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Billy Taylor

Date
Track ID 15765
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1952.05.B8 (B18)

Original Tape ID

SA1952.005

Summary

William Taylor, a fun-loving young man, is press-ganged into the navy. His sweetheart dresses as a man, calls herself Richard Carr, and joins the ship. During a wrestling bout, her top button opens and she is discovered. The captain asks why she is there, and she tells him that she is looking for Billy Taylor. He tells her she can see him with his lady love in the morning. She sees him with the lady and shoots him. The captain makes her commander of the ship and a hundred men.

The contributor learned this song from Willie Taylor at Montfothie, Skelmuir, when he was about eight.

Item Notes

Text and music transcribed in the School of Scottish Studies. 9 verses with refrains. Prompted here and there by the version in Ord. Later on the same tape (SA1952.05), the contributor adds that he learned the song 'Billy Taylor' from Willie Taylor at a meal-and-ale (harvest celebration).

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 1, pp. 438-441
Ord p. 315
'English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians' (Cecil Sharp) vol. I, p. 373 and note p. 424

Language

English

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R158 GD169 LN11

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good