Three Ships- Sicily (VT) pre1902 Flanders A1 (See also A2 below at bottom of page)
[Below are Coffin's introductory notes from Flanders' Ancient Ballads. The various ballads cover over 80 pages and are the most extensive collection of this Child ballad published. This version was taken as sung (A1) and later received as a corrected copy by the informant (A2).
R. Matteson 2014]
The Sweet Trinity or the Golden Vanity
(Child 286)
This ballad is immensely popular in America and not hard to find in Britain. It dates back to a broadside of the 1680's in which the deceitful captain is Sir Walter Raleigh. (See Flanders FF.) Since then it has taken many forms and may conclude in any number of ways. The Flanders texts give an excellent cross section of the plot variations found in this ballad. In A-T the boy drowns in the lowlands low. In U, he sinks the captain's ship as well as that of the enemy before he drowns. In V, he also sinks the captain's ship and there is only one survivor to tell the tale. In W, he sinks the captain's ship, ironically drowning the girl he loved with the crew. In X, he dies after being hauled on deck. In EE his ghost returns to treat the captain to a glass of beer before sinking the boat. In FF-JJ, the heroic lad is rewarded with a leave of absence, the daughter's hand, or gold and silver. Of these texts, A1, with the stanzas on the phantom ship, and R, with the lines borrowed from "The Mermaid" (Child 289) are noteworthy. So are V, with its one survivor, like Melville's Ishmael; and FF, which preserves the name of Raleigh, if not the ending, from Child A" The vessel's name, originally The Sweet Trinity, varies greatly in America, becoming The Golden Vanity, The Green Willow Tree, The Merry Golden Tree, and so on. Its opponent, sunk by the cabin boy, was "a false galley" in the old broadside, but it is more likely a Turkish (or Russian, Irish, French, etc.) Revelee or "Shavaree" (sloop) in the States.
There is a certain preposterous quality to this song, and college students and music hall writers have exploited this fact in a series of parodies. see Coffin, 155, for references. Perhaps for the same reason, it has been extremely popular with sailors.
A long bibliography for "The Sweet Trinity" is easy to come by. See coffin, 153-5 (American); Dean-Smith, 69; Belden, 97 (English); Greig and Keith, 228-9, and Ord, 450-1 (Scottish). Phillips Barry, British Ballad's from Maine, 339-47, includes and discusses it. There is a song, once in a while confused with "The Sweet Trinity," called "The Low-lands Low." while it has a similar burden, it tells a very different story and goes back ro an English stall ballad, "Young Edwin in the Lowlands Low" (Laws M 34), that was well known here and in Britain, see Laws, ABBB, 197-8; Belden, 127; and Dean-smith, 118, for some references to it.
The tunes for Child 286 can be divided into six groups which, however, may turn out to be related at least to some extent. The groupings are as follows: (1) Davis, Edwards, Moses, Burditt, and possibly Pease; (2) George, Daniels, Houghton; (3) Henry, Blake, George, Barry; (4) Clarke, Cassidy, Richards, Dragon; (5) Ingalls; and (6) Fish and Percival. The Ingalls runs seems to be a version of the popular "Canada-I-O." In order to save repetition, the tune relationships for standard collections are given here. Only relatively close tunes have been selected. from the large number available. In spite of their profusion, however, there is a lack of analogues for groups (2) and (6). For group (3), see Sharp I, 282-285, 2B9 I; FCB 4, 120, 47 A, 121 A (I), 123 C (I) ; BES, 346, ROI, 195, 200 (D); BI, 160. For group (3), especially the Blake rune, see BES, 34b (distant) . For group (4) see Sharp l, 287, 288 G; GCM, 214; ROI, 200.
A1. [Three Ships] Mrs. Alice Sicily of North Calais, Vermont, recalled this song as sung by her grandfather, Elisha Slayton, "who used to sing it in the old-fashioned tune." He died when Mrs. Sicily, now (1933) 45, was 14 years old. Mrs. Sicily's father and grandfather were farmers. H. H. F., Collector; July 29, 1933
Three Ships
There was a ship sailing on the sea
And the name of the ship was The Golden Wiltow Tree,
Sailing o'er the Lowlands low, down low,
Sailing o'er the Lowlands low.
(Repeat same refrain after each stanza except as indicated.)
The captain was a man of high degree
And he plied his trade upon the high sea.
He had a handsome wife and fair daughters three,
He sailed his ship for a far countree.
There was a ship sailing on the southern sea
And the name of the ship was The Turkey Shageree.
The captain of the ship was a man of low degree
And he preyed upon the ships that sailed the high seas.
The captain of the ship, a bad man was he,
He had neither wife, ne'er any familee.
(One of the captains was a pirate.)
He loaded the ship with provisions and with gold,
He had a rich cargo of silks in the hold.
He called to his sailors and he called to his men
And they all step-ped up to be at his command.
And he called to his wife and his fair daughters three
And they all stepped on board on The Golden Willow Tree.
He set his sails for a far countree
(Cabin boy was bound to the captain)
. . . .
". . . . . what'll you give me
If I sink her in the Lowlands, etc.?"
"I will give you gold and I'll set you free
And the choice of my daughters your wedded wife shall be,
If you sink her, etc."
"I care not for your daughters and I care not to be free
But ten thousand pounds of gold my price shall be
If I sink her, etc."
Now, my kind friends, the truth it must be told.
He agreed to sink the ship for ten thousand pounds in gold,
To sink it, etc.
He had an instrument made for the use
And he bored nine holes and he bored 'em all at once
And he sank her, etc.
He bent upon his breast and out swam he;
He swam 'til he came to The Golden Willow Tree
And he sank her, etc.
He bent upon his back and back swam he,
He swam until he came to The Golden Willow Tree.
"O captain, O captain, take me on board
And be unto me as good as your word,
For I sunk her, etc."
Three times 'round went the gallant ship
And three times 'round went she,
Then three times 'round went the gallant ship
'Til she came to the bottom of the sea
And she lies in the Lowlands low, down low,
And she lies in the Lowlands low.
"My dear cabin boy, I can't take you on board
And be unto you as good as my word
If you sunk her, etc."
"If it wasn't for the love that I have for my friends,
I'd do unto you as I'd do unto them,
And I'd sink you, etc."
(More conversation, but he didn't stay afloat very long, sailors mutineered--)
And the men they all (did something) when they heard his command.
They grabbed the captain up and they tossed him in the sea,
Saying, "Good. bait for the fishes your old carcass shall be,"
And they threw him in the Lowlands, etc.
He bent upon his head and down went he,
And he went to the bottom of the sea.
A phanthom [1] ship sails on the sea;
Upon the decks there's the captain and the boy.
And they're sailing hand in hand; you can see them from the land.
They're doomed to sail forever and forever more.
They're on that phanthom ship;
They're doomed to sail forever and they cannot reach the shore.
1. As pronounced
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A2 [The Three Ships] This version received from Mrs. Alice Sicily of North Calais, Vermont, which she originally gave in July, 1933. She thought there were some errors in her July, 1933, recollection of the song. Copied, literatim et punctatim. H. H. F., Collector; December 14, 1933.
The Three Ships
There were three ships sailing on the northern sea.
One was a merchant ship of high degree
And they call this ship the Turkey Shagaree;
One was a pirate ship of low degree
And the name of the ship was the Golden Willow Tree,
There is a phantom ship that sails the high seas.
The captain was a merchant of high degree
And he plied his trade upon the high sea.
O, the captain of the ship, a good man was he
And he had a handsome wife and fair daughters three.
There was a ship sailing on the sea
And the name of this ship was the Golden Willow Tree,
Sailing o'er the lowlands, lie so low,
Sailing o'er the lowlands low.
He called to his sailors and he called to his men
And they all slipped ,p to be at his command"
Saying, "O the lowlands, lie so low,"
Saying, "O the lowlands low."
They loaded the ship with provisions and with gold.
He had a handsome cargo of silks in the hold,
Sailing o'er the lowlands, etc.
He called to his wife and his daughters three
And they step-ped on board the Golden Willow Tree
Sailing o'er the lowlands, etc.
Then up stepped the captain of the Golden willow Tree
And he set sail for a far countree,
Saying, "O the lowlands, lie so low," etc.
There was a ship sailing on the southern sea
And the name of the ship was the Turkey Shageree,
Sailing, etc.
The captain was a pirate of low degree
And he preyed upon the ships that sailed the high seas, etc.
O, the captain of the ship, a bad man was he;
He had neither wife or any familee, etc.
There were three ships a-sailing on the northern sea
Before we came in sight of the Turkish Shaveree
And we sunk 'em in the lowlands, etc.
Up steps a cabin boy saying, "What shall you give me
If I go and sink that Turkish Shaveree?
O, I will sink 'em in the lowlands, so lonesome low,
I will sink 'em in the lowlands low."
"O, I will give you gold and I will give you prize .
My oldest daughter shall be your bride,
If you'll sink 'em in the lowlands, etc."
He took his instruments and out went he
'Til he came to the Turkish Shaveree
And he sank 'em in the lowlands, etc.
Some run with their coats, some with their caps
Trying to stop that salty water gap,
For he had sunk 'em, etc.
Then he took his instruments and back swam he
'Til he came to the Green Willow Tree,
For he had sunk 'em, etc.
"O Captain, O Captain, I come for my prize
For I have sunk that Turkish Shaveree;
I have sunk 'em in the lowlands, etc."
"I'll neither give you gold or will I give you prize
For I'll serve you as you served them.
You have sunk 'em in the lowlands, etc."