106. William Taylor


io6
William Taylor

This British stall ballad is widely known and sung both in the
old country and here. See BSM 182, and add to the references
there given Missouri (OFS i 295-6) and Wisconsin (JAFL lii
21-2). The story shifts not a little in the various versions recorded;
most often she shoots her faithless lover and her captain rewards
her with the command of a ship ; sometimes she leaps overboard
after the shooting; less often, as in our text, she does not shoot at
all but drowns herself at the sight of her lover walking with an-
other lady. But no other text that I know ascribes William's being
pressed to sea to the contrivance of a rival (such we must sup-
pose the Samuel of our text to be).

'William Taylor.' From the collection of Miss E. B. Fish of White
Rock, Madison county. Sent in 1913 to C. Alphonso Smith, and by him
to the Brown Collection.

1 O William was a youthful lovyer.
Full of youth and wealth and heir,
And first his love he could discover
Was on a charming lady fair.

2 Samuel, knowing of Billy's doings
Till Billy gained in great success.
And Samuel swore he'd be Billy's ruin,
He'd deprive him of all success.

3 The day was set for to get married,
And dressed he was, and all ready.
In the stead of Billy's getting married
Pressed he was, and sent to sea.

 

ALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH 33I

 

'O must I live on bread and water
Till his fair face [I] see again?'
She dressed herself in a sailor's jacket
And then on sea she did go.

Her little fingers both slim and slender
With kitchen fare must all be stained

 

6 Out on sea there rose a dreadful screaming,
And s[he] being one among the rest

A silver button flew oflf her jacket

And a sailor spied her snowy white breast.

7 It's 'O pretty miss, what is the matter,
O what misfortune's brought you here?'
'I'm in pursuit of my own true lovyer
Sailed away the other year.'

8 'If you're in pursuit of your own true lovyer
Pray tell to me what is his name?'

'His name it be one William Taylor ;
Pressed he was from the Isle of Graham.*

9 'If his name be William Taylor,
Very like I know the man.

If you'll rise up early in the morning
You'll see him a-walking down the strand.'

10 She arose early the next morning.
Just about the break of day ;

And there she spied her own loved William Taylor
Come walking with his lady gay.

11 'If that be my William Taylor,'
She cried, 'Alas, what shall I do?'
She wrung her lily-white hands
And over the bow her body threw.

12 This lady died for William Taylor;
The watery main it was her grave.

The whole ship's crew they tried to save her,
But all they strived, it was in vain.
--------------
 


106

William Taylor
'William Taylor.' Sung by C. K. Tillett. Recorded at Wanchese, Roanoke
Island, December 29, 1922. This ballad also belongs among a number of songs
'many of which have been traced to British broadsides.' Cf. NAB.


Scale: Mode III. Tonal Center: d. Structure: abed (2,2,2,2).