Finally a folk post

I've not been very faithful to my blog tagline of "Football and Folk Music" recently. I'm a great fan of the lovely Jim Moray, and in particular his beautiful arrangement of the song below. It does, however, like many folk songs, have a pretty daft, implausible story, and as such is perhaps quite a good example to explain British folk music to my students So, here are the lyrics below, with a few brief comments.

One morn for recreation I walked by the seaside,
Oh the sun was a gently rising bedecked in all his pride,
I beheld a lovely maiden standing by her cottage door,
Oh her cheeks were like roses, was sweet Jenny of the moor.

I am always wary of folk songs involving fair maidens, particularly if they are a-walking or a-doing anything in the Merry Month of May, and I am wary of young male and female protagonists appearing int he same song, as this is usually a sure-fire sign that the song will end with their violent and untimely deaths. Also, our narrator chap is not being entirely honest here, as we'll find out later,

I said, “My pretty fair maid, why so early do you rise?”
“To take the sweet air whilst the lark soars in the sky.
And it's here I love to wander where the breakers do roar,
A-gathering of seaweed,” said sweet Jenny of the moor.

So, our fair maid is the kind of woman who apparently spends her days wandering around collecting seaweed. I wonder if I would have had more amorous encounters if I'd tried this.

So we both sat down together by some pleasant shady side,
I said, “With your consent I will make you my bride,
For of wealth I have plenty brought from a foreign shore,
I'd be proud to win the heart of sweet Jenny of the moor.”

This happens in folk songs, the immediate and somewhat unlikely, rash proposal of marriage.

“I have a true love of my own, though long he's been from me,
It is true I'll be to him while he is on the sea,
For his vows were fondly spoken as he parted from my door,
And I'll wait till his return,” said sweet Jenny of the moor.

I assume here that our Jenny is just being polite. To be honest "I've got a bloke already" would come a poor second as a reason not to marry, after "I've only just met you and you're clearly a bit weird.

“If your true love was a sailor pray tell to me his name.”
“His name was Dennis Ryan and from Newry town he came.
And with laurels I'll entwine him when he returns to shore
And we'll join our hands in wedlock bands,” said sweet Jenny of the moor.

Lucky old Dennis.

“If Dennis was your true love I knew him right well,
Whilst fighting in battle by an angry ball he fell;
So behold your true love's token, which around his neck he wore.”
And she fell and fainted in my arms, did Jenny of the moor.

This is just mean. If I was our Jenny I'd get shot of him. But...

“Oh since you've proved so faithful, my true love,” I cried,
“Now behold it's Dennis Ryan, he is standing at your side.
So come let us be united and live happy evermore,
And the bells shall ring out merrily for Jenny of the Moor.”

This sort of thing is OK in folk songs, but in real life Dennis deserves a good kick in the bollocks for a.) having so little faith in our Jenny that he felt the need to test her in the first place (though given his behaviour if I were Jenny I think I'd have an affair) b.) being arrogant enough to think his plan is foolproof because OF COURSE he's so irresistible that Jenny would fall instantly in love with him, and the fact that she managed to restrain herself is proof of her fidelity c.) pretending the love of her life was dead (not normal behaviour for a husband-to-be, surely?) and d.) generally being a git

If you think that's daft, though, check this out for elaborate courting: for future reference, going to a pub together and having the "I love you", "I love you too" conversation is far simpler. But at least nobody dies.