for this entry and thinks it unlikely. "In fact the verse would fit a slide or jig tune, but not one in 2/4 time. In fact the verse would fit perfectly to the tune 'Larry Grogan' to which song [Zimmermann] 40 below is set, and was in all probability made with that tune in mind." (Moylan 2, "Favourite March of the Old Irish Volunteers") Consider this comment when using the tunes assigned by both Moylan and Zimmermann. - BS
Though it rarely is mentioned in song, one of the worst ways Britain oppressed Ireland was by controlling her trade. One instance of this was that they restricted Irish clothing from entering England. On several occasions England seemed to encourage one or another industry (e.g. linen) only to chop it down.
Kee, p. 21, writes, "The later English parliament took advantage of this constitutional subservience to see that local economic interests in the Kingdom of Ireland should present no threat to those in the Kingdom of England. Irish trading and manufacturing opportunities were severely restricted to protect England's own trades and manufactures. For instance, in 1699 the export of woolen goods from Ireland... was totally forbidden to everywhere but England where English import duties were themselves prohibitive." (Compare Cronin, pp. 86-87: "The 1699 legislation destroyed the Irish woolen industry at a stroke.")
Similarly, Ellis, p. 48, reports, "In 1666 Parliament forbade irish cattle being imported into England thus bringing about the ruin of the cattle industry."
I don't know if this song reflects that, but it might. - RBW
The Belfast Volunteers were formed in 1778 because of the threat of war between France and Britain. Similar groups formed, became politicized, and supported "those in favour of legislative independence from the British parliament and the removal of impediments to Irish commerce." (Source: Moylan, p. 1)
"In 1778, the Prime Minister, Lord North, proposed to relieve the commercial restraints of Ireland by allowing a free and general exportation of all kinds of goods, except the woollen manufacture, 'that article being reckoned too sacred to be yet meddled with.' But so great was the commotion excited in the manufacturing towns of England that Lord North had to reconsider his proposal. 'A general alarm,' says MacPherson, 'spread through most of the trading and manufacturing parts of the kingdom.' They considered the 'admittance of Ireland to any participation in trade as not only destructive, in the most ruinous degree, of their property, but as being subversive of their rights.' .... The British Parliament yielded to the pressure from without, and only some slight modifications of the commercial code were effected....
"[T]he Volunteers were demanding free trade with arms in their hands. In February, 1779, 'The Sheriffs of Dublin represented to the Lord Lieutenant that 19,000 persons connected with the weaving trade in that city, besides many other poor, were on the brink of starvation, and that nothing but an extension of trade and free export of manufactures could save them.' .... Meanwhile, the Volunteers seconded their demand for free trade by giving the best practical encouragement to the industries of the nation. They clothed their regiments and troops in Irish manufacture .... Associations for the use of Irish manufactures sprung up in every part of the country, to the serious alarm of the English clothiers .... Trade revived....
"The Volunteer guns were made to express the national sentiment and advocate the causes of Irish wool.... With more point, perhaps, than poetry, words had been fitted to a stirring march-tune adopted by the regimental bands, and the moment the roll of the drums was heard the popular memory sufggested the verses: -- 'Was she not a fool ....'" (from IrishWool).
I have seen the song quoted many places but there is never more to it than is quoted in the description. The song is attributed to "Tom Molloy" by Charles Lever (Lever, p. 214).
You can find more information about the movement to grant "to the Irish nation the liberty of exporting their produce" [p. 67] in the source for Zimmermann's fragment: Thomas Mac Nevin, The History of the Volunteers of 1782 (Dublin, 1845 (fourth edition ("Digitized by Google"))). The fragment is in a footnote on p. 119, "Was she not a fool." - BS
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: Zimm002

Voodoo Man, The


DESCRIPTION: Of a woman courted by a man; when she rejects his advanced because "he had no situation," he "hoodoes" her elaborately. Now she is sick and hopes someone can stop the voodoo man even though all are afraid of him. She wonders if *she* is dead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: courting poverty rejection magic disease
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
BrownIII 429, "The Voodoo Man" (1 text)
Roud #11773
File: Br3429

Vowels, The


DESCRIPTION: "B-a, ba; b-e, be; B-i, bick-a-bi; B-o, bick-a-bi-bo; B-u, bu, bick-a-bi-bo-bu." Similarly through the alphabet: "C-a, ca; C-e, ce, C-i, cick-a-ci." (The text does not specify whether "cick" is pronounced "sick" or "kick.")
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: wordplay nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
BrownIII 139, "The Vowels" (1 text)
Randolph 873, "The Alphabet Song" (6 texts, 6 tunes, but the "E" and "F" texts are "The Vowels")
Roud #3303
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Alphabet Songs"
File: Br3139

Voyage, Le


DESCRIPTION: "Ah! c'est un mariage Que d'epouser le yoyage. Je plains qui s'y engage Sans y etre invite." The life of a voyageur is like a marriage. Safety, comfort and contentment must be given up "dans le course du voyage."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1944
KEYWORDS: nonballad foreignlanguage marriage travel
FOUND IN: Canada(Queb)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Botkin-MRFolklr, p. 582, "Le Voyage (The Voyage)" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: BMRF582

Voyez Ce Mulet La


DESCRIPTION: Bamboula in Creole French: "Voyez ce mulet la, Miche Bainjo, Comme il est insolent! Chapeau sur cote, Miche Bainjo, La canne a la maine, Miche Bainjo...." The singer describes the strutting about of "Mister Banjo."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: foreignlanguage music dancetune nonballad
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 119-120, "Voyez Ce Mulet La" (1 short text plus loose English translation, 1 tune)
File: ScaNF119

Vulture (of the Alps), The


DESCRIPTION: A family of shepherds is out with their sheep when a vulture swoops down and carries off their youngest child. Though the baby cries and reaches out to its father, there is nothing the others can do
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: set to music c. 1842 and sung by the Hutchinson Family
KEYWORDS: bird family disaster death
FOUND IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
McNeil-SFB2, pp. 108-113, "The Vulture"; "The Vulture of the Alps (2 texts, 1 tune)
ST MN2108 (Partial)
Roud #4777
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Lonesome Dove (I - The Minister's Lamentation)" (theme)
cf. "The Lost Babe" (theme)
cf, "Fair Margaret O' Craignaritie" (approximate theme)
NOTES: On its face, this has nothing to do with "The Lonesome Dove," in which a child is carried off by consumption. But that song describes the disease as a vulture. I wonder if this might not be a badly messed up form of the same idea.
It is highly unlikely that a vulture would carry off a baby, and only slightly more likely that an eagle or other carrion bird would do so. At least in America; our babies are too big. But this may well be one of those subliminal fears, like the fear of snakes (now known to be an instinct in monkeys, even those which have never seen a snake). I base this on comments in Lee R. Berger, In the Footsteps of Eve: The Mystery of Human Origins, Adventure Press, 2000. pp. 157-163. On page 162, Berger mentions that the Crowned Eagle of South Africa "is a specialist in primate hunting and has even been known to take human children."
What is more, it is Berger's belief that the Taung child -- a member of the species Australopithecus africanus now about three million years old and first documented by Raymond Dart in 1925 -- was killed by an eagle. There remains much debate about just where Australopithecus africanus stands in the lineage of humanity, but it hardly matters. If eagles were hunting that sort of australopithecine, they would hunt the others -- and one of those australopithecine species was our ancestor. American parents probably don't have to worry about vultures -- but we have at least two and a half million years of thinking we should. - RBW
File: MN2108

W. P. and A.


DESCRIPTION: "Where did you get that pretty dress all so bright and gay? I got it from my loving man on the W. P. and A." The singer tells of how the WPA allowed him to re-establish credit and earn good money for little work -- but also how he is resented by friends
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1959 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: work unemployment hardtimes
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 6, 1935 -- Creation of the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), which had been authorized April 8. The program lasted until Dec. 4, 1942
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Warner 138, "W. P. and A." (1 text, 1 tune)
ST Wa138 (Partial)
Roud #7476
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The W.P.A. Gathering" (subject)
NOTES: The Works Progress Administration was responsible for a number of important building projects during the Depression. One of the key pieces of the New Deal, it helped many unemployed people survive the period. In the North Carolina backwoods, the wages it paid were considered very good, and the work relatively slight. But not everyone could sign on with the W.P.A. Hence this song -- and the resentment it describes. - RBW
File: Wa138

W.P.A. Gathering, The


DESCRIPTION: "Uncle Sam was very kind, He gave the people aid; The W.P.A. is working hard, Good roads will soon be made." This effort makes possible the Lost Hope Hollow Singing Gathering.
AUTHOR: James W. Day ("Jilson Setters")?
EARLIEST DATE: 1939 (Thomas)
KEYWORDS: music travel nonballad
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
May 6, 1935 -- Creation of the Works Progress Administration (W.P.A.), which had been authorized April 8. The program lasted until Dec. 4, 1942
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Thomas-Makin', p. 244, (no title) (1 text)
Roud #13961
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The W. P. and A." (subject)
NOTES: This is even more suspicious than most of the songs in Thomas, since it actually mentions her by her ridiculous title of "The Traipsin' Woman."
The piece is likely by Jilson Setters, but Thomas's notes make it impossible to be absolutely certain. - RBW
File: ThBa244

Wabash Cannonball, The


DESCRIPTION: In praise of the amazing Wabash Cannonball, a train which can apparently accomplish anything. The song mentions various places the train visits and the impression it makes on the townsfolk. It may close with a eulogy for "Daddy Claxton"
AUTHOR: Original ("TheGreat Rock Island Route") credited to J. A. Roff; rewritten as "Wabash Cannon Ball," perhaps by William Kindt, who copyrighted it; Cohen suspects the rewrite preceded Kindt's 1904 publication, and common tune is not the same as either Roff's or Kindt's
EARLIEST DATE: 1882 (sheet music, as "The Great Rock Island Route"; first use of the "Wabash Cannonball" title is Kindt, in 1904)
KEYWORDS: train railroading travel
FOUND IN: US(SE,So)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Cohen-LSRail, pp. 373-381, "The Wabash Cannonball" (2 texts, one of them Kindt's, plus a text and sheet music cover of Roff's "The Great Rock Island Route," 1 tune)
Randolph 840, "The Wabash Cannonball" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 385-386, "The Wabash Cannonball" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 840)
Lomax-FSNA 220, "The Wabash Cannon Ball" (1 text, 1 tune)
Botkin-RailFolklr, p. 462, "The Wabash Cannonball" (1 text, 1 tune)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 85, "Wabash Cannonball" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 100 "The Wabash Cannonball" (1 text)
DT, WABASHCB*
Roud #4228
RECORDINGS:
Roy Acuff & his Crazy Tennesseeans, "Wabash Cannonball" ((Vocalion/OKeh 04466/Conqueror 9121/Conqueror 9128, 1938; rec. 1936) [despite the band title, Dynamite Hatcher sang lead on this recording]
Roy Acuff & his Smoky Mountain Boys, "Wabash Cannonball" (Columbia 37008/Columbia 37598/Columbia 20034, 1947) [Note: Some pressings of these issues used the Vocalion/OKeh master listed above]
Bill Carlisle, "Wabash Cannon Ball" (Decca 5713 [as Bill Carlisle's Kentucky Boys]/Melotone [probably Can.] 45326, 1939)
The Carter Family, "Wabash Cannonball" (Victor 23731, 1932; Montgomery Ward M-7444, 1938; Bluebird B-8350, 1940; rec. 1929)
Clark & Edans, "Wabash Cannonball" (Gennett, unissued, 1928)
Hugh Cross, "Wabash Cannonball" (Columbia 15439-D, 1929)
Delmore Brothers, "The Cannon Ball" (Bluebird B-7991, 1939; rec. 1938)
Roy Hall & his Blue Ridge Entertainers, "Wabash Cannonball" (Vocalion 04717/Conqueror 9230, 1938)
Bill Mooney & his Cactus Twisters, "Wabash Cannonball" (Imperial 1150, n.d.)
Morris Brothers, "Wabash Cannonball - No. 2" (Bluebird B-8252, 1939)
Pete Seeger, "Wabash Cannonball" (on PeteSeeger17)
Art Thieme, "Wabash Cannonball" (on Thieme04)
Doc Watson, "Wabash Cannonball" (on RitchieWatson1, RitchieWatsonCD1)
Mac Wiseman, "Wabash Cannonball" (Dot 1262, 1950s)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Gatesville Cannonball" (tune)
cf. "We Work for Hay and Company" (tune)
cf. "The Boys at Ninety-Five" (tune)
cf. "The Gospel Cannonball" (lyrics)
SAME TUNE:
"Hail! Ye Brave Industrial Workers" (Greenway-AFP, p. 178)
"We Work for Hay and Company" (File: FowL26)
The Grand Coulee Dam (by Woody Guthrie) (Greenway-AFP, pp. 292-293; DT, GRNCOULE)
Delmore Brothers, "New Wabash Cannon Ball Blues" (Bluebird B-8404, 1940)
Delmore Brothers, "Gospel Cannon Ball" (Decca 5970, 1941)
Charles Stowe, "Carolina Cannonball" (on OBanks1)
Boomtown Bill (by Woodie Guthrie) (on Keynote 5000, 1942?; in Archie Green, "Woody's Oil Songs," published in Archie Green, editor, _Songs about Work: Essays in Occupational Culture for Richard A. Reuss_, Folklore Institute, Indiana University, 1993, p. 213)
File: R840

Wade in the Water


DESCRIPTION: "Wade in the water, Wade in the water, children, Wade in the water, God's gonna trouble the water." The singer warns of the coming signs of the end. The victory of Heaven over Hell is considered assured. The singer looks forward to future freedom
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (recording, Sunset Four Jubilee Singers)
KEYWORDS: religious freedom nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Lomax-FSNA 242, "Wade in the Water" (1 text, 1 tune)
Arnett, p. 63, "Wade in the Water" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 356, "Wade in the Water" (1 text)
DT, WADEWATR*
Roud #5439
RECORDINGS:
Birmingham Jubilee Quartet, "Wade in the Water" (Vocalion 1563, 1930)
Empire Jubilee Quartet, "Wade in de Water" (Victor 23340, 1932; rec. 1929)
Famous Blue Jay Singers of Birmingham, "Children Wade in de Water" (Paramount 13128, 1932; Broadway 1246, n.d.; Champion 50026, 1935; on VocalQ2)
Lincoln Four Quartette, "Wade in the Water" (Paramount 12621, 1928)
Sunset Four Jubilee Singers, "Wade in the Water" (Paramount 12273, 1925)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Bear the News, Mary" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Walk In Jerusalem Just Like John" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Hand Me Down My Walking Cane" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Heaven and Hell" (floating lyrics)
cf. "If You Get There Before I Do" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Is Your Lamps Gone Out" (floating lyrics)
File: LoF242

Wadham's Song


DESCRIPTION: Coast sailing pilot's guide "from Bonavista Cape to the Stinking Isles ... till Pilley's Point covers Syme's Stage." Directions on how to reach Notre Dame Bay from Bonavista
AUTHOR: R.N. Wadham
EARLIEST DATE: 1756 (cf. Greenleaf/Mansfield)
KEYWORDS: sea ship nonballad recitation sailor
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Greenleaf/Mansfield 119, "Wadham's Song" (1 text)
Ryan/Small, p. 13, "Wadhams Song" (1 text)
ST GrMa119 (Partial)
Roud #5449
NOTES: According to GEST Songs of Newfoundland and Labrador site, "although called a song it was always recited and there is no tune available"; Greenleaf/Mansfield heard it recited.
On the other hand, the Renaissance Dance site claims "Pilot verses were sailing directions sung to popular tunes ... Hugill [apparently not in Shanties from the Seven Seas] quotes [Wadham's Song] to the tune of 'I'll Tell me Ma', which is still well known." - BS
File: GrMa119

Wae Be to that Weary Drink, John Anderson, My Jo


DESCRIPTION: Jean: Why drink up all your money with your friends? I have burned the barn door for heat; we have no cow or ewe; let's both "join the total abstinence." John agrees. Both: "hand in hand we'll go, And we'll sleep thegither at the foot"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1914 (GreigDuncan3)
KEYWORDS: drink derivative dialog husband wife
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
GreigDuncan3 600, "Wae Be to that Weary Drink, John Anderson, My Jo" (2 texts)
Roud #6050
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "John Anderson, My Jo (I)" (words)
cf. "John Anderson, My Jo, John" (words)
cf. "John Barleycorn, My Jo" (another temperance derivative of "John Anderson")
ALTERNATE TITLES:
John Anderson, My Jo
NOTES: This temperance derivative of "John Anderson, My Jo (I)"/"John Anderson, My Jo, John" starts with a verse that seems based on the first verse of the version printed on Bodleian broadsides Harding B 45(17) and Harding B 11(439). See the notes to "John Anderson, My Jo (I)." - BS
Last updated in version 2.4
File: GrD3600

Waggin' o' Our Dog's Tail, The


DESCRIPTION: "We hae a dog that wags his tail -- He's a bit o' a wag himsel', O! A' day he wanders thro' the toun -- At nicht as news to tell, O!" The dog tours the town, sees many silly people, and concludes that, if people had tails, they'd be almost as good as dogs
AUTHOR: Norman McLeod ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1901 (Ford)
KEYWORDS: dog humorous
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ford-Vagabond, pp. 214-217, "The Waggin' o' Our Dog's Tail" (1 text)
Roud #6292
File: FVS214

Waggoner, The


DESCRIPTION: "September last, on the seventh day, I geared my team to start away, To the South Yadkin...." The singer describes his route, talks of the cold and difficulties of the trip, and happily recounts his arrival
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: travel
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Belden, pp. 300-301, "The Waggoner" (1 text)
Roud #3584
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Heights of Alma (I) [Laws J10]" (meter, lyrics)
NOTES: Belden believes this piece tells of travel across the Appalachians, which, given the geography, makes sense. The initial line and the meter seem to imply acquaintance with "The Heights of Alma" (though in this case the song is rather worn down). That is a rather late date for such a piece. This may be further evidence of the "proto-Alma" song.
Roud for some reason lumps this with the Lomax "Ox-Driving Song." The only thing I can see in common is that they both involve travel. - RBW
File: Beld300

Wagoner's Lad, The


DESCRIPTION: Young woman is courted by wagoner's lad. Her parents don't like him because he is poor; he tells her he is self-supporting and not ashamed. He tells her he is leaving; she asks him to linger with him, but he refuses. She laments women's hard fortune
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1908 (collected by Olive Dame Campbell; in SharpAp); +1907 (JAFL20)
KEYWORDS: courting love farewell parting dialog worker lyric rejection warning floatingverses
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE,So)
REFERENCES (18 citations):
Leach, pp.738-740, "The Wagoner's Lad" (2 texts, with the "A" text belonging here and the "B" text a composite of "Wagoner's Lad" and "Old Smokey" verses)
Randolph 740, "Texas Cowboy" (1 text, with much floating material but the plot seems to be here)
BrownIII 250, "The Wagoner's Lad" (3 texts plus 3 fragments; the texts "A"-"C" are "The Wagoner's Lad," and "D" has an associated verse, but "E" and "F" are fragments of a love song, perhaps "Farewell, Charming Nancy" or "Omie Wise," both of which have similar lyrics; "D" also shares this single verse, and "E" adds a "Troubled in Mind" chorus)
Chappell-FSRA 42, "Lamkins" (1 text, apparently a fragment of Child #93 (containing only a threat of cannibalism) plus three "My Horses Ain't Hungry" stanzas)
Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 272-282, "The Waggoner's Lad" (9 texts, 6 tunes on pp. 428-431, but the entry combines many songs; A (no title), B ("My Fortune's Been Bad"), and E ("My Horses Ain't Hungry") are extended versions of "The Wagoner's Lad"; C ("The Last Farewell") is a short text probably of "The Wagoner's Lad"; D ("Old Smokie") combined one "Smokey" verse with three "Wagoner's Lad" verses; "F" ("Old Smoky") is a very long "Old Smokey" text which seems to have gained parts of other songs; G ("A False Lying True Love") is "Old Smokey" minus the first verse; H ("I'll Build My Cabin on a Mountain So High" is "Old Smokey" with a first verse from a drunkard song and a final floating verse supplying the title; I (no title) is a fragment probably of "Old Smokey")
SharpAp 117, "The Wagoner's Lad" (6 texts, 6 tunes)
Cambiaire, p. 37, "Loving Nancy" (1 text)
Wyman-Brockway I, p. 62, "Loving Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 284-285, "Rabble Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune -- a strange version, probably composite, in which the wanderer is a "rabble soldier")
Lomax-FSNA 112, "The Wagoner's Lad"; (1 text, 1 tune)
Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 30 "The Wagoner's Lad" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 6, "The Wagoner's Lad" (1 text, 1 tune); 83, "Old Paint" (3 texts, 1 tune, of which the "C" text appears actually to be a version of this piece or perhaps "Rye Whisky")
Chase, pp. 181-182, "The Wagoner's Lad" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 38-39, "Wagonner's Lad" (1 text)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 21, "My Horses Ain't Hungry" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 171 "The Wagoner's Lad"; p. 174 "My Horses Ain't Hungry"; p. 186 "Hard Is The Fortune Of All Womankind" (3 texts)
Saffel-CowboyP, pp. 211-213, "Jack o' Diamonds" (1 text; this particular Lomax offering contains elements of "Jack o Diamonds/Rye Whisky," "The Wagoner's Lad," The Rebel Soldier," and others)
DT, WAGONLAD* MOONSHI2*
ST R740 (Full)
Roud #414
RECORDINGS:
Dock Boggs, "Loving Nancy" (on Boggs3, BoggsCD1)
Vernon Dalhart, "My Horse's Ain't Hungry" [sic] (Edison 52077, 1927)
[G. B.] Grayson & [Henry] Whitter, "My Mind is to Marry" (unissued; on StuffDreams1)
Kelly Harrell, "My Horses Ain't Hungry" (Victor 20103, 1926; on KHarrell01)
Buell Kazee, "The Wagoner's Lad" (Brunswick 213B, 1928; Brunswick 437, 1930; on AAFM1) (on Kazee01)
Mr. & Mrs. John Sams, "Wagoner's Lad" (on MMOKCD)
Pete Seeger, "Fare You Well, Polly" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a);The Wagoner's Lad" (on PeteSeeger17)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Cuckoo" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Goodbye, Old Paint" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Rye Whiskey" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Gambler (I)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Oh Lily, Dear Lily" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Lady's Case" (floating lyrics)
cf. "I Am a Young Maiden (If I Were a Blackbird)" (lyrics)
cf. "The Rebel Soldier" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Rue and the Thyme (The Rose and the Thyme)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Farewell, Sweet Mary"
cf. "Goodbye, Little Bonnie, Goodbye" (theme)
cf. "Moonshiner" (floating lyrics)
cf. "The Virginia Lover" (plot)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
An Inconstant Lover
I'm a Rambler, I'm a Gambler
The Rambling Gambler
NOTES: This song, which barely qualifies as a ballad even in its full forms, has produced many non-ballad offspring, of which "On Top of Old Smokey" is the best known. Randolph apparently thinks his "Texas Cowboy" piece to be related but separate, but (based on his text) I would have to say they are the same.
It is very hard to tell certain versions of this from "Rye Whiskey"; the two have exchanged many verses. But the "core" versions seem to be distinct.
An even greater problem is posed by the relationship between this song and "On Top of Old Smoky." The two are occasionally listed as one song (e.g. by Leach); indeed, this was done in early versions of the Index. This was done under the influence of the Lomaxes, who classify the songs together.
Further study, however, seems to show that all versions which have common material are derived from the Lomaxes. The plots of the two songs are different, their tunes are distinct, and true cross-fertilization seems very rare. It would appear that the identification of the two is purely the result of the sort of editorial work the Lomaxes so often committed.
Due to this inconsistency, it is suggested that the reader check all versions of both songs, as well as both sets of cross-references, to find all related materials.
Another closely related song is "Farewell, Sweet Mary," as much as three-quarters of which may derive from this song. It has taken a slightly different direction, however, and is at least a distinct subfamily of this piece. Since it doesn't have anything about horses or wagoners, I list it separately. - RBW
File: R740

Wagoners, The


See Jacket So Blue, The (The Bonnet o' Blue) (File: FSC43)

Wagonner's Lad


See The Wagoner's Lad (File: R740)

Waillie, Waillie!


See Waly Waly (The Water is Wide) (File: K149)

Wait for the Wagon


DESCRIPTION: The singer invites Phyllis "to yon blue mountain free." He describes his cabin and the fine lands around it. Another suitor offers wealth, but he offers youth and health. He bids her to "Wait for the wagon (x3) And we'll all take a ride."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1851 (copyright registry; the relevant sheet music is dated 1850)
KEYWORDS: courting home money farming pioneer playparty
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
RJackson-19CPop, pp. 222-225, "Wait for the Wagon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 563, "Wait for the Wagon" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 285-286, "Wait for the Wagon" ( text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 175, "Wait For The Wagon" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 609-610, "Wait for the Wagon"
DT, WAITWAGN* (WAITWAG2* -- Confederate Parody)
ST RJ19222 (Full)
Roud #2080
RECORDINGS:
Wenatchee Mountaineers, "Wait for the Wagon" (Melotone [Canada] 93041, 1934)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Brass-Mounted Army" (tune)
cf. "We're Coming, Arkansas (We're Coming, Idaho)" (tune)
cf. "The Southern Wagon (Union)" (tune)
SAME TUNE:
Wait For the Dragon (Pankake-PHCFSB, p. 229)
Ballad of the 117th New York (broadside regarding a Civil War regiment by D. Prosser)
NOTES: Many authorities credit this piece to R. Bishop Buckley (1810-1867). Certainly there are editions which record that it was sung by Buckley's Minstrels starting in 1843. The earliest printing, however, (from 1850) gives the music as by "Wisenthal"; the words are by "a lady." The next printing, in 1851, gives the name of "G. P. Knauff" (at least, that is what it appears to say; several scholars consider Knauff the arranger). A few editions give only the letters "GAS."
It's worth noting that it was already popular enough in 1853 to be copied into the journal of the Smyrna.
Personally, I think we simply cannot list an author. Which is probably just as well; the sundry parodies (both sides in the Civil War, for instance, produced knock-offs) would likely have produced lawsuits otherwise. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: RJ19222

Wait for the Wagon (II)


See The Southern Wagon (Confederate) (File: Br3374)

Wait on the Lord


DESCRIPTION: "I wonder where Spencer gone, That used to preach up town. The church is all in mourning...." "I'm waitin' on de Lord...." "Some say John de Baptist Is nothing but a Jew." "A Baptist, Baptist is my name, And a Baptist I will die"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1952 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad floatingverses death
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
BrownIII 344, "Wait on de Lord" (1 text)
Roud #11740
NOTES: This is one of those all-floating-verse assemblies that can't really be identified with anything because it has so many different parts. - RBW
File: Br3344

Wait Till the Ship Comes Home


DESCRIPTION: "Jack went away to sea one day and left his Polly behind." An old man comes courting Polly. She refuses, saying "Wait till the ship comes home." At last word arrives that the ship is home and Jack safe. The old man dies and leaves Polly his money
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1933 (Sam Henry collection)
KEYWORDS: love separation courting age lastwill money death
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (1 citation):
SHenry H481, pp. 484-485, "Wait till the Ship Comes Home" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #9055
NOTES: Sort of an Irish version of the story of Penelope.... - RBW
File: HHH481

Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie


DESCRIPTION: A girl mourns her rained-out Sunday picnic. Her sweetheart comforts her: "Wait till the sun shines, Nellie, and the clouds go drifting by...." She had hoped to "show off her brand new gown"; suddenly the sun comes out; she says he has won her heart
AUTHOR: Words: Andrew B. Sterling / Music: Harry von Tilzer
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (copyright; others list a 1902 copyright)
KEYWORDS: courting clothes
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Spaeth-ReadWeep, pp. 215-216, "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" (1 text, 1 tune)
Geller-Famous, pp. 187-190, "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nelly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 254, "Wait Till The Sun Shines, Nellie" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, p. 610, "Wait 'till the Sun Shines, Nellie"
DT, SUNELLIE
RECORDINGS:
Charleston Entertainers, "Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" (Supertone 9718, 1930)
Byron G. Harlan, "Wait 'Till the Sun Shines, Nellie" (Columbia 3321, 1906) (CYL: Edison 9130, 1905)
Riley Puckett, "Wait Till The Sun Shines Nellie" (Columbia 15073-D, 1926; rec. 1925.)
NOTES: And you thought the chorus was stupid! Aren't you sorry you ever looked up the plot? - RBW
File: SRW215

Wait, Mister Mackright


DESCRIPTION: "Wai', Mister Mackright, an' 'e yedde what Satan say: Satan full me full of music, an' tell me not to play. Mister Mackright cry holy; O Lord, cry holy."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1867 (Allen/Ware/Garrison)
KEYWORDS: religious nonballad horse
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Allen/Ware/Garrison, p. 43, "Wait, Mr. Mackright" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11999
NOTES: This song probably had a very short lifetime. According to the notes, it was about a "milk-white" horse left behind by Confederate general Drayton. General Drayton is Thomas Fenwick Drayton (1808-1891), a West Point graduate who became a planter in 1836. He became a brigadier in 1861, and was responsible for the defence of Port Royal in 1861. I would guess that that was the occasion which led to this song. Drayton after this was assigned to the Army of Northern Virginia, but his brigade's performance in the Antietam campaign was poor enough that Lee dissolved his brigade. Drayton spent the rest of the war in the west. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: AWG043B

Waiting for a Train (I)


See Ten Thousand Miles Away from Home (A Wild and Reckless Hobo; The Railroad Bum) [Laws H2] (File: LH02)

Waiting For a Train (II)


DESCRIPTION: Singer waits to hop a train. A brakeman tells him that if he has money "I'll see that you don't walk," then puts him off the train in Texas. "My pocketbook is empty/And my heart is filled with pain/I'm a thousand miles away from home/Waiting for a train"
AUTHOR: Jimmie Rodgers
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (recording, Jimmie Rodgers)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer, a hobo, is out in the rain waiting for a train to hop. A brakeman tells him that if he has money "I'll see that you don't walk." He has no money; the brakeman slams the boxcar door, then puts him off the train in Texas. "My pocketbook is empty/And my heart is filled with pain/I'm a thousand miles away from home/Waiting for a train"
KEYWORDS: loneliness poverty rejection rambling train travel hobo
FOUND IN: US
RECORDINGS:
Gene Autry, "Waiting for a Train" (Diva 6031, c. 1930)
Riley Puckett, "Waiting for a Train" (Columbia 15408-D, 1929)
Bud Reed, "Waiting for a Train" (on Reeds1)
Hoke Rice, "Waiting for a Train" (Champion 15767/QRS 9012, 1929)
Jimmie Rodgers, "Waiting for a Train" (Victor V-40014, 1929)
Ed (Jake) West, "Waiting for a Train" (Broadway 8109, c. 1931)
Harry Wilson, "Waiting for the Train" (Perfect 12556, 1930)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Ten Thousand Miles Away from Home (A Wild and Reckless Hobo; The Railroad Bum)" (subject, a few lyrics)
SAME TUNE:
Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me (recorded by Mississippi John Hurt)
NOTES: This composed song seems to be moving into oral tradition, both Anglo- and Afro-American (blues singer Furry Lewis used to perform it); Mississippi John Hurt used its melody for "Let the Mermaids Flirt With Me." - PJS
File: RcWFAT2

Waiting for the Day (The Worst Old Ship)


DESCRIPTION: Singer describes life on "the worst old brig that ever did weigh." Built in "Roman time," it's held together with twine and undermanned. They spring a leak and bail their way to dock. Chorus: "Waiting for the day (x3) that we get our pay"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950s (recorded from Bob Roberts)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer describes life on "the worst old brig that ever did weigh." Built in "Roman time," it's held together with twine and seriously undermanned. They spring a leak off Orford Ness and bail their way along the coast and up the Humber to dock. Chorus: "Waiting for the day, waiting for the day/Waiting for the day that we get our pay"
KEYWORDS: sea ship work sailor worker
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
Roud #1855
RECORDINGS:
Bob Roberts, "Waiting for the Day (The Worst Old Ship)" (on LastDays)
NOTES: Again, pity we don't have a keyword "bitching." - PJS
File: RcWftD

Waiting for the Rain


See Another Fall of Rain (Waiting for the Rain) (File: MA154)

Wake Nicodemus


DESCRIPTION: "Nicodemus, the slave, was of African birth And was bought for a bagful of gold." When he dies at a great age, he asks to be awakened when freedom came. He forecasts the end of slavery and the battles it causes. Freedom proves his words true
AUTHOR: Henry Clay Work
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: slave slavery freedom
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Silber-FSWB, p. 291, "Wake Nicodemnus" (1 text)
DT, NICDEMUS
Roud #4988
File: FSWB291

Wake of Bevington, The


DESCRIPTION: "Come all you jolly labouring men and listen to my song; The theme is well known to you all, it is of Bevington." Over five years, workers turned tangled oak forest to farmland. Mr. Webb promised to stand treat when they finished. The singer celebrates
AUTHOR: Arthur Allchurch, Southe Littleton (source: Palmer)
EARLIEST DATE: 1976 (Palmer)
KEYWORDS: work farming drink fight
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Roy Palmer, _The Folklore of Warwickshire_, Rowman and Littlefield, 1976, p. 52, "The wake of Bevington" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Auld Lang Syne" (tune, according to Palmer)
File: PalWa052

Wake of William Orr, The


DESCRIPTION: "Here our murdered brother lies." He called for his countrymen to unite. The singer recalls 600 years of warfare, "Crumbled by a foreign weight; And by worse, domestic hate" "Monstrous and unhappy sight! Brothers' blood will not unite" A new day begins
AUTHOR: William Drennan (1754-1820) (source: Moylan; Hoagland)
EARLIEST DATE: 1855 (Edward Hayes, _The Ballads of Ireland_ (Boston, 1859), Vol I)
KEYWORDS: death funeral Ireland nonballad political
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Oct 14, 1797 - William Orr executed after being charged with administering the United Irish oath to two soldiers of the Fifeshire Fencibles. (source: Moylan)
FOUND IN: Ireland
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Moylan 48, "The Wake of William Orr" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Edward Hayes, The Ballads of Ireland (Boston, 1859), Vol I, pp. 237-239, "Wake of William Orr"
Kathleen Hoagland, editor, One Thousand Years of Irish Poetry (New York, 1947), pp. 359-361, "The Wake of William Orr" (1 text)
Donagh MacDonagh and Lennox Robinson, _The Oxford Book of Irish Verse_ (Oxford, 1958, 1979), pp. 26-28, "The Wake of William Orr" (1 text)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "My Lagan Love" (tune)
NOTES: Hayes describes the trial, reprieve and execution. The reprieve followed statements by jurors that "whisky had been introduced into the jury room, and the verdict agreed to under the joint influence of drunkenness and intimidation." The crown witness, supposedly the person to whom the oath had been administered, then admitted that the evidence he had given was "false or distorted in essential particulars." After Orr was reprieved and awaiting commutation he was executed. "A storm of indignation followed this arbitrary and merciless decision." - BS
To give the other side, The Oxford Companion to Irish History in its entry on Orr says that "The evidence against him was less flimsy than sympathizers claimed." In another irony, he was a Protestant (see Thomas Pakenham, The Year of Liberty, p. 354). But even Pakenham, who is almost entirely an apologist for the English, admits that Orr became a martyr (pp. 219-220).
William Drennan also wrote the poem we index as "Erin" (also known as "Eire"). - RBW
File: Moyl048

Wake Up


See The Drowsy Sleeper [Laws M4] (File: LM04)

Wake Up, Jacob


DESCRIPTION: "Wake up, Jacob, day's a-breakin', Peas in the pot and hoe-cake's caking'. Bacon's in the pan and coffee's in the pot, Come on round and get it while it's hot. (Spoken:) Wake, snakes, and bite a biscuit!"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1867 (Allen/Ware/Garrison)
KEYWORDS: cowboy food nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Allen/Ware/Garrison, p. 65, "Wake Up, Jacob" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 184, "Wake Up, Jacob" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-ABFS, p. 375, "Cowboys' Gettin'-Up Holler" (1 text, 1 tune)
Silber-FSWB, p. 109, "Wake Up, Jacob/Cowboy's Gettin' Up Holler" (1 text)
Roud #6694
RECORDINGS:
Harry Jackson, "Morning Grub Holler" (on HJackson1, CowFolkCD1)
Pete Seeger, "Wake Up, Jacob" (on PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Shanty Boy's Reveille" (theme)
NOTES: I don't know if this is an allusion to Genesis 32:26, where Javob wrestles with a strange being, and the being ends the fight by saying, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." Obviously the words are similar, but Jacob of course got no sleep that night; he spent it wrestling! - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: LoF184

Wake Up, Jonah (Jonah III)


DESCRIPTION: "Wake up, Jonah, you are the man! Reelin' and a-rockin' o' the ship so long!" "Captain of the ship got trouble in mind...." The sailors throw Jonah into the sea; he is swallowed by a whale and proceeds to Ninevah
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950 (recording, Rich Amerson & Earthy Anne Coleman)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Captain of a rolling ship has troubles, searches for the cause, finds Jonah asleep and says, "Wake up Jonah, you are the man". They pitch him overboard; a whale swallows him, then pukes him onto dry land again. A gourd vine grows over his head; an inchworm comes and cuts it down, forming a cross over his head
KEYWORDS: religious Bible ship accusation travel religious animal whale sailor
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Courlander-NFM, pp. 57-58, "(Wake Up, Jonah") (1 text); pp. 223-224, "Wake Up, Jonah" (1 tune, partial text)
Roud #10960
RECORDINGS:
Rich Amerson & Earthy Anne Coleman, "Jonah" (on NFMAla2)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Hide Away (Jonah and the Whale)" (subject) and references there
NOTES: This song summarizes the Book of Jonah, emphasizing the events of the first chapter: Jonah flees from God aboard ship; the ship is caught in a storm; the sailors cast lots to see who is to blame; the lot falls on Jonah, who is sleeping through the storm. - RBW
This song omits much of the Bible story and adds its own bits. Note that it says "whale"; the Hebrew Bible unambiguously says "fish." - PJS, RBW
File: CNFM223

Wake, O Wake, You Drowsy Sleeper


See The Drowsy Sleeper [Laws M4] (File: LM04)

Wakes in the Morning


DESCRIPTION: "Mommy wakes in the morning, Mommy wakes in the pukkah, Hee-ho, coffee cannot please her." Similarly, "Johnny wakes in the morning," etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (recorded from Edith Perrin)
KEYWORDS: nonballad mother food
FOUND IN: West Indies
Roud #16396
RECORDINGS:
Edith Perrin, "Wakes in the Morning" [excerpt?] (on USWarnerColl01)
File: RcWitMo

Wakken


See The Song of Joaquin (Wakken) (File: GC135)

Wal I Swan (Giddyap Napoleon, Ebenezer Frye)


DESCRIPTION: Singer's adventures as he wanters and meets various crooks. He takes a prize at a fair, gets drunk, gives away his bull. A sharper asks him for "two tens for a five." Etc. Chorus: "Wal I swan, must be getting on/Giddyap Napoleon, it looks like rain..."
AUTHOR: Benj. Hapgood Burt
EARLIEST DATE: 1907 (sheet music)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer meets two bunco men on a train, sends them packing. He goes to a county fair, takes a prize, gets drunk and gives away his old bull. At a tent show, a sharper asks him for "two tens for a five"; the singer arrests him. His horse runs off at the sound of a train. He has suspicions that his son, off in Philadelphia, is "up to some kind of hell." Chorus: "Wal I swan, must be getting on/Giddyap Napoleon, it looks like rain..."
KEYWORDS: crime theft farming drink humorous animal police
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, WALISWAN
Roud #4647
RECORDINGS:
John Bennett, "Wal I Swan" (Madison 1928, 1928)
Al Bernard, "Wal I Swan" (Vocalion 15262, 1926) (Harmony 154-H, 1926)
Byron G. Harlan, "Wal, I Swan!" (Victor 17263, 1913; rec. 1912)
Riley Puckett, "Wal I Swan" (Columbia 15078-D, 1926)
Gid Tanner & his Skillet Lickers, "Giddap Napoleon" (Columbia 15695-D, 1931; rec. 1929)
NOTES: Spaeth (Read 'Em and Weep, p. 234) does not print this song, but does mention that it is "in constant demand both as a solo and as a rural quartet number. The interpretation is traditionally in a high-pitched, nasal voice, with a facial expression indicating toothlessness." - RBW
File: RcWelIS

Walk Along John


DESCRIPTION: Weasel invades the henhouse, rats invade the dairy, Black Sam invades the kitchen, etc. Chorus: "Walk along, John, piper's son, Now ain't you mighty glad your day's work's done. Walk along, John, git towards home, Ain't you mighty glad...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1942 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: animal work nonballad
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph 296, "Walk Along John" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7824
File: R296

Walk Along Rosey


See Walkalong, My Rosie (File: Hug363)

Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John


DESCRIPTION: "I want to be ready (x3) To walk in Jerusalem just like John." "John said the city was just foursquare... And he declared we'd meet him there." "When Peter was preaching at Pentecost, He was endowed with the Holy Ghost"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1922 (recording, Excelsior Quartet)
KEYWORDS: religious Bible nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Scarborough-NegroFS, p. 11, (no title) (1 fragment)
Silber-FSWB, p. 356, "Walk In Jerusalem, Just Like John" (1 text)
DT, WALKJERU
Roud #12109
RECORDINGS:
Bill Monroe & His Blue Grass Boys, "Walking In Jerusalem Just Like John" (Decca 28608, 1953)
Excelsior Quartet, "Walk In Jerusalem Just Like John" (OKeh 4619, 1922)
Homer Rodeheaver, "Walk In Jerusalem Just Like John" (Rainbow 1092, 1923)
Sunset Four Jubilee Quartette, "Walk In Jerusalem Just Like John" (Paramount 12292, 1925)
West Virginia Collegiate Institute Glee Club, "Walk in Jerusalem Just Like John" (Brunswick 3498, 1927; Supertone S-2126 [as Harmony Glee Club], 1930)
NOTES: The Biblical references here are a bit confused. The New Jerusalem is said to be descending in Rev. 21:2, and is said to be foursquare in Rev. 21:16 -- but there is no promise to meet John there. The coming of the Spirit at Pentecost is told in Acts 2 -- but the Spirit came FIRST, upon a large group, and only then did Peter preach about it. - RBW
File: FSWB356A

Walk in the Parlor


See Walkin' in the Parlor (File: Wa177)

Walk Me Along, Johnny


See Carry Him To the Burying Ground (General Taylor, Walk Him Along Johnny) (File: Hugi078)

Walkalong, Miss Susiana Brown


DESCRIPTION: Halyard shanty. No story line to any of the available verses. The characteristic last chorus line is "Walkalong Miss (Susiana/Juliana) Brown."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1938 (Colcord)
KEYWORDS: shanty worksong
FOUND IN: US(SE) West Indies
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Colcord, p. 59, "Juley" (1 fragment, 1 tune)
Hugill, pp. 391-392, "Walkalong, Miss Susiana Brown" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 299-300]
DT, JULEY*
Roud #4694
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Miss Juliana Brown
NOTES: The swing of the tune would indicate this is of West Indies/Negro origin. It probably began life as a Negro worksong used for stowing cotton, and was picked up by ship's crews to become part of the shanty repertoire. - SL
File: Hugi391

Walkalong, My Rosie


DESCRIPTION: Halyard shanty. "Oh, Rosie, she'm the gal for me. Away you Rosie, Walkalong! She hangs around the big levee. Walkalong my Rosie!" Rhyming verses, no story line.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1961 (Hugill)
KEYWORDS: shanty worksong nonballad
FOUND IN: West Indies Britain
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Hugill, p. 363, "Walkalong, My Rosie" (1 text, 1 tune) [AbEd, pp. 273-274]
Roud #9130
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Walk Along Rosey
File: Hug363

Walker Hill and Byker Shore


See Byker Hill (File: DTbykerh)

Walker Shore and Byker Hill


See Byker Hill (File: DTbykerh)

Walkie in the Parlor


See Walkin' in the Parlor (File: Wa177)

Walkin' in the Parlor


DESCRIPTION: "I never went to free school nor any other college, But... I will tell you how the world was made in the twinkling of a crack. Walk in, walk in, walk in I say, go in the parlor and hear the banjo ring." Sundry observations about the creation and the Bible
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1925 (Scarborough)
KEYWORDS: religious Bible humorous
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Warner 177, "Walking in the Parlor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph 288, "History of the World" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 246-248, "History of the World" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 288)
BrownIII 341, "Walk in the Parlor" (4 texts plus 1 excerpt and 1 fragment; the "E" text seems more a floating verse collection with this chorus, and "C" lacks the chorus and is at best marginally related)
Scarborough-NegroFS, pp. 181-182, "Story of Creation" (1 text, 1 tune)
Harlow, pp. 203-205, "The Darky Sunday School" (1 text, t tune)
Hugill, p. 344, "De History ob de World" (1 text)
Lomax-ABFS, pp. 351-354, "Darky Sunday School" (1 text, 1 tune)
JHCox 178, "Creation Song" (1 text)
Pankake-PHCFSB, pp. 186-189, "Young Folks, Old Folks (or The Silly Sunday School)" (1 text, tune referenced)
DT, SUNSCHOL
Roud #766
RECORDINGS:
Charlie Oaks, "Adam and Eve or 'Darkie's Sunday School'" (Vocalion 5113, c. 1927; rec. 1925)
Obed Pickard, "Walking in the Parlor" (Columbia 15246-D, 1928; rec. 1927)
Kilby Reeves, "Walkin in the Parlor" (on Persis1)
Art Thieme, "Walkie in the Parlor" (on Thieme02) (on Thieme06)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bible Story"
cf. "Windy Bill (I)" (theme)
cf. "Old Jesse" (lyrics)
cf. "Root, Hog, or Die (V)" (lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Sunday School Song
Walkie in the Parlor
NOTES: Not to be confused with a fiddle tune of the same name. - PJS
The chorus of this song varies quite a bit; the Lomax version is "Young folks, old folks, everybody come, Join our darky Sunday School, and make yourself to hum. There's a place to check your chewing gum and razors at the door, And hear such bible stories as you never heard before." The Pankakes have something similar, but less racist. (Their version is also incredibly full -- 21 verses! If they didn't conflate it, someone else did.)
It is quite likely that these versions originated as separate songs, and I thought about splitting them. But the only distinguishing feature is the choruses. Under the circumstances, it seemed better to place all listings in the same place.
I initially excluded Randolph's "History of the World," partly by accident, as just too distinct from the versions I had seen. It's now clear that it's the same song.
Those who wish to know more are referred to Cox's extensive notes on songs of this type.
Among the sundry references in this song:
"Jonah... took a steerage passage in a transatlantic whale": The Bible says "fish," and the fish never left the Mediterranean, and Jonah wasn't planning on entering the Atlantic either.
"Esau... sold [his farm] to his brother for a sandwich and a beer": In Gen. 25:29-34, Esau came back hungry from hunting, and sold his birthright (probably pasturage, not a farm) to his younger fraternal twin Jacob for "bread and lentil stew."
"Noah was a mariner... with half a dozen wives and a big menagerie": Although many of the patriarchs had multiple wives, Noah himself seems to have had only one (cf. Gen. 7:7).
"Elijah was a prophet who attended county fairs, He advertised his business with a pair of dancing bears": hardly worth refuting, but it is worth noting that Elijah was a solitary prophet at a time when most prophets came in groups ("the sons of the prophets"). He spent much of his time trying to be left alone, not advertising his services (cf., e.g., 1 Kings 19:3-4, 2 Kings 1:9fff.)
"Ahab had a wife, and her name was Jezebel... She's gone to the dogs... Ahab said he'd never heard of such an awful thing": Jezebel was indeed Ahab's wife, and was eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:30-37) -- but Ahab had been dead for a dozen years by the time she was killed.
"Salome was a chorus girl who had a winning way": This is textually complicated. All accounts say that a girl captivated Herod Antipas by dancing for him, and that he executed John the Baptist as a result. Matt. 14:6 says that the girl was "the daughter of Herodias"; the best manuscripts of Mark 6:22 call her his [Herod's] daughter Herodias. But nowhere is she called "Salome"; we learn this name from Josephus.
"Now Joey was unhappy in the bowels of the soil": Refers to the selling of Joseph into Egypt (Genesis 37). Joseph, however, was not a farmer but a herdsman, and there is no evidence he was unhappy; he spent his time dreaming about ruling over his brothers.
"Samson was a husky guy from the P.T. Barnum show": While Samson probably belonged in a circus (it's hard to imagine someone so thoroughly inept; had he not been a strong man, he would have been a joke), the Bible tells his story "straight" (Judges 13-16).
"Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego": The Hebrews in the Fiery Furnace (Daniel 3).
"Methuselah was crabby 'cause he couldn't save a joke": Methuselah lived longer than any other figure in the Bible (the Hebrew of Gen. 5:25-27 lists him as living to the age of 969), but gives no indication of his character or the length of his whiskers.
"Pharaoh kept the Israelites to make his cigarettes": This is almost accurate, in that the Israelites did, in effect, go on strike in Exodus. However, tobacco was not known in Egypt at the time (it grows only in the New World); the Israelites "struck" for the right to worship in their own way, plus better living conditions.
"David was a fighter, a plucky little cuss": 1 Samuel 17.
"Daniel was a naughty man, he wouldn't mind the King" -- Formally, Daniel defied the king, but it was actually the King's counselors who came up with the law Daniel defied (Daniel 6). - RBW
File: Wa177

Walking Boss


DESCRIPTION: "Walking boss (x2), I don't belong to you. I belong (x2) to that steel driving crew." "Work one day, just one day, just one day, Then go lay in the shanty two." Etc. Verses loosely descriptive of life on a railroad crew.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (collected by Newman Ivey White)
KEYWORDS: railroading work nonballad worksong boss
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Cohen/Seeger/Wood, p. 96, "Walking Boss" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7693
RECORDINGS:
Clarence Ashley, "Walking Boss" (on Ashley03, WatsonAshley01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Take This Hammer" (lyrics)
NOTES: A "walking boss" was a foreman who gave orders to workers' immediate supervisors, rather than to the workers themselves.
Source: Clarence "Tom" Ashley recalled this song being sung by railroad workers, probably in the 1920s. - PJS
File: CSW096

Walking Down Canal Street


DESCRIPTION: This formula song chronicles the difficulties the narrator encounters in attempting to (find and) have sex with a whore.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: bawdy sex whore
FOUND IN: US(MW,Ro,So,SW)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Cray, pp. 213-214, "Walking Down Canal Street" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Randolph-Legman I, pp. 560-563, "Walking Down Canal Street" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Rosemary Lane" ("Bell-bottomed Trousers" tune)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
This Mornin'
File: EM214

Walking John


DESCRIPTION: "Walking John was a big rope horse" who "was willing and stout and strong," but "he sure enjoyed his joke." Every morning he tried to throw his first rider -- but then settled down to be a hard worker
AUTHOR: Henry Herbert Knibbs
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Knibbs, Songs of the Last Frontier)
KEYWORDS: animal cowboy
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Larkin, pp. 79-82, "Walking John" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ohrlin-HBT 24, "Walking John" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #5766
NOTES: Larkin notes, "The poems of Henry Herbert Knibbs have been plagiarized and adapted so often that he is entitled to be named the poet laureate of hte cowboys." She adds that this sog is "the biography of a real horse."
It would appear that the song was in oral tradition before Knibbs published it; since Larkin published her book in 1931 and it had passed through at least two stages of tradition by the time she collected it. - RBW
File: Ohr024

Walking on the Green Grass


DESCRIPTION: "Walking on the green grass, Walking side by side, Walking with a pretty girl, She shall be my bride." Boys and girls pair off and dance; the "king" chooses a "queen"; they go around the ring
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1903
KEYWORDS: playparty courting dancing nonballad
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Botkin-AmFolklr, pp. 807-809, "Walking on the Green Grass" (1 text plus a possibly related fragment, 1 tune)
ST BAF807 (Full)
Roud #1381
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Green Grass" (lyrics)
NOTES: Roud lumps this with "Green Grass," apparently on the basis that they're both playparties about green grass. They look distinct to me. - RBW
File: BAF807

Walky-Talky Jenny


DESCRIPTION: Minstrel recitation with chorus: "O, walky-talky Jenny an' a hubble for your trouble...." Incidents include a fight with a racist, an argument with a woman he has rescued from a fire, and an incident with his baby and a dog
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: recitation nonballad Black(s)
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Sandburg, pp. 48-49, "Walky-Talky Jenny" (1 text, 1 tune)
File: San048

Wallabug


DESCRIPTION: Sundry silliness: "Bought an old cow from Farmer Jones, She weren't nothing but skin and bones. Fattened her up as fine as silk; She jumped the fence and skimmed her milk. Wallabug, wallabug, you can't fool me...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1941 (Warner)
KEYWORDS: nonsense animal nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Warner 164, "Wallabug" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, WALLABUG*
ST Wa164 (Full)
Roud #7483
File: Wa164

Wallaby Brigade, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer boasts of the life of the swagman. He gives advice for finding (or not finding) work, and surviving the travelling life. "When the shearing's at an end we'll go fishing in the bend, Then hurrah for the Wallaby Brigade."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Paterson, _Old Bush Songs_)
KEYWORDS: work sheep Australia rambling
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 186-187, "The Wallaby Brigade" (1 text, 1 tune)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 288-290, "The Wallaby Brigade" (1 text)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
cf. "Tramp! Tramp! Tramp!" (tune)
File: FaE186

Wallaby Track, The


DESCRIPTION: "Roll up your bundle and make a neat swag, Collar onto your billycan and the old tuckerbag. It's no disgrace to be seen with your swag on your back, While searching for work on the wallaby track."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: Australia work rambling
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Anderson, p. 186, "The Wallaby Track" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Not to be confused with "The Springtime It Brings on the Shearing (On the Wallaby Track)" - RBW
File: MA186A

Wallflowers


DESCRIPTION: Playparty. "Wallflowers, wallflowers, growing up so high, All of you young ladies Are meant to die." One girl is excepted, because of her great skill at (something).
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1898 (Gomme)
KEYWORDS: playparty death nonballad
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(England(All),Scotland(All)) US(Ap,NE)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
GreigDuncan8 1595, "Water Water Wallflower" (4 texts, 2 tunes)
Greig #152, p. 1, "Water, Water, Wall-Flowers" (1 text)
SHenry H48d, p. 11, "Water, Water, Wallflowers" (1 text, 1 tune)
Linscott, pp. 54-56, "Water, Water, Wild Flower" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fuson, p. 174, "Lily-White Flower" (1 text)
Montgomerie-ScottishNR 72, "(Water, water, wall-flower, growing up so high)" (1 short text)
ST HHH048d (Full)
Roud #6307
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Row Boat (Ride About)" (form, floating lyrics)
File: HHH048d

Wallins Creek Girls


DESCRIPTION: Singer and a friend come to Wallins Creek and pick up girls. "The only thing they want to do, smoke cigarettes and car-ride." Men offer boys loose tobacco but the prefer cigarettes. "If [girls] could get them one cigarette, they'd car-ride every day"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1937 (field recording, Daw Hudson)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer and a friend, rounders, come to Wallins Creek and pick up two girls in their car. "The only thing they want to do, smoke cigarettes and car-ride." He says the girls regularly flag drivers down and go from town to town. The men offer the boys Prince Albert (loose tobacco) but they'd rather have Old Gold (rolled cigarettes). Singers says the girls are pretty, but "if they could get them one cigarette, they'd car-ride every day"
KEYWORDS: drugs courting travel technology
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
RECORDINGS:
Daw Henson, "Wallins Creek Girls" (AFS, 1937; on KMM)
File: RcWaCrGi

Walnut Girl, The


DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a pretty walnut vendor. He tells her he's sick of single life, and "O won't we be happy until wedlock breaks us here?" Chorus: "Ten-a-penny walnuts, my Nellie she were by/Fresh from Common Garden, please to come and try...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1974 (collected from Nelson Ridley)
KEYWORDS: courting love marriage beauty commerce work food worker
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
MacSeegTrav 35, "The Walnut Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2520
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Molly Malone" (subject)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Little Walnut Gel
NOTES: According to MacColl & Seeger, "When John Lydgate (1370?-1450?) wrote 'The London Lykpeny,' he started a fashion for poems and songs about London's street-vendors and their cries which was to last for more than four hundred years...lavender, oysters, water-cresses, pretty flowers, codlings, cockles and mussels, and even cat-meat." Haven't heard that last one.- PJS
Of course, many of these songs are on rather less pleasant topics. Consider "The Oyster Girl" or "Queer Bungo Rye."
I think the claim a little strong anyway; while Lydgate was a prolific author, just try to find anything he wrote! He's usually lumped with the "other poets" of the Chaucerian era. His may well be just another example of an author taking advantage of a popular street form. - RBW
File: McCST035

Walsingham


DESCRIPTION: Coming from "the holy land Of Blessed Walsingham," the singer asks (a jolly palmer) about the singer's love. The (palmer) asks questions and is told that she has left him, but his love endures
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1765 (Percy folio; tune dates at least to 1596)
KEYWORDS: love separation travel
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Percy/Wheatley II, pp. 101-105, "As Ye Came From the Holy Land" (2 text, one from the Percy folio and the other the touched-up version in the _Reliques_)
Chappell/Wooldridge I, pp. 69-71, "Walsingham" (1 tune, partial text)
ADDITIONAL: Norman Ault, _Elizabethan Lyrics From the Original Texts_, pp. 282-284, "As You Came From the Holy Land" (1 text)
BBI, ZN284, "As I went to Walsingham"
ST Perc2101 (Partial)
NOTES: This piece has been very popular in poetry anthologies; Granger's Index to Poetry lists some two dozen printings, it mentions the attribution to Sir Walter Raleigh, without accepting the attribution.
One of those who tentatively accepts the attribution to Raleigh is Ault, who dates the manuscript containing it (Bodley MS. Rawl. Poet. 85) "before 1600." Of course, Ault also claims that this is "How Should I Your True Love Know." Which it isn't, though it has similar lines; I wouldn't be surprised if this inspired that.
The tune too is different (at least from the version of "How Should I" that I've heard), though again there are some similarities, probably caused more by the metrical form than anything else.
Several references mention the great popularity of this song, and it is quoted in John Fletcher and Francis Beaumont's 1611 play "The Knight of the Burning Pestle," Act II, scene vii:
As you came from Walsingham,
From that holy land,
There met you not with my true love
By the way as you came?
There seem to be two openings to the piece, the one above (found also in the Percy folio) and that quoted by Chappell:
As I went to Walsingham,
To the shrine with speed,
Met I with a jolly palmer,
In a pilgrim's weed.
Something similar is quoted in the Pepys collection. I have not seen a full text of the latter, and it is possible that they are distinct, but I cannot prove it. The piece does not seem to survive in oral tradition, but there are enough references to it that I thought it proper to include it here. It also seems to have given rise to yet another song,
King Richard's gone to Walsingham,
To the Holy Land,
To kill the Turk and Saracen, that the truth do withstand....
The notes to Chappell and Percy (on "Gentle Herdman, Tell to Me") note that Walsingham was a pilgrimage site at least from the time of Henry III. It seemingly acquired its reputation around the Norman Conquest. Apparently a local had a vision of the Annunciation to Mary (for which see Luke 1:26-38), and been told to build a replica of the spot.
Walsingham seems to have been well-patronized -- e.g. Cunningham, p. 12, tells of a pilgrimage to Walsingham by Edward IV and his brother Richard of Gloucester when Edward's throne was under threat by the Earl of Warwick. Allmand, p. 158, mentions that Henry V went there after the Treaty of Troyes made him the heir to the French throne. Edward I visited the site while working on his great alliance in France during the 1290s (Powicke, pp. 665-666). No doubt other kings went there at less memorable times.
Walsingham figures in other poems as well, also seemingly as a pilgrimage destination. Walter de la Mare, Come Hither, revised edition, 1928, in the notes to #473 prints a fragment beginning, "Gentle herdsman, tell to me, Of courtesy I thee pray, Unto the town of Walsingham Which is the right and ready way" (compare the item in Percy).
The shrine was the result of a vision by one Richelde de Faverches, who had a vision of the Virgin Mary at Walsingham, who told her to make a model of the "Holy House" there. She managed to get the thing built (Kerr, p. 164), and somehow people came to believe that the vision was real and the model was holy.
Walsingham was closed down in 1538 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. It is ironic to note that, just a couple of decades earlier, Henry VIII's chief councilor Cardinal Wolsey had gone there to give thanks for recovering from the Sweating Sickness (Scarisbrick, p. 68). Supposedly people still go on pilgrimage to Walsingham (Kerr, p. 165), but not to the original site; all that still stands of the church at Walsingham is the east wall -- really, not much more than a gateway arch. - RBW
BibliographyLast updated in version 2.5
File: Perc2101

Walter Lesly [Child 296]


DESCRIPTION: Walter Lesly invites the girl to drink. He then makes off with her; he intends to marry her (for her money). But he falls asleep before she does, and she escapes. She outruns his men and makes her way home.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1828 (Buchan)
KEYWORDS: courting abduction escape money
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Child 296, "Walter Lesly" (1 text)
Leach, pp. 680-682, "Walter Lesly" (1 text)
Roud #3925
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Eppie Morrie" [Child 223] (plot)
NOTES: There was a Walter Leslie who married the heiress of the Earldom of Ross in the reign of David II of Scotland; he was involved in many political quarrels in the reign of the next king, Robert II, and died in 1382. Another Walter Lesley was a crusader in this period. There is no reason to connect either with the villain of this piece except similarity of names (and, of course, the fact that there was a lot of this sort of thing in the anarchic Scotland of Robert II)
For a song with similar plot, and notes on actual historical instances of this sort of abduction-for-money, see the notes to "Eppie Morrie" [Child 223]. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: C296

Walter Mullin


DESCRIPTION: Walter Mullin "changed his home in Whitneyville For a Canadian soldier's grave ... in the European War" The singer recalls the youth they shared. "Now you are wanted at the Front, But you will not take your stand. O why can't you be like my comrade"
AUTHOR: Wallace Travis (Manny/Wilson)
EARLIEST DATE: 1962 (Manny/Wilson)
KEYWORDS: request army war death memorial patriotic
FOUND IN: Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Manny/Wilson 44, "Walter Mullin" (1 text, 1 tune)
ST MaWi044 (Partial)
Roud #9184
NOTES: Whitneyville, now Whitney, is near the junction of the Little Southwest and Northwest Miramichi Rivers, about 10 miles west of Newcastle, New Brunswick.
Manny/Wilson: "The song was made up by Wallace Travis of the Nor'West Miramichi, in memory of a friend killed in the First World War."
Since the song is a plea for others to enlist to fight in a war my guess is that this was written during the second World War. - BS
On the other hand, there is no hint of a second War -- or even of the end of the first. I incline to think it comes from the early part of the first War.
This is apparently based on "The Graves of a Household" by one Mrs. Henmans, found in the "Royal Readers" used in the nineteenth century in New Brunswick schools. More evidence for an early date, I'd say; I don't know about you, but I can't remember *anything* from my grade school readers.... - RBW
File: MaWi044

Waltz the Hall


DESCRIPTION: "First couple out, couple on the right, Charge them pards an' waltz 'em out of sight." "When you're through remember my call, Charge 'em again an' waltz the hall." "Skip to my Lou, boys, skip to my Lou... When you're through remember my call...."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: playparty nonballad
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Randolph 517, "Waltz the Hall" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7649 and 7927
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Skip to My Lou" (lyrics)
NOTES: Randolph notes that this is derived from "Skip to my Lou," but since it has new lyrics and its own dance elements, it deserves separate listing. - RBW
File: R517

Waltzing Matilda


DESCRIPTION: A swagman (rover) camps by a pool. He sees a sheep come down to drink, and grabs it. He is spotted by (three troopers/the landowner), who call on him to justify his actions. Rather than face up to his crime, the swagman drowns himself in the pool
AUTHOR: words widely attributed to "Banjo" Paterson
EARLIEST DATE: 1903
KEYWORDS: sheep suicide robbery ghost rambling
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 73-74, 95, "Waltzing Matilda" (2 texts, 1 tune, the latter being a fragment of a bawdy version)
Fahey-Eureka, pp. 234-235, "The Blackboy's Waltzing Matilda" (1 text, 1 tune -- a pidgin English semi-parody)
Paterson/Fahey/Seal, pp. 308-310, "Black Boy's Waltzing Matlida" (1 text -- the same adaption as the preceding)
PBB 119, "Waltzing Matilda' (1 text)
SHenry H566, pp. 122-123, "Waltzing Matilda" (1 text, 1 tune -- but collected from Australian children rather than Ulster natives)
Manifold-PASB, pp. 160-163, "Waltzing Matilda" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Silber-FSWB, p. 339, "Waltzing Matilda" (1 text)
Fuld-WFM, pp. 619-620, "Waltzing Matilda"
DT, WALTZMAT*
Roud #9536
RECORDINGS:
John Greenway, "Waltzing Matilda" (on JGreenway01)
A. L. Lloyd, "Waltzing Matilda" (on Lloyd4, Lloyd10)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Bold Fusilier" (form)
NOTES: Virtually every aspect of this song -- its historical basis, its words, its tune(s) - has been the subject of disputation, athough there is now consensus among scholars on the following basic facts:
1. While visiting Dagworth station (a pastoral holding in outback Queensland) in 1895, the poet A.B. (Banjo) Paterson heard a tune hummed and played on the autoharp by Miss Christina McPherson, sister of station manager Robert McPherson.
2. Miss McPherson indicated she had heard the tune some time previously at a race meeting in Warrnambool in Victoria, played by a local band. She understood the tune was called "The Bonnie Wood of Craigielea." (A ballad of this name by Robert Tannahill of Scotland was set to music by Robert Barr in the early 1800s and, according to Magoffin, a march arrangement by Gordon Parker was performed at the Warnambool races on 24 April 1894.) At Dagworth Miss McPherson rendered the tune from memory.
3. While at Dagworth Paterson wrote words to fit Miss McPherson's tune. The words he wrote were those of the poem/song "Waltzing Matilda."
4. Paterson's setting of McPherson's tune was quickly picked up and sung around the district, including at the Winton races on 24 and 25 May 1895.
5. At these races Christina McPherson wrote out and gave to family friends the Barlams the song's words and music. (This manuscript only came to light in 1971. Its authenticity has since been verified by, for example, by the National Library of Australia, which included it in its recent major exhibition of treasures from the world's libraries.)
6. Following the Winton race meeting the song travelled further afield, entering oral tradition. In the process the song's words (and possibly also its tune) evolved through the "folk process." The major change was that Paterson's wimpish "drowning himself by the Coolibah tree" in the last verse gave way to the more defiant "'You'll never catch me alive!' said he."
7. The song first appeared on sheet music in 1903, published in Sydney by James Inglis & Co. While the lyrics were attributed to Paterson they were in fact the "folk processed' words (possibly with additional textual changes introduced by the publisher); the music was cited as being "arranged' by Marie Cowan. Cowan was the spouse of Mr. W. Cowan, James Inglis & Co.'s Manager. (Cowan's version has similarities with, but is distinct from, the tune in the McPherson manuscript. The extent to which the Cowan version reflects the tune as it evolved through oral transmission, and the extent to which it incorporates changes introduced by Mrs. Cowan, is not known. While Mr. Cowan later claimed the sheet music tune was entirely his wife's composition, its similarities with that in the 1895 McPherson manuscript suggests "arrangement' was indeed the more appropriate term.) The sheet music version became the standard rendering of the song.
8. Paterson gave his approval to the 1903 sheet music text and music. Fourteen years later he included his original text as a poem in his book Saltbush Bill J.P. and Other Verses.
9. An entirely different tune, set to Paterson's original 1895 lyric, was obtained in the early 1950s by John Manifold from John O'Neill, who later indicated he had heard his father singing it around 1912. This is known as the Queensland, or sometimes the "Buderim," version.
There have been suggestions the song predates 1895, and so was, at best, modified by Paterson. Certainly, it is possible that Paterson, either consciously or unconsciously, drew upon an earlier song in writing his text. Claims however that the song itself predates Paterson rely upon second-hand accounts of persons who claim to remember hearing it prior to 1895. No documentary evidence to support this proposition has come to light, and these days the claim is given little credence.
In 1941 the suggestion was raised via the Sydney Bulletin that the tune and word structure of Waltzing Matilda is based upon a song "The Bold Fusilier' which, on account of its reference to the Duke of Marlborough, was assumed to date from the early 1700s. Several correspondents attested to the song's existence. One claimed to have heard it as a child in England, another to have heard it in Australia from his grandfather. The tune was said to be recognisable as that used for Waltzing Matilda, and while only one verse and a chorus of the text were remembered in either case, a strong structural resemblence to that song was apparent. Unfortunately, extensive efforts by scholars to trace the song have thus far been fruitless, and no full text, musical notation or other documentary evidence of its existence prior to 1895 has come to light.
The "Bold Fusilier' vs "Craigilea' debate impacts hardly at all on Paterson's claim to authorship. Should further research establish the existence of the Bold Fusilier prior to 1895, then obviously it is a possibility that Paterson knew of it and drew upon its word structure in writing Waltzing Matilda. A number of Australian bush songs are parodies, and so such a circumstance would be unremarkable. Regarding the Bold Fusilier tune we can say little, for at present the only version of it we have dates from the 1940s, some four decades after the publication of the Cowan tune for Waltzing Matilda. In that time all manner of opportunity existed for failures or tricks of memory to occur.
For these various reasons, the consensus in Australia is clear: Paterson wrote the words in 1895 to a tune played from memory by Christina McPherson, and subsequently both text and tune evolved in oral transmission. Further changes may have been introduced consciously at the time the song was published as sheet music in 1903. - MK
The above was written in response to my original rather caustic comments about the authorship of "Waltzing Matilda." I must admit that I still have misgivings.
First, I think it likely that "The Bold Fusilier" is an authentic folk song, and most unlikely that it was composed after "Waltzing Matilda." Nor do I regard it as believable that this form would have been evolved independently by Paterson. Of course, it, or something like it, could have been the "Craiglie" tune Paterson heard. This does not affect Paterson's authorship of "Waltzing Matilda" in any way, of course. But I think dependence a practical certainty.
It strikes me as curious that Paterson wrote this piece for music, but his other poetry is just that: Poetry, and rarely in a style suitable for folk song.
John Meredith met informants who claimed *their* sources (fathers) knew the song before Paterson's composition. None of these claims can be verified, and all are secondhand -- but of course written records of Australian folk songs before 1895 are quite rare.
There are scholars, such as John Greenway, who clearly did not believe in Paterson's authorship. Even John Meredith had his doubts. Most of these stated their opinions before the McPherson manuscript was discovered. But the manuscript, while it strengthened the arguments on the pro-Paterson side, did not weaken those on the anti- side.
Thus, despite Keith McKenry's well-researched statements above, I still consider the matter open.
Another possibility, which I have not seen mentioned, is that Paterson included some fragments of an existing song into a largely new composition based on a local event. This would explain the informants who thought they knew the song before 1895 -- but there is no evidence whatsoever for it. - RBW
File: PBB119

Waly Waly (The Water is Wide)


DESCRIPTION: The singer laments the effects of unrequited love and an untrue lover. Typical symbols include the rotten-hearted oak that looks solid but breaks and the beautiful flower protected by thorns. In some versions the lover is untrue; sometimes (s)he is dead
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1714 (Ritson, _Scotish Song_)
KEYWORDS: love rejection lyric nonballad lament lover death
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland(Aber)) Ireland US(Ap,NE,SE) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (21 citations):
Child 204 notes, "Waly, Waly, Gin Love Be Bony" (1 text)
Bronson (204), 8 versions (including "Jamie Douglas")
Percy/Wheatley III, pp. 145-148, "Waly Waly, Love Be Bonny" (1 text)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 469-474, "Jamie Douglas" (notes and scattered stanzas; the only full text is in fact this piece)
Kennedy 149, "Deep in Love" (1 text, 1 tune)
Logan, pp. 336-337, "Picking Lilies" (1 text)
GreigDuncan8 1918, "I Spied a Ship Sailin' on the Sea" (1 fragment)
Greig #173, p. 2, ("I spied a ship sailin' on the sea") (1 fragment)
Peacock, pp. 475-476, "Love is Lovely" (1 text, 1 tune, strongly composite, starting with a verse perhaps from "Peggy Gordon," then the chorus of "Waly Waly (The Water Is Wide)," two more which might be anything, and a conclusion from "Carrickfergus")
Leach, pp. 546-551, "Jamie Douglas" (3 texts, with only the third text belonging with this piece)
Friedman, p. 101, "Jamie Douglas" (2 texts, with only the second text belonging with this piece)
Sharp-100E 39, "O Waly Waly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sandburg, pp. 16-17, "Waillie, Waillie!" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #8}
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 218-219, "Love" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hodgart, p. 143, "O Waly, Waly" (1 text)
Lomax-FSNA 70, "Love is Pleasin'" (1 text, 1 tune, of four verses, two of which go here, one belongs with "Fair and Tender Ladies," and the fourth could be from several sources; the whole could be a "Love is Teasing" variant)
HarvClass-EP1, pp. 323-324, "O Waly, Waly" (1 text)
PSeeger-AFB, p. 77, "The Water Is Wide" (1 text, 1 tune)
SHenry H683, p. 393, "The Apron of Flowers" (1 text, 1 tune -- apparently a collection of floating verses including one that goes here)
Silber-FSWB, p. 145, "Waillie"; p. 163, "The Water Is Wide" (2 texts)
DT (204), WALYWALY WALYWAL2* WALYWAL3* CCKLSHLL* WATRWIDE*
Roud #87
RECORDINGS:
Liam Clancy, "The Water is Wide" (on IRLClancy01)
Mobile Strugglers, "Trouble, Trouble's Followed Me All My Days" (on AmSkBa, classified there for want of a better place; it's really a collection of floaters, and could as easily go with "I Wish, I Wish/Love Is Teasing." It shares the verse "If I had wings like Noah's dove" with "Dink's Song," but not its distinctive chorus. - PJS)
Pete Seeger, "The Water is Wide" (on PeteSeeger18) (on PeteSeeger34) (on PeteSeeger47)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Jamie Douglas" [Child 204] (lyrics)
cf. "Love Is Teasing"
cf. "Careless Love"
cf. "Died for Love"
cf. "The Butcher Boy" [Laws P24] (floating lyrics)
cf. "Dink's Song" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Oh, Johnny, Johnny" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Arthur's Seat" (lyrics: two verses)
cf. "The Water's Deep, Love, I Canna Wide" (floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
A Ship Came Sailing
When Cockle Shells Turn Silver Bells
NOTES: Some scholars consider this a degraded form of "Jamie Douglas" [Child 204], with which it shares several lyrics. It can hardly be denied that they are related. Since, however, "Waly Waly" has worn away to a purely lyric piece (and some even believe it to be the older of the two songs, which has provided a few chance lyrics to "Jamie Douglas"), it is my firm opinion that the two should be kept separate.
Paul Stamler considers at least some of the versions of "I Wish, I Wish/Love is Teasing" to belong here. To me, they look more like versions of "The Butcher Boy." Still, it shows you how lyric this piece has become.
Under the title "Forsaken," this is one of the handful of traditional songs in Palgrave's Golden Treasury (item CXXXIII)- RBW
The two verses shared with "Arthur's Seat" are neither common floaters nor verses shared with "Jamie Douglas": one is the title verse ("Now Arthur-Seat shall be my bed ....") and the other the Martinmas wind reference ("Martinmas wind, when wilt thou blow ...). - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: K149

Waly Waly, Love Be Bonny


See Waly Waly (The Water is Wide) (File: K149)

Wanderer, The


See A Distant Land to Roam (File: FORA201)

Wanderer's Warning, The


DESCRIPTION: Singer quarrels with his father and prepares to leave home. His mother begs him not to; her heart will be broken. He leaves anyway. Now he is in a boxcar while his mother longs for the boy who will never return. He cautions others not to imitate him
AUTHOR: Carson Robison - Frank Luther
EARLIEST DATE: 1929 (recording, Frank Luther)
KEYWORDS: grief homesickness loneliness warning farewell home parting rambling train travel father mother hobo
FOUND IN: US
RECORDINGS:
Ken Houchins, "Wanderer's Warning" (Champion 16553, 1933)
Frank Luther, "The Wanderer's Warning" (Banner 6464/Jewel 5667/Conqueror 7396, 1929)
File: RcWanWar

Wanderin'


DESCRIPTION: "My daddy is an engineer, My brother drives a hack, My sister takes in washin' An' the baby balls the jack, An' it looks like I'm never gonna cease my wanderin'." Tales of work and poverty, held together by the refrain "never gonna cease my wanderin'."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: work hardtimes rambling nonballad
FOUND IN: US(MA)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Sandburg, pp. 188-189, "Wanderin'" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Scott-BoA, pp. 335-336, "Wandering" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FSNA 218, "Wand'rin" (1 text, 1 tune)
Darling-NAS, p. 281, "Wandering" (1 text)
Silber-FSWB, p. 59, "Wandering" (1 text)
BrownIII 507, "I Got de Hezotation Stockings and de Hezotation Shoes" (1 short text, with a verse and chorus from "Hesitation Blues" and a verse from "Wanderin'")
DT, WANDERIN*
Roud #4399
RECORDINGS:
Vernon Dalhart, "Wanderin'" (Columbia 1585-D, 1928)
NOTES: The total irrelevance of plot to this song is shown by the fact that Scott's version (which is mostly about the traveler's rambles, except for the line "If the Republicans don't get you, the Democrats must") shares only three lines, apart from the refrain, with the DT version. - RBW
File: San188

Wandering Boy, The


DESCRIPTION: "Out in this cold world and far away from home, Somebody's boy is wandering alone...." The mother begs, "Bring me back my wandering boy, He's all that's left to give me joy." She tells how his place still waits for him
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (unissued recording, Kentucky Thorobreds) earliest publication 1928 (recording, Emry Arthur)
KEYWORDS: rambling mother children separation
FOUND IN: US(Ap,So)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Randolph 845, "The Wandering Boy" (1 text)
Fuson, p. 149, "The Wandering Boy" (1 short text)
ST R845 (Partial)
Roud #4227
RECORDINGS:
Emry Arthur, "Bring Back to Me My Wandering Boy" (Vocalion 5244, 1928)
Blue Sky Boys, "Brink Back My Wandering Boy" (Bluebird B-8128, 1939)
W. C. Childers, "Bring Back My Wandering Boy" (Champion 16052, 1930)
Kentucky Thorobreds, "Bring Back My Wandering Boy" (Paramount, unissued, rec. 1927)
NOTES: This should not be confused with "Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight," which is a different song. - PJS
File: R845

Wandering Cowboy (I), The [Laws B7]


DESCRIPTION: A cowboy sadly tells the tale of why he left home: He had killed a childhood friend in a quarrel over a girl: "So that's the reason why I am compelled to roam. A sinner of the darkest strain, Far far away from home"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928
KEYWORDS: death fight cowboy rambling love friend murder burial
FOUND IN: US(SE,So,SW) Canada
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Laws B7, "The Wandering Cowboy"
Randolph 190, "The Wandering Cowboy" (3 texts, 2 tunes)
BrownII 265, "A Jolly Group of Cowboys" (1 text)
Larkin, pp. 144-146, "Wandering Cowboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
McNeil-SFB1, pp. 157-159, "The Wandering Cowboy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Fife-Cowboy/West 89, "Cowboy's Home Sweet Home" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Ohrlin-HBT 66, "Franklin Slaughter Ranch" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 798, WANDCOWB
Roud #633
RECORDINGS:
Edward L. Crain, "Cowboy's Home Sweet Home" (Columbia 15710-D, 1932; rec. 1931) (Crown 3250/Melotone [Can.] 93027/Conqueror 8010 [as Cowboy Ed Crane], 1932; Montgomery Ward M-3016/Varsity 5034 [as Cowboy Rodgers], n.d.; rec. 1931)
Jimmie Davis, "Cowboy's Home Sweet Home" (Victor 23718, 1932; Montgomery Ward M-7359, 1937; on WhenIWas2)
Arthur Miles, "The Lonely Cowboy (Parts 1 & 2)" (Victor V-40156, 1929; on MakeMe, When I Was1)
Frank Wheeler & Monroe Lamb, "A Group of Jolly Cowboys" (Victor C-40169, 1929)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Fugitive's Lament" (plot)
NOTES: The Arthur Miles recording contains one of the few examples of "throat singing" (overtone singing) I've heard in American tradition. The song should not be confused with "The Wandering Cowboy (II)," which is unrelated. - PJS
File: LB07

Wandering Cowboy (II), The


DESCRIPTION: Cowboy describes ranches he's worked at. He signs on with a ranch, works summer and fall, then drifts to Arizona for a winter job. It's too lonely and boring, so he moves on again. One night in Wyoming, he dreams of his home rancho and decides to return
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (recording, Patt Patterson & Lois Dexter)
KEYWORDS: loneliness home rambling travel work cowboy worker
FOUND IN: US
RECORDINGS:
Patt Patterson & Lois Dexter, "The Wandering Cowboy" (Banner 32091, 1931)
Patt Patterson & his Champion Rep Riders, "The Wandering Cowboy" (on WhenIWas1)
NOTES: Pretty thin plot, yes. But a plot nonetheless, and I've indexed it chiefly to distinguish the song from "The Wandering Cowboy (I)", which has a real narrative. - PJS
File: RcTWCII

Wandering Cowboy (III), The


DESCRIPTION: Singer has no home, no one to love him. He's wandering down the trail, coming to the end of his life, and thinking the only home he will ever find is "on some other shore"
AUTHOR: B. Cartwright
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (recording, Cartwright Bros.)
KEYWORDS: loneliness love death nonballad cowboy
FOUND IN: US
RECORDINGS:
Cartwright Brothers, "The Wandering Cowboy" (Victor V-40247, 1930)
NOTES: Darn near no plot at all, even thinner than "Wandering Cowboy (II)," and depressing besides. I index it solely to distinguish it from the other "Wandering Cowboy" songs. - PJS
File: RcTWaC3

Wandering Girl, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer's lover has deserted her and their baby. She'll go home but knows she'll be turned away by her mother. "She'll tell me to wander as I've wandered before." She warns girls not to trust young men.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1829 (broadside, Bodleian Firth c.18(104))
KEYWORDS: sex desertion floatingverses baby mother youth
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond))
Roud #1691
RECORDINGS:
Freda Palmer, "The Wandering Girl" (on Voice10)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Firth c.18(104), "The Wandering Girl" ("Once I loved a young man as dear as my life"), T. Batchelar (London), 1817-1828; also Harding B 11(4028), Harding B 25(1998), Harding B 11(4027), "[The] Wandering Girl"; Harding B 25(1996), Harding B 11(244), Harding B 11(245), "The Wandering Girl" or "The Bud of Rose"
NOTES: The Bodleian broadsides have the girl turned away by her father as well as her mother.
Floating lines may include "Once I loved a young man as dear as my life He oftentimes told me he'd make me his wife," "Once I was as fair as the bud of a Rose And now I'm as pale as the Lilly [sic] that grows" and "They'll kiss you and court you and swear they'll be true And the very next moment they'll bid you adieu." - BS
File: RcTWaGir

Wandering Nellie


See Corunna's Lone Shore (Wandering Nellie) (File: FVS081)

Wandering Shepherd Laddie, The


DESCRIPTION: Bring my crook and bring my plaid." The singer would go to her "wandering shepherd laddie." She'll go through mountain storms to "his black-face yowes on the heather hills" and rest with him "when the moon comes over the top o' the hill"
AUTHOR: John MacDonald (source: Yates, Musical Traditions site _Voice of the People suite_ "Notes - Volume 20" - 15.1.04)
EARLIEST DATE: 1974 (recording, John MacDonald)
KEYWORDS: nonballad lover sheep shepherd
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
Roud #5150
RECORDINGS:
John MacDonald, "The Wandering Shepherd Laddie" (on Voice20)
File: RcWaShLa

Wandering True Loves, Too


See The Cuckoo (File: R049)

Wanton Seed, The


DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a pretty maid who wants "the chiefest grain"; she accepts his services, asking him to sow her meadow with "the wanton seed." After forty weeks she returns with a slender waist (presumably having borne a child), wanting more of the wanton seed
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE:
KEYWORDS: sex pregnancy farming magic
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, WNTNSEED*
Roud #1018
RECORDINGS:
A. L. Lloyd, "The Wanton Seed" (on BirdBush1, BirdBush2)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Seeds of Love" (theme)
cf. "The Next Market Day" (plot) and references there
cf. "The Mower"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Chiefest Grain
NOTES: Again, I've refrained from calling this "bawdy," preferring "erotic." And I've keyworded it as "magic" because of the clear connection the song makes between the fertility of grain and sexuality, a common folk strain of sympathetic magic. - PJS
In at least some versions of his index, Round lumps this (accidentally, I'm sure) with "The Building of Solomon's Temple" [Laws Q39]. - RBW
File: DTwntnse

Wanton Trooper, The


DESCRIPTION: "There came a trooper to this town, I thank you for your gentleness, He would have maidens nine or ten, To cure him o' his wantonness." The miller's lass takes him on. They have sex nine times the first day, then six, etc.; this cures his wantonness
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1840 (Buchan, Secret Songs of Silence)
KEYWORDS: sex soldier miller
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Hanish Henderson, "The Ballad, The Folk and The Oral Tradition," in Edward J. Cowan, editor, _The People's Past: Scottish Folk, Scottish History_ 1980 (I use the 1993 Polygon paperback edition), pp. 74-76, "The Wanton Trooper" (1 text)
Roud #12467
File: ThWanTr

Wanton Virgins Frightened, The


See The Three Frightened Virgins (File: GrD81893)

War Bird's Burlesque, A


DESCRIPTION: "A portly Roman Senator was sipping his Rock and Rye When a classic Vestal Virgin caught his educated eye." But while the "Senator" is away, a junior young officer slips into her bed. Finally the "Senator" forgives her
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Sandburg)
KEYWORDS: adultery seduction humorous
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Sandburg, pp. 438-439, "A War Bird's Burlesque" (1 text, 1 tune)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Sea Captain and the Squire" [Laws Q12] (plot)
File: San438

War Correspondent, The


DESCRIPTION: "You've all heard of 'Banjo' Paterson and of course I needn't say That he's the best and the greatest correspondent of the day...." The singer, alleged to be Paterson, boasts of all the people he knows and of his great journalistic skills
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: bragging humorous
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 274-275, "The War Correspondent" (1 text, 1 tune)
NOTES: Meredith and Anderson's informant, "Duke" Tritton, was of the opinion that Banjo Paterson wrote this piece as a parody of his exploits (Paterson was a war correspondent during the Boer War). Given Paterson's observed behavior, however, this seems unlikely. - RBW
File: MA274

War in Missouri in '61, The


DESCRIPTION: The title tells the subject. "Claybourn Jacks" tries to pull Missouri out of the Union, and Harney does little to stop him. Price and Blair and the Lion (Lyon) stop him. But the Lion is killed by McCulloch. The author asks forgiveness for his rough verse
AUTHOR: B. F. Lock?
EARLIEST DATE: 1916 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: Civilwar battle death
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
Aug 10, 1861 - Battle of Wilson's Creek
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Belden, pp. 366-367, "The War in Missouri in '61" (1 text)
Roud #3698
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Jolly Union Boys" and references there (concerning Battle of Wilson's Creek)
NOTES: To explain everything about this song (if it is a song and not just a poem) would take a small book; in any case, the narrative itself and Belden's notes cover most of the ground. (Some additional background is found in the songs in the cross-references). I'll just give sketch information about the characters named.
"Claybourn Jacks": Claiborne Fox Jackson (1806-1862), Governor of Missouri from 1860; tried and failed to pull the state out of the Union.
"Tom Price": Thomas Lawson Price (1809-1870), railroad builder and war democrat, who opposed secession
"Harney": William A. Harney (1800-1889), commander of the Deparment of the West (centered at St. Louis) when the war began. A friend of slaveholders, he did little to control Missouri secessionists, was suspected of sympathy with the rebellion, and was superseded May 29, 1861.
"Frost": Daniel M. Frost (c. 1823-1900), West Point graduate and Missouri businessman. Appointed by the Confederates to take the St. Louis arsenal, he was captured by Lyon instead, later being exchanged and becoming a Confederate general.
"Lyon" or "the Lion": Nathaniel Lyon (1818-1861), initially a regular army captain serving in St. Louis. Alarmed by Jackson's actions and Harney's inaction, he and Frank Blair conspired to keep Missouri in the Union. On May 10. he captured Frost and his hundreds of supporters at Camp Jackson (the only Union casualties were Lyon and Franz Sigel, and they were lighly wounded by their own horses). He died at Wilson's Creek.
"Frank Blair": Francis Preston Blair, Jr. (1821-1875), Missouri congressman and later union general. While Nathaniel Lyon ran the military operations in Missouri, Blair handled the politics, pulling the strings to get rid of Harney and put Lyon in charge
"Sigel": Franz Sigel (1824-1902), Union officer (later general). He would prove dreadfully incompetent, but at the time, he was one of the few trained officers available. (Though the training had come in Germany). Union commander at Carthage (July 5), he was forced to retreat. At Wilson's Creek, his failed flanking movement cost the Union forces any chance of victory.
Parson: Belden conjectures this is Lewis Baldwin Parsons (1818-1907), who was from Missouri but who became a Union officer.
"Price": Sterling Price (1809-1867), Confederate commander of Missouri troops. Leader of half the troops at Wilson's Creek.
"McCullough" or "Old Ben": Ben McCulloch (1811-1862), commander of Arkansas troops at Wilson's Creek and theoretical commander (though in effect he and Price led two independent armies). He would be killed in 1862 at Pea Ridge. - RBW
File: Beld366

War Song


See Bull Run (War Song) (File: JHCox068)

War Song (I)


See The Rebel's Escape [Laws A19] (File: LA19)

War Song (II)


See Texas Rangers, The [Laws A8] (File: LA08)

War Song of the Revolution


DESCRIPTION: "Come ye Americans and tremble Here before your might God." The singer describes women and children slain and husbands and families destroyed by war. Storms and fires destroy cities. Listeners are warned to turn to God
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1905 (Belden)
KEYWORDS: battle death storm disaster warning religious
FOUND IN: US(So)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Belden, p. 295, "War Song of the Revolution" (1 text)
Roud #7953
NOTES: Belden knew nothing of this save that the informant thought it concerned the Revolutionary War. Belden notes that, if it does date back that far, it's probably Tory. He's likely right -- but I wonder if it isn't two songs merged together, with the second being some sort of hymn based on the Apocalypse. - RBW
File: Beld295

Ward Line, The


DESCRIPTION: "De cap'n's in dce pilot house ringin' de bell, Who's on de way, boys, who's on de way? 'N' de mate's down atween decks givin' de niggas hell, Tell me, whar you goin?" Complains of a Black sailor on a Great Lakes ship
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1933 (collected by Walton from several Great Lakes sailors)
KEYWORDS: ship sailor hardtimes
FOUND IN: US(MW)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Walton/Grimm/Murdock, pp. 41-45, "The Ward Line" (1 composite text plus some stray verses, 1 tune)
NOTES: Walton/Grimm/Murdock reports that Sam Ward founded the Ward Line in 1820, and that Captain Eber Brock Ward was Michigan's richest man at the time of his death in 1875. One of the ships of the Ward Line was the Sam Ward, known as the "Old Black Sam." Julius F. Wolff, Jr., Lake Superior Shipwrecks, Lake Superior Port Cities Inc., Duluth, 1990, p.4, says the Sam Ward was a 433 ton steamer which had an accident in 1854 but survived. She was wrecked in 1861. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.4
File: WGM043

Warfare is A-Raging, The


See The Girl Volunteer (The Cruel War Is Raging) [Laws O33] (File: LO33)

Warfare is Raging, The


See The Girl Volunteer (The Cruel War Is Raging) [Laws O33] (File: LO33)

Wark o' the Weavers, The


See The Work of the Weavers (File: FSWB127)

Warlike Seamen (The Irish Captain)


DESCRIPTION: Singer's ship sails for the coast of Ireland. They encounter a French ship. They report that they're from Liverpool and they will show the Frenchmen what they're made of. They badly damage the French ship,which surrenders; they drink the captain's health
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950s (recorded from Bob & Ron Copper)
LONG DESCRIPTION: Singer, a sailor on an English ship with an Irish captain, sails for the coast of Ireland. They encounter a French ship, which hails them and demands to know their name and port. They reply that they're from Liverpool (their ship is the, "London", "Lion" or "Marigold") and they will show the Frenchmen what they're made of. They fire the cannons, and the French ship, badly damaged, surrenders; they land in Plymouth and drink the captain's health
KEYWORDS: pride battle fight navy violence ship drink France sailor
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (1 citation):
DT, WARLIKES
Roud #690
RECORDINGS:
Bob & Ron Copper, "Warlike Seamen (The Irish Captain)" (on LastDays)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The French Privateer" (plot, lyrics)
cf. "The Dolphin" (plot, lyrics)
cf. "The Terrible Privateer" (plot)
NOTES: While the second half of this song is identical to that of "The French Privateer," their openings are different, so I've split them. - PJS
Roud lumps them, naturally, and throws in "The Dolphin" (and perhaps others) for good measure. - RBW
File: DTwarlik

Warlock Laird o' Skene, The


DESCRIPTION: A magician swears an oath that after "ae nicht's frost ... He would drive o'er the Loch o' Skene." He casts a spell, calls out his coach and horses, and crosses the lake. Since then no fowl or fish is caught in that track.
AUTHOR: Alexander Gordon (1811-1873) (source: Walker)
EARLIEST DATE: 1850 (according to Walker)
KEYWORDS: magic witch
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland(Aber))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Greig #65, p. 2, "The Warlock Laird o' Skene" (1 text)
GreigDuncan2 345, "The Warlock Laird o' Skene" (2 texts)
ADDITIONAL: William Walker, The Bards of Bon-Accord 1375-1860 (Aberdeen, 1887 ("Digitized by Google")), pp. 621-622, "Wizard Laird of Skene"
Roud #5874
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Robert Gordon of Gordonston" (motif: wizard rides across a frozen lake)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Laird o Skene
NOTES: GreigDuncan2: .".. a tradition that the wizard was Alexander Skene who died in 1724.... It is still affirmed that every winter the marks of the wheels are clearly visible upon the ice" - BS
Walker's text, apparently the last four verses of Gordon's text, includes three verses not in the Greig/GreigDuncan2 texts. - BS
Last updated in version 2.5
File: GrD2345

Warning to Girls, A


DESCRIPTION: "I once loves a young man So dear to my life, He told me so often He would make me my wife." "He fulfilled his promise, He made me his wife... I have ruined my whole life." In floating verses, she laments her sick baby and drunken husband and warns others
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1928 (Cox)
KEYWORDS: love betrayal drink floatingverses baby disease
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
JHCoxIIB, #14, pp. 153-154, "A Warning to Girls" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #413
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "On Top of Old Smokey" (floating lyrics)
cf. "Green Grows the Laurel (Green Grow the Lilacs)" (floating lyrics)
cf. "I'm Sad and I'm Lonely" (floating lyrics)
NOTES: This song, or at least the version collected by Cox, is almost all floating verses (the only significant exception is the second stanza in which the man marries the singer). But that verse changes the tone of the whole piece (what would otherwise be a lost love song becomes a bad marriage song), causing me to file it separately.
Roud, curiously, files it with "The Cuckoo." If I had to file it with one well-known song, it would be "On Top of Old Smokey." - RBW
File: CoxII14

Warranty Deed, The (The Wealthy Old Maid) [Laws H24]


DESCRIPTION: A lawyer, underemployed and impoverished, at last decides to marry a wealthy old maid. The bride prepares for their wedding night by taking off wig, false teeth, false eye, and other decorations. The husband, who failed to get a "warranty deed," flees
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1940 (Randolph)
KEYWORDS: oldmaid marriage humorous disguise
FOUND IN: US(NE,So)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Laws H24, "The Warranty Deed"
Randolph 465, "The Warranty Deed" (1 text, 1 tune)
Randolph/Cohen, pp. 333-335, "The Warranty Deed" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 465)
DT 651, (UNFORTUN)
Roud #2188
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Old Maid and the Burglar" [Laws H23]
cf. "Only Nineteen Years Old" (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Unfortunate Man
The Very Unfortunate Man
NOTES: Gilbert has a piece (pp. 194-195), "It Takes A Girl to Fool You Every Time," which has this exact plot but entirely different lyrics, reportedly by Ned Oliver. I strongly doubt the latter went into oral tradition (it's not as good a song, anyway), but it may have been inspired by this piece.
Arnold Keith Storm also sings a piece, "Patched Up Old Devil," on this theme. It appears to be from family tradition; I have not encountered it elsewhere. As with Gilbert's piece, the plot is the same but the song quite distinct.
The pop folk version of this, "The Very Unfortunate Man," was reportedly assembled (I use the word advisedly) by Jimmy Driftwood.
I have heard that there was an unpublished 1898 play by Mark Twain with this exact plot. It sounds *extremely* close to this song. It sounds as if there has to be dependence -- with this probably the original, since the Twain play ended up in a drawer, almost entirely unseen until around 2005. - RBW
File: LH24

Warrego Lament, The


DESCRIPTION: The singer asks if the listener has ever been in Queensland. In Warrego, in Queensland, is his love. "She was black -- but what of that?... She was just the sort for a bushman." He enjoyed her company, but then found she had given him a social disease
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1968
KEYWORDS: disease whore bawdy
FOUND IN: Australia
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Meredith/Anderson, pp. 190-191, 223, "The Warrego Lament" (2 texts, 1 tune)
File: MA190

Wars o' Germanie, The


DESCRIPTION: "O, wae be to the orders that marched my love awa', And wae be to the cruel cause that gars my tears down fa'." The singer recalls her soldier's departure for the wars overseas. Her family chides her, but she says they do not understand
AUTHOR: William Motherwell ?
EARLIEST DATE: 1930 (Ord)
KEYWORDS: love separation soldier war
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Ord, p. 359, "The Wars o' Germanie" (1 text)
Roud #5608
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "High Germany" (lyrics, theme)
NOTES: Ord credits this to William Motherwell, and it's perfectly reasonable to assume Motherwell padded out a fragment of an existing song (probably "High Germany"). I do think there was that traditional fragment, though. - RBW
File: Ord359

Wars of America, The


DESCRIPTION: "I have two sons and a son-in-law, Fightin' in the wars of America. But I don't know if I'll see them more Or whether they'll visit old Ireland's shore." The singer seeks the boys; at last one comes home -- but crippled from the wars
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1939
KEYWORDS: mother children separation war soldier injury disability
FOUND IN: US(NE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Lomax-FSNA 17, "The Wars of America" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-SNewBrunswick 75, "My Son Ted" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #678
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" (plot)
cf. "By the Hush" (plot)
cf. "Mrs. McGrath" (plot)
NOTES: Roud links this to "Mrs. McGrath." The plot similarity is obvious, but the songs themselves appear distinct to me. In Lomax's version, the conflict appears to have been the French and Indian Wars, and the soldier is named Terry. Perhaps the name "Ted" in Creighton's version was influenced by "Mrs. McGrath?" - RBW
File: LoF017

Wars of Germany (I), The


See Jack Monroe (Jackie Frazer; The Wars of Germany) [Laws N7] (File: LN07)

Wars of Germany (II), The


See High Germany (File: ShH56)

Warwickshire Hiring Song


DESCRIPTION: "Come all you lads that be here for service, Come here, you jolly dogs, Who will help me with my harvest?" The famer offers a likely fellow "five pounds in standing wages" and good food, and tells him to come on Thursday; "my servants do all leave me."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1976 (Palmer)
KEYWORDS: farming work commerce
FOUND IN: Britain(England)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
ADDITIONAL: Roy Palmer, _The Folklore of Warwickshire_, Rowman and Littlefield, 1976, p. 123, (no title) (1 text, reportedly traditional although no source is listed)
File: RPFW123

Was You Ever See?


DESCRIPTION: "There was John and Jane and Betsy/Eating buns and drinking whisky/Dancing jigs upon the fiddle/Up the sides and down the middle"; singer's sister Bella is never without her umbrella; brother Joe went to Chester College for to get a bit of knowledge; etc.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1954 (recorded from Manfrie Wood)
LONG DESCRIPTION: "There was John and Jane and Betsy/Eating buns and drinking whisky/Dancing jigs upon the fiddle/Up the sides and down the middle"; singer's sister Bella is never without her umbrella; his brother Joe went to Chester College for to get a bit of knowledge; etc. Chorus: "Was you ever see?/Was you ever see?/ Was you ever see such a jolly time before?"
KEYWORDS: nonsense moniker nonballad music
FOUND IN: Britain(Wales)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Kennedy 309, "Was You Ever See" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #2144
RECORDINGS:
Manfrie Wood, "Was You Ever See?" (on FSB10)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Cosher Bailey's Engine" (tune, structure) and references there
NOTES: Because this is identical in form to "Cosher Bailey," I was tempted to lump them -- but Cosher isn't in it, so I split them. - PJS
Kennedy regards "Cosher Bailey" as an offshoot of this song. But Kennedy thinks everything is a version of everything else; he offers no evidence. - RBW
File: K309

Washing Day


DESCRIPTION: "The sky with clouds was overcast, The rain began to fall, My wife she whipped the children And raised a pretty squall... Oh, the deil a bit o' comfort's here upon a washing day." The singer describes how his good wife turns evil on washing day
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1849 (Logan)
KEYWORDS: work wife husband punishment
FOUND IN: Britain(England,Scotland) US(NE)
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Linscott, pp. 296-299, "Washing Day" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, p. 153, "The Washing-Day" (1 text)
Logan, pp. 381-382, "The Washing Day" (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Roy Palmer, _The Folklore of Warwickshire_, Rowman and Littlefield, 1976, pp. 56-57, "(Washing Day)" (1 fragment plus a response, "Fuddling Day" or "Saint Monday")
ST Lins296 (Partial)
Roud #3747
NOTES: The similarities between the handful of truly-traditional texts of this song (Ord and Linscott) is such that I have to suspect broadside influence -- and, indeed, most of the texts listed by Roud are broadside or songster versions. Palmer admits his version is from a broadside -- as is the "Fuddling Day" response. Eric Partridge's A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English (combined fifth edition with dictionary and supplement, Macmillan, 1961) defines "fuddling" as drinking to excess or being stupefied with drink -- presumably related to being "befuddled," but with alcohol being apparently a necessary component.
Evidently, when the husband is washing (on Monday), the husband goes out and gets drunk -- so he pays either way. - RBW
Last updated in version 2.5
File: Lins296

Washington


DESCRIPTION: "We have a bold commander, Who fears no sword or gun, A second Alexander, Whose name is Washington."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1931 (Fuson)
KEYWORDS: soldier nonballad
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1732-1799 - Life of George Washington
FOUND IN: US(Ap)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Fuson, p. 196, "Washington" (1 fragment, fifth of seven "Quatrains on the War")
ST Fus196A (Full)
NOTES: Doubtless a fragment of one of the many broadsides about Washington, but with such a short text, I can't identify a source.
Honesty forces us to point out that this song is over-fulsome; Alexander the Great never lost a major battle, and Washington lost more than he won. But, of course, Washington won the battles that ended up counting most. - RBW
File: Fus196A

Washtub Blues, The


DESCRIPTION: "I washed dat woman's clo'es And I hung 'em on de line, My back most a-breakin', I's a-hurtin' all de time." The singer brings the clothes to their owner, who races "and she flung 'em on de flo'." The singer laments her pain and labor
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1927 (Brown)
KEYWORDS: work
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
BrownIII 247, "The Washtub Blues" (1 text)
File: Br3247

Wasn't That a Mighty Storm


See Mighty Day (Wasn't That a Mighty Storm) (File: BSoF728)

Wassail Song (I)


See Somerset Wassail (File: ShH92)

Wassail Song (II)


See Here We Come A-Wassailing (File: JRDF166)

Wassail Song (III)


DESCRIPTION: "Jolly come to our jolly wassail." Wishes for a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Have "pockets of money and a cellar of beer" A ship in full sail is in the ocean gale. Get apples for cider. "I know you'll reward us for singing wassail"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1973 (recording, Wassailers on Voice16)
KEYWORDS: request drink nonballad wassail ship storm Christmas
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
Roud #209
RECORDINGS:
Wassailers, "Wassail Song" (on Voice16)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Somerset Wassail" (subject) and references there
File: RcWasSo3

Wassail, Wassail All Over the Town


See Gloucestershire Wassailers' Song (File: RcGlWasS)

Waste Not, Want Not


See You Never Miss the Water till the Well Runs Dry (File: SRW125)

Watch that Lady


DESCRIPTION: "I been all around my last time, last time, last time, I been all around my last time. Young lady hold the key. Just watch that young lady how she hold that key (x2). Young lady, hold the key."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950 (recording, children of Lilly's Chapel School)
KEYWORDS: nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE) West Indies
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Courlander-NFM, p. 158, "(Watch That Lady)" (1 text); pp. 278-279, "Just Watch That Lady" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #11006
RECORDINGS:
Children of Lilly's Chapel School, "Watch That Lady" (on NFMAla6)
File: CNFM158

Watchet Sailor, The


See The Sailor and the Tailor [Laws P4] (File: LP04)

Water Boy (I -- Water on the Wheel)


DESCRIPTION: "Water boy, water boy! (x2) Water on the wheel, How does the sun shine that I feel, Little water time, hey, little water boy (x2), Water on the wheel, How does the sun shine that I feel, Little water boy."
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1950 (recording, Annie Grace Horn Dodson)
KEYWORDS: worksong nonballad
FOUND IN: US(SE)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Courlander-NFM, pp. 86-87, "(Water Boy)" (1 text, 1 tune)
RECORDINGS:
Annie Grace Horn Dodson, "Water on the Wheel" (on NFMAla6)
File: CNFM086

Water Boy (II)


See Take This Hammer (File: FR383)

Water Creases


See Watercresses (File: Peac320)

Water is Wide, The


See Waly Waly (The Water is Wide) (File: K149)

Water o' Gamery, The


See Rare Willie Drowned in Yarrow, or, The Water o Gamrie [Child 215] (File: C215)

Water o' Wearie's Well, The


See Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight [Child 4] (File: C004)

Water of Tyne, The


DESCRIPTION: "I cannot get to my love, if I would dee, The waters of Tyne stand between him and me, And here I must stand with a tear in my e'e, Both sighing and sickly my true love to see." She begs for a boatman to carry her across the river
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1812 (Bell)
KEYWORDS: love separation river
FOUND IN: Britain(England(North))
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Stokoe/Reay, pp. 30-31, "The Waters of Tyne" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, WATRTYNE*
Roud #1364
NOTES: I've never seen this mentioned as an explanation for this song, but for much of history the Tyne, not the Tweed, marked the eastern boundary between Scotland and England -- Hadrian's Wall ended at the Tyne, and the border still stood there into the second millennium C.E. (with the complication that the independent kingdoms of Northumbria for a long time stood between what would become England and what would become Scotland, occupying what we would now call the Scottish lowlands, Cumbria, Northumbria, and even as far down as Yorkshire). The city of Newcastle, in fact, was founded in the reign of William the Conqueror (1066-1087) as the New Castle on the Tyne after Northumbria was claimed by Malcolm III Canmore of Scotland (see Magnus Magnusson'sScotland: The Story of a Nation, Atlantic Monthly Press, 2000, p. 66).
The current Solway-to-Tweed border was finally settled in the reign of Alexander II in the first half of the thirteenth century (Magnusson, pp. 90-92). From that time on, the Tyne no longer divided nations. Obviously this song cannot have existed in its present form at that time. But perhaps it's just possible that this represents a memory of that time. - RBW
File: StoR030

Water Witch, The


DESCRIPTION: Water Witch is wrecked on a Horrid Gulch reef near Pouch Cove. Pouch Cove fishermen save some. The Humane Society of Liverpool sent "Gold medals to those fishermen who never knew no fear, The Governor's lady pinned them on"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1980 (Lehr/Best)
KEYWORDS: rescue death sea ship storm wreck
FOUND IN: Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Lehr/Best 116, "The Water Witch" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #7316
NOTES: Harbour Main is at almost the southernmost point of Conception Bay. Pouch [pronounced "Pooch"] Cove is near Cape St Francis which is turned on the way from St John's to Conception Bay. - BS
The sources checked (Lehr/Best, Northern Shipwrecks Database) disagree on details of this tragedy, dating it November 25 or 29, 1873 or 1875. The casualty count also differs: nine of 20 or 11 of 24. - BS, (RBW)
This ship, incidentally, should not be confused with the American survey ship Water Witch, built in 1853, which served as a blockade ship during the American Civil War, but was captured by the Confederates in 1864 and later burned. - RBW
File: LeBe116

Water, Water, Wallflowers


See Wallflowers (File: HHH048d)
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