The stories La tells....

Good stories are everywhere.
And as Hank Williams, Sr. once said "A song ain’t nothin’ in the world but a story just wrote with music to it."
Just like folktales, ballads have gone from an oral tradition to print. Therefore, like traditonal folktales, any one ballad can have many forms and appear to come from many countries.
Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold is a ballad that appears to have originated in England. It can be found under other titles such as Groline and Her Young Sailor Bold, The Young Sailor Bold, The Nobleman 's Daughter, Caroline and Her Young Sailor Boy, A Rich Nobleman's Daughter' and Young Caroline and The Sailor.But they are all basically the same ballad.

This information is found online at the Traditional Ballad Index....

Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold (Young Sailor Bold II) [Laws N17]
DESCRIPTION: Wealthy Caroline loves a poor sailor. The sailor tries to discourage her, but she disguises herself and follows him to sea. She "proves true" even in a shipwreck. In time she returns home and gains her father's permission to marry her young man
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(4391)); found in 1840 in a journal from the Walter Scott
KEYWORDS: poverty sailor courting cross-dressing marriage wreck father
FOUND IN: US(SE) Canada(Mar,Newf) Britain(Scotland) Ireland
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Laws N17, "Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold (Young Sailor Bold II)"
Copper-SoBreeze, pp. 196-198, "Caroline the Rich Merchant's Daughter" (1 text, 1 tune)
Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 103-105, "The Nobleman's Daughter" (1 text plus a portion of another, 1 tune)
BrownII 102, "A Rich Nobleman's Daughter" (1 text)
Peacock, pp. 329-330, "Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold" (1 text, 1 tune)
Leach-Labrador 29, "Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-NovaScotia 33, "Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn-More 39, "Caroline and Her Young Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 448, CAROSAIL
Roud #553
RECORDINGS:
Sarah Makem, "Caroline and her Young Sailor Bold" (on LastDays)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(4391), "The Young Sailor Bold. Answer to the Gallant Hussar," J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 16(44a), Firth c.12(241), Firth c.12(242), Harding B 11(542), 2806 c.15(182), Harding B 19(42), "Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold[!]"; Harding B 20(204), Harding B 16(268a), Johnson Ballads 2987, "[The] Young Sailor Bold"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Young Sailor Bold

CSU Fresno

I have provided two versions of the ballad and a video.

This particular version sung by Andrea Corr of the Corrs is similar but not exactly like the versions written out below.



Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold

There lived a rich nobleman's daughter,
So comely and handsome and fair,
Her father possessed a great fortune,
Full thirty-five thousand a year.
She being his only daughter,
Caroline is her name we are told,
One day from her drawing-room window
She espied there a young sailor bold.

His cheeks they appeared like the roses,
His hair was as black as the jet,
This is lady she watched his departure,
Walked round and young William she met.
"Oh," she cried, "I'm a nobleman's daughter,
My income's five thousand in gold,
I'll forsake both my friends and my fortune
To wed with a young sailor bold."

Says William, "Fair lady, remember,
Your parents you are bound for to mind,
In sailors there are no dependence,
When their true love is left far behind.
Be advised, stay at home with your parents,
And do by them as you are told,
And never let anyone persuade you
To wed with a young sailor bold."

"There is no one shall ever persuade me
One moment to alter my mind,
In the ships I'll proceed with my sailor
And he never shall leave me behind."
So she dressed like a jolly young sailor,
Forsook both her friends and her gold,
Three years and a half on the ocean
She plied with her young sailor bold.

Three times with her love she was shipwrecked,
Though she always moved constant and true,
Her duty she done like a sailor,
Went aloft in her jacket so blue.
Her duty she done like a sailor,
Could hand reef and steer we are told.
At last they arrived in New England,
Caroline and her young sailor bold.

Then straightway she went to her father
In her trousers and jacket so blue,
He sees her and instantly fainted
When first she appeared to his view.
But she cried, "Dearest father, forgive me,
Deprive me for ever of gold,
Grant me one request if contented
To wed with a young sailor bold."

Her father embraces young William
In honour and sweet unity,
"If life shall be spared until morning
It is married this couple shall be.
"They were married and Caroline's fortune
Is thirty-five thousand in gold.
And now they live happy together
Caroline and her young sailor bold.

DT #448
Laws N17
From Creighton, Songs and Ballads of Nova Scotia, no.33
Collected from Mrs. Thomas Osborne of Eastern Passage, NS
SOF


The Nobleman's Daughter

'Tis of a Nobleman's daughter,
Most beautiful, comely, and fair;
Her father possessed of great fortune,
Of thirty-five thousand a year.
He had but one only daughter,
Caroline was her name, I've been told,
One day, from her drawing-room window,
She admired a young sailor bold.

2. His cheeks were like two roses,
His hair was black as jet.
Young Caroline watched his departure,
Walked round, and young William she met.
She says: I'm a Nobleman's daughter,
Possessed often thousands in gold;
I'll forsake both my father and mother,
And wed with you, young sailor bold.

3. Says William: Young lady, remember,
Your parents you're bound for to mind;
For in sailors there is no dependence,
When their true love is left far behind.
Be advised, and stay home with your parents,
And do by them as you are told,
And never let no one persuade you
To wed with a young sailor bold.

4. She says: There's no one shall persuade me
One moment to alter my mind;
I'll ship, and proceed with my true love--
He never shall leave me behind.
She dressed like a gallant young sailor,
Forsook both her parents and gold;
Two years and a half on the ocean,
She ploughed with her young sailor bold.

5. Three times with her love she was shipwrecked,
And always proved constant and true.
Her duty she did like a sailor,
Went aloft in her jacket so blue.
Her father long weeped and lamented,
From his eyes tears in torrents long rolled,
Till at length they arrived safe in England,
Caroline and her young sailor bold.

6. Caroline went straightway to her father,
In her trowsers and jacket so blue.
Her father he instantly fainted,
When first she appeared to his view
She cries: Dearest father, forgive me,
And forever deprive me of gold;
Grant me one request, I'm contented
To wed with my young sailor bold.

7. Her father admired young William,
And vowed that in sweet unity,
If life did them spare till the morning,
Together they married should be.
They were married; and Caroline's portion
Was ten hundred thousand in gold.
So now they live happy and cheerful,
Caroline and her young sailor bold.


Traditional and Folk Songs website was used as a source of information.
The picture of the Broadside ballad at the beginning of the post can be found online at the Bodleian Library