Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender - one of the most popular of the Child ballads.


Some of my favourite folk songs are from the collection of Francis James Child. This section presents the Child Ballads that I sing, though I am adding to them all the time. A ballad is basically a song that tells a story, with the emphasis on action and dialogue and little time spent on characterization beyond choosing from a set of stock phrases.

Child published the five-volume collection of The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, at the end of the nineteenth century. He included every traditional English or Scottish ballad he could find, and identified 305 groups of songs, some with more than a hundred different versions.

The standard metric form of a ballad is four lines of four stresses each, or four lines with 4 - 3 - 4 - 3 stresses. Lines are often repeated, often apparently with the sole purpose of filling out the four line stanza. Another common device is to use a chorus in the second and fourth line to change a couplet into a four-line stanza.

It is probably this four-line structure that ensures the action is cut down to the bare essentials as there is little room for any description or character development.

You can watch a playlist of my renditions of the Child ballads.

1. The Devil's Nine Questions

This is a relatively modern American version of Riddles Wisely Expounded, which lists a set of riddles being asked of a maid by the devil who may or may not be in disguise. The earliest version dates back to the middle of the fifteenth century. I have yet to find a version which actually hasa ninth question. This version, like the others I've heard, only has eight!

You can see my performance. And here are the lyrics.

2. Scarborough Fair

There is little left of the original story of this ballad. In an earlier version,The Elfin Knight, the reason for making the impossible demands is so that the maiden won't have to marry the Elf who is wooing her. All we have now is the list of impossible tasks. This song is well-known because it was popularised by Simon and Garfunkel who used it in their soundtrack for the movie, The Graduate.

Here is my performance. And here are the lyrics.

3. The False Knight on the Road

Also known as The Smart Schoolboy, this ancient ballad is about a clever boy who is able to talk back to the devil, disguised as a knight.

You can see my performance, and here are the lyrics.

4. The Willow Tree

This ballad, about a serial killer who likes drowning young women, is also known as Lady Isabel and the Elfin Knight , The Outlandish Knight, Little Billy and Pretty Polly. This version was collected in the USA, and was recorded by Richard Dyer-Bennett, among others. It has been noted that this is one of the few ballads where the woman refuses to be a victim and turns the tables on her attacker.

This song is on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories. You can see my performance of this song. You can also read the lyrics.

The version known as Pretty Polly appears in many variations and is also known as The Gosport Tragedy or The Cruel Ship's Carpenter and some versions are very similar to the story of Banks of Red Roses. This version by Pete Seeger, sung in Melbourne in 1963, is very close to the original Child ballad.

The American version of Pretty Polly has been recorded by many artists including The Byrds, Judy Collins, Bob Fuller, Queen Adreena, Sandy Denny, Ralph Stanley, Dock Boggs, Bert Jansch, Gillian Welch and, of course, Lew Dite. Bob Dylan sang this song in his early years and used the tune for his Ballad of Hollis Brown.

Here is my rendition of one of the American versions and here are the lyrics..

5. Gil Brenton

This ancient ballad is probably of Scottish origin, but there are also Danish and Swedish versions. In different variations the hero's name is Lord Dingwall, Benwall, Brangwell, Bothwell or Cospatrick.

It tells a long and complex story,but here is a brief synopsis: A young woman who has been married to Gil Brenton is on her way to his castle when she is warned that if she is not a virgin, she should arrange for a serving girl to take her place in the marriage bed; Brenton has a history of cutting of the breasts of non-virginal wives and sending them back home. The morning after the wedding night, he asks his blankets and sheets if the girl he bedded was a virgin, and they answer that she was, but the woman he wedded was not, and, worse still, she is pregnant.

When he complains to his mother, she furiously confronts the bride, who explains that she was forcibly detained in the greenwood by a handsome young man, who afterwards gave her various tokens, which she has kept. The mother takes them to her son and asks him what happened to the tokens she, the mother, had given to him. He admits that he gave them to a lady, and he would give anything to have her as his wife. She assures him that he already has.

When the baby is born, there is no doubt that he is Brenton's son, as it is written on his body. The ecstatic father has his wife dressed in silk and the baby bathed in milk.

You can hear me sing this song here, if you think you can last the distance. The lyrics are here.

7. Earl Brand

In other versions of this song the hero is called Lord Douglas or Lord William. The basic story is that he runs away with the heroine, usually Lady Margaret. Her father finds out and pursues them, with other men of the family. The hero defeats them but is mortally wounded. He takes the heroine to his mother's house. When he dies, she dies of sorrow, and (in some versions) flowers grow from their graves and intertwine. The plot is very similar to Erlinton (Child 8), but Child considered them separate ballads because, in the latter, the lovers succeed in their escape and their attackers are strangers rather than family members.
Child believed that in earlier versions the hero warns the heroine not to speak his name, but when he is about to kill her last brother, she begs him by name to let him live to bear the news, thus causing his death. This detail is preserved in Scandinavian version of the song.

Here is my performance and here are the lyrics.

9. Fair Flower of Northumberland

A story of seduction and betrayal, the moral being never to trust a Scotsman.

Here it is sung by The John Renbourne Group, and performances by Kat Eggleston and Alistair Hulett.

When I first sang this song I had never heard it sung before so I just made up my own tune for it. Here is my performance, and here are the lyrics.

10. The Two Sisters

Also known as The Cruel Sister, The Wind and Rain and Minnorie, this song about a maid who murders her sister who is favoured by the miller they both love, dates back to a 1656 broadside called The Miller and the King's Daughter.

You can see my performance of this song. And here are the lyrics.

12. Lord Randal

This song consists of nothing but dialogue, a series of questions from a mother and answers from her son (as does Edward, Edward, which follows it.) The action of the story has already taken place and is revealed in the son's answers to the questions.

The song seems to have its roots in early seventeenth century Italy. There is a children's song, Billy Boy, or My Boy Willy, probably based on it, and it is also the inspiration for Bob Dylan's Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall.

You can see my performance of this song. And here are the lyrics.

13. Edward, Edward

I first came across this murder ballad when I studied it in English class at school as a poetry lesson.

Like Lord Randal, it consists of a dialogue between a mother and son. She asks why there is blood on his sword, and after various claims that he killed his hawk, or his dog or his horse, he finally admits to killing his father. As penance he will exile himself, leaving his family to fend for themselves, and cursing his mother for, apparently, putting him up to it.

It has been recorded by many artists, including John Jacob Niles, Burl Ives, Richard Dyer-Bennet, Almeda Riddle, Christy Moore, Steeleye Span, Ewan MacColl, Ed McCurdy, Jean Ritchie and Peggy Seeger.

Here is an interesting video made by a bunch of sixth formers. They are obviously still teaching this at school!

Here is my performance of the song, and here are the lyrics.

14. Bonny Farday

This ballad, about three sisters, and a robber who starts to kill them one by one as they refuse to marry him, is also known as Babylon, The Bonnie Banks O' Fordie or Bonnie Banks of Virgie-O.

Here is my performance, which is based on the singing of John Jacob Niles, and here are the lyrics.

20. The Cruel Mother

There are several variations on this murder ballad and it sometimes has a number of verses in common with The Maid and the Palmer or The Well Below the Valley (Child #21). There are also German versions of this song.

The story is about a woman who gives birth to one or two illegitimate sons in the woods, then kills them, and buries them. As she returns home, she sees a child, or children, playing, and says that if they were hers, she would take good care of them and dress them in fine clothing. The children reply that they were indeed her children, and rather than dressing them in fine clothes she murdered them. Usually they point out that this will be punished by being damned in Hell.

Joan Baez recorded a version of this song (The Greenwood Side) on her album Joan.

Here is my rendition of the song and here are the lyrics.

21. The Well Below the Valley

This murder ballad is also known as The Maid and the Palmer. For many years it was not often sung, because of its dark lyrics dealing with murder and incest. It was apparently preserved by Tom Munnelly who heard it sung by a member of the travelling community named John Reilly in 1963.

This ballad is based on the Biblical stories of the Samaritan woman at the well, and Mary Magdalene. In European versions, the palmer is actually Jesus.

There is some similarity between this ballad and The Cruel Mother (Child # 20). Some commentators believe it is related to the American song, Jesus Met the Woman at the Well.

It has been recorded by Planxty (1973) and Christy Moore (1994), among others.

You can watch my rendition here, and here are the lyrics.

26. Twa Corbies

A nineteenth-century variation of a less cynical earlier song - The Three Ravens. In this story the fallen knight is quickly deserted by his hawk, his hound and his woman, all of whom remained loyal in the three-bird version.

I learnt this song as a poem when I was at school. It has been recorded by Maddy Pryor, but I first heard it sung by Scottish singer, Jean Redpath, many years ago.

Glossary:

gang = go
fail = turf
**** = ditch
wot = know
kens = knows
haus-bane = neck bone
e'en = eyes
theek = thatch

Here is my performance and here are the lyrics.

32. King Henry

This ballad (Norse in origin) is a version of the tale of the loathly lady, a common literary device used in medieval literature and a prominent motif in Celtic mythology. It is a kind of reversal of the Beauty and the Beast story. The best known example is the story of Sir Gawain, part of the Arthurian legend, as related by Geoffrey Chaucer in The Wife of Bath's Tale. It is also told in Child 31 (The Marriage of Sir Gawain.) Arthur's life is saved by a hideous woman, who demands that one of Arthur's knights marry her as a reward; Gawain volunteers, and he is rewarded by the woman turns into a beauty.

In this variation of the story, King Henry's castle is attacked by a hideous woman, who demands meat and drink, and finally the pleasures of his bed; Henry gives her all she demands, and in the morning she has turned into a beauty.

Other ballads clearly related to this one are Kempy Kay (Child 33), a more modern version (early nineteenth century) where a bum does actually fall in love with a grotesque woman, Kemp Owyne (Child 34), where he is given magic gifts in return for kissing a hideous woman a certain number of times (usually three) and the appropriately named Allison Gross (Child 35), where the protagonist meets an ugly woman who promises him magic gifts in return for kisses and turns him into a beast (temporarily) when he refuses.

Though various tunes have been used, it is most often sung to the American tune Bonaparte's Retreat, some examples being recordings by Mike Seeger, Doc Watson and Martin Carthy. It was recorded by Steeleye Span for their album Below the Salt (1972). Martin Carthy recorded it for his album Sweet Wivelsfield (1974).

You can hear garibelon singing it a capella.

Here are the lyrics of my rendition, which does not use the usual Bonaparte's Retreat, but a variant of the Little Musgrave / Shady Groves tune.

37. Thomas the Rhymer

This 13th century Scottish ballad is based on a real person, Thomas Learmouth, who lived from about 1220 to 1298, and known as Thomas the Rhymer or True Thomas, because he could not tell a lie. He was thought to have supernatural powers and was famous for his prophecies. It is likely that the legend of Tam Lin is also based on his life.

The ballad, like Tam Lin, deals with the supernatural subject matter of the fairy-folk. More generally it deals with themes of temptation and earthly pleasures. There are several versions, but they all tell how Thomas either kissed or slept with the Queen of Elfland and rode with her (or was otherwise transported) to Fairyland. In one version she changes into a hag immediately after sleeping with him, as a kind of punishment, but then regains her beauty as they approach her castle (and husband). Thomas stays at a party in the castle until she brings him back to earth only to find that seven years have passed. He asks the queen for a token to remember her by and she offers him the choice of becoming a harpist or a prophet, the latter being his choice.

The version of the ballad I sing has been recorded by Ewan MacColl. A modernized version has been recorded by Steeleye Span.

Here is my rendition (coming soon) and here are the lyrics.

51. Lizzie May

This is the American version of a little-known Scottish ballad about incest and murder, also known as Lizzie Wan, Lucy Wan, Rosie May or Rosie Ann. Some versions are very closely related to Edward (Child 15), which may well have originated as an offshoot of this song.

It has been recorded by A. A. Lloyd, Martin Carthy and Frankie Armstrong.

This version was collected by John Jacob Niles in 1933 from a 77 year-old retired school teacher named Cluster Wyatt. He points out that the song is rarely sung by women as the subject is generally avoided, even though "it is not unknown to the country people of the Southern Appalachians."

You may notice an error in my rendition, not surprising given the number of names by which this victim has been called.

Here are the lyrics.

53. Lord Bateman

This ballad is also known as Lord Beichan, Young Beckie or The Turkish Lady, whose name may be Sophia, Isabel, Essels or Susan Pye. The earliest known version is a broadside from 1624.

It has been claimed that the hero of this story was Gilbert a Becket, father of Saint Thomas a Becket of Canterbury, who was captured by the Turks during the Crusades and released by his captor's daughter, who followed him to London. The story goes that she knew only two words of English: "Gilbert" and "London," and that she cried the name of her lover through the street of London until she found him. It sounds far-fetched, but it's interesting that, in all the variations on this ballad, the name of the knight is, to some degree, a corruption of "Becket".

When I tried to upload this to YouTube, it was rejected for being too long (12 minutes). But here it is on Live Video. And here are the lyrics.

54. The Cherry Tree Carol

This old Christmas carol has the distinction of being one of the ballads collected by Francis James Child. An early version was sung at the Feast of Corpus Christi in the early 15th century. The version collected by Child is probably a mixture of two or three separate carols that merged together over time.

The story comes from the apocryphal Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew during the flight into Egypt, and the tree wasprobably a date palm rather than a cherry tree. In the original story Jesus was already born and Joseph'sanger had nothing to do with Mary's pregnancy, but rather with his frustration at not being able to reach the fruits and his worries about the family's lack of water.

I first heard this sung by Joan Baez, and that is basically the version I sing. It has also been recorded by Pentangle, Mary Hopkin, Judy Collins, John Jacob Niles, Peter, Paul and Mary, The King's College Choir, José Feliciano and Dan Samples. And here is an Italian version - Il ciliegio sung by Angelo Branduardi.


Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

56. Dives and Lazarus

This ballad was originally a Christmas carol. It is based on a parable told by Jesus inLuke16:19-16:31). There are several songs which retell the story of "Dives," which means "rich" in Latin, and the poor man, Lazarus, who begged for food at his gate, some of the best coming from the African-American tradition.

The song is notable for being one of the oldest to use the (even older) tune, Gilderoy, probably best known as the tune of Star of the County Down.


Here is the song performed by Maddy Prior, another by Vilma Paakko, and here is my own performance.

58. Sir Patrick Spens

This song, of Scottish origin, is one of the most popular of the ballads collected by Francis James Child. It is believed to be based on an actual event - the king is probably King Alexander III of Scotland, who sent Sir Patrick Spens on his dangerous voyage to Norway to bring back the child of the king's daughter Margaret, who had married Eric, the young King of Norway (1281), but had died in childbirth. The king's seven-year-old grand-daughter (the Maid of Norway) was therefore the heir to the Scottish throne. There is no record of a "Patrick Spens" himself, so he is probably a fictional character.

The ballad has many variations but they all tell basically the same story: The King of Scotland asks for the most skillful sailor in the land to take charge of his ship. Sir Patrick's name is mentioned by an old knight, and the king sends him the unwelcome letter commanding him to set sail at the most dangerous time of year. In some versions the ship is wrecked on the way over, while in longer versions Sir Patrick safely reaches Norway, only to be accused by the Norwegian lords of wasting their king's resources. Offended, Sir Patrick leaves the following day despite the bad omen of seeing the new moon with the old moon in its arms, which would indicate dangerous tides. The inevitable result is that the ship sinks taking him and the Scottish lords to the bottom of the sea. The last few verses point up the ironic contrast between the lifestyle of the lords (and their ladies) with the men's ignoble death.

I first knew this ballad as a poem in one of my school textbooks.

There is a popular version of the song which was sung by Fairport Convention, but my performance here is based on my memory of the way it was sung by Ewan MacColl. It is rather rough and I can't really do the Scottish accent, but hopefully it gets the story across.

My performance is here, and here are the lyrics.

Here is a lovely recording of the song by Buffy Sainte-Marie.

73. Lord Thomas and Fair Ellender

A very dramatic story of love and murder, with the stock ending of the shared grave - in this case a threesome. The verses where Ellen insults the brown girl and thus gives more motivation for the killing may be an American addition. Jean Ritchie wrote about this as a popular song in the Appalachians.

This song is on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories.

You can see a video of my performance and also a live performance at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai. Here are the lyrics

76. The Lass of Roch Royal

There are several versions of this tragic story, which is also known as Lord Gregory or Love Gregory. The first two verses "Who's gonna shoe your pretty little foot, etc." have found their way into many ballads. This version is from the singing of Peggy Seeger.

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads. You can see my video performance of the song. And here are the lyrics.

78. The Unquiet Grave

An English ballad about a young man who mourns his dead love too hard and prevents her from obtaining peace. It probably dates from 1400 and was collected by Child in 1868. The ballad deals with two commonly held superstitions - that mourning for longer than a year disturbs the dead, and that kissing a corpse is fatal.

I first heard the song performed by Joan Baez, though I already knew it as a poem from my school days. It has also been recorded by Frankie Armstrong, Ian Campbell, Kate Rusby, Nancy Kerr and The Dubliners.

There are several tunes traditionally used for this song, but the one I am most familiar with is Gilderoy, perhaps best known as the tune of Star of the County Down. It is also often used for Dives and Lazarus (Child 56).

Here's a really interesting performance of the song on YouTube , by Ivonice Astrid. And here is Luke Kelly's version.

A video of my rendition is here and here are the lyrics.

79. The Wife of Usher's Well

This song, of English origin, tells of a woman who sends her three sons away (to school according to some versions) and a few weeks later learns that they have died at sea. She wishes so strongly for their return that they do indeed come home - but as ghosts, not "in earthly flesh and blood". Their hats are made from the birch tree that supposedly protects the dead from the influence of the living. In this case the tree grows at the gates of Paradise. In some versions the mother prepares a feast for them, which, of course, they are unable to eat. Neither can they sleep, and they have to leave by daybreak or suffer severe consequences. The ballad first appeared in print in Scott's "Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border" (1802). It has also been collected in America, where it is known in the Appalachians as "Lady Gay or "The Miracle at Usher's Well."

I first came across this ballad in a book of poetry I studied at school.

A modernised version of the ballad was recorded by Steeleye Span on their album "All Around My Hat" (1975) and also by Martin and Eliza Carthy. This lecture about the song is worth listening to.

Here is a glossary of some words which may be unfamiliar:
carlin wife = old woman
fashes = troubles
flood = sea
birk = birch
syke = trench
sheugh = furrow
daw = dawn
channerin = grumbling

Here is my rendition and here are the lyrics.

81. Little Musgrave and Lady Barnard / Matty Groves

Another ballad of love and murder from Child's collection, this goes back to at least the early 17th Century and has survived in many forms. The main character is known variously as Musgrave, Mossgrey, Matty Groves, Matthew Groves, Little Sir Grove and Marshall Groves among others. The husband can be Lord Barnard, Barnet, Barnabas, Arnold, Allen, Daniel and so on. In the US, a shortened version of the song became known as Shady Grove.

I first heard this song as Matty Groves, sung by Joan Baez (1962). Other notable recordings are by John Jacob Nile (1956), Doc Watson (1966), Fairport Convention (1969), Martin Carthy (1969), Christy Moore (1976), and Planxty (1992).

Here is my performance of Little Musgrave and here are the lyrics.

And here is my performance of Matty Groves and here are the lyrics.

84. Barbara Allen

One of the best-known of all the ballads, there are hundreds of variations and many different tunes. The story is straightforward. She rejects her lover's advances. He dies of a broken heart. She realises she made a mistake and dies as well. They are buried side by side, a rose grows from his heart and a briar from hers, and they tie themselves into a lover's knot, so love has triumphed after death.

The first known reference to the song occurs in the diary of Samuel Pepys, on January 2, 1666, when he reports hearing it sung by an actress he liked by the name of Mrs. Knipp, though no printed versions have been found until the following century.

I first heard this sung by Burl Ives on his 1953 10 inch Decca Album, Folksongs about the Fair Sex. He learned this song as a young child, and sang it at his first performance - at a reunion of old soldiers in Hunt City. I loved his rendition of this song from an early age, so much so that, as a teenager, I made a home movie with my younger brothers and sisters in which we acted out the story, synchronised withBurl Ives as the sound track. The 8mm film was unfortunately destroyed in a fire some years later.

The song has been recorded by many performers, including Joan Baez,The Everly Brothers, Crystal Gayle, and Simon and Garfunkel. Here is a scene from Songcatcher, showing the tune (sung by Emmy Rossum) being collected in the USA by a musicologist, a lovely a capella Irish version by Mary McPartlan, a version accompanied by accordion (sung by Dick Miles), a jazz version by Bluehorses, a great rendition by blinddrunkal and a prison recording made by Lomax in 1939.

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads.

You can see me singing an a capella version of the song, and also a rendition based on Burl Ives' version.

And here are the lyrics.

95. The Maid Freed From the Gallows

There are many versions of The Maid Freed From the Gallows, a song about a girl who has committed a crime, the nature of which is never revealed, and is waiting for somebody to come and pay a bribe in time to free her from the hangman.

The song is widely known throughout Europe, with fifty versions in Finland alone.

The version known as The Briery Bush, Red Rosy Bush or Prickle Holly Bush, is unusual in that it has a chorus - as if the song is not repetitive enough already! This one is more popular in England than in America, where the song is usually known as Hangman, Hangman. It was recorded by Lead Belly under the name Gallis Pole and has since been recorded by many singers in many different ways. Some notable examples are Odetta, John Jacob Niles, Almeda Riddle, Jean Ritchie, Peggy Seeger, The Limeliters, The Kingston Trio, Peter, Paul and Mary and, of course, Led Zeppelin. in both hard rock and unplugged versions.

I have made four different videos of this song. Here are my performances of the English versions Prickle Holly Bush and The Briery Bush and the American versions, Hangman, Hangman, based on Odetta's rendition, and The Maid Freed From the Gallows, based on the version by John Jacob Niles.

Here are the lyrics.

96. The Gay Goshawk

This ballad is reminiscent of the story of "Romeo and Juliet", as the heroine takes a potion to make her appear to be dead, as part of a plan to run away with her lover. Unlike Juliet, this lady survives the ordeal. The song also features a talking bird, which in later versions becomes a parrot, perhaps in an attempt to be a little more realistic. It is not clear why the girl's parents are so set against her marrying the "Scottish squire" - presumably the fact that he is Scottish is sufficient reason.

Here is my rendition, and here are the lyrics.

113. The Great Silkie

155. Little Sir Hugh

This ballad is also known as The Jew's Daughter or, especially in its American version, The Fatal Flower Garden.

There is some controversy about whether this song should be sung at all, given that it began as part of the blood-libel against the Jews. When it moved to America, the villainess became a gypsy rather than a Jew, though there is no history of allegations of child-stealing against the gypsies. These days, both Jews and Gypsies are left out, but the ritualistic killing still points to its racist origins. It is interesting to note that the same accusations were made by the Romans against he Christians.

Folklorist Alan Dundes collected 14 essays and edited a book on this legend: The Blood Libel Legend: A Casebook in Anti-Semitic Folklore (University of Wisconsin Press, 1991). From the notes on the back cover:
"The legend is traced from the murder of William of Norwich in 1144, one of the first reported cases of ritualized murder attributed to Jews, through nineteenth-century Egyptian reports, Spanish examples, Catholic periodicals, modern English instances, and twentieth-century American cases. The essays deal not only with historical cases and surveys of blood libel in different locales, but also with literary renditions of the legend, including the ballad 'Sir Hugh, or, the Jew's Daughter' and Chaucer's 'The Prioress's Tale.'"

There is an excellent article about this song in Lyle Lofgren's series, "Remembering the Old Songs."

Here is the American version of the song:


It rained, it poured, it rained so hard,
It rained so hard all day,
That all the boys in our school
Came out to toss and play.

They tossed a ball again so high,
Then again, so low;
They tossed it into a flower garden
Where no-one was allowed to go.

Up stepped a gypsy lady,
All dressed in yellow and green;
"Come in, come in, my pretty little boy,
And get your ball again."

"I can't come in, I shan't come in
Without my playmates all;
I'll go to my father and tell him about it,
That'll cause tears to fall."

She first showed him an apple seed,
Then again gold rings,
Then she showed him a diamond,
That enticed him in.

She took him by his lily-white hand,
She led him through the hall;
She put him in an upper room,
Where no-one could hear him call.

"Oh, take these finger rings off my finger,
Smoke them with your breath;
If any of my friends should call for me,
Tell them that I'm at rest."

"Bury the bible at my head,
A testament at my feet;
If my dear mother should call for me,
Tell her that I'm asleep."

"Bury the bible at my feet,
A testament at my head;
If my dear father should call for me,
Tell him that I am dead."

James Joyce used a version of this song in "Ulysses."

The lyrics of the version I sing are in the information box to the right of the video.

170. The Death of Queen Jane

The Queen Jane of this song is generally assumed to be Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII, though if so it is historically inaccurate. Jane Seymour gave birth to the future King Edward VI on October 12, 1537, and died twelve days later from infection resulting from the birth. Although the birth was difficult it was not a Caesarian, but this could be a bit of poetic licence by whoever created the song in the first place. Nobody expects a ballad to be a reliable historical document.

I first heard this sung by Joan Baez, so it is pretty much her version I sing.

Here is my performance of the song and here are the lyrics.

173. The Four Marys

This ballad, also known as Mary Hamilton, has many variations and the execution is variously attributed to infanticide and sleeping with the queen's lover. I first heard it sung by Joan Baez.

Here it is sung by Jean Ritchie and her sister, Edna, in 1966, and here it is sung by The Corries.

You can see my performance of this song, and also a live performance at a session of the Hong Kong Folk Society at The Canny Man in Wanchai.

And here are the lyrics.

200. Blackjack Davey

One of the best known of the ballads collected by Francis James Child, there are many variations on this song, about a girl who leaves either her father or her husband to run away with a gypsy.

Wikipedia lists twenty alternate titles, including Black Jack Davey, The Raggle Taggle Gypsies, The Gypsy Laddie, Clayton Boone, Johnny Faa, The Lady and the Gypsy, Harrison Brady, The Heartless Lady and Seven Yeller Gypsies.

This is probably the best known variation especially in America, having been passed down from Woody Guthrie to Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. It was also recorded by The Carter Family, and, later, The New Lost City Ramblers, as Black Jack David.

Other recordings of Black Jack Davey include Barbara Dane, Arlo Guthrie, Steeleye Span and The Incredible String Band, though Mile Heron wrote new lyrics.

In some versions the gypsy turns out to be a rich man, obviously the version known to the heroine of The Jolly Beggar (Child 279) who mistakenly assumes the gypsy who seduces her is a rich lord! A good example of this is a rather sentimentalised Irish version which was recorded by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem (The Whistling Gypsy) and others. I sing it as The Gypsy Rover.

The version I sing here, if I remember rightly, is from a book of Peggy Seeger's songs, though obviously it is very different from the way she sings it.

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads.

You can watch my performance, and here are the lyrics.

The Raggle Taggle Gypsies

Another variation of the same story.

The Gypsy Davey variation seems to be the most recorded one, but this version has been recorded by Christy Moore, Planxty and The Waterboys.

Here is a version by BobnAlong and Mick O'Connor and a very different version sung by Norma Waterson and Eliza and Martin Carthy.

For an excellent video on this ballad go to Folk History of Gypsy Laddie.

Here is my performance and here are the lyrics.

209. Geordie

This song has obvious connections with Hangman, Hangman (Child 95) and the Hungarian ballad,Anathea. I first heard this sung by Joan Baez.

You can see my performance of this song. And here are the Lyrics.

216. Drowned Lovers

A story about a young man who disobeys his mother and insists on riding to see his sweetheart in stormy weather, thus earning her curse which causes his death by drowning (or is she just predicting what will happen if he goes?

This song is on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories.

Here is a very nice rendition by Kate Rusby. Here is my video of the song and here are the lyrics.

239. Auchanachie Gordon

Also known as "Anachie Gordon" or "Lord Saltoun and Auchanachie."

Most modern versions of this popular Scottish ballad are based on a recording of Anachie Gordon, by English singer, Nic Jones in 1977. Mary Black misheard the first word of his version and sang "Harking" instead, and singers covering her version have repeated the error, so it is easy to trace the recent history of the song. Other singers who have recorded the song include Loreena McKennitt (who copied Mary Black's error), Sinead O'Connor, Sharon Fountain and Cindy Mangsen (1991).

The Nic Jones version uses the following tune, though there are variations in the different performances.




Here is an extract from a recording by Lark and Spur.and a rendition by Skye Consort. Here is one by Sean Dahger, who, like Skye Consort, does it quite fast, and a very nice rendition by Damian Nixon.

As my rendition is somewhat different, the lyrics are posted here:

Auchanachie Gordon is bonny and braw,
He would tempt any woman that ever him saw;
He would tempt any woman, sae has he tempted me,
And I'll die if I getna my love Auchanachie.'

Buchan is bonny and there lives my love
My heart it lies on him, it will not remove.
It will not remove for all ye say tae me.
Ne’er will I forget my love, Auchanachie.

In came her father, he's standing on the floor,
Says, "Jeanie, ye're trying the tricks o' a *****;
Ye're caring for them that cares little for thee;
Ye must marry Lord Salton, and leave Auchanachie.

"Auchanachie Gordon, he is but a man;
Altho' he be pretty, where lies his free land?
Salton's lands they lie broad, his tow’rs they stand hie,
Ye must marry Lord Salton, and leave Auchanachie.

"Though he's bowed on the back and thrawin’ on the knee,
Lord Salton's a valley lies low by the sea;
Salton will gar ye silk gowns fring'd tae thy knee,
And ye'll ne’er wear that wi’ your love Auchanachie."

"Wi’ Auchanachie Gordon I would beg my bread
Before that wi’ Salton I'd wear gowd on my head,
Wear gowd on my head, or gowns fring'd tae the knee;
And I'll die if I getna my love Auchanachie.

"O you that are my parents tae church may me bring,
But untae Salton I'll ne’er bear a son;
For son or for daughter, I'll ne'er bow my knee,
And I'll die if I getna my love Auchanachie."

When Jeanie was married, from church was brought hame,
When she wi’ her maidens sae merry shou’d hae been,
When she wi’ her maidens sae merry shou’d hae been,
She's gaen tae her chamber, tae weep there her lane.

"Come to your bed, Jeanie, my honey and my sweet,
For to stile you mistress I do not think it meet:"
"Mistress or Jeanie, it is a' ane tae me,
It's in your bed, Lord Salton, I never s’all be."

Then oot spake her father, he spake w’i reknown;
"A’ ye that are her maidens, ye'll loose aff her gown;
A' ye that are her maidens, ye'll loose aff her gown;
And I'll mend the marriage wi’ ten thousand crown."

Then a' of her maidens they loosed aff her gown,
But bonny Jeanie Gordon she fell in a swoon;
She fell in a swoon low doon by their knee;
Says, “Look on, for I die for my love, Auchanachie!”

That very same day Miss Jeanie did die,
And hame came Auchanachie, hame frae the sea;
Her father and mither welcom'd him at the gate;
He said, "Where's Miss Jeanie, that she's nae here yet?"

Then forth came her maidens, all wringing their hands,
Saying, “Alas for your staying sae lang frae the land!
Sae lang frae the land, and sae lang on the fleed!
They've wedded your Jeanie, and noo she is deid.”

"Some of you, her maidens, take me by the hand,
And show me the chamber Miss Jeanie died in;"
He kissed her cold lips, which were colder than stane,
And he died in the chamber that Jeanie died in.

243. House Carpenter

This song, one of the best-known of the Child ballads, is also also known as James Harris or The Demon Lover. Around 1660 a variant of this ballad was titled "A Warning for Married Women, being an example of Mrs Jane Reynolds (a West-country woman), born near Plymouth, who, having plighted her troth to a Seaman, was afterwards married to a Carpenter, and at last carried away by a Spirit, the manner how shall presently be recited." The woman in the song is punished not so much for running away from her husband (and babies) but for breaking the vows she made to her former lover.

Here is a video of Pentangle doing this song (with sitar) and a lesser-known group called Wagtail (with tabla).

House Carpenter is on my second CD, Laws of Chance, and here is my video. The lyrics are here.

250. Henry Martin

The story behind this ballad is that a rich Scottish ship owned by a merchant, John Barton, was plundered by Portuguese ships in 1476. The king then gave Barton's sons permission to attack Portuguese ships in reprisal. However, not content with restricting his piracy to Portuguese vessels, Sir Andrew Barton started attacking English ships as well, with the result that Henry VIII ordered his capture and execution.

The original ballad of this story consisted of 82 verses, but is now best known in this much shorter version. The name Andrew Barton has been corrupted to Henry Martin.

I first heard this song as a young child. My parents, along with their collection of Burl Ives 78s, had what was then called a Microgroove recording of his Coronation Concert, at which he performed this song.

Many years later, when my Form 4 English teacher played us the very first Joan Baez record, this was the one song that I already knew. I was so impressed with her voice that I bought the album as soon as I could, and so began a lifelong love of folk music - though really it had started with those early Burl Ives records.

Here is my performance of the song.

274. Four Nights Drunk

An American variation on the ballad Our Goodman, which I first heard sung by The Weavers. The song is also popular in Ireland, where it is known as Seven Drunken Nights, the best known recording being that of The Dubliners. Another version was performed by Steeleye Span.

This song is on my second CD, Laws of Chance.

Here is my video. The lyrics are here.

275. John Blunt

A humorous story of a couple who go to bed having forgotten to bar the door. They decide that whoever speaks first will be the one to remedy this, with disastrous consequences.

This song is on my first CD, Axis of Evil and Other True Stories.

Here is my video of the song. And here are the lyrics.

276. The Friar in the Well

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads.

Here is my video performance. Here are the lyrics.

277. The Wee Cooper of Fife

A politically incorrect ballad about a man who is justified in beating his wife, this is also known as The Wife Wrapt in Wether's Skin. Here is an intersting version sung by YouTube singer, spinzorelli.

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads.

Here is my video performance and here are the lyrics.

278. The Devil and the Farmer's Wife

The politically incorrect story of a wife so difficult that she gets sent back from Hell.

This song is on my fourth CD, Pigs Might Fly and Other Politically Incorrect Ballads.

Here is my video performance. And here are the lyrics.

279. The Jolly Beggar

The girl in this story has obviously heard too many songs like The Gypsy Rover, where the vagabond turns out to be a rich lord. She is very angry to find the beggar who seduces her is really just a beggar.

You maylike to hear Planxty's performance of this song.

This song is on my second CD, Laws of Chance.

The video is here. And here are the lyrics.

289. The Mermaid

299. The Trooper and The Maid

This bawdy ballad tells the frequently told tale of the soldier who sleeps with a maid and then goes off to war in the morning leaving her to bear and look after their child. A closely related ballad is As I Went a-Roving.

The song has been recorded by Ewan MacColl, Matt McGinn, The Tannahill Weavers, The Kingdom and Dr Faustus among others.

Here is a video of the song sung by The Medley Folkband, and here is my rendition.