Fair Willie- Hall (NL) 1929 Karpeles C
[My title. From Folk Songs from Newfoundland; 1934 version C; additional text Karpeles MS No. 5198. This ballad's title is certainly as mystery. In Karpeles diary notes for North River on October 15th:
Mrs. Hall's evening session (on 10-16-1929) produced “Barber” (a variant of “Willie of Winsbury”).
This implies that the hero is John Barber(Barbour) rather than Fair Willie. In her diary Karpeles gives the title as Lord Thomas of Winsbury.
R. Matteson 2015]
Fair Willie- Sung by Mrs. Bridget Hall at North River, Conception Bay, NS on October 16, 1929.
1. There was a lady in the north country
She dresses all in green;
As she was sitting in her father's castle door,
When she saw a ship sailing in,
When she saw a ship sailing in.
2. O daughter, dear daughter, the father he cried,
What makes you so pale and wan?
Have you had any heavy sickness
Or in love with some Young man?
3. No father, dear father, the daughter, she said,
If I look pale and wan,
I've not had any sickness,
But I'm in love with some Young man.
4. Is he a duke or a squire, he said,
Or a man of high degree,
Or is he one of my humble sailor boys
That do plough over the raging seas?
s. He is not a duke nor a squire, she says,
Nor a man of a high degree,
But he is one of your humble sailor boys
That do plough over the raging seas.
6. Now daughter, dear daughter, the father he says,
If it's true what you're telling me,
Tomorrow morning at seven o'clock
It's hanged your love will be.
7. O father, dear father, the daughter, she cries,
If it's true what you're telling me,
If my love is to be hanged at eight o'clock
You will get no good of me.
8. Now the king called down his merry men,
By one, by two, by three.
Fair Willie was always the first that came down,
But the last that came down was he.
9. Willie came down all step, after step,
All dressed in a suit of silk,
With his two cherry cheeks and his curly brown hair
And his skin so white as milk.
10. O daughter, dear daughter, the father he cries,
I will lay no blame to thee,
For if I was a woman instead of a man,
I would die for him tonight.
11. You can marry my daughter, he cries,
And take her by the hand,
And you can come and dine with me,
And be head over all my land.
12. Yes, I will marry your daughter, he said,
And I'll take her by the hand,
And I will go and dine with You,
But to hell with all Your land.
13. Where you can give her one guinea,
I can give her thirty-three.
Although I'm one of your humble sailor boys
That ploughs o'er the raging sea.