Sunday, June 8, 2008

Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold....A Ballad


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

3 comments:

Spiral_Thoughts said...

And then there is the ballad of Annachie Gordon and his love, Jeannie .. sorta a Romeo and Juliet story.

Harking is bonny and there lives my love
My heart lies on him and cannot remove
It cannot remove for all that I have done
And I never will forget my love Annachie
For Annachie Gordon he's bonny and he's bright
He'd entice any woman that e'er he saw
He'd entice any woman and so he has done me
And I never will forget my love Annachie.


Down came her father and he's standing at the door
Saying Jeannie you are trying the tricks of a whore
You care nothing for a man who cares so much for thee
You must marry Lord Sultan and leave Annachie
For Annachie Gordon is barely but a man
Although he may be pretty but where are his lands
The Sultan's lands are broad and his towers they run high
You must marry Lord Sultan and leave Annachie.


With Annachie Gordon I beg for my bread
And before I marry Sultan his gold to my head
With gold to my head and straight down to my knees
And I'll die if I don't get my love Annachie
And you who are my parents to church you may me bring
But unto Lord Sultan I'll never bear a son
To a son or a daughter I'll never bow my knee
And I'll die if I don't get my love Annachie.


Jeannie was married and from church was brought home
When she and her maidens so merry should have been
When she and her maidens so merry should have been
She goes into her chamber and cries all alone.


Come to my bed my Jeannie my honey and my sweet
To stile you my mistress it would be so sweet
Be it mistress or Jeanne it's all the same to me
But in your bed Lord Sultan I never will lie
And down came her father and he's spoken with reknownSaying you who are her maidens
Go loosen up her gowns
And she fell down to the floor
And straight down to his knee saying
Father look I'm dying for my love Annachie.


The day that Jeanne married was the day that Jeannie died
And the day that young Annachie came home on the tide
And down came her maidens all wringing of their hands
Saying oh it's been so long, you've been so long on the sands
So long on the sands, so long on the flood
They have married your Jeannie and now she lies dead.


You who are her maidens come take me by the hand
And lead me to the chamber where my love she lies in
And he kissed her cold lips till his heart it turned to stone
And he died in the chamber where his love she lies in.

La, Storyteller/Storysinger said...

Thanks for the song Spiral!
Some how I had never heard it before.
I have listened to it,now, and I think I may have to do a little research on it!

Spiral_Thoughts said...

I should have known it would be by Loreena Mckennitt as well..

It's called Standing Stones:


Standing Stones Lyrics
Artist(Band):Loreena McKennitt


In one of these lonely Orkney Isles
There dwelled a maiden fair.
Her cheeks were red, her eyes were blue
She had yellow, curling hair.

Which caught the eye and then the heart
Of one who could never be
A lover of so true a maid
Or fair a form as she.

Across the lake in Sandwick
Dwelled a youth she held most true,
And ever since her infancy
He had watched these eyes so blue.

The land runs out to the sea -
It's a narrow neck of land -
Where weird and grim the Standing Stones
In a circle where they stand.

One bonny moonlight Christmas Eve
They met at that sad place.
With her heart in glee and the beams of love
Were shining on her face
When her lover came and he grasped her hand
And what loving words they said
They talked of future's happy days,
As through the stones they strayed.

They walked toward the lovers' stone
And through it passed their hands.
They plighted there a constant troth
Sealed by love's steadfast bands
He kissed his maid and then he watched her
That lonely bridge go o'er.
For little, little did he think
He wouldn't see his darling more.

CHORUS
Standing Stones of the Orkney Isles
Gazing out to sea
Standing Stones of the Orkney Isles
Bring my love to me.

He turned his face toward his home
That home he did never see
And you shall have the story
As it was told to me.
When a form upon him sprang
With a dagger gleaming bright
It pierced his heart and his dying screams
Disturbed the silent night.

This maid had nearly reached her home
When she was startled by a cry.
And she turned to look around her
And her love was standing by,
His hand was pointing to the stars
And his eyes gazed at the light,
And with a smiling countenance
He vanished from her sight.

She quickly turned and home she ran
Not a word of this was said,
For well she knew at seeing his form
That her faithful love was dead.
And from that day she pined away,
Not a smile seen on her face,
And with outstretched arms she went to meet him
In a brighter place.