Seventeen Come Sunday- Bill Smith (Shrop) 1958 REC
[From (MTCD351) Bill Smith: A country life-- Songs and stories of a Shropshire man. A brief bio excerpt follows. There are two recordings of Bill singing SCS, one in 1958 (by Alured Weigall, Veronica's older brother), and one in 1980.
R. Matteson 2018]
Bill was born in 1909, one of ten children, nine of whom survived into adulthood. The family lived in the village of Diddlebury, about five miles from Ludlow in the area known as Corve Dale. He attended Diddlebury Primary School where singing was part of the curriculum.
Bill was inclined to miss out the chorus; the unedited recording features Veronica reminding him that he's forgotten the chorus, to which he replies, "Ah, but I'm not goin' t' sing that bloody piffle!"
A very popular song with 296 instances in Roud from all over the British Isles, USA, Canada and Australia (the wonderful Sally Sloane). It appears with numerous titles, among the most appealing of which is Flash Gals and Airy, Too - used by both Win Ryan and Caroline Hughes. Obviously it has remained a favourite with country singers, and particularly Travellers, into the present era, since there are 59 sound recordings.
Seventeen Come Sunday- text from 1980 recording by Bill Smith
Now as I arose one May morning
One May morning so early
I chanced to see a pretty fair maid
Across the fields of barley.
Chorus:
With my rue bon a die
Fol da riddle ay rie
Fold a riddle ay
Will you take a man my pretty fair maid?
Will you take a man my honey?
She answered me quite cheerfully
I daresn't for my mummy.
Chorus
But if you'll come down to me mummy's house
When the moon shines bright and clearly
I'll creep downstairs and I'll let you in
And me mummy shall not hear me
Chorus
So I went right down to her mummy's house
When the moon shone bright and clearly
She crept downstairs and she let me in
And I laid in her arms 'til morning
(or: And her mummy did not hear me.)
Chorus
How old are you my pretty fair maid?
How old are you my honey?
She's answered me quite cheerfully
I'm seventeen on Sunday
Chorus
An' her shoes were bright her stockings were white
And her buckles shone like silver
With a red rosy face and a naughty little eye
And her hair hung down her shoulder
Chorus