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1
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By
Chance It Was
From
the singing of James Parsons of Lewdown. Accompanied by John
Kirkpatrick on the concertina. Parsons learnt this song from
his father who was known as "The Singing Machine".
Sabine
dates this song from the times of James 1 or Charles 1
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2
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The
Saucy Sailor
Again,
from James Parsons. Accompanied by John Kirkpatrick on the
accordion. Several versions of this song appeared on broadsides.
".
. . . what a lovely variant, a different shape from the couple
I've heard before." - Shirley Collins
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3
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Go
From My Window
Collected
from Jack Woodrich (Ginger Jack). Story read by Lisa Nolan.
John Woodrich was in an alehouse in Bideford in 1864 when
he heard an old man recite this tale with the song. Baring-Gould,
in his notes, claims this story with song snatches is the
original framework.
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4
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The
Simple Ploughboy
From
the singing of James Masters of Bradstone, Devon. There were
broadside versions of this but Baring-Gould claimed the superiority
of this was from an unlettered countryman.
".
. . . such a fine song and you tell the story so well."
- Shirley Collins
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5
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The
Drunken Maidens
Taken
down from Edmund Fry of Lydford. Accompanied by John Kirkpatrick
on the melodeon. Baring-Gould rewrote the fifth line in the
last verse changing maidenheads to character, so as not to
offend those of the Victorian drawing room set, with their
delicate hearing.
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6
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Death
and The Lady
Collected
by Captain Hall Munro from an old man in Newton Abbot. There
are many forms of this old folk tale in plays.
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7
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I
Rode My Little Horse
Words
and music from Edmund Fry, John Bennett of Chagford, and John
Hunt, a shepherd from Postbridge. A broadside version was
printed by Jennings of Waterlane, London circa 1790.
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8
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Arthur
McBride
This
version I learnt from the singing of Bert Lloyd. Sam Fone
of Mary Tavy sang a very similar version titled "Arthur
LeBride".
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9
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The
Jolly Waggoner
Taken
down in 1889 from James Olver of Launceston. James Olver had
strict Methodist parents who forbade the singing of anything
other than hymns, but James and his sister would leave their
beds to listen to men singing in a nearby pub.
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10
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The
Sprig of Thyme
From
the singing of Joseph Dyer of Mawgan in Pydar, Cornwall. James
Parsons gave a version of this, but he mixed it with "The
Seeds of Love", which Baring-Gould thought confusing,
so he rewrote the words which are in "Songs of the West".
He believed the words of Joseph Dyer were the complete set.
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11
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Egloshayle
Ringers
The
ringers mentioned in the song, now lie in the graveyard at
Egloshayle, in Cornwall, where their headstones can be found.
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12
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Highway
Man
A
goodnight ballad from the singing of J Townsend, of Holme.
Accompanied by John Kirkpatrick on the accordion. This was
extremely popular for many years and some versions have a
rousing chorus.
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13
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Rosemary
Lane
Another
song from the singing of James Parsons. Baring-Gould found
the words to this objectionable! So he used the tune with
new words he had written to a song he called "The Blue
Flame". In the West of England there is a belief that
a soul after death appears as a blue flame.
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14
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The
Dark Eyed Sailor
This
song I've sung for years. Baring-Gould's version is titled
The Broken Token, with words similar to mine.
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15
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Bold
Gambling Boy
Another
song I've sung for many years, which has almost identical
words to those collected by Baring-Gould, entitled "The
Hearty Good Fellow".
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16
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Emigrant's
Song
When
I learnt this song, I thought it should have a bit more swing
to it. So this is how it sounds with John Kirkpatrick letting
rip on the accordion. We hope you like it.
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