sovay | And there's nothing I can't spin them into

Current Music: Sneaker Pimps, "Lightning Field"

And there's nothing I can't spin them into

So yesterday was a Readercon meeting (where I met

roozle), and Tea at

sigerson and

sen_no_ongaku's (where

stealthmuffin introduced me to Lovelace and Babbage, the street-music-and-poetry-fighting alternate history I didn't know I needed), and

schreibergasse came down from Manchester and stayed the night, which is how we started the day planning to visit the Arboretum and were instead distracted by tart frozen yogurt, used book stores, and very large arthropods. There was a lot of conversation, some of which was Latin scansion. I took home Roger Grenier's Piano Music for Four Hands (trans. Alice Kaplan, 2001) and Penelope Fitzgerald's The Knox Brothers (1977). I would like to have been able to afford the 1930's field-collection of ballads and sea-songs from Newfoundland, which opened to the most awesome version of "Willie Taylor" I have ever run into; I settled for borrowing pencil and paper from the bookseller and taking it down.

Willy Taylor, a brisk young sailor,
Full of love and full of glee,
Went to church—they marched together
Dressed in light, so rich and gay.

[two lines missing]
In walked twenty brisk young sailors,
Marched young Willy off to sea.

Then his true love followed after,
Went by the name of Richard Kerr,
With her lily-white hands and her slender fingers
To embrace the pitch and tar.

When she was out on the yardam reefing,
Doing her work amongst the rest,
Then her waistcoat did blow open
And she showed her lily-white breast.

When our captain came for to hear it,
"O, what wonders brought you here?"
"I'm in search of my own true lovyer
Who was forced from me so dear."

"If you're in search of your true lovyer,
Pray tell me what his name may be."
"His name it is young Willy Taylor;
Seven long years been gone from me."

"You rise early the next morning,
All just by the break of day;
There you'll see your Willy Taylor
Walking with his lady gay."

She rose early the next morning,
All just by the break of day;
There she saw her Willy Taylor
Walking with his lady gay.

Then she called for two bright pistols,
Which were given at her command,
And she shot young Willy Taylor
Standing at his bride's right hand.

When our captain came for to hear it,
"O, what wonders you have done!"
Then he shipped her as a first leftenant
On board of a ship nine hundred tun.

Now she is out on the ocean sailing,
Long bright sword into her hand;
Every time as she gives orders,
Makes the men tremble at her command.

(Sung by Daniel Endacott, Sally's Cove, 1929.)

If anyone has a recording of this version, please let me know; I have only Déanta's and June Tabor's, both of which have substantially less badass endings. It would make a great double-feature with "Sovay." In conclusion, I need to sleep, and Newfoundland rocks.

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That is badass!!

That is badass!!

It's like the happiest murder ballad I know!

"And then she shot her cheating lover dead and lived happily ever after as a ship's captain, the end!"

Wow, yeah.

Hmm. I have Malinky's version, but while she shoots Willy in Malinky's version, she does not, unfortunately, end up as a pirate captain.

I have Malinky's version, but while she shoots Willy in Malinky's version, she does not, unfortunately, end up as a pirate captain.

I was not expecting the piracy.

I'd read that novel. In fact, I'd write that novel.;)

In fact, I'd write that novel.

I'd read that novel if you wrote it.

This one includes a captain's reward, but not quite the same one
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1HSnTgnf-s&feature=related

Frankie Armstrong's version (William Taylor, not Willy, otherwise the same) quits as soon as she shoots him. (I actually got the record off the shelf and uncovered the turntable. It's been quite a while since I did that).

This version (also William) has a different, snarky ending in the scrolling words (to the effect that if all such men were shot, there would hardly be any left), but the vocal version also stops after the shooting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-IDnauu91A&feature=related

Almost no words, but wonderful
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiGecR5Uh9Q&feature=related

how did we live before Youtube?

I think we took a lot more notes.

Thank you!

(I actually got the record off the shelf and uncovered the turntable. It's been quite a while since I did that).

(Rock.)

I have Cilla Fisher and Artie Tresize's version (from Foul Day and Fair), which ends "When the captain did behold her and the deed that she had done/he has made her chief commander over a ship and a hundred men", which is the first version I had ever heard. I also have Robin Williamson's version, which goes "when the captain heard of this and the deed that she had done/he made her a ship's commander of a frigate of thirty gun" (that's from A Job of Journey Work ). I have a version by Arcanadh that ends with the shooting, and one by The House Band which has the version ending with "if all young ladies did t he same, how many less young men there would be". I know I have more at home, but those are the ones I have on the ipod at the moment.

I know I have more at home, but those are the ones I have on the ipod at the moment.

Déanta also stops with the shooting of Willie Taylor. June Tabor has her shoot both Willie and his bride, but the last verse turns it into a cautionary tale ("Don't play tricks on your young wives / Willie got shot, Polly got drownded / That was the end of both their lives"). This is like the pre-Code version.

A frigate of thirty gun isn't bad.

Thanks for the CF & AT confirmation. I was sure that I had heard that one, but this morning when I was looking through LPs I couldn't find it.

As I said, that was the very first version I ever heard, on a taped radio program from E. Lansing, with several other of the same ilk. I finally tracked down my own copy, and also one of Roy Harris' "Jackie Munroe", which is almost as cool.

The Knox Brothers! I adore that book. They're all magnificently brilliant and eccentric. Their bluestocking stepmother wrote in her diary, on her wedding day (to their father the bishop): "Finished Antigone. Married Bip."

Afraid I am away from my music library. Alas, I don't know any such glorious verion as that. Believe me, I'd remember!

Nine

Alas, I don't know any such glorious verion as that. Believe me, I'd remember!

There's always the possibility that no one has recorded it, but I'm really, really hoping that's not the case.

Woo!

Woo!

You particularly I thought needed this version.

It's amazing, and, actually, goes a long way to fill in a character that's going to be showing up later in the Motherfucking Pirates Story... Actually, now I have two characters fighting over it...

Like sisters. Or rivals.

Rivals.

Oh dear. I don't mean to be cryptic, but that explains everything. Gem and Qualm are going to form a 5 man band, and one of five is going to be a ghost, and now I know how she got that way.

Oh dear. I don't mean to be cryptic, but that explains everything. Gem and Qualm are going to form a 5 man band, and one of five is going to be a ghost, and now I know how she got that way.

w00t!

I've a recording of a similar version somewhere--I'm thinking it might be Patrick Street's. Doesn't seem to be on my hard drive, but I'll have a look through the CDs.

Glad you had a good time, in any event.

I've a recording of a similar version somewhere--I'm thinking it might be Patrick Street's.

Cool. I'll look him up.

The band was formed in Dublin in 1986 with Kevin Burke (formerly of The Bothy Band) on fiddle, Jackie Daly (De Dannan) on button accordion, Andy Irvine (Sweeney's Men, Planxty) on bouzouki and vocals, and Arty McGlynn (Van Morrison, Planxty) on guitar.

Yes, they do a version of William Taylor.

I just had a rummage through eMusic, and have several more versions to check through. :-)

It's them, actually--current lineup is Andy Irvine, Ged Foley, John Carty, and Kevin Burke, but I'm pretty sure Jackie Daly was with them in place of Carty when the track I'm thinking of was recorded. Named for one of the major streets in Cork City.

The CD's not in the rack that's by me, but I'll have a look elsewhere in a bit.

I found the CD, and as it falls out it's the lineup with Arty McGlynn rather than Ged Foley, but that version ends with her shooting him. My sorrow for getting your hopes up for naught.

I'm all but morally certain I was listening to one where she's made a ship's commander not very long ago. I'll keep looking.

I've checked more CDs, but still can't find it. Maybe I'm remembering hearing somebody sing it live--Catherine Crowe, who always comes to Catskills Irish Arts Week, has spent a lot of time in the Canadian folklore archives and has some very unusual versions of songs--but I could swear I remember it being on a CD.

I'm remembering a last verse with something like "he has made her a ship's commander/sailing out of the isle of Man".

Any road, I'll keep on looking.

PS: the half line I was missing was, of course, "par erat inferior versus"

PS: the half line I was missing was, of course, "par erat inferior versus".

Yes.

I found a version with this end! It's by a group called Vfss Shanty Crew, on a CD
called Blow the Man Down! Tall Ships In the Fraser . It's a bit different, in that the captain makes her "his chief lieutenant over a ship of nine hundred men" but she makes the sailors tremble at her command.

Um. Yeah. I spent my day combing through various versions. I think I have twenty now.

It's a bit different, in that the captain makes her "his chief lieutenant over a ship of nine hundred men" but she makes the sailors tremble at her command.

You are very success! Thank you so much! I can definitely look for that.

Um. Yeah. I spent my day combing through various versions. I think I have twenty now.

They are prizes of victory.

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And there's nothing I can't spin them into

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how did we live before Youtube?

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The Versions of "Willie/William Taylor" I know

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Re: The Versions of "Willie/William Taylor" I know

Re: The Versions of "Willie/William Taylor" I know

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Patrick Street -- the band

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Cwaeð Pooh "Oh boðer"

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I am success!

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