99. Jack Munro

99

Jack Munro

The story of the female sailor, or soldier, is very old in romance,
and appears in balladry in various forms and under a variety of
names — 'Jack Munro,' 'Jackie Frazier,' 'Jackaro,' 'Jack Went
A-Sailing,' and others. It is widely known both in the old country
and in America; see BSM 171, and add to the references there
given Norfolk (JFSS iv 84), Maine (BFSSNE 11 9), Virginia
(FSV 50-2), North Carolina (FSRA 104-5), Florida (SFLQ viii
168-71), the Ozarks (OFS i 216-21), Indiana (BSI 206-10), Ohio
(BSO 106-12), and Michigan (BSSM 401-2— though the story here
has a different ending suggestive of 'The Maid on the Shore'). It
is distinguished from other ballads in which the girl goes in dis-
guise to seek her lover — 'Polly Oliver,' 'The Banks of Claudy,'
and others — by her actually going into battle in her disguise, by her
declaration that her waist is not too slender, her fingers not too
small, that she is ready to face the cannon ball, and (in the more
complete versions) by her rescuing her wounded lover on the battle-
field. The waist-and-fingers dialogue, however — an item beloved of
ballad singers— appears sometimes in pieces in which the girl is
persuaded not to enlist. See BSM 177-80 and 'The Girl Volunteer'
in the present volume.

A
'Jacky, the Sailor Boy.' Reported by J. E. Massey of Elon College as
"recited to me by my grandfather, J. W. Massey, Dec. 31, 1916. It was
recited to him by his aunt, Nancy Massey, before the Civil War." Mas-
sey's home was in Caswell county.

I Jacky went a-sailing, with trouble in his mind,

To leave his native old country and his darling here behind.

Chorus:

Sing o', sing o', fare you well, my dear.

■ The manuscript has "they's," which I take to mean "there's."

 

OLDER BALLADS MOSTLY BRITISH 315

2 There was a rich old farmer, in London he did dwell.
He had but the only daughter, the truth to you I tell.

3 She was courted by three lawyers and men of high degree,
But there was none like Jacky the sailor boy, who ploughed

the rugged sea.

4 She stepped into the tailor shop and dressed in men's array
And enlisted with the captain to carry her away.

5 'Before you get on board, sir, your name I'd like to know.'
She spoke with a pleasing countenance, 'My name is

Stephen Monroe.'

6 'Your waist it is too slender, your fingers are too small,
Your cheeks too red and rosy to face a cannon ball.'

7 'My waist is none too slender, my fingers none to small;
I'll never change my countenance to face a cannon ball.*

8 And when the war was ended she took a circle round.
Among the dead and wounded her darling boy she found.

9 She took him in her arms and carried him to the town,
And called for a physician that could quickly heal his

wound.

10 So now this couple is married. So well they do agree.

So now this couple is married — so why not you and me?

 

'Poor Jack Is Gone a-Sailing.' Secured by W. Amos Abrams of Boone,
Watauga county, from one of his students, Mary Bost. Substantially
the same as A. The chorus is a little longer :

I'll sing oh, I'll sing oh, I'll sing oh,
So fare you well, my dear.

Stanzas 2 and 3 are omitted. The name she gives herself is James
Monroe. Before the waist-and-fingers dialogue the following stanza is
inserted :

The drums began to beat, the fife began to play ;
Sweet Mary and her loving sailor began to sail away.

It ends with the following, of which the second and third stanzas have
been drawn from a familiar country love-making ballad:

7 She picked him up in her arms and carried him to some
town,
And went for the olden doctor to cure his wound and
wound.

 

3l6 NORTH CAROLINA FOLKLORE

8 'Oh, hush, you silly lady, oh, hush your silly tongue.
Why do you talk about marrying, when you know you are

too young ?'

9 'I'll be sixteen o' Sunday, and that you must allow ;

For I must and I will get married — or it is my notion now.'

lO Yes, this poor couple they got married, so well did they
agree.
Yes, this poor couple they got married, so why don't you
and me?

c

'War Song.* Reported by Thomas Smith of Zionville "as sung by Ben-
nett Smith, who learned it as early as 1865." The music was supplied
by Mrs. Byers. Only two stanzas were remembered :

She dressed herself in men's clothing, an opulet she put on.
She marched into the army to face the cannon ball.

Chorus:

Sing lo, so fare you well.

As soon as the battle was ended a circle she took round ;
Amongst the dead and the wounded her sailor boy she
found.

 

'The Brisk Young Plow Boy.' Reported by L. W. Anderson of Nag's
Head as collected by Delma Haywood from Mrs. Sallie Meekins of
Colington, one of the islands in the Sound. This breaks of? with the
waist-and-fingers dialogue.

1 There was a brisk young plow boy,
Just in the bloom of years.

He went to see his own true love
In bitter woes and tears.

2 He went to see his own true love
Just for to let her know

That he was going to take a trip
And on the ocean go.

3 'Oh, no, my dearest Willie,
Stay home and marry me.
For sixteen months and better
I have been in love with you.'

4 'The King is wanting soldiers,
And I for one must go ;

And upon my very life
I dare not answer no.'

 

OLDER BALLADS — MOSTLY BRITISH 317

'My yellow hair I'll cut off,
Men's clothing I'll put on,
And I'll go with you, my love,
To be your waiting man.'

'Your waist is too slender, my love,
Your fingers they are too small.
Your cheeks are too delicate.
To face the cannon ball.'
----

 

 

 

99
Jack Munro

 

Jacky, the Sailor Boy.' Sung by Mrs. James Miller. Recorded as ms score;
no date or place given. The singer uses the Massey text but with variations.
Our version has no tune for the chorus, as given in II 314 flf. This is again
one of the ballads which Malcolm Laws, Jr., mentions as having been traced
to British broadsides. Cf. 99E, 'British Lady.'


For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK i 394, No. 65Q.
Scale: Mode I. Tonal Center: c. Structure: abb^c (2,2,2,2).

 

'Poor Jack Is Gone a-Sailing.' Sung by James York. Recorded at Olin,
Iredell county, September 14, 1941. This version has a chorus. Measures 2-4
are similar to those of 99A. During a visit at the singer's home at Mocksville,
N. C, June iy, 1956, Mr. York sang this tune in strict % time. He also re-
quested the following correction in the text : "with trouble on his mind."

 

For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK i 393-4, No. 65O.

Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: g. Structure: aaa^^a^bc (2,2,2,2,2,2)
= aa^b (4,4,4) = mmin (barform).

 

'War Song.' Sung by Mrs. Byers. Recorded as MS score; no date or place
given. This version also has a chorus.

 


For melodic relationship cf. **FSoA 50, measures 7-9 with ov" 6-'?; FSF
353, No. 189.

 

Scale: Mode II, plagal. Tonal Center: e. Structure: abcde (2,2,2,2,4) = abc
(4.4.4)-

 

'The British Lady.' Sung by Mrs. Ewart Wilson. Recorded at Pensacola,
Yancey county, in September 1929. Cf. SMBFS under 'Jackaro,' also JAFL
XLv (1932), 76, No. 175. In measure 6, the singer actually sings 'shi-ap." The
general, underlying melodic line is quite similar to that of 99B. Measures 2-4

are similar to those in 99A.

 


For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK i 392, No. 65K, measures 5-8. The
refrain is identical with that of ibid. 395, No. 65T, similar to 393 and 395-
versions M, N, and S.

Scale: Hexatonic (3), plagal. Tonal Center: c. Structure: aa^a^bcd (2,2,2,
2,2,2) = ab (6,6). The b, c, and d of the smaller subdivision are rhythmically
the same.