Recordings & Info 46. Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
[I've created Appendix 46 A. for "I Gave my A Cherry" and the "Perrie Merrie" versions. See info there. Some versions are listed here. The Child Collection (recordings & publications) for example, lumps them all together.]
CONTENTS:
1) Alternative Titles
2) Traditional Ballad Index
3) Folk Index
4) Child Collection Index
5) Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
6) Wiki
7) Mainly Norfolk (lyrics and info; w/ additional lyrics)
8) Joe Éinniú (Joe Heaney) commentary/lyrics
9) Biblical quote: Melchizedek (see Heaney's version)
ATTACHED PAGES: (see left hand column)
1) Roud 36: Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (170 Listings)
Alternative Titles
Mr. Woodburn's Courtship
A Strange Proposal
The Devil and the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Six Dishes
It's I Must Have
Traditional Ballad Index: Captain Wedderburn's Courtship [Child 46]
DESCRIPTION: (Captain Wedderburn) sees a fair lady, and wishes to sleep with her. She takes an instant dislike to him, and will consent only if he can answer her riddles. He answers them, and the two are wed.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1783 (New British Songster)
KEYWORDS: courting riddle marriage contest
FOUND IN: Britain(Scotland) US(Ap,MA,MW,NE,NW,SE) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland Australia
REFERENCES (26 citations):
Child 46, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (3 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #8}
Bronson 46, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (26 versions)
BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 93-99, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (2 texts plus 2 fragments, one of which might be "Riddles Wisely Expounded" or something else, 2 tunes; all the texts are rather damaged and even the full ones consist mostly of the riddles); p. 451 (1 tune) {B.II=Bronson's #12, C=#9; the tune on p. 451 is #17}
Flanders/Olney, pp. 43-46, "A Strange Proposal" (1 text)
Flanders-Ancient1, pp. 299-315, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (3 texts plus two fragments, 5 tunes; the "A" text and the F fragment and tune are mixed with "Riddles Wisely Expounded" (Child 1) and the "I" and II" texts and tunes are "I Gave My Love a Cherry")
Creighton/Senior, pp. 21-25, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (3 texts, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #19, #20, #21}
Creighton-Maritime, p. 6, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune)
Gardner/Chickering 48, "Mr. Woodburn's Courtship" (2 texts, 2 tunes; the "B" text is short and in the first person; it shows signs of deliberate modification) {Bronson's #24, #15}
Peters, p. 151, "Three Dishes and Six Questions" (1 text, 1 tune, consisting only of questions without any plot, but probably this rather than one of the other riddle songs because each verse ends "you'll lie next to the wall")
Leach, pp. 158-162, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (3 texts)
Leach-Labrador 3, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-Newfoundland 6, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-NovaScotia 3, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #22}
Mackenzie 4, "Six Questions" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #13}
Friedman, p. 137, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (2 texts, but the second is "I Gave My Love a Cherry")
FSCatskills 124, "The Rich Merchant's Daughter" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ord, pp. 416-420, "The Laird o' Roslin's Daugher, or, Captain Wed
GreigDuncan4 842, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (11 texts, 6 tunes)derburn's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #6}
DBuchan 48, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (1 text)
TBB 1, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (1 text)
SHenry H681, p. 490, "The Keeper of the Game" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-Lenihan 44, "Mister Woodburren" (1 text, 1 tune)
Meredith/Covell/Brown, pp. 152-153, "The Chicken and the Bone" (1 text, 1 tune)
Abrahams/Foss, pp. 53-55, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #17}
DT 46, CAPWEDER* THREESIX*
ADDITIONAL: Alexander Whitelaw, A Book of Scottish Song (Glasgow, 1845), pp. 70-72, "Captain Wedderburn"
Roud #36
RECORDINGS:
Willy Clancy, "The Song of the the Riddles" (on Voice01)
Logan English, "Bold Robington's Courtship" (on LEnglish01)
Seamus Ennis, "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (on FSB4)
Warde Ford, "Many Questions/Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" (AFS 4196B, 1938; in AMMEM/Cowell) {Bronson's #26}
Pat MacNamara, "Mr Woodburren's Courtship" (on IRClare01)
Thomas Moran, "Captain Woodburn (Wedderburn's Courtship)" (on FSBBAL1)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1143), "Lord Roslin's Daughter's Courtship," Stephenson (Gateshead), 1821-1850
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "I Gave My Love a Cherry"
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The Devil and the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Six Dishes
It's I Must Have
NOTES: Many versions of this song tell a rather confused story, with the following plot outline:
1. Captain Wedderburn sees the Laird o' Roslin's daughter and says, more or less, "Gotta have her"
2. He asks her to marry him; she says, "No; it's time for supper."
3. Immediately upon turning him down, she gets on his horse, goes to his lodging-house, and prepares to go to bed with him.
4. Pause: The lady says, "Before I do this, you have to answer my questions." She proceeds with the riddle game.
5. Captain Wedderburn answers the riddles, and they are married.
It will be evident that steps 4 and 5, as they are found in these texts, should precede step 3.
It's also worth noting that the lady's riddles seem to be older than the song itself (the riddles are found in "I Gave My Love a Cherry," which as "I Have a Yong Suster" dates to 1430 or earlier).
My suggestion was that steps 4 and 5 were a later addition to the song. Alternately, the song has become disordered. Don Duncan counter-proposes that the song is a rape ballad -- she is forced on the horse, and to the lodging-house, and the riddles are her last attempt at a defense. The happy ending is a later touch-up.
None of this can be proved, and none of the suggestions is altogether convincing. But it is not unlikely that the song has changed its form somewhere along the line.
Because scholars so often confound this with "I Gave My Love a Cherry," one should see that song also for the complete list of songs sometimes associated with this ballad.
Another curiosity concerns the name "Wedderburn." This is an old Scottish name (consider the author of the Complaynt of Scotland) -- but the OxfordCompanion, in its thousand large pages of biographies, lists only one Wedderburn, that being Alexander Wedderburn (1733-1805).
Cook, sketches him on pages 183-184: he "had a quick mind and was known as one of the most intelligent, formidable debaters in Parliament.... At the same time, he was one of the nastiest, most unscrupulous, most ambitious politicians of the time.... He grew up in Edinburgh and began his career in the Scottish law. Handling a case in court at age twenty-four, he became so abusive of the court president... that an apology was demanded by the entire bench. Instead, Wedderburn withdrew from the Scots bar and decamped for London.... Lord North decided politically that it would be better if Wedderburn... were inside the government rather than in opposition. For his part, Wedderburn was not inhibited by principles and could readily lend his debating talents to any side of any question. He was appointed solicitor general."
That was in 1771. In 1778, he became attorney-general. Eventually, tempted by Pitt, he joined the government as Lord Chancellor, finally retiring with an earldom in 1801. He wasn't very nice, either -- Weintraub, p. 35, tells of him questioning Benjamin Franklin for an hour and a half -- and keeping the 68-year-old Franklin standing the whole time. Weintraub, p. 126, also mentions that he nearly fought a duel over a simple remark about politics.
Unscrupulous enough for this song, obviously, but he was never a captain, and since "Captain Wedderburn" was circulating by 1783, he can't have been the original subject, right?
Well, sure, but there is one other thing. To what earldom did George III appoint him in 1801? The earldom of -- Rosslyn. (So, at least, the Oxford Companion, which in general I have found to be reliable; Weintraub, p. 345, says he became "1st Earl Loughborough in 1801"). - RBW
Bibliography
Cook: Don Cook, The Long Fuse: How England Lost the American colonies 1760-1785, Atlantic Monthly Press, 1995
OxfordCompanion: John Cannon, editor, The Oxford Companion to British History, Oxford, 1997
Weintraub: Stanley Weintraub, Iron Tears: Amerca's Battle for Freedom, Britain's Quagmire: 1775-1783, Free Press, 2005
Folk Index: Captain Wedderburn's Courtship [Ch 46]
Rt - Riddle Song ; Mr. Woodbury's Courtship
At - You Lie Next the Wall
Uf - Riddle Song
Friedman, Albert B. (ed.) / Viking Book of Folk Ballads of the English-S, Viking, sof (1963/1957), p137 [1820ca]
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p158
Leach, MacEdward / The Ballad Book, Harper & Row, Bk (1955), p160 (Six Questions)
Clancy, Willie. Minstrel from Clare, Topic 12T 175, LP (1967), trk# B.06 (Song of the Riddles)
Edwards, George. Cazden, Norman (ed.) / Merry Ditties, Bonanza Books, Bk (1958), p 20 (Captain's Walker Courtship)
Edwards, George. Cazden, Norman, et.al. / Folk Songs of the Catskills, SUNY Press, sof (1982), p470/#124 [1940s] (Rich Man's Daughter)
Ennis, Seamus. Folk Songs of Britain, Vol 4. The Child Ballads, I, Caedmon TC 1145, LP (1961), trk# B.01 [1950s]
Hartlan, Richard. Creighton, Helen / Songs and Ballads from Nova Scotia, Dover, sof (1996/1933), p 6/# 3 [1927-32]
Holcomb, W. H.. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey (ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 37/# 13B [1940s] (Six Questions)
Marsten, Annie V.. Abrahams, Roger; & George Foss / Anglo-American Folksong Style, Prentice-Hall, Sof (1968), 3-8 [1929]
McAlindon, Hughie. Diamond Green and Other Traditional Ballads, Outlet OAS 3019, LP (Out), trk# A.06 (You Lie Next the Wall)
McPherson, James. Moore, Ethel & Chauncey (ed.) / Ballads and Folk Songs of the Southwest, Univ. of Okla, Bk (1964), p 36/# 13A [1937] (Old Man's Courtship)
Okun, Milt. Merry Ditties, Riverside RLP 12-603, LP (1955), trk# B.03 (Captain's Walker Courtship)
Paton, Sandy. Many Sides of Sandy Paton, Elektra EKL 148, LP (1959), trk# A.01
Redpath, Jean. Jean Redpath, Philo 2015, CD (1987), trk# 5
Richter, Albert E.. Korson, George (ed.) / Pennsylvania Songs and Legends, Univ. of Penna., Bk (1949), p 35 [1946] (Gentle Young Lady)
Unidentified Youth. Scarborough, Dorothy(ed.) / A Song Catcher in the Southern Mountains, AMS, Bk (1966/1937), p230 [1930ca]
Child Collection Index (Includes "Riddle Song")
046 Alec Foster Stock and Wall Old British Ballads of Donegal and Derry - Traditional Singers Collected By Hugh Shields 1972 No
046 Alex Foster Stock and Wall (1) The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum Collection No
046 Alex Foster Stock and Wall (2) The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum Collection No
046 Alexander Clark Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Alfred Deller I Will Give My Love an Apple The Three Ravens - Elizabethan Folk and Minstrels Songs 2003 1:45 Yes
046 Alfred Deller I Will Give My Love an Apple The Three Ravens - Elizabethan Folk and Minstrels Songs 1994 1:41 Yes
046 Alfred Deller I Will Give My Love an Apple Portrait of a Legend 2004 1:45 Yes
046 Alfred Deller, Mark Deller & Desmond Dupré I Will Give My Love an Apple Folksongs 1972 1:47 Yes
046 Andreas Scholl I Will Give My Love an Apple English Folksongs & Lute Songs 1996 1:48 Yes
046 Andreas Scholl I Will Give My Love an Apple The Essential Andreas Scholl 2006 No
046 Andreas Scholl & Orpheus Chamber Orchestra I Will Give My Love an Apple Wayfaring Stranger - Folksongs 2001 2:38 Yes 046 Andrew Calhoun I Gave My Love a Cherry Grapevine 2011 No
046 Andrew Rowan Summers I Will Give My Love an Apple Andrew Rowan Summers 1957 2:10 Yes
046 Anne Lister Beech and Willow Root, Seed, Thorn & Flower 1997 3:13 Yes
046 Ask Your Father The Courtship of Captain Wedderburn About the Old Songs 2006 3:39 Yes
046 Audrey Coppard I Will Give My Love an Apple English Folk Songs 1956 2:53 Yes
046 Belle Luther Richards Capt Wedderburn's Courtship The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Bellowhead Captain Wedderburn Hedonism 2010 6:01 Yes
046 Benjamin Luxon & Bill Crofut I Gave My Love an Apple/I Gave My Love a Cherry Simple Gifts - Benjamin Luxon & Bill Crofut Sing Folk Songs at Tanglewood 1993 No
046 Benjamin Wetherill He Rolled Her to the Wall Wedderburn 2007 4:31 Yes
046 Betty Vaiden Williams I Gave My Love a Cherry Folk Songs and Ballads of North Carolina 1957 No
046 Bill Garden's Orchestra I Gave My Love a Cherry Travel the Lake District 1996 No
046 Bill Staines The Riddle Song One More River - More Songs for Kids, Cars and Campfires 1998 3:27 Yes
046 Bingo The Riddle Song Songs for Children in English with Brazilian & Caribbean Rhythms 2005 No
046 Birgitte Grimstad I'll Give My Love an Apple Ord Over Grind, 51 Beste 1966-1994 1994 No
046 Bjørn Lynne The Riddle Song Irish & Celtic Instrumentals 2008 No
046 Bob Coltman Captain Hanley and Sweet Maizie Lonesome Robin 1973 4:42 Yes
046 Bradley Kincaid I Gave My Love a Cherry Old-Time Songs & Hymns - Vol 1 & 2 1974 1:18 Yes
046 Burl Ives Riddle Song Troubador - Original 1941-1950 Recordings 2004 1:33 Yes
046 Burl Ives Riddle Song Wild Side of Life 2006 No
046 Burl Ives The Riddle Song Another Day Another Year 1998 No
046 Burl Ives The Riddle Song The Collection 2001 1:32 Yes
046 Burl Ives The Riddle Song Lavender Blue - Songs of Charm, Humour and Sincerity 2002 1:32 Yes
046 Burl Ives The Riddle Song The Wayfaring Stranger 1955 1:31 Yes
046 Burl Ives The Riddle Song The Wayfaring Stranger 2000 1:31 Yes
046 Burl Ives The Riddle Song (I Gave My Love a Cherry) Philco's Friendly Troubadour - 20 Vintage Radio Broadcasts 1946-47 2004 No
046 Burl Ives Riddle Song Burl Ives Sings His Favourites 1996 No
046 Cammi Vaughan Riddle Song Lass of Roch Royal 2005 No
046 Cara Luft Lord Roslyn's Daughter The Light Fantastic 2007 4:46 Yes
046 Carly Simon I Gave My Love a Cherry (The Riddle Song) Into White 2007 2:52 Yes
046 Carol Ponder Cherry Riddle Pretty Bird - A Cappella Ballads in the Southern Mountain Tradition 1998 No
046 Catherine McKinnon I'll Give My Love an Apple Voice of an Angel 1964 2:20 Yes
046 Cathie Ryan You and I in the One Bed Lie Cathie Ryan 1997 2:55 Yes
046 Cathie Ryan You and I in the One Bed Lie + Reels Live at Fiddlers Green 2002 7:50 Yes
046 Charles Jordan & Joyce Sullivan I'll Give My Love an Apple Canadian Folk Songs - Chansons Folkloriques du Canada [Canadian Folk Songs: a Centennial Collection] 1967 No
046 Charlie Louvin I Gave My Love a Cherry The Many Moods of Charlie Louvin 1965 2:48 Yes
046 Clark Jones I Will Give My Love an Apple Early American Folk Music & Songs 1982 4:08 Yes
046 Clyde "Slim" Wilson Wild Cherry The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection
1:49 Yes
046 Colm Keane Captain Wedderburn's Courtship BBC Recordings No
046 Cynthia Gooding I Will Give My Love an Apple Queen of Hearts - Early English Folk Songs 1953 1:26 Yes
046 Cyril Tawney I Will Give My Love an Apple I Will Give My Love an Apple - Traditional Love Songs from South-West England 1973 2:02 Yes
046 Dan Samples The Riddle Song (I Gave My Love a Cherry) <website> 2007 2:26 Yes
046 Daniel Taylor & Sylvain Bergeron I Will Give My Love an Apple Lie Down, Poor Heart - English Lutesongs & Folk Ballads 2000 2:10 Yes
046 Danny Darrow A Friend (The Riddle Song) Great Folk Songs 2004 No
046 David Daniel Ball The Riddle Song <website> 2007 2:20 Yes
046 David Edwards Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 David Keith Jones I Gave My Love a Cherry Traditional England [Best of England] 2010
No
046 Delta Burnett Reed I Gave My Love a Cherry Songs for My Loveys 2005 3:18 Yes
046 Denis Gibbons The Riddle Song Trads and Anons 1966 1:30 Yes
046 Dennis Smith Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (1) The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 Dennis Smith Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (2) The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 Dick & Dee Dee The Riddle Song Turn Around 196? No
046 Dick & Jacquie Schuyler I'll Give My Love an Apple 200 Years of American Heritage in Song - Country Folk Bluegrass: 100 Classics 1999 4:00 Yes
046 Dick Fariña & Eric Von Schmidt Riddle Song Dick Fariña & Eric Von Schmidt 1963 1:11 Yes
046 Doc Watson Riddle Song Ben & Jerry's Newport Folk Festival '88 Live 1989 2:40 Yes
046 Doc Watson The Riddle Song Songs for Little Pickers 1990 2:41 Yes
046 Doc Watson The Riddle Song Southbound 1995 2:43 Yes
046 Duncan Williamson Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Put Another Log on the Fire: Songs and Tunes from a Scots Traveller 1994 5:39 Yes
046 Duncan Williamson Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (1) John Howson Collection 1970-1995 No
046 Duncan Williamson Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (2) John Howson Collection 1970-1995 No
046 Ed McCurdy Riddle Song A Treasury of Folk Songs for Children 1962 No
046 Eddy Arnold I Gave My Love a Cherry Wanderin' 1955 No
046 Eddy Arnold I Gave My Love a Cherry There's Been a Change in Me - 1951-1955 2008 2:16 Yes
046 Edna Ritchie The Riddle Song Edna Ritchie of Viper Kentucky 1962 No
046 Eileen Mcgann The Riddle Song Elements 1987 3:00 Yes
046 Elizabeth Robb Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Ellen Rettie Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Emily Mitchell Riddle Song Flying Dreams - A Lullaby Album 1993 1:44 Yes
046 Ewan MacColl Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) - Vol. 8 [Reissue] 196? 10:00 Yes
046 Ewan MacColl Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (Child Ballads) - Vol. 3 1964 8:47 Yes
046 Ewan MacColl Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) - Vol. 4 1956 No
046 Ewan MacColl Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Ballads - Murder Intrigue Love Discord 2009 10:14 Yes
046 Frank Donnelly You and I in the One Bed Lie The Singing Men of Ulster - Traditional Songs from Northern Ireland 1977 No
046 Frank Harte He Rolled Her to the Wall Through Dublin City - Lyrical Ballads and Rebel Songs 1972 No
046 Frank Harte He Rolled Her to the Wall Dublin Street Songs + Through Dublin City 2007 No
046 Frank Harte He Rolled Her to the Wall Three Score and Ten - A Voice to the People 2009 3:34 Yes
046 Frank Ritchie I Gave My Love a Cherry Courtin' in Ireland 1971 No
046 Fred Carter Concepts I Gave My Love a Cherry Songs of the British Isles 2000 No
046 George Hubley Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 Go!Go!Discotheque! Greenstuff (I Gave My Love a Cherry + The Riddle Song) Discotheque Dancers-Go-Go! 1964 1:56 Yes
046 Gordeanna McCulloch Captain Wedderburn Sheath & Knife - Traditional Songs & Ballads from Scotland 2000 4:29 Yes
046 Gourdon Singer Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Graham McCarthy The Riddle Song Best Loved Folk Songs 1962 2:24 Yes
046 Great Big Sea Captain Wedderburn Road Rage 2000 3:51 Yes
046 Great Big Sea Captain Wedderburn Turn 2000 3:38 Yes
046 Herta Marshall Riddle Song To You with Love - American Folk Songs for Women 1957 No
046 Hugh McAlindon You Lie Next the Wall The Diamond Green 1979 No
046 Ian & Sylvia Captain Woodstock's Courtship The Complete Vanguard Studio Recordings 2001 2:56 Yes
046 Ian & Sylvia Captain Woodstock's Courtship Northern Journey 1964 2:56 Yes
046 Ian & Sylvia Captain Woodstock's Courtship Folk Song America, Vol. 3 - A 20th Century Revival 1994 2:59 Yes
046 Iona I Will Give My Love an Apple The River Flows - Anthology Vol. 1 2002 4:37 Yes
046 Iona I Will Give My Love an Apple Heaven's Bright Sun 1997 6:35 Yes
046 James Harlan Martin I Gave My Love a Cherry Ben Gray Lumpkin Digital Folk Music Collection 1950-1970 2:10 Yes
046 James Mason Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Jamie MacDougall I Will Give My Love an Apple Britten - the Folksong Arrangements 2000 No
046 Jamie O'Brien You and I in the One Bed Lie Many's the Mile, Love.. 2007 2:47 Yes
046 Jane Morgan The Riddle Song The Ballads of Lady Jane 1960 1:56 Yes
046 Jean Redpath Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Jean Redpath 1989 7:25 Yes
046 Jean Ritchie The Riddle Song None But One + High Hills and Mountains 1992 3:02 Yes
046 Jean Ritchie & Oscar Brand I Will Give My Love an Apple Courting and Riddle Songs 1961 No
046 Jean Ritchie & Paul Clayton The Riddle Song American Folk Tales and Songs 1956 1:19 Yes
046 Jennifer Clarke You and I in the One Bed Lie Prairie Celt 2004 2:40 Yes
046 Jennifer Rose I Will Give My Love an Apple Something Olde, Something New 1997 1:18 Yes
046 Jennifer Rose Riddle Song Something Olde, Something New 1997 2:17 Yes
046 Jill Trinka The Riddle Song John, the Rabbit and Other Folk Songs, Singing Games, & Play Parties - 3 1995 No
046 Jim & Art Riddle Song Jim and Art Sing and Play a Folk Song 1962 No
046 Jimmie Rodgers The Riddle Song Jimmie Rodgers Sings Folk Songs + The Folk Song World of Jimmie Rodgers 2001 2:42 Yes
046 Joan Baez I Gave My Love a Cherry Joan Baez in San Francisco 1964 3:16 Yes
046 Joan Baez & Pete Seeger The Riddle Song Where Have All the Flowers Gone 1991 3:49 Yes
046 Joan Baez & Pete Seeger The Riddle Song Very Early Joan 1982 3:47 Yes
046 Joe Heaney [Seosamh Ó hÉanaí] Captain Muddleboro's Courtship The Calliope House Concert, Pittsburgh 1977 4:50 Yes
046 Joe Herrmann Riddle Song Gather 'Round 2009 No
046 Joe Rae The Laird O'Roslyn's Dochter The Broom Blooms Bonny - Ballads, Songs and Stories from Ayrshire 2001 3:21 Yes
046 John Connell Captain Wedderburn's Courtship BBC Recordings No
046 John Langstaff I Will Give My Love an Apple The Seeds of Love 1987 No
046 John Langstaff The Riddle Song, or, I Will Give My Love an Apple John Langstaff Sings - Archival Folk Collection 1949-1961 2004 1:39 No
046 John Langstaff The Riddle Song, or, I Will Give My Love an Apple The Water Is Wide: American and British Ballads and Folksongs 2002 1:39 Yes
046 John Riddoch Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 John Sutherland Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Johnny Bonneville & Fiddlin' Phil Swaby The Riddle Song Songs About Devils, Farms and Trains 2004 2:44 Yes
046 Johnny Mowat Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Jon Boden Captain Wedderburn's Courtship A Folk Song a Day - February 2011 5:33 Yes
046 Josh White I Gave My Love a Cherry From New York to London - The Classic Recordings 2002 2:37 Yes
046 Josh White The Riddle Song (I Gave My Love a Cherry) Josh White in Chronical Order - Vol. 6 2000 No
046 Josh White I Gave My Love a Cherry (The Riddle Song) American Folk Anthology 2008 No
046 Josh White Riddle Song Blues & Ballads 2002 No
046 Judy Mayhan I Gave My Love a Cherry (The Riddle Song) Rockin’ the Cradle 2002 3:06 Yes
046 Julie Felix The Riddle Song First, Second & Third - The Complete Three Decca LP's 1964-1966 2008 1:45 Yes
046 Julie Felix The Riddle Song Julie Felix 1966 No
046 Karen James Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Karen James 1961 3:19 Yes
046 Katherine Campbell Captain Wedderburn The Songs of Amelia and Jane Harris - Scots Songs and Ballads from Perthshire Tradition 2004 4:03 Yes
046 Lena Bourne Fish Captain Washburn's Courtship (1) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Lena Bourne Fish Captain Washburn's Courtship (2) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Lena Bourne Fish Captain Washburn's Courtship (3) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Lena Bourne Fish Captain Washburn's Courtship (4) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Lena Bourne Fish Captain Washburn's Courtship (5) The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Leoni Jansen I Will Give My Love an Apple Second Wind [Leoni Jansen] 2008 No
046 Leslie Durno Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Leza Mesiah The Riddle Song More of the Moor of Dundee 2008 No
046 Logan English Bold Robington's Courtship Kentucky Folk Songs and Ballads 1957 1:57 Yes
046 Lois Lane The Riddle Song Folk and All That Jazz 2007 No
046 Lorna Campbell Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Cock Doth Craw - Ballads from Scotland 1968 No
046 Louise Jordan I Will Give My Love an Apple Born to Wander 2010 No
046 Lydia McCauley I Will Give My Love an Apple ForeignLander 2004 3:37 Yes
046 Maggy Murphy Stock or Wall (Captain Emmerson) Linkin' O'er the Lea - Traditional Folk Songs and Ballads from Tempo, County Fermanagh 2002 No
046 Marcoacca The Riddle Song <website> 2008- 3:13 Yes
046 Maria Jette & Judith Kogan I Will Give My Love an Apple Folk Songs of the British Isles arranged by Benjamin Britten 2001
No
046 MarPluto The Riddle Song <website> 2:28 Yes
046 Mary O'Hara The Riddle Song 40 Traditional Songs 2007 No
046 Michael Strange Riddle, the Riddle Song Michael Strange Sings Folk Songs 196? 2:55 Yes
046 Mike Preston & Mike Fenton The Riddle Song As I Walked Out - English Folk Songs from the Southern Apalachians 2005 No 046 Moira Cameron I Have Four Brothers Sands of the Shore - Be Tricked or Betrayed 2007 No
046 Mrs. Ellen M. Sullivan Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Mrs. Elwin Burditt Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Helen Hartness Flanders Collection No
046 Mrs. Mary Ann Cunningham Stock and Wall The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum Collection No
046 Mrs Rettie Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Mrs. Rose McCartin Stock and Wall The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum Collection No
046 Mrs Thompson Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Mrs William Duncan Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Nana Mouskouri I Gave My Love a Cherry Songs of the British Isles 2000 2:33 Yes
046 Nana Mouskouri I Gave My Love a Cherry (1) Complete English Works 2005 No
046 Nana Mouskouri I Gave My Love a Cherry (2) Complete English Works 2005 No
046 Nana Mouskouri I Gave My Love a Cherry Colour Collection [The Universal Master Collection] 2007 2:35 Yes
046 Naomi Sommers & Rose Polenzani The Riddle Song <website> 2007 4:22 Yes
046 Ollie Gilbert I Give My Love a Cherry The Max Hunter Folk Song Collection 1:04 Yes
046 Pat MacNamara Mr Woodburren's Courtship Around the Hills of Clare 2004 No
046 Patrick Heekin Stock and Wall The Ulster Folk & Transport Museum Collection No
046 Peggy Seeger The Riddle Song Cold Snap - Traditional & Contemporary Songs and Ballads 1978 No
046 Peggo & Paul The Riddle Song Summer Nights - Lullabies and Soothing Songs 2001 3:04 Yes
046 Pete Seeger The Riddle Song American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 2 [2003] 2003 2:26 Yes
046 Pete Seeger The Riddle Song American Favorite Ballads, Vol. 2 [1958] 1958 No
046 Peter Christie Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Philip Langridge & Carlos Bonell I Will Give My Love an Apple Benjamin Britten - The Folk Songs 1995 No
046 Philip Langridge & Carlos Bonell I Will Give My Love an Apple Britten: Folk Song Arrangements - The English Song Series, Vol, 10 2005 1:19 Yes
046 Poítín You and I in One Bed Lie Winter Brew 2004 2:44 Yes
046 Quink Vocal Ensemble The Riddle Song Folk Songs of the World 1991 1:55 Yes
046 Ralph Huskins Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 Raymond Crooke The Riddle Song <website> 2007- 2:13 Yes
046 Richard Hartlan Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (1) The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 Richard Hartlan Captain Wedderburn's Courtship (2) The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 Richard Younger I Gave My Love a Cherry Gimme Gimme 2006 2:27 Yes
046 Roger McGuinn The Riddle Song Folk Den Podcast 1995- 1:23 Yes
046 Roger McGuinn The Riddle Song The Folk Den Project - 1995-2005 2005 1:24 Yes
046 Ronnie Hawkins I Gave My Love a Cherry Ronnie Hawkins + Folk Ballads of Ronnie Hawkins 1999 No
046 Rosie McCartin The Keeper of the Game Early Ballads in Ireland 1968-1985 1985 6:30 Yes
046 Rossendale Male Voice Choir I Gave My Love a Cherry The Valley of Song 1994 2:22 Yes
046 Rossendale Male Voice Choir I Will Give My Love an Apple The Valley of Song 1994 2:28 Yes
046 Rossettistone Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Deirdre's Song 2000 5:12 Yes
046 Roy Harris Capt. Wedderburn's Courtship Utter Simplicity 1981 4:03 Yes
046 Russell Cook The Riddle Song (The 12th of Never) Reminisce 1991 No
046 Salli Terri The Riddle Song Songs of Enchantment 1959 No
046 Sally Rogers I Gave My Love a Cherry At Quiet O'Clock 2000 2:50 Yes
046 Sam Cooke The Riddle Song Ain't That Good News 2003 2:29 Yes
046 Sandy Denny 12th of Never Studio Outtakes, Home Demos, Unheard Songs, Complete Studio Recordings 2010 2:46 Yes
046 Sandy Paton Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Many Sides of Sandy Paton 1959 No
046 Sarah Mallinson & Debbie Warren I Will Give Me Love an Apple Lowlands 1998 1:34 Yes
046 Seamus Ennis Captain Woodburn (Captain Wedderburn's Courtship) The Folk Songs of Britain, Vol 4: The Child Ballads 1 1961 3:06 Yes
046 Sheena Wellington Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Folk Songs of North East Scotland - Songs from the Greig Duncan Collection 1995 5:43 Yes
046 Shelby Flint The Riddle Song Shelby Flint Sings Folk + Shelby Flint + Cast Your Fate to the Wind 2002 2:08 Yes
046 Sid Kipper & Dave Burland The Roughton Wriggle Song Boiled in the Bag 1997 2:04 Yes
046 Spud He Rolled Her to the Wall The Happy Handful 1975 3:19 Yes
046 Staverton Bridge Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Staverton Bridge - Ballads, Broadsides, Rural and Industrial Songs, Traditional and Contemporary 1975 2:51 Yes
046 Strainsofme I Gave My Love a Cherry <website> 2007 1:49 Yes
046 Susan Reed The Riddle Song Songs of the Auvergne + Susan Reed in Folk Songs
Songs of the Auvergne 1950 No
046 Tennessee Ernie Ford I Gave My Love a Cherry This Lusty Land 1956 3:29 Yes
046 The Boston Camerata & Joel Cohen My Love Gave Me a Cherry + I Gave My Love a Cherry New Britain: The Roots of American Folksong 1989 2:25 Yes
046 The Delta Rhythm Boys The Riddle Song The Delta Rhythm Boys 1957 No
046 The Gregg Smith Singers The Riddle American Folk Songs [Gregg Smith Singers] No
046 The Kinsfolk I Will Give My Love an Apple Up on the Mountain 1969 2:08 Yes
046 The Limeliters The Riddle Song The Complete RCA Singles Collection 2000 2:43 Yes
046 The Limeliters The Riddle Song Through Children's Eyes - Little-Folk Songs for Adults 1962 2:30 Yes
046 The Scholars I Will Give My Love an Apple Annie Laurie - English Folk Songs 1981 2:00 Yes
046 The Von Swing Family The Riddle Song Honey, Sugar Baby Mine 2009 No
046 The Wanderer's Three The Riddle Song Liberty Hootenanny 1960 2:25 Yes
046 The Wanderer's Three The Riddle Song We Sing Folk Songs 1962 2:35 Yes
046 Thomas Moran Captain Wedderburn's Courtship BBC Recordings No
046 Thomas Moran Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Elfin Knight - The Classic Ballads 1 1976 No
046 Thomas Moran Captain Woodburn (Captain Wedderburn's Courtship) Classic Ballads of Britain & Ireland - Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales, Vol 1 2000 3:12 Yes
046 Tim Hart & Friends The Riddle Song Favorite Nursery Rhymes and Other Children's Songs 1989 4:10 Yes
046 Tim Hart & Maddy Prior Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Folk Songs of Olde England - Vol. 2 1968 4:14 Yes
046 Tim Hart & Maddy Prior Captain Wedderburn's Courtship Heydays 2003 No
046 Troubadour Riddle Song The Best of Balladry - Islands and Centuries of Celtic Songs 1998 No
046 Wade Jacoby I Gave My Love a Cherry The Bicycle Wreck - A Tribute to the Jacoby Brothers 2004 2:26 Yes
046 Warde Ford Many Questions California Gold - Northern California Folk Music from the Thirties Collected By Sidney Robertson Cowell 193? 1:51 Yes
046 William Duncan Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 William Gilkie Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The Helen Creighton Collection No
046 William Mathieson Captain Wedderburn's Courtship The James Madison Carpenter Collection 1927-1955 No
046 Willie Clancy The Song of the Riddles Irish Voices - The Best in Traditional Singing 1997 No
046 Willie Clancy The Song of the Riddles The Voice of the People, Vol. 1: Come Let Us Buy the License - Songs of Courtship & Marriage 1998 3:41 Yes
046 Willie Clancy The Song of the Riddles The Minstrel from Clare 1994 3:43 Yes
046 Willie Clancy The Song of the Riddles Celtic Reflections 1998 No
046 Willie MacNeill (williegogo) I Gave My Love a Cherry <website> 2007 2:26 Yes
Excerpt from The British Traditional Ballad in North America
by Tristram Coffin 1950, from the section A Critical Biographical Study of the Traditional Ballads of North America
46. CAPTAIN WEDDERBURN'S COURTSHIP
Texts: Barry, Brit Bids Me, 93 / Creighton, Sgs Bids N Sc, 6 / Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sgs So Mich, 139 / JAFL, XXIII, 377; XXIV, 335 / MacKenzie, Bids Sea Sgs N Sc, 14 / MacKenzie, Quest Bid, 108. Korson, Pa Sgs Lgds, 35.
Local Titles: A Gentle Young Lady, Bold Robbington, Captain Woodstock, Mr. Woodbum's Courtship, Six Questions.
Story Types: A: A keeper of the game wishes to sleep with a certain girl. She coyly refuses until he has answered six (or some other number) questions. When he replies to those asked, he claims his right to sleep with her and not lie "next to the wall". She, however, asks three more questions. When he answers these, she asks no more and soon yields to his wishes.
Examples: Barry (A), Creighton, Gardner and Chickering (A).
"Discussion: The American texts of Captain Wedderburn's Courtship are rare and, to my knowledge, concentrated in the northeastern portions of the United States and Canada. Where the ballad is found it is close to the Child versions, although condensed. However, it is not improbable that these American songs have come over from Britain by way of Ireland,
Riddle ballads are extremely old (see Child, 1, 4156), and it is likely that the actual questions and answers that are used by the coy maid and her lover have become attached to this song from a tradition of their own. Throughout the United States it is common to find the riddles existing alone as a song known under the title, I Gave My Love a Cherry. For representative examples consult Alberta P. Hannum, Thursday April, 204; Henry, F-S So Hgblds, 141 and Sgs Sng So Aplchns, 25; Kincaid, Fav Mt Bids, 15; Kolb, Treasry F-S, 301; Scarborough, Sgctchr So Mts, 230; Scott, Sing of Am, 54; and SharpK, Eng F-S So Aplchns, II, 190.
Child, I, 415 refers to a number of nursery songs which use these same riddles. See Halliwell's Popular Rhymes and Nursery Tales, 150. Such texts are common to America under such titles as the Four Brothers or Peri Meri Dictum and make use of the motif that four brothers (three cousins) have sent a series of presents, the first a "cherry without a stone", etc. The gifts are subsequently explained. Representative texts can be found in the following works: Brown Collection; Eddy, Bids Sgs Ohio, 25; Franklin Square Song Collection (N. Y., 1881), 66; JAFL, XXIX, 157; Linscott, F-S Old NE, 267; Mother Goose's Melodies (N. Y., 1877), 53, 82; Niles, More Sgs Hill Flk, 12; and Randolph, OzF-S, II, 432. The garbled Latin refrain "perry merry dictum dominee" is characteristic of these songs.
Two points of note concerning the American versions of Child 46 are that the Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sgs So Mich, text is uniquely told in the first person and that the "next to the wall" theme has caused a large amount of textual confusion.
For a discussion of the American ramifications of the Child ballad and the riddles see Henry, F-S So Hghlds, 140.
I GAVE MY LOVE A CHERRY- Mellinger Henry, F-S So Hghlds, 140
(Cf. Capt. Wedderburn's Courtship, Child, No. 46) This riddle-song is included here because of its connection with the ballad, Captain Wedderburn's Courtship. Barry-Eckstorm-Smyth (p. 99) discuss the relation of the song to the ballad, pointing out that "It is not a ballad at all, but a series of riddles in verse form." It is allied to Child, No. 46, therefore, only in as much as the ballad has taken over some lines of the old riddle-song. The oldest known version of the song has been found in a fifteenth century manuscript. This version is printed in Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads, I, 415; compare The Cambridge Poets series, edited by Helen Child Sargent and George Lyman Kittredge, page 646. The song is better known in American tradition than the ballad. See Tol-man, Journal, XXIX, 157—158; J. P. MacCaskey, Franklin Square Song Collection, p. 66 (New York, 1881); Bradley Kincaid's My Favorite Mountain Ballads and Old-Time Songs, Chicago, 1928, p. 15, with which the present song is nearly identical, but there are sufficient verbal changes to warrant the printing here of the latter. Cf. also Frank Shay's More Pious Friends and Drunken Companions, p. 126.
For American texts of Captain Wedderburn's Courtship, see Barry -Eckstorm-Smyth, pp. 93—99; Mackenzie, Ballads, p. 14, reprinted from Quest, pp. 108—no and {torn Journal, XXIII, 377; Barry, Joufnal, XXIV,3 3 5 (reprinted in Barry-Eckstorm -Smyth, p. 97). Mr. Barry writes (Nov. 14, 1931): "There is one more to add, a fragment with the air, from Vermont/' Captain Wedderburn's Courtship is a late ballad; the first record of it in print according to Motherwell is 1785. Child was never able to find a copy of this print.
Captain Wedderburn's Courtship: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Child's Ballads/46: "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship" is an old Scottish ballad dating from 1785 or earlier. It is Child Ballad #46.[1] It is known by a number of titles, including "Lord Roslin's Daughter" and "The Laird of Rosslyn's Daughter".
Synopsis
Versions differ, but generally a captain meets a lady walking in the woods or through an estate. Sometimes he takes her to where he is staying. In all variants, she says she will not marry or sleep with him without his answering riddles. She asks them. He answers them all, and they are married and/or he takes her to bed.
Motifs
The ingenious suitor who can answer every riddle, or nonplus the heroine, is not as common as the clever maid, but occurs quite frequently in folklore.[2]
Recordings
In 1964, Canadian Folk duo Ian and Sylvia recorded this ballad as "Captain Woodstock's Courtship"; their version is from a Nova Scotia collection by Folklorist Helen Creighton.
Tim Hart and Maddy Prior recorded the ballad in 1968 on Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 2.
The Great Big Sea song "Captain Wedderburn" on their Turn album is based on this ballad.
In 2007 Cara Luft recorded the song "Lord roslyn's daughter" on the album "The Light Fantastic".
Bellowhead recorded a version on their 2010 album Hedonism.
Lyrics
The Laird of Rosslyn's daughter
Walked through the wood her lane.
And by came Captain Wedderburn,
A soldier of the king.
He said unto his serving man,
Were't not against the law,
I would take her to my own bed
And lay her next the wall.
I'm walking here my lane, says she,
Among my father's trees,
And you may let me walk my lane,
Kind sir, now, if you please.
The supper bell it will be rung
And I'll be missed awa',
So I'll not lie in your bed
At neither stock nor wall.
Then said the pretty lady,
I pray tell me your name.
My name is Captain Wedderburn,
A soldier of the king.
Though your father and all his men were here,
I would take you from them all,
I would take you to my own bed
And lay you next the wall.
O hold away from me,
Kind sir, I pray you let me be,
For I'll not lie in your bed
Till I get dishes three.
Three dishes for my supper,
Though I eat none at all,
Before I lie in your bed
At either stock or wall.
I must have to my supper
A chicken without a bone,
And I must have to my supper
A cherry without stone,
And I must have to my supper
A bird without a gall,
Before I lie in your bed
At either stock or wall.
The chicken when it's in the shell
I'm sure it has no bone,
And when the cherry's in the bloom
I wat it has no stone.
The dove she is a gentle bird,
She flies without a gall,
And we'll both lie in one bed
And you'll lie next the wall.
O hold away from me, kind sir,
And do not me perplex,
For I'll not lie in your bed
Till you answer questions six.
Six questions you must answer me,
And that is four and twa,
Before I lie in your bed
At either stock or wall.
O what is greener than the grass,
What's higher than the trees,
O what is worse than a woman's wish,
What's deeper than the seas,
What bird crows first, what tree buds first,
What first on them does fall,
Before I lie in your bed
At either stock or wall.
Death is greener than the grass,
Heaven's higher than the trees,
The devil's worse than woman's wish,
Hell's deeper than the seas,
The cock crows first, the cedar buds first,
Dew first on them does fall,
And we'll both lie in one bed,
And you'll lie next the wall.
Little did this lady think,
That morning when she raise,
It was to be the very last
Of all her maiden days,
For now she's Captain Wedderburn's wife,
A man she never saw,
And now they lie in one bed,
And she lies next the wall.
References
1.^ Francis James Child, English and Scottish Popular Ballads "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship"
2.^ Francis James Child, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, v 1, p 416, Dover Publications, New York 1965
External links
Quoted Text: Captain Wedderburns's Courtship
Mainly Norfolk: English Folk and Other Good Music
Captain Wedderburn's Courtship / Song of the Riddles
[Roud 36; Child 46; Ballad Index C046; trad.]
Ewan MacColl sang Captain Wedderburn's Courtship in 1956 on his and A.L. Lloyd's anthology The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (The Child Ballads) Volume IV. As most of his songs on this series, it was included in 2009 on his double CD Ballads: Murder—Intrigue—Love—Discord. Editor Kenneth G. Goldstein wrote in the album's booklet:
Riddles and riddling songs have long been popular in the folklore of the world's peoples. It is probable that the riddle portion of this ballad existed independently in tradition some time before Captain Wedderburn's Courtship came into being. The meter and form of the ballad suggest a late composition (probably no earlier than the middle of the 17th century), while the riddles have been found in manuscripts dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.
The ballad itself was known to Child in only three versions. It was still popular in tradition in Scotland early in this century for Greig [The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection] collected nine versions in Aberdeen, though it may presently be extinct there. American texts of this ballad are rare, though the riddle portion of the ballad has been collected widely as a separate song entitled I Gave My Love a Cherry or The Riddle Song.
The version sung by MacColl was learned from Greig and Keith [Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs].
Séamus Ennis sang Captain Wedderburn's Courtship on the anthology The Child Ballads Volume 1 (The Folksongs of Britain Volume 4; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1968).
Willie Clancy sang this song as The Song of the Riddles in 1967 on his Topic album The Minstrel from Clare and on the 1998 Topic anthology Come Let Us Buy the Licence (The Voice of the People Series Volume 1).
Tim Hart and Maddy Prior recorded this song for their second duo album Folk Songs of Old England Vol. 2, but they lose the third set of riddles from MacColl's version. The record's sleeve notes comment:
Riddles have for a long time played a noteworthy part in ballad courtship even occurring as far away as Siberia, the woman promising her hand to the first suitor to solve her riddles. This is an anglicised collation of a number of Scottish versions the brunt of which comes from the collection of F.J. Child (No. 46). An old Scottish house consisted of one large room with the beds set in alcoves, the wife sleeping between her husband and the wall for protection; although conversely she could not escape.
Frank Harte sang the related song He Rolled Her to the Wall in 1973 on his Topic LP Through Dublin City. He commented in his liner notes:
Similar in content to Rosemary Fair except that in this case instead of tasks which must be performed it is riddles which must be answered. It is a version of Captain Wedderburn's Courtship. This type of song has been sung all over Europe since medieval times, originally as Christian moralities, later as love songs.
Bellowhead sang an abridged version of the song with the abridged title Captain Wedderburn in 2010 on their CD Hedonism. Their verses are quite similar to Tim Hart and Maddy Prior's but they skip the three verses with the first riddles too. Jon Boden sang it unaccompanied as the February 27, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day where he commented:
I’m really proud of the Bellowhead version of this strange little riddle song. I wonder whether “worse than a woman’s voice” may be a mondegreen (woman’s scorn maybe?), but it makes me chuckle so I’ve left it. This one is learnt from Tim and Maddy’s lovely version.
Lyrics
Ewan MacColl sings Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
The Laird o' Roslin's dochter walked through the woods her leen
When by cam' Captain Wedderburn, a servant tae the King.
He said unto his servant man, “Were it no' against the law
I would tak' her tae my ain bed and lie her neist the wa'.”
“I'm walkin' here alane,” she said, ”among my faither's trees,
And you must let me walk alane, kind sir, now if you please;
The supper bells, they will be rung and I'll be missed awa',
So I canna lie in your bed, either at stock or wa'.”
He says, “My bonnie lassie, I pray lend me your hand,
And ye'll get drums and trumpets always at your command,
And fifty men tae guard you as long's this sword can draw,
And we'll baith lie in ae bed and you'll lie neist the wa'.”
“Oh,” says the bonnie lassie, “Pray tell tae me your name.”
“My name is Captain Wedderburn, a servant tae the King.
Though your faither were here and a' his men, I would tak ye fae them a',
I wad tak ye tae my ain bed and lay ye neist the wa'.”
He jumped aff his milk-white steed and set the lady on,
And a' the way he walked on foot and held her by the hand.
He held her by the middle jimp for fear that she should fa'
Till he took her tae his ain bed tae lay her neist the wa'.
He took her tae a lodging-hoose, the landlady looked ben,
Says, “Mony's the bonnie lady in Edinburgh I've seen,
But such a pretty, weel-faured face in it I never saw.
Ye'll mak' her doon a down bed and lay her neist the wa'.”
“Oh,” says the bonnie lassie, “before you do gain me
It's you must dress me dishes yet and that is dishes three.
Dishes three you'll dress tae me, though I should eat them a'
Before I lie in your bed either at stock or wa'.
“Ye'll get tae my supper a cherry without a stone,
And you will get to my supper a chicken without a bone,
And you will get to my supper a bird without a ga'
Before I lie in your bed either at stock or wa'.”
“When the cherry is in bloom, I'm sure it hath no stone,
And when the chicken is in the egg, I'm sure it hath no bone.
The dove he is a gentle bird and flies withoot a ga',
So we'll baith lie in ae bed and you'll lie neist the wa'.”
“Oh,” says the bonnie lassie, “before you me perplex
You will tell me questions yet and that is questions six.
Questions six ye'll tell to me and that is three times twa
Before I lie in your bed either at stock or wa'.
“What's greener than the greenest grass? What's higher than the trees?
What's worse than woman's vice? What's deeper than the seas?
What was the first bird that crew? And what did first doon fa'?
Before I lie in your bed either at stock or wa'.”
“Evergreen's greener than the grass, heaven's higher than the trees.
The Devil is worse than woman's vice, Hell's deeper than the seas.
The cock was the first bird that crew, the dew it did first doon fa',
So we'll baith lie in ae bed and you'll lie neist the wa'.”
“Oh,” says the bonnie lassie, “before I gie you ower
You will tell me fairlies and that is fairlies fower.
Fairlies fower ye'll tell to me and that is twa and twa
Before I lie in your bed either at stock or wa'.
“You will gie to me fruit that in December grew;
Ye'll get to me a mantle that waft was ne'er ca'd through,
A sparrow wi' a horn and a priest unborn this night to join us twa,
Before I lie in your bed either at stock or wa'.”
“My faither had plums that in December grew,
My mither had an Indian goon that weft was ne'er ca'd through,
A sparrow wi' a horn, that's easily found, there's ane on every claw,
An' twa upon the gab o't, and you shall hae them a'.
”The priest is standing at the door, just ready tae come in;
No one can say that he was born, no one unless he sin;
A wound cut in his mother's side and he oot' o't did fa.
So we'll baith lie in ae bed and you'll lie neist the wa'.”
Little did that fair maid think that morning when she raise
That it would be the very last o' a' her maiden days.
And in the parish whaur they live they was not a blither twa
And they baith lay in ae bed and she lay neist the wa'.
Tim Hart & Maddy Prior sing Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
The Laird o' Roslin's daughter walked through the woods alone
When by come Captain Wedderburn, a servant of the King.
He said unto his servant man, “Were it not against the law
I'd take her into my own bed and lie her next to the wall.”
Then he jumped off his milk-white steed and he set the lady on,
And all the way he walked on foot and he held her by the hand.
He held her by the middle of the waist for fear that she should fall
Till he took her to his own bed to lie her next to the wall.
“Oh,” said the pretty lady, “before you do gain me
It's you must dress me dishes yet and that is dishes three.
It's dishes three you must dress me, though I'll not eat at all
Before I'll lie in your bed at either stock or wall.”
“Oh you must get for supper a cherry without a stone,
And you must get for supper a chicken without a bone,
And you must get for supper a bird without a gall
Before I'll lie in your bed at either stock or wall.”
“A cherry when it is in bloom, I'm sure it has no stone,
And the chicken when it's in the egg, I'm sure it has no bone.
The dove she is a gentle bird and she flies without a gall,
So we'll lie both in one bed and you'll lie next to the wall.”
“Oh,” said the pretty lady, “before you me perplex
It's you must answer questions yet and that is questions six.
Questions six you must tell me and that is three times twa
Before I'll lie in your bed at either stock or wall.”
“Oh, what is greener than the grass? What's higher than the trees?
Oh, what is worse than woman's vice? What's deeper than the seas?
What was the first bird that did crow? And what did first down fall?
Before I'll lie in your bed at either stock or wall.”
“Oh, death is greener than the grass and is higher than the trees.
The Devil is worse than a woman's vice, Hell is deeper than the seas.
The cock was the first bird that did crow and the dew did first down fall,
So we'll lie both in one bed and you'll lie next to the wall.”
Oh little did that fair maid think that morning when she rose
That this would be the very last of all her maiden days.
And in the parish where they live they're the happiest pair of all
And they both lie in one bed and she lies next to the wall.
Bellowhead sing Captain Wedderburn's Courtship
The Earl of Rosslyn's daughter walked through the woods alone
When by came Captain Wedderburn, a servant of the King.
He said unto his servant man, “Were it not against the law
I'd take her into my own bed and lie her next to the wall.”
So he jumped off his milk-white steed and he set the lady on,
And all the way he walked on foot and he held her by the hand.
He held her by the middle of the waist for fear that she should fall
Before they'd lie in one bed and she'd lie next to the wall.
“But,” said the pretty lady, “before you me perplex
It's you must answer questions yet and that is questions six.
It's questions six you must tell me and that is three times twa
Before I'll lie in your bed at either stock or wall.”
“Oh, what is greener than the grass, what is higher than the trees?
What is worse than a woman's voice, what is deeper than the seas?
What was the first bird that did crow and what did first down fall?
Before I'll lie in your bed at either stock or wall.”
“Oh, envy's greener than the grass and is higher than the trees,
The Devil is worse than a woman's voice, Hell is deeper than the seas.
The cock was the first bird that did crow and the dew did first down fall,
So we'll both lie in one bed and you'll lie next to the wall.”
Oh little did that lady think that morning when she rose
That this would be the very last of all her maiden days.
And in the cottage where they live they're the happiest pair of all
And they both lie in one bed and she lies next to the wall.
Acknowledgements and Notes
The spelling of Roslin/Rosslyn: According to Wikipedia, Rosslyn Chapel and Roslin Castle are located at the village of Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland. So both spellings seem to be valid. Thanks to Sylvia Sotomayor for correcting Tim Hart and Maddy Prior's lyrics.
"Captain Wedderburn's Courtship", as sung by Cathie Ryan:
YOU AND I IN THE ONE BED LIE
A nobleman's fair daughter was walkin' down yon lane
When up comes Captain Dixon, the keeper of the game
Says he unto his serving-man, "If it was not for the law
I'd have that maid within my bed and she'd lie next to the wall."
"Go away young man," says she, "and do not me perplex
Before I lie one night with you you'll answer questions six
Six questions you will answer, and I will make them all
Before you and I in the one bed lie and I lie next to the wall.
"What is rounder than a ring? What's higher than a tree?
What is worse than womankind? What's deeper than the sea?
What tree blooms first? What bird sings best? From where do dewdrops fall?
Then it's you and I in the one bed lie and I lie next to the wall."
"A globe is rounder than a ring, sky higher than a tree.
A girl is worse than womankind, hell deeper than the sea.
The yew blooms first, the thrust sings best, from heaven the dewdrops fall,
Now it's you and I in the one bed lie, and you lie next to the wall."
"You must get for me some winter fruit that in December grew.
Find for me a mantle, a weft it ne'er went through.
A sparrow's horn, a priest unshorn, a bird without a gall.
Then it's you and I in the one bed lie and I lie next to the wall."
"My father has some winter fruit that in December grew.
My mother wears a mantle, a weft it never went through.
A sparrow's horn's not hard to find, there's one in every claw.
Melchizedek is a priest unshorn." - and he rolled her to the wall!
Great Big Sea- Version
A nobleman's fair daughter came down a narrow lane
And met with Captain Wedderburn, the keeper of the game
Now my pretty fair miss if it wasn't for the law,
You and I in a bed might lie roll me over next to the wall
Now, my dear good man, she said, do not be perplexed,
Before that you might bed with me, you must answer questions six.
Six questions you must answer me, and I will ask them all,
And you and I in a bed might lie roll me over next to the wall
What is rounder than a ring, and higher than the trees?
And what is worse than a woman's curse, and what is deeper than the sea?
What bird sings first, which one best, where does the dew first fall?
And you and I in a bed might lie roll me over next to the wall
The earth is rounder than a ring, and Heaven is higher than the trees,
The devil is worse than a woman's curse, and Hell is deeper than the sea
The lark sings first, the thrush sings best, Earth is where the dew falls
And you and I in a bed must lie roll me over next to the wall
He takes her by her lily-white hand and leads her down the hall
And takes her by her slender waist for fear that she might fall
And lays her on a bed of down without a doubt at all
And he and she lie in one bed roll me over next to the wall
Ian and Sylvia- Captain Woodstock's Courtship
As I rode out one May Morning down my shady lane,
I met with Captain Woodstock the keeper of the game.
He said unto his servant if it was not for the law
I'd have that maid in bed with me as she lay next to the wall.
Ohh what is rounder than a ring what is higher than a tree?
What is worse than a woman's tongue what is deeper than the sea?
What tree buds first, and what bird sings best?
Now answer my questions all, before I lay one night with you at either stock or wall.
Well the world is rounder than a ring, heaven's higher than a tree,
the devil is worse than a woman's tongue, Hell is deeper than the sea.
The oak buds first, the thrush sings best and I've answered your questions all,
so shake you up that old straw bed you're gonna lie next to the wall.
Now for my breakfast you must bring me chickens without bones.
For my dinner you must bring me cherries without stones,
and for my supper you must bring me a bird without a gall
before I'll lay one night with you at either stock or wall.
Well, when the chicken is in the egg I'm sure it has no bone.
When the cherry's in blossom I'm sure it has no stone.
The dove she is a gentle bird and she flies without a gall,
so shake you up that old straw bed you're gonna lie next to the wall.
Oh, you must bring me a summer fruit that in December grew,
and you must bring me a silken gown a web that never went through,
and you must bring me a priest unmourned to join us one and all,
before I'll lay one night with you at either stock or wall.
Well, my father's got a summer fruit that in December grew,
Mother's got a silken gown a web that never went thru,
Melchizedec is a priest unmourned to join us one and all.
So shake you up that old straw bed you're gonna lie next to the wall.
So shake you up that old straw bed you're gonna lie next to the wall.
Captain Wedderburn
Gordeanna McCulloch, Sheath and Knife, Fellside FECD117 (original lp release, Topic 12TS370, 1978)
The Laird o Rosslyn's daughter walked through the wids her lane
When by cam Captain Wedderburn, a servant tae the King
He says untae his servant man – Were it no agin the law
I'd tak her tae my ain bed and lay her neist the waa
I'm walkin here alane –she says- beneath my faither's trees
And ye maun let me walk alane, kind sir, noo if ye please
The supper bell it will be rung and I'll be missed awa
Sae I canna lie in yer bed at either stock or waa
He says – Ma pretty lady, I pray lend me yer haun
An' ye'll hae drums an trumpets always at your command
And fifty men tae guard ye as lang's this sword can draw
An we'll baith lie in yae bed, an' ye'll lay neist the waa
Oh – says the pretty lady- I pray tell me yer name –
Ma name is Captain Wedderburn, a servant tae the King
Though yer faither were here wi aa his men, I wad tak ye frae them aa
I'd tak ye tae my ain bed and lay ye neist the waa
He jumpit aff his milk-white steed and set this lady on
An aa the way he walked on foot and held her by the haun
He held her by the middle jimp for fear that she should faa
Till he took her tae his ain bed and laid her neist the waa
He took her tae a ludgin-hoose, the landlady looked ben
Says – Mony's the pretty lady in Edinbro I hae seen
But sic a pretty weel-faured face in it I never saw
Sae ye'll mak her doon a down bed and lay her neist the waa
Oh – says the pretty lady – afore ye dae gain me
It's ye maun dress me dishes yet, and that be dishes three
Aye dishes three ye'll dress tae me, though I should eat them aa
Afore I lie in yer bed at either stock or waa
An ye sall get tae my supper a cherry wi oot a stane
An ye sall get tae my supper a chicken wi oot a bane
An ye sall get tae my supper a bird wi oot a gaa
Afore I lie in yer bed at either stock or waa
The cherry when it is in bloom, I'm sure it has nae stane
And when the chicken is in the egg, I'm sure it has nae bane
The dove it is a gentle bird, an flies wi oot a gaa
Sae we'll baith lie in yae bed, an' ye'll lay neist the waa
Oh, little did this young girl think that mornin when she rase
That it wad be the very last o aa her maiden days
And in the parish where they lived, there wis no a blither twa
And they baith lie in yae bed, an she lies neist the waa
_____________
Joe Éinniú (Joe Heaney) Commentary/Lyrics
Joe Éinniú (Joe Heaney) Now, as I said before, women – God bless them – are very clever. But they are clever! This is the story of one woman, she wouldn’t marry anybody unless they could answer her thirteen questions she set in riddles. Now, there’s a line coming into this song, they sing it in song: ‘Meetcheldase1 was a priest unborn’. Now I rode on a horse myself that was never born. The mother, the mare was dead seconds before the foal was taken out…from her, therefore the horse was never born. Meetcheldase was the same way with his mother. His mother died a couple of seconds before he was taken away from his mother, and he eventually became a priest. So when you hear that, don’t think I’m crazy, but that’s the way it was.
Now, this song is sometimes called ‘Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship.’ You had a few verses of this in a song here in America one time, ‘I’ll get my love a cherry,’ or something like that; but this is the old song.
A gentleman’s fair daughter walked down a narrow lane
She met with Captain Wedderburn, he was keeper of the game.
He said unto his servant, ‘If only for the law
I’d have that girl in bed with me, and she’d lie next the wall.’2
‘Oh, go your way, young man,’ she said, ‘and do not bother me
Before you and I on one bed lie you must answer me questions three.
Three questions you must answer me, and I’ll set forth them all;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.
‘For my breakfast you must get for me a cherry without a stone;
For my dinner you must find for me a chicken without a bone;
For my supper you must find for me a bird without a gall;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’
‘A cherry when in blossom surely has no stone;
A chicken when it’s in the egg surely has no bone;
The dove it is a gentle bird, it flies without a gall;
So you and I on the one bed lie, but you’ll lie next the wall.’
‘Ah, go your way, young man,’ she said, ‘and do not me perplex.
Before you and I on the one bed lie you must answer me questions six.
Six questions you must answer me, and I’ll set forth them all;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.
‘What is rounder than a ring? What’s higher than a tree?
What is worse than women’s wrath? What’s deeper than the sea?
What bird sings best? What flower buds first? And on it the dew first fall?
So you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’
‘The world is rounder than a ring; heaven is higher than a tree;
The Devil he’s worse than women’s wrath; Hell is deeper than the sea;
The lark sings best; the heath buds first, and on it the dew first fall;
So you and I on the one bed lie, and you’ll lie next the wall.’
‘You must get for me some winter fruit that in December grew.
You must get for me a silk mantle that weft ne’er went through;
A sparrow’s horn; a priest unborn, who’ll wed us two in twa;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’
‘My father has some winter fruit that in December grew;
My mother has a silk mantle that weft ne’er went through;
A sparrow’s horn is easily found: there is one on every claw;
And Meetcheldase was a priest unborn; so you’ll lie next the wall.’
This couple they were married, as you may plainly see:
They live happy together, and children they have three.
She set forth the questions; he answered one and all.
He rolled her in his arms, while she lay next the wall.
Notes:
1 Melchisidec!
2 On another occasion, Joe explains: ‘In the olden times, the men was so fond of the women, that they put them lying next the wall out of danger. Now, I don’t know did they put them lying next the wall so they couldn’t run away, or because they wanted to protect them. Have it your way! But, they tell me it’s to protect them they did it. Some people still do it! (UW85-54.12-13)
Joe uses this air for other songs in his repertoire; see ‘Glenswilly’ and ‘The Holly and Ivy Girl.’
[Second version by Joe:] Captain Wedderburn (Roud 36, Child 46)
A gentleman’s fair daughter walked down a narrow lane.
She met with Captain Wedderburn, the keeper of the game.
He said unto his servant ‘If only for the law,
I’d have that girl in bed with me and she’d lie next to the wall’.
‘Musha, go your way, young man,’ she said, ‘and do not bother me,
Before you and I on one bed lie, you must answer me questions three.
Three questions you must answer me and I’ll set forth them all,
Ere you and I on one bed lie and I lie next the wall.
For my breakfast, you must get for me a cherry without a stone,
For my dinner, you must get for me a chicken without a bone,
For my supper, you must find for me a bird without a gall,
Then you on and I on one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’
‘A cherry when in blossom surely has no stone,
A chicken when its in the egg surely has no bone,
The dove it is a gentle bird, it flies without a gall,
Then you and I on one bed lie and you’ll lie next to the wall.’
‘Now go your way, young man’ she said ‘and do not me perplex,
Before you and I on one bed lie, you must answer me questions six.
Six questions you must answer me and I’ll set forth them all,
Ere you and I one bed lie at either stock or wall.’
Oh, what is rounder than a ring, what’s higher than a tree,
Oh, what is worse than women’s wrath, what’s deeper than the sea,
What bird sings best, what flower buds first and on it the dew first fall
Then you and I in one bed lie and I’ll lie next to the wall.’
‘The world is rounder than a ring, heaven is higher than a tree,
The devil is worse than women’s wrath, hell is deeper than the sea,
The lark sings best, the heath buds first and on it the dew first fall,
So you and I on one bed lie and you’ll lie next to the wall.’
‘You must find for me some winter fruit that in December grow,
You must get for me silk mantle that’s neither warped nor worn,
A sparrow’s horn, a priest unborn that’ll wed us two in twa,
Then you and I on one bed lie and you’ll lie next to the wall.’
Oh my father has some winter fruit that in December grow,
My mother has a silk mantle that’s neither warped nor worn.
A sparrow’s horn is easily found, there is one on every claw
And Mitchelllis (Melchizidek) was a priest unborn, so you’ll lie next to the wall.’
___________
Hebrews 7: For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him; and to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, and has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.