Cruel Ship's Carpenter

I found this song in a book titled 80 English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians collected by Cecil Sharp & Maud Karpeles. The same book was published in the USA as 80 Appalachian Folk Songs. I actually ended up with copies of both the British and the US editions of the book, bought in different second hand book shops! Although the content is identical, I have kept both.

The book contained both words and tune and I transcribed the tune into my computer and worked out the chords from there. Afterwards when I checked I found chords had been provided in the book. I have kept with my own set of chords which are much sparser than those in the book. The melody is in the Dorian mode and I think it could almost be sung over a Gm chord throughout. In fact, I added a G-D drone from a shruti box after recording the song. 

You can hear my version on You Tube.

Chords used in this song

O [Gm] Polly, O Polly, O [F] will you a[Gm]gree

O Will you agree and get [F] married to [Gm] me?

O [C7] William, O [Gm] William, that just cannot be

For [Gm] I am too young to get [F] married to [Gm] thee

O Polly, O Polly, if you will agree

Before we get married, some pleasure we’ll see.

He led her o’er mountains and valleys so deep

Till at length pretty Polly began for to weep

O William, O William, you lead me astray

On purpose my innocent heart to betray.

O Polly, O Polly, I guess you spoke right

For I was a-digging your grave last night

She wrapped her arms round him without any fear,

O How can you kill the girl that you love dear?

O Polly, O Polly, we’ve no time to stand.

And instantly drew a sharp knife in his hand.

He piercéd her heart and the blood it did flow,

And into her grave her fair body did throw.

He covered her up and away he did go.

He left no one but small birds to make their sad moan.

He boarded his ship on the salt sea so wide

And swore by his maker he’d see the far side.

Whilst he was a sailing in his heart’s content

The ship sprung a leak, to the bottom she went.

Whilst he was a lying in his sad surprise

He saw pretty Polly come before his eyes.

O William, O William, you’ve no time to stay;

[N.C.] There’s a debt to the devil that [F] you’re bound to [Gm] pay.

N.C. = No Chord (sing this unaccompanied)

Freeborn Man

This song was written by Ewan MacColl for the radio ballad The Travelling People.  I have put more information about this song and the radio ballads on my Occasional Folk Songs  Blog. 

I found the words and the tune for this song some years ago - I can't remember where now - and worked out the chords from the melody. In the end, for my version, I transposed the song up a tone from C to D to make it more comfortable for me to sing. The chords are for the song sung in D.

Chords used in this song.

I’m [D] a freeborn man of the [G] travelling peop[A]le,

[D] Got no fixed a[A]bode with nomads I am [D] numbered,

[A] Country lanes and by ways were [D] always [G] my [D] way,

I’ve [G] never [D] fancied [C] being lum[D]bered.

O we knew the woods, all the resting places

And the small birds sang when wintertime was over

Then we'd pack our load and be on the road

They were good old times for the rover

There was open ground where a man could linger

Stay a week or two for time was not your master

Then away you'd jog with your horse and dog

Nice and easy, no need to go faster

Now and then you'd meet up with other travelers

Hear the news or else swap family information

At the country fairs, we'd be meeting there

All the people of the traveling nation

I've made willow creels aye and heather besoms

And I've done some begging and some hawking

And some days I've spent wrapped up in my tent

And I've listened to the old folks talking

All you freeborn men of the traveling people

Every tinker, rolling stone, or gypsy rover

Winds of change are blowing, old ways are going

Your traveling days will soon be over

You can hear my version on You Tube

All Things are Quite Silent

This song was collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams in Sussex in 1904 from a Ted Baines and is a lament by a woman whose husband has been taken from their marriage bed by the Press Gang to Serve in the Royal Navy.

I got the words and tune from The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. The tune is in the Dorian mode and the chords are for the tune as it is in the Penguin Book.
In the end though, I sang it a tone higher using a ukulele tuned ADF#B.

You can hear my version on You Tube

Chords used in this song

All [Dm] things are quite [G] silent, each [C] mortal at [Dm] rest,

When [Dm] me and my [G] true love got [C] snug in one [Dm] nest,

When a [G] bold set of [Am] ruffians they [Dm] entered our [Am] cave,

And they [Dm] forced my dear [G] jewel to [C] plough the salt [Dm] wave.

I [Dm] begged hard for my [G] sailor as though [C] I begged for [Dm] life.

They'd [Dm] not listen [G] to me al[C]though a fond [Dm] wife,

Saying: [G] "The king he wants [Am] sailors, to the [Dm] sea he must  [Am]go,"

And [Dm] they've left me [G] lamenting in [C] sorrow and [Dm] woe.

Through [Dm] green fields and [G] meadows we [C] ofttimes did [Dm] walk,

And [Dm] sweet conver [G]sation of [C] love we have [Dm] talked,

With the [G] birds in the [Am] woodland so [Dm] sweetly did [Am] sing,

And the [Dm] lovely thrushes' [G] voices made the [C] valleys to [Dm] ring.

Al[Dm]though my love's [G] gone I will [C] not be cast [Dm] down.

Who [Dm] knows but my [G] sailor may [C] once more re[Dm]turn?

And [G] will make me a[Am]mends for all [Dm] trouble and [Am] strife,

And my [Dm] true love and [G] I might live [C] happy for [Dm] life.