> A.L. Lloyd > Songs > A Sailor's Life
> Martin Carthy > Songs > A Sailor's Life
> Sandy Denny > Songs > A Sailor's Life
> Shirley Collins > Songs > Sweet William
> The Watersons > Songs > Sweet William / Willie the Bold Sailor Boy

A Sailor's Life / Sweet William / Willie the Bold Sailor Boy

[ Roud 273 ; Laws K12 ; Ballad Index LK12 ; trad.]

W.P. Merrick collected A Sailor's Life in 1899 from Henry Hills of Lodsworth, Sussex. It was published by Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd in The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. In 1960, A.L. Lloyd recorded it for the album A Selection from the Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. Like all tracks from this LP it was reissued in 2003 on the CD England & Her Traditional Songs. Lloyd wrote in the album's sleeve notes:

A song as touching and innocent as the wood engravings that broadside printers used to put at the head of ballad sheets. It is known to sundry tunes all over the British Isles and in America (a Wisconsin set, called The Pinery Boy, transforms the sailor into a lumberjack). Most versions end with the girl ordering her own funeral, and directing that a marble dove be set over her grave, but in fact this motif belongs more properly to the song Died for Love, and Mr Henry Hills, of Lodsworth, Sussex, who sang our version to W.P. Merrick in 1899, would have none of it.

Martin Carthy recorded A Sailor's Life in 1966 for his Second Album. He said in the album's sleeve notes:

Often adapted to fit other occupations this is one of a group of songs which includes Early Early All in the Spring and the American song on the same theme, Sailor on the Deep Blue Sea. It was published in various broadsides in the 18^th century, but often became confused with Died for Love. It is printed in the The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs.

A Sailor's Life is one of Sandy Denny's folk club songs which she added to Fairport Convention's repertoire, and it proved to be the turning point of Fairport's history from earlier contemporary Americana to English songs. An early live studio recording turned up on Richard Thompson's 3CD set, Watching the Dark. This was apparently transcribed from an acetate recording which everyone had forgotten about. Another early version, a life recording from the beginning of 1969, was finally made available in 2002 on the anthology Fairport unConventionAl. The first officially released version on Unhalfbricking added Dave Swarbrick on violin, showing what would become of Fairport in the following years. This track was also reissued on The History of Fairport Convention, on Fairport's double CD compilation Meet on the Ledge: The Classic Years 1967-1975, in 2004 on the 5CD Fledg'ling Sandy Denny anthology A Boxful of Treasures, and in 2005 on the Island anthology Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal.

A version recorded at Cropredy 1987 was released on the video It All Comes 'Round Again. The line up on this track is Richard Thompson, Simon Nicol, Dave Mattacks, Ric Sanders, Maartin Allcock and June Tabor (vocals).

This song was also covered by Vikki Clayton on her Sandy Denny tribute album, It Suits Me Well.

Shirley Collins sang this song as Sweet William in 1958 on her first album, Sweet England. The album's sleeve notes commented:

One of the best known English lyric songs with a variant tune. The words are from English Country Songs by Lucy Broadwood and J. Maitland and the tune is arranged by Shirley Collins.

Mike Waterson sang Sweet William live at the Down River Folk Club, Loughton, in October 20, 1974, together with the Watersons' Pace-Egging Song and Boston Harbour. All three tracks were included in 2004 on the Watersons' 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song. Mike Waterson commented in the album sleeve notes:

We learnt this version of Sweet William from Margaret Birkett of Elterwater—the wife of Frank Birkett from whom we had Dido Bendigo.

He also sang it live five years earlier, at Folk Union One in 1969 (the former Watersons' own folk club held at the Bluebell), which was recorded for the privately pressed LP Bluebell Folk Sing with the title Died for Love. The liner notes commented:

Mike is the last remaining member of the Waterson Family at the Bluebell. He is a great influence on many of the other singers and is one of the founder members of “Folk Union One”. The ballad, Died for Love, has many variants, some of which have survived and remain in our own memories due to the need for self entertainment. During the last two wars it was learnt by most servicemen, be they Air Force, Army or Navy.

Liz Jefferies sang Willie, the Bold Sailor Boy in September 1976 in her own home in Bristol, recorded by Barry and Chris Morgan. This was included on the 1998 Topic anthology O'er His Grave the Grass Grew Green (The Voice of the People Series Volume 3).

Norma Waterson sang Willie the Bold Sailor Boy in 2003 on the “English” CD of the Fellside anthology Song Links: A Celebration of English Traditional Songs and their Australian Variants. Edgar Waters commented in the sleeve notes:

This song exists in many versions and has been published under many names. Some versions are fragmentary, or contain verses that do not appear to belong to it, making the texts seem almost incomprehensible. In one form or another, it has been widely recorded from oral tradition all over the Brithis Isles and in North America. Norma Waterson's version was learnt from a singer called Liz Jefferies. Liz Jefferies' version may be heard on the third of the twenty CD collection called The Voice of the People, published by Topic Records.

Compare to this Cathie O'Sullivan singing The Lost Sailor on the “Australian” CD of the Song Links anthology.

Mikeen McCarthy sang this song as Early in the Month of Spring in a recording made by Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie on the title track of the 1986 VWML cassette Early in the Month of Spring: Songs and a story of Irish Travellers. This cassette was included in 2003 on the Musical Tradition anthology From Puck to Appleby: Songs of Irish Travellers in England. Andy Turner sang Early in the Month of Spring, referring to Mikeen McCarthy, as the June 9, 2012 entry of his project A Folk Song a Week.

Lyrics

A.L. Lloyd sings A Sailor's Life	Martin Carthy sings A Sailor's Life
A sailor's life is a merry life. They rob young girls of their hearts' delight, Leaving them behind to sigh and mourn, They never know when they will return.	A sailor's life is a merry life. They robs young girls of their hearts' delight, Leaving them behind for to weep and mourn, They never know when they will return.
“Here's four-and-twenty all in a row, My sweetheart cuts the brightest show. He's proper, tall, genteel withal, And if I don't have him,” she said, “ I'll have none at all.”	“Oh there's four-and-twenty all in a row, My sweetheart cuts the finest show. He's proper, tall, genteel withal, If I don't have him I'll have none at all.”
“Oh father, fetch me a little boat, That I might on the ocean float. And every Queen's ship that we pass by We'll make enquire for my sailor boy.”	“Oh father, build me a bonny boat, That on the wide ocean I may float. And every Queen's ship that we pass by There I'll enquire for my sailor boy.”
We hadn't sailed long upon the deep Before a Queen's we chanced to meet. “You sailors all, come tell me true, Does my sweet William sail among your crew?”	Now they had not sailed long upon the deep Before the Queen's ship they chanced to meet. “You sailors all, pray tell me true, Does my sweet William sail among your crew?”
“Oh no, fair lady, he isn't here, For he is drownded, we greatly fear. On yon green island as we passed by, There we lost sight of your sailor boy.”	“Oh no, fair maid, he is not here, For he's been drownded, we greatly fear. On yon green island as we passed by, There we lost sight of your sailor boy.”
She wrung her hands and she tore her hair Much like a woman in great despair. Her little boat 'gainst a rock did run. “How can I live now my William is gone?”	Now she wrung her hands and she tore her hair Much like a damsel in great despair. Her little boat 'gainst a rock did run. “How can I live now my William is gone?”

Norma Waterson sings Willie the Bold Sailor Boy	Sandy Denny sings A Sailor's Life
The sailing trade is a weary life It robs young maids of their heart's delight It leaves them all for to sigh and mourn To think that true lovers will ne'er return.	A sailor's life, it is a merry life. He robs young girls of their hearts' delight. Leaving them behind to weep and mourn, They never know when they will return.
	“Well, there's four and twenty all in a row, My true love he makes the finest show. He's proper tall, genteel and all, And if I don't have him, I'll have none at all.”
“Oh father, father, build for me a boat And on the ocean I'm bound to float. And every sail ship that I pass by I will enquire for my sailor boy.”	“Oh father, build for me a bonny boat, That on the wide ocean I may float. And every Queen's ship that we pass by, There I'll enquire for my sailor boy.”
She was not sailing long upon the deep A fleet of Frenchmen she chanced to meet. “Oh captain, captain, come tell me true, Does my love William sail on board with you?”	Well, they had not sailed long on the deep When a Queen's ship they chanced to meet. “You sailors all, pray tell me true, Does my sweet William sail among your crew?”
“What sort of clothes does your true love wear What colour being your true love's hair?”' “His jacket's blue and his trousers white, His curly locks tied to his waistband tight.”
“Oh no, fair maid, William is not here He is drownded I greatly fear. It was last evening the storm rolled by And parted William from our topmast high.”	“Oh no, fair maiden, he is not here. For he's been drownded we greatly fear. On yon green island as we passed it by, There we lost sight of your sailor boy.”
She's wrung her hands and she tore her hair, She cursed herself in most modest fair, Her little boat against the rocks she's run. “How can I live now that my love has gone?”	Well, she wrung her hands and she tore her hair. She was like a young girl in great despair. And her little boat against a rock did run. “How can I live now my sweet William is gone?”
With pen and paper she's wrote a song, She's wrote it right and she has wrote it long At every line she did shed a tear And every verse she did cry, “William dear.”
“Come dig my grave long and dig it deep And over me let true lovers weep And on my breast place a small white dove To show the world oh that I died for love.”

Shirley Collins sings Sweet William	Mike Waterson sings Sweet William
	It was early, early on a sunny day in spring My love has listed all for to serve the king The wind's blown high and the wind's blown low And we parted, me and my young sailor boy
“Father, father, come build me a boat That over the wide ocean I may go, And every ship that I pass by There I'll enquire of my sailor boy.”	“Oh father, far, will you build me a boat That on the cold ocean I may float? And every king's ship that we pass by I'll make enquiry for my sailor boy.”
I hadn't been sailing but half an hour Before I met a bold man-of-war, “Captain, captain, come tell me true, Is my sweet William on board with you?”	Why, she hadn't been a-sailing so very far upon the deep When did her first king ship she chanced to meet, It's, “Captain, captain, tell me true, Does my sweet William sail on board with you?”
	“What colour is your true love's hair? And what sort of jacket does your true love wear?” “His jacket's blue, it's bright round with gold And his hair it is the same colour as yours.”
“No, kind lady, he is not here. That he has drownded most great I fear. The other night when the wind blew high, That's when we lost your sailor boy.”	“Oh no, fair maiden, I'm afraid he isn't here. But he's been drownded and that I greatly fear. On yon green ocean as we passed by, There we lost sight of your young sailor boy.”
I'll sat me down, I'll write a song, I'll write it neat and I'll write it long. In every verse I'll shed a tear In every line hold Willy dear.	Why, she wrung her hands a little while and tore her hair Much like some maiden in great despair. “Oh happy, happy is the girl,” she cried, “What has her own true lover by her side.”
I wish I wish but it's all in vain, I wish I was a maid again. But a maid, a maid I'll never be, Till apples grow on an orange tree.	Her father he, he come home late at night His looking round for, for his sad delight He went upstairs and the door he broke And he found her hanging by a rope
	And didn't he take him a knife so long and sharp and he cut her down And in her bosom a note was found Been written in blood just to testify That for her true love William she did die
	“Will you dig me a grave so very wide and so very deep And put a marble stone at, at my head and feet And in (the window?) a snow-white dove Just to let the world know that I died for love.”

Acknowledgements

Transcription started by Reinhard Zierke with corrections by Wolfgang Hell and Garry Gillard. Thank you! However, Mike Waterson's singing on this track is very difficult to decipher and I'm sure there are still errors and mishearings, especially in the last verses.