The Sailor Boy
Track Information
Original Track ID
SA1953.243
Original Tape ID
Summary
In this tragic ballad, a young woman asks her father to build her a boat in order to search for her lover. She asks a passing ship's crew if they have seen him, and the captain replies that he drowned. The girl despairs and bids all sailors mourn with her for the loss of her sailor boy.
Annie Taylor learned the song as a little girl from her mother.
Item Notes
6 verses of 4 lines. Hesitation and prompting after verse 2 and during verse 6.
See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 6, pp. 477-485
'Singing Island' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1960) p. 28
'Folksongs Sung in Ulster' (R. Morton, 1970) pp. 11-12
'Irish Street Ballads' (C. O Lochlainn, 1978) pp. 112-113
'Traditional Ballad Airs' vol. 1 (W. Christie, 1876) pp. 248-249
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein, A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. LXIV
'Travellers' Songs from England and Scotland' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1977) pp. 122-126
Language
English
Genre
Collection
Source Type
Reel to reel
Audio Quality
Fair