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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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.