| Author | Topic: Add: Keys of Canterbury | |
| dmcg | Posted - 03 Sep 04 - 09:46 am | |
(He) O Madam, I will give to you the keys of Canterbury, And all the bells in London shall ring to make you merry If you will be my joy, my sweet and only dear, And walk along with me anywhere. (She) I shall not, Sir, accept of you the keys of Canterbury, Nor all the bells in London shall ring to make us merry. I will not be your joy, your sweet and only dear, Nor walk along with you anywhere. (He) O Madam, I will give to you a pair of boots of cork, The one was made in London, the other made in York If you will be my joy, my sweet and only dear, And walk along with me anywhere. (She) I shall not, Sir, accept of you a pair of boots of cork, Though both were made in London, or both were made in York. I will not be your joy, your sweet and only dear, Nor walk along with you anywhere. (He) O madam, I will give to you a little golden bell, To ring for all your servants and make them serve you well. If you will be my joy, my sweet and only dear, And walk along with me anywhere. (She) I shall not, Sir, accept of you a little golden bell, To ring for all my servants, and make them serve me well. I will not be your joy, your sweet and only dear, Nor walk along with you anywhere. (He) O Madam, I will give to you a broidered silken gownd, With nine yards a-dropping and training on the ground, If you will be my joy, my sweet and only dear, And walk along with me, anywhere. (She) O Sir, I will accept of you a broided silken gownd, With nine yards a-drooping and training on the ground. (Both) Then {I will be your joy, your/you shall be my joy, my} sweet and only dear, And walk along with {you/me} anywhere. Source: Singing Together, Spring 1967, BBC Publications Notes: Taken from Collected Folksongs I (Novello). | ||
| dmcg | Posted - 03 Sep 04 - 09:50 am | |
Compare with the 'Paper of Pins' songs from the US, such as those in the 'Digital Tradition'. | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 03 Sep 04 - 01:39 pm | |
That's A Selection of Collected Folk-Songs, vol I, arranged by Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan Williams (London: Novello, n.d. 70-71) A pair of verses is omitted (between verses 6 and 7) above. (He) O madam, I will give to you a gallant silver chest, With a key of gold and silver, and jewels of the best. If you will be my joy, my sweet and only dear, And walk along with me anywhere. (She) I shall not, Sir, accept of you a gallant silver chest, A key of gold and silver, nor jewels of the best. I will not be your joy, your sweet and only dear, Nor walk along with you, anywhere. The song is marked "Collected and arranged by Cecil J Sharp." It appears in the same form in Sharp's One Hundred English Folksongs (1916). Three versions as originally noted appear in Karpeles, Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs, OUP, 1974, I, 484-486 (Sharp noted six in all). The tune here was from Mrs Harriet Young (61) at West Chinnock, Somerset, 29 December 1905. She had two verses, as follows: O madam, I will give to you the keys of Canterbury, And all the bells in London will ring and make us merry If you'll be my joy, my sweet and onerly dear, And walk along with me anywhere. O madam I will give you a bed of down so soft For you to lay under and I to lay aloft If you'll be my joy and onerly sweet dear And walk along with me anywhere. Roud 573. The collated text seems largely to have been made from examples of My Man John, a form of the song in which a third character is introduced; the man's servant, who advises him on the correct way to conduct his courtship. The song was widespread in various forms, often being found as Madam will you walk or Paper of Pins. | ||