Sweet William- J. Woodrich (Dev) 1894 Baring-Gould
[From: Sabine Baring-Gould Manuscript Collection (SBG/3/1/721); Sweet William [A]. Also published in incomplete form (stanza missing) in The Voice of the People: Writing the European Folk Revival, 1760–1914 by Matthew Campbell, Michael Perraudin - 2013. David Gregory published it with part of the missing stanza 5:
The moon shone out upon the sea,
Sweet William drowning discussed we,
--2 lines missing--
Gregory, however, did not give the last line of stanza 5. Baring Gould sent John Woodrich's version to Lucy Broadwood shortly after her version titled Sweet William was published in her 1893 English County Songs. The letter is found online at the RV Williams site: Lucy Broadwood Manuscript Collection (LEB/4/28). In the letter stanza 5 appears as Gregory published it-- 2 lines only. Baring-Gould is fond of recreating text and any texts he offers warrants suspicion. The text given by Gregory (above) to stanza 5 was written in the margins of a MS notebook page as well as a final line. Baring-Gould also added Sam Fone's name and an October 1895 date but it's unclear if this is a composite.
R. Matteson 2017]
Sweet William- taken down from John Woodrich of Lew Trenchard Devon, on Jan. 2, 1894 by S. Baring-Gould.
1. So early, early in the spring
I went abroad to serve the King
I left my pretty love behind
She often said her heart was mine.
2. O father, father, build me a boat,
And on the ocean blue I'll float,
And every King's ship passing by
I'll hail it for my sailor boy
3. She had not sailed far on the deep
Before a King's ship she chanced to meet;
O Brother Sailor pray tell me true,
Is my sweet William among your crew?
4. O no fair lady he is not here,
Drowned is sweet William I greatly fear,
One stormy night the winds blew high
We heard a loud and a bitter cry.
5. The moon shone out and we did see
Sweet William drowning in the sea[1],
. . . .
And then Sweet William he was gone.
6. She wrung her hands, she tore her hair,
All like a lady lost in despair,
Then her little boat on the rocks did run,
She said with William I am undone.
7. I'll set me down and I'll write a song,
I'll write it fair, I'll write it long,
And at every word I will drop a tear,
And in every verse set my William dear.
__________________
1. In the margin and in his letter:
The moon shone out upon the sea,
Sweet William drowning discussed we,