Sailor Boy- Mrs. Newton (MO) 1958 Hunter C
[Fragment from Max Hunter Folk Song Collection, version C; Cat. #0180 (MFH #682). Minor corrections for spelling and punctuation plus stanza reorganization made.
Listen: https://maxhunter.missouristate.edu/songinformation.aspx?ID=0180
R. Matteson 2017]
Sailor Boy- As sung by Mrs. Ed Newton, Gainesville, Missouri on July 1, 1958, Hunter, version C
VERSE 1
Sailor, O sailor, O tell me true
Does my sweet William sail with you
O, no, no, he is not here
He got drowned in the gulf, my dear.
VERSE 2
Beyond rocky lands as we passed by,
For there's where your true lover lies;
She wringed her hands, she tore her hair,
Just like somebody in despair.
VERSE 3
Go dig my grave both wide and deep,
A marble stone at my head and my feet,
Present my breast a turtle dove,
To show the world that I died for love.