New England, [The Silk Merchants Daughter, [Child 24?]]
I learned most of the words for this song from Maggie Hammons and some verses and the melody from J. E. Richards who can be found in the Chapel collection. It's more commonly known as the "Silk Merchants Daughter." It first appeared in 1794, in England, as "The Constant Lover" or "The Valiant Young Lady" and had 30 stanzas.
It tells the tale of a young woman who disguises herself as a sailor in order to be with her true love as he serves on-board ship. Neither Maggie's nor Richards's versions explain the circumstances of her desperate actions.
The shear enormity of her actions can easily be overlooked in this song. Being a sailor in the days of the great sailing ships meant vast amounts of dangerous and back breaking toil. They had to endure the harshest of conditions, from disease and cruel treatment, to the burning sun, freezing winds and wild storms. I don't know how she pulled it off. Being a silk merchants daughter she would not even have been accustomed to hard labor as a farm girl would have been. After six months of sailing the ship sinks and 44 of them get into a life boat. However it is not long before provisions run out and they cast lots to see who will die to feed the rest. The girl is singled out to die and her lover is picked out to be the executioner. The Captain is moved by his willingness to die in her place and tries to stop the men. Supposedly her true love is the one who's going to kill her, but I get the impression from the words, "their knives being sharpened," that the whole gang is going to cut her up. It hardly bears thinking about.
The events in this ballad present, apart from the impressive demonstration of true love, the awesome question that we sometimes wonder about: in the most desperate of circumstances, would we, or would we not make a meal of somebody for the sake of survival?
lyrics
New England
JE Richards
One evening in May as I walked along the street
a beautiful damsel by chance for to meet
oh where you going brother sailor said she
I'm bound for New England, New England said he
it's very fine country as I have been told
but how to get to it is more than I know
I am no great sailor but I enter and stand
and as for your passage I'll do what I can
Our ship being rigged and ready to sail
we drew up the anchor and hoisted the sail
for six-months we sailed all hearts were content
then the ship sprung a leak and to the bottom she sank
44 of us sailors got in the life boat
way out on the ocean all alone we did float
provisions grew scarce and then death it drew nigh
we each drew our number to see who would die
These names being written and laid in a hat
we each drew a number yes we each drew out lot
and among all them sailors this young damsel drew less
she was to be killed by the one she loved best
Before I would kill you my heart it would burst
before I would kill you my love I'd die first
oh stop said the captain hold on now you men
but very few people would die for a friend
Their knives being sharpened and murdering to do
when stop said this lady for moment or two
I'm a silk merchants daughter from London I be
you see what I've come to by the loving of thee
Their knives being sharpened and murdering to do
when stop said this young man for moment or two
Oh stop cried this young man hold onto your tongues
I hear ship a coming by her loud roaring guns
In the space of the moment they all looked again
they saw a ship coming for to take them all in
straight away to New England this ship were conveyed
straight away to get married went this young man and maid
credits
from Green Are The Woods,
released June 13, 1999
Learned from Maggie Hammons, J. E. Richards L. W. Chappell Collection 1939
Great playing and choice of tunes. No apologies needed for your interpretations of the tunes as far as I'm concerned.
I'm a player and not an ethnomusicologist or historian.
I probably re-interpret every tune I learn to make it mine.
I have no problem with anyone else doing the same.
We wouldn't have regional styles if it this personalizing were't part of the folk process from the getgo. Paul Gitlitz
Great choice of music, expertly played and sung. Nicely produced. I hope to see The Onlies live, asap. This is an album I listen to over and over. Karamogo
This album is an education in the power of choosing the perfect amount subtle drone. So calming. So easy to listen over and over again. I hope there will be a Vol. 2! Cyndy
The Alabama duo's fifth album exults in dusty Americana, showcasing rich vocal harmonies alongside blissful folk instrumentation. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 31, 2024
More contemplative folk from the Minnesota singer-songwriter, sustained by raw full-band arrangements and philosophical lyrics. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 28, 2024
