The Sailor Boy

Contributors

Stewart, Lucy, 1901-1982 (580)

Fieldworkers

Goldstein, Prof. Kenneth, 1927-1995 (40)

Date 26 December 1959

Track ID 54802

Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1960.141.B1

Original Tape ID

SA1960.141

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 takes her own life.

Item Notes

7 verses of 4 lines.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 7, 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

Recording Location

County - Aberdeenshire

Parish - Old Deer

Village/Place - Fetterangus

Language

English

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair