> Anne Briggs > Songs > Willie o’ Winsbury
> Tony Rose > Songs > Tom the Barber
> Frankie Armstrong > Songs > Thomas of Welshbury
> Nic Jones > Songs > William of Winesbury

Willie o’ Winsbury / Tom the Barber

[ Roud 64 ; Master title: Willie o’ Winsbury ; Child 100 ; G/D 5:999 ; Henry H221 ; Ballad Index C100 ; Willie o’ Winsbury at Fire Draw Near ; VWML CJS2/9/811 , GG/1/11/684 , GG/1/20/1317 ; DT WILLIWIN ; Mudcat 45832 , 68135 ; trad.]

Nick Dow: Southern Songster Gale Huntington: Sam Henry’s Songs of the People, Alexander Keith: Last Leaves of Traditional Ballads and Ballad Airs Frank Purslow: The Wanton Seed James Reeves: The Everlasting Circle Cecil J. Sharp: One Hundred English Folksongs Stephen Sedley: The Seeds of Love

Robert Cinnamond sang this ballad in a recording made by Diane Hamilton, probably in County Antrim and probably in 1961. It was included in 1975 with the title The Rich Shipowner’s Daughter on his Topic LP You Rambling Boys of Pleasure and in 1998 as There Was a Lady Lived in the West on the Topic anthology It Fell on a Day, a Bonny Summer Day (The Voice of the People Series, Volume 17). Proinsias Ó Conluain noted:

“There was a lady lived in the west”, the first line of this song, introduces quite a number of different ballads. This one, in fact, is a version of Child 100; Willie O Winsbury. In some versions the young lady’s lover is named Willie Winchberrie, in others, Johnny Barbary.

It’s of interest that a Donegal version of the song, recorded by Dr. Hugh Shields (Folk Ballads From Donegal and Derry [see below]) has the title John Barbour—the surname very similar to the one used by Robert Cinnamond. In England, through mishearing, the lover is Tom the Barber.

Sweeney’s Men—Andy Irvine, Johnny Moynihan and Terry Woods—recorded Willie o’ Winsbury in 1968 for their first LP, Sweeney’s Men. And Andy Irvine sang Willy of Winsbury on his 2010 album Abocurragh. He noted:

Learned back in the sixties from Professor Child’s collection of traditional ballads which was like the bible at the time. This is Child 100. I collated words from different versions and as the story goes, on looking up the tune, I lighted on the tune to number 101 [Willie o Douglas Dale]. I’m not sure if this is true but it’s a good story. I recorded it solo on Sweeney’s Men’s eponymous first album in 1968 accompanying myself on guitar.

Johnny Moynihan’s then girlfriend Anne Briggs recorded Willie o’ Winsbury in 1971 for her first solo album, Anne Briggs. A.L. Lloyd noted on her album:

English singers have called this Johnny Barbary or Tom the Barber, but from Somerset to Aberdeen its distinguishing feature is that the seduced girl’s father—often, as here, the king—is so taken by the young man’s looks that he forgives all. Cecil Sharp, publishing a West country version, suppresses this amiable but equivocal motif. Ah well. For those who care, this ballad is listed as Child 100. Johnny Moynihan adds his bouzouki to Anne’s in the accompaniment.

As all recordings of Anne Briggs’ album, this track was reissued on her Fellside and Topic compilation CDs, Classic Anne Briggs and A Collection. It was also included in the Topic compilation English and Scottish Folk Ballads and on the 2 CD anthology The Legend of Sweeney’s Men.

Joe McCafferty of Co. Donegal sang John Barbour to Hugh Shields on 24 August 1969. This recording was included in 1975 on the Leader album Folk Ballads From Donegal and Derry. Shields noted:

Hugh Shields: I was just asking you to tell me something about that song: you said it was one of your father’s, didn’t you?

Joe McCafferty It is, one of my father’s. And my father, do you see, belongs to a place called Knockfola. And he learnt me that song. When we used to sit at the fire, he used to sing a verse of that, maybe the-night, or a couple of verses; and maybe the-morrow night, when I would—whenever I would write it down, you see, I would ask him for the next couple of verses the next night, you see. And he used to let me know until I got it all wrote down, and that’s the way that I learnt it.

H. S. Yes. And how long ago was that?

J. McC. It’s about—I would say now about forty years ago anyway. I would be only about twenty-five or—twenty-three anyway: twenty-three, or twenty-four, or twenty-five, some of the two. That’s about forty-five years ago anyway. You have that taped and all, have you?

H. S. I have indeed.

Willie of Winsbury (Child no. 100). Sung by Joe McCafferty, Derryconor, on a rainy Sunday, 24 August 1969, in my car near his house.

The story is commonplace: a rich suitor serves his sweetheart’s father in humble disguise; apprehended, he reveals himself. Older versions of this ballad contain one narrative element—the girl’s pregnancy—which is here obscured, though hinted at in verses 2-3. The language is admirably purposeful. Two consecutive scenes, almost wholly in dialogue, are linked by the entry of the hero, whose dazzling appearance confounds all criticism.

The melody (Mixolydian-Ionian) is related to a number of those in Bronson (esp. no. 9). At least two other Irish versions (not in Bronson) exist: The Rich Shipowner’s Daughter in Sam Henry’s Songs of the People, and sung by Robert Cinnamond on the BBC archive record mentioned below. See also [Frank Purslow: The Wanton Seed] and [James Reeves: The Everlasting Circle]. Sound recording on BBC LP24840.

Tony Capstick sang Sir Thomas of Winesberry in 1971 on his Rubber album with Hedgehog Pie, His Round. He noted:

Sir Thomas of Winesberry I stole from Peter Wood.

Barbara Dickson sang Lord Thomas of Winesberry and the King’s Daughter in 1971 on her album From the Beggar’s Mantle… Fringed With Gold.

Horden Raikes sang Thomas of Winesbury in 1972 on their Folk Heritage album Horden Raikes. This track was also included in 1974 on Brian Dewhurst’s Folk Heritage anthology Bits and Pieces of Brian Dewhurst.

Pentangle sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 1972 on their album Solomon’s Seal. This video shows them on Set of Six ITV on 27 June 1972:

John Goodluck sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 1974 on his album The Suffolk Miracle. Producer Brian Horsfall noted:

When the word got around that John was about to make his recording debut, the universal question was, “You’ll be doing Willie, won’t you?” Apart from being one of the best-loved in his repertoire, the song is worthy of note; if only because the hero, faced with a choice between a shotgun wedding and the hangman’s rope, has the good sense to know when he’s well off—unlike many another in folk song!

Staverton Bridge sang Tom Barbary in 1975 on their eponymous Saydisc album Staverton Bridge. This recording was included in 2001 on the Fellside anthology of English traditional songs, Voices in Harmony. Paul Adams noted:

The idea of a courtship being conducted in disguise by a prince or a rich man’s son is the common stuff of oral tales the world over. In Tom Barbary it makes for a remarkably amiable ballad with smiles, forgiveness and fortunes all round at the end of the story. It is a version of Willie o’ Winesbury (Child 100). Prof. Child’s Scottish versions all have him as Willie or Thomas of Winsbury (or Winesberry), Tom (or John) Barbary (or Barber) seems to emanate from the West Country.

John Leonard and John Squire sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 1976 on their Rubber album Broken-Down Gentlemen. They noted:

This is more or less as we first heard it from Andy Irvine and still remains one of our favourite songs.

Dick Gaughan sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 1978 on his eponymous Topic album Gaughan. He noted:

I couldn’t have imagined myself singing this a few years back, but I found a couple of verses for the middle which change the whole emphasis of the song. I first heard it sung by Anne Briggs to a different tune, but don’t remember where I got this tune. The guitar is tuned DADGAD and the accompaniment is from an idea my wife Dorris gave me.

Hazel King sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 1978 on her and Derek Sarjeant’s album English & Scottish Folksongs and Ballads.

Dave Burland sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 1979 on his album You Can’t Fool the Fat Man. His version is from Maud Karpeles’ book Folk Songs of Newfoundland.

Tony Rose recorded Tom the Barber in 1982 for his fourth album, Poor Fellows. As his albums weren’t available any more, he re-recorded it in 1999 for his CD Bare Bones. He noted on the original album:

For some 200 years, dating from the mid-17^th century, the Barbary coast of North Africa—present day Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria—was notorious pirate territory. ‘Barber’ seems to derive from ‘berber’, but whether this is the hero’s nickname, disguise or genuine identity is uncertain. Other versions of Willie o’ Winsbury have him “lately come from Spain.” In either case it must have seemed fairly exotic to Mr Gordge of Bridgwater from whom Cecil Sharp collected this fine tune. [VWML CJS2/9/811]

Steve Turner sang Lord Thomas of Winesbury in 1984 on his Fellside album Eclogue.

Nick Dow sang The Rich Shipowner’s Daughter on his 1986 album A Mark Upon the Earth. He noted:

Another Child Ballad (No. 100). This song is better known as Lord Thomas of Winesberry. This version is strikingly different with a tune that develops with each verse. It comes from the singing of Robert Cinnamond of Belfast, who had an amazing singing style, that may be traced back as far as the fourteenth century. The only other singer to voice a similar style was recorded on wax cylinder in Lincolnshire by Percy Grainger in 1908 (Mr. George Wray). The style is often called ‘Terraced singing’.

To my shame, I have not attempted to re-create the style of the original, but have concentrated on the narrative and ironed out the rhythm to a regular 4/4 allowing the tune to adopt a different set of characteristics, thus (I hope) extending the discipline of the tradition, without indulging in the indignity of its transformation (an occurrence all too often witnessed in Folk Clubs, by singers who have more interest in themselves than the song).

Ed Miller sang Thomas of Winesbury in 1989 on his Folk-Legacy album Border Background. He noted:

Number 100 in the Child collection, this ballad is more commonly known as Willie o’ Winsbury. I first heard this variant from Barbara Dickson around 1970, and it appears to be a shortened version of Lord Thomas of Winesberrie, which appeared in Kinloch’s Ancient Scottish Ballads. Like most of my repertoire, it has experienced changes over the years since I first learned it.

The song is of 16^th century origins, from the pre-reformation period when the sons of the Scots nobility were often sent to France for their education—Thomas, apparently, was a quick learner! Some ballad scholars believe the hero to be the future King James V of Scotland, who did, indeed, marry a daughter of Francis I of France.

Brian Peters sang John Barbour in 1989 on his Harbourtown album Fools of Fortune. He noted:

Fortune favoured John Barbour, whose physical attractiveness landed him on the gallows but then reprieved him. This version of Willie o’ Winsbury appears in Peacock’s Songs of the Newfoundland Outports, and was collected from a Mrs. Charlotte Decker.

Richard Thompson sang Willie o’ Winsbury in a 18 June 1993 live recording from Iron Horse, Northampton, Massachusetts, that was included in 2006 on his Free Reed anthology RT: The Life and Music of Richard Thompson.

Sara Grey sang Johnny Barden in 1994 on her eponymous Harbourtown album Sara. She noted:

Song by Mrs Mary McCrath of Bridgetown, Co. Wexford in 1974. The recording is in the archive of the Department of Irish Folklore, University College Dublin Learnt when Mary was “about five from an oul travlin’ man of Wexford he’s dead years.” This appears to be the only version of Willie of Winsbury (Child no. 108) or The Laird o’ the Windy Wa recorded in the Southern Irish tradition. I got it from a tape called Songs of the Irish Travellers. A version is in Songs of the People, John Milden’s selection from the Sam Henry collection where it is called The Rich Ship Owner’s Daughter. It is also known as John Barbour, Tom the Barber or Tom Barbary. It is a song about a pregnant girl although this version only hints at this in the second and third verses. Other versions finish the second verse “or has lain with some young man”. Another often found feature in these songs is the pour suitor who turns out to be rich, here he is again.

Frankie Armstrong sang Thomas of Welshbury in 2000 on her Fellside CD The Garden of Love. Brian Pearson noted:

Frankie lives in Wales and was initially attracted by the title of this version of Willie of Winsbury. She likes the way that disaster is averted by the king’s unexpectedly broad-minded appreciation of a pretty young man. The idea that the folk tradition is ferociously heterosexual doesn’t hold up—think of all those songs about cross-dressing or of phrases like “girls, if you must love, love another”.

Mary Humphreys and Anahata sang Willie of Winsbury on their 2001 album Through the Groves.

Nic Jones sang William of Winesbury on his 2001 album of previously unreleased material, Unearthed. He noted:

My approach to learning songs was quite undisciplined and somewhat lazy. I used to trawl through a variety of books such as the Child Ballads, Christie’s Traditional Ballad Airs, Bronson, and the EFDSS Folk Song Journals, and listen to old recordings of traditional singers. Rather than conscientiously learn the songs by writing them down and working out the arrangement, I tended to absorb them over a period of time. Add the facts that I couldn’t read music very well and had a terrible memory even then, the end result was words and tunes were not always remembered correctly nor, in some cases, were the sources. […] William of Winesbury [is] such [a] song.

Jim Eldon sang High Castle Wall in 2004 on his album Home From Sea.

Sarah Morgan sang Tom Barbary in 2005 on the Hampshire half of the Forest Tracks album Folk Songs From Hampshire and Dorset. Paul March noted:

Tune and text from Charles Bull of Marchwood [VWML GG/1/11/684] with verses 7 and 11 added from Fred Osman, Lower Bartley [VWML GG/1/20/1317] .

Purslow writes: “This is a fairly late version of the ballad of Lord Thomas of Wlnesberry, (known also as Willie o’ Winsbury’, John Barbary and Tom the Barber. Professor Child quotes George Klnloch (Ancient Scottish Ballads, p. 89) as suggesting that the hero is James V of Scotland.”

Laurel Swift and Lauren McCormick sang Willie of Winsbury in 2005 on the Laurel Swift and Friends album Beam. Laurel noted:

Willie of Winsbury is a rare (no-one dies) and very human ballad I learnt from the immense singing of Anne Briggs. Dick Gaughan also used to sing it—see his [unfortunately now defunct] website for a perfect expression of the story’s sentiment.

Kate Rusby sang John Barbury in 2007 on her CD Awkward Annie.

Stanley Robertson sang Willie o Winsbury on his 2009 posthumous album of “family gems and jewels from the Traveller tradition”, The College Boy.

The Owl Service sang Willie o’ Winsbury on their 2011 album The Pattern Beneath the Plough.

Hannah James sang There Was a Lady Lived in the West in 2012 on her and Sam Sweeney’s second duo album, State and Ancientry. They noted:

Hannah learnt this song from a spectacular recording of Robert Cinnamond [see above] and only hopes that her delivery is half as enthralling as his. It’s a tale of a princess who falls for John Barlow, an “unsuitable” sailor, but when the King meets him he decides he’s a fine looking young man and lets them marry anyway.

Martha Tilston sang Willie o’ Winsbury live at Bush Hall in London on 8 November 2012:

Rosaleen Gregory sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 2013 on her second album of Child ballads, Serpent’s Knee. She noted:

One of my favourites—and it even has a happy ending.

Anaïs Mitchell & Jefferson Hamer sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 2013 on their CD Child Ballads. They also sang it live at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2014:

Robert Lawrence and Jill Green sang Willie of Winsbury on their 2015 CD Legends and Laments. They noted:

After a long imprisonment in Spain, the King returns to England to find that his daughter Jane has fallen in love with his servant Willie of Winsbury, and is now with child. In his anger, he vows to hang Willie. But when Willie is brought to the court, the King realises that he is a good and honourable man and offers him wealth and land if he marries Jane.

Robyn Stapleton sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 2015 on her album of songs of the Scottish and Irish folk traditions, Fickle Fortune. She noted:

I’ve always loved the story of this traditional ballad—so many unexpected twists and turns, and a wonderful tune. Thanks to Paddy Cummins for introducing me to this song during my stay in Ireland.

Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith sang Willy o’ the Winsbury in 2016 on their Fellside album Night Hours. They noted:

As a Child ballad it is also known as Tom the Barber, John Barbour, etc.

This beautiful Scottish ballad exists in many variants. In this version, a king who has been away in Spain returns to find his daughter pregnant by Willie o’ the Winsbury. He summons him to be hanged but upon meeting him is so struck by his beauty that he offers both land and his daughter’s hand. In our interpretation Willie accepts the daughter’s hand but refuses the offer of land and title because their love is enough.

Jim Moray sang William of Barbary in 2016 on his CD Upcetera. He noted:

As sung to Cecil Sharp on 2 January 1906 by Mr Gordge of Somerset, who confusingly called it Tom the Barber, despite the name Tom not featuring anywhere in the song. I learned this from Steve Turner’s recording on his album Eclogue, where he called it Lord Thomas of Winesbury.

Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne sang Tom the Barber in 2017 on his WildGoose CD Outway Songster. He noted:

A variant of Child ballad 100, commonly known as Willie o’ Winesbury. I first heard this sung by Tony Rose on his 1982 LP Poor Fellows. [Its] sleeve notes comment that this song was collected by Cecil Sharp from Mr Gordge of Bridgwater (collected 2 January 1906) [VWML CJS2/9/811] . This variant was published in Volume I of Sharp’s English Folk Songs presented there under the title Lord Thomas of Winesberry. The only variant I’ve found with the title Tom the Barber is that collected by Hammond from W. Bartlett of Wimborne, Dorset in September 1906, and it appears that Tony Rose’s text draws on this variant. The most convincing explanation of the term ‘barber’ is that it is a corruption of ‘Berber’ referring to the people of North Africa.

Offa Rex sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 2017 on their Nonesuch album The Queen of Hearts. This track was also included in 2021 on the anthology of the story of Folk into Rock and beyond, The Electric Muse Revisited. Olivia Chaney noted on their album:

I grew up with the music of Anne Briggs, and her rendition of this song has gone down, along with Andy Irvine’s, as not only one of the great recordings, but also one of my favourite recordings of anything. This song was the seed of the project: Colin [Meloy] announced via Twitter that he wanted to hear me sing it, having listened to my album. That led to me supporting them on tour, and not long after Colin invited me to make a record with the band. But the song still seemed untouchable to me.

I was working on ideas at the piano, but they didn’t feel right. So, mid-recording process, now in Portland. Tucker [Martine] lent me his father’s old Martin guitar from his studio. Flora Recording & Playback, to continue working on. Late one night, jet-lagged in my Airbnb, I gradually found a tuning and polyrhythmic part that the song could float over, un-impinged. I recorded a demo on my phone and sent it to the band. That led to us deciding to keep it intimate and pared down; just me, guitar and voice, Colin on nylon-string, and Nate [Query] on upright. Tucker captured the whole live take with us standing around one beautiful 1930s RCA ribbon mic. We just listened to each other in the room, no headphones, and played our way through the story of this poetic Child ballad. The only thing we added afterwards was my double-tracked guitar to bring more depth to the sound.

Martin Simpson sang Willie o’ Winsbury on the second CD of the deluxe issue of his 2017 Topic album Trails & Tribulations. He noted:

During the recording of ideas for this collection of songs, I experimented with an arrangement of the ballad, Willie o’ Winsbury. I played the sketch on my Fylde resonator guitar through my Magnatone amp and subsequently decided not to record the song, so I have included the work in progress.

Ken Wilson and Jim MacFarland sang Tom the Barber in 2017 on their CD Here’s a Health to the Company!. They noted:

A version of the Scottish ballad Willy o’ Winsbury / Tom (or John) Barbary (or Barber). This version seems to emanate from the English West Country and was collected by Cecil Sharp from Mr Gordge of Bridgwater [VWML CJS2/9/811] .

Joshua Burnell sang Willie o’ Winsbury on the bonus CD of his 2019 album The Road to Horn Fair.

Dougie Mackenzie sang Willie o’ Winsbury on his 2019 Greentrax album Along the Way. He noted:

First heard on an early John Renbourn album. The King returns from fighting in Spain and finds his daughter with child.

Roisín White sang The Rich Shipowner’s Daughter on the Belfast Traditional Music and Dance Society’s 2019 Robert Cinnamond tribute album ’Tis Pretty to Be in Ballinderry.

Ye Vagabonds sang Willie o Winsbury in 2019 on their River Lea album The Hare’s Lament. They noted:

As has unfortunately been the case with folk music since recording began, often credit is not given to people where it is due for their arrangements and work on songs. No one fixed version of any folk song exists until recordings are made. As far as we’re concerned, this is Andy Irvine’s arrangement of this song, since he was the first we know of to have sung it with this melody. We learned this song first from Andy and Anne Briggs’ recordings, and from our uncle Dominic who always sings it at family gatherings. We’ve been singing it since we were teenagers, at first imitating Andy—as we were when Myles O’Reilly first filmed us a few years ago, and the song has developed for us a fair bit since. We’ve heard and read a lot of versions of it under different names—sometimes also as Johnny Barton, John Barlow or John Barbour. In the great 1868 book [by John S. Roberts] The Legendary Ballads of England and Scotland a version of the song Lord Thomas of Winesberrie is thought to relate to events from 1536 when James V of Scotland married Magdalene de Valois, daughter of the king of France (who then died shortly after their return to Scotland just a month before her 17^th birthday). Another theory is that Thomas of Winesberry was the name of the Chamberlain to the king of France who wooed the princess. In any case, most of these versions tells a less romantic, more materialistic version of the story. There is some questionable fatherly behaviour in this song, but the most remarkable part of the story for us is that the king himself seems to fancy Willie o Winsbury, so offers him his daughter in marriage rather than sending him to the gallows.

Devin Hoff sang Willie o’ Winsbury in 2021 on his album of songs of Anne Briggs, Voices From the Empty Moor.

Holly & the Reivers sang Willie o’ Winsbury on their 2023 album Three Galleys. They noted:

One of the great Child Ballads, this song has been sung by many people and we continue that tradition. We believe it is one of the great stories in our tradition of Ballad singing. A wonderful triumph of love.

Lyrics

Robert Cinnamond sings There Was a Lady Lived in the West

There was a lady lived in the west,
And she was dressed in green,
And as she leaned over her father’s castle wall
For to see the ships sail in.

“What is wrong with you?” her father did say.
“You look so pale and wan.
For you must have some sore sickness
Or have lain with some young man.”

“Oh, I have had no sore sickness,
But I’m in love with a young man,
And the only thing that breaks my heart
Is what keeps my darling so long.”

“Is he is a lord, a squire or a duke,
Or a man of noted fame,
Or is he young John from the Isle of Man
That ploughs the raging main?”

“He is neither a lord, a squire or a duke,
Or a man of noted fame,
But he is young John from the Isle of Man
That ploughs the raging main.”

“Then call him go down the salt sea strand
And bring him here to me.
If he’s seeking to gain my daughter’s hand,
He must leave this country.”

“Oh, Father dear, don’t be severe,
Or be cruel unto me.
Oh, if you send away my John Barlow
You will get no good of me.”

Then the king he called in his merry, merry men,
And he called them by one, two and three,
And instead of young John being the very first man,
The very last one came he.

He entered the room young John Barlow,
And the clothing he wore was silk,
And his two blue eyes like the morning stars,
And his skin as white as milk.

“Aye, I think it no wonder,“ the king gey did say
“My daughter’s in love with thee.
If I was a woman as I am a man,
My bed-mate you would be.

“Will you wed my daughter?“ he said.
“Will you take her by the hand?
And you shall dine at my table,
And be master over all my land.”

“I will wed your daughter,“ he said,
“But she’s no match for me,
For every pound that she counts down,
I can count thirty-three.”

Now, fill your glasses to the brim;
Drink a health to your country.
Drink a health to young John from the Isle of Man
And to Lady Winsbally.

Joe McCafferty sings John Barbour

There was a lord lived in this town,
He had only one loved daughter Jane.
And as she stood in her father’s castle walls
She was watching the ship sails on, on,
She was watching the ship sails on.

“What ails you, what ails you,” her father did say,
“You look so pale and wan.
Nor have you got some sore sickness,” he says,
“Nor deceived by some young man, man,
Nor deceived by some young man?”

“I have not got sore nor sickness,” she says,
“Nor deceived by no young man.
But the truth unto you, my father, I will tell:
My true love stops too long.”

“Is your true love a knight nor a lord?” he says,
“Nor is he a man of fame?
Nor is he one of our seamen bold
That ploughs the raging main?”

“He is not a knight nor a lord,“ she says,
Nor he is not a man of fame.
But he is one of our seamen bold:
John Barbour is his name.”

“If that is so, dear daughter,“ he says,
“That you fell in love with he.
But before eight o’clock on tomorrow morning
I will hang him to a tree.”

“If you’ll hang John Barbour, dear father,” she says,
“And hang him to a tree,
But before eight o’clock on tomorrow morning
I will die as well as he.”

Then he called all his merry men in
By one, by two and by three.
And the very man that always used to come first
Was the very last man came he.

His stockings they were of the grass-green silk
And his coat of the navy blue,
And his skin was as white as any milk
That ever your eyes had seen.

“It’s no wonder now, dear daughter,” he says,
“That you fell in love with him.
Nor if I was a woman although I am a man
My bedfellow he would be.

“Will you marry my daughter now,” he said,
“With the faith of my own right hand?
She can eat and drink at my own table
And be heir of all my land.”

“I will marry your daughter now,” he said,
“With the faith of my own right hand.
She can eat and drink at my own table
And a fig for all your land!

“For now John Barbour it is my name
And a seaman to you I only stand.
For I’ve just got as good a living as you:
I am the mayor of all Creeveland.”

He mounted his love on a milk-white steed
And they rode unto a bay.
And they have as much land as you could walk round
For the length of (spoken) a long summer’s day.

Anne Briggs sings Willie o’ Winsbury

The king has been a prisoner
And a prisoner long in Spain,
And Willie of the Winsbury
Has lain long with his daughter at hame.

“What ails ye? what ails ye, my daughter Janet?
Why you look so pale and wan?
Oh, have you had any sore sickness
Or yet been sleepin’ with a man?”

“I have not had any sore sickness
Nor yet been sleepin’ wi’ a man.
It is for you, my father dear,
For biding so long in Spain.”

“Cast off, cast off your berry-brown gown,
You stand naked upon the stane,
That I may ken ye by your shape
Whether you be a maiden or none.”

And she’s cast off her berry-brown gown,
She stood naked upon the stone.
Her apron was low and her haunches were round,
Her face was pale and wan.

“Oh, was it with a lord or a duke or a knight,
Or a man of birth and fame?
Or was it with one of me serving men
That’s lately come out of Spain?”

“No, it wasn’t with a lord, nor a duke, nor a knight,
Or a man of birth and fame.
But it was with Willie of Winsbury,
I could bide no longer alone.”

And the king he has called on his merry men all,
By thirty and by three,
Says, “Fetch me this Willie of Winsbury,
For hanged he shall be!”

But when he came the king before,
He was clad all in the red silk.
His hair was like the strands of gold,
His skin was as white as milk.

“And it is no wonder,” said the king,
“That my daughter’s love you did win.
If I was a woman, as I am a man,
My bedfellow you would have been.”

“And will you marry my daughter Janet,
By the truth of your right hand?
Oh, will you marry my daughter Janet?
I’ll make you the lord of my land.”

“Yes, I will marry your daughter Janet
By the truth of my right hand.
Yes I will marry your daughter Janet,
But I’ll not be the lord of your land.”

And he’s mounted her on a milk-white steed
And himself on a dapple grey.
He has made her the lady of as much land
As she’ll ride in a long summer’s day.

Tony Rose sings Tom the Barber

As I looked over the castle wall
To see what I could see,
There I saw my father’s ship
𝄆 Come a-sailing home to me. 𝄇

“What’s the matter, my daughter Jane,
That you look so pale and wan,
Have you had some sore sickness
In 𝄆 lying with some young man?” 𝄇

“Oh, I’ve had no sore sickness
In lying with no young man,
But I have a grieve to my very, very heart
𝄆 That you’ve been so long at sea.” 𝄇

Then she’s took off her gown of green,
She’s hanged it against the wall.
Her apron strings they would not untie
𝄆 She was three quarters gone. 𝄇

“It is to a noble gentleman
Or to one of low degree?
Or is it to some jolly, jolly tar
𝄆 That sails in along of me?” 𝄇

“ ’t is to no noble gentleman
Nor to one of low degree;
But it is to that jolly, jolly tar
That sails in along of thee,
Aye, he sails along of thee.”

So he’s called up his merry, merry men,
By one, by two, by three,
And Tom the Barber that used to come first,
𝄆 The last come in was he. 𝄇

In came Tom the Barber bold,
He was dressed all in silk.
His eyes did shine like morning sun,
His skin it was like the milk,
Oh, his skin was like the milk.

“Will you marry my daughter Jane?
Will you take her by the hand?
Will you prove a father unto that child,
The 𝄆 heir to all my land?” 𝄇

“Yes, I’ll marry your daughter Jane,
I’ll take her by the hand.
I’ll prove a father unto that child,
But I value not your land,
No, I value not your land.

For I have gold and silver store,
I’ve houses and I’ve land.
If it were not for your daughter Jane,
I’d never been your man,
No, I’d ne’er been your man.”

Hannah James sings There Was a Lady Lived in the West

There was a lady lived in the west.
And she was dressed in green.
And she leaned over her father’s castle wall
For to see the ships sail in.

“What is wrong with you?” her father did say,
“You look so pale and wan.
For you must have some sore sickness
Or have lain with some young man.”

“Oh, I have had no sore sickness
But I’m in love with a young man.
And the only thing that breaks my heart
Is what keeps my darling so long.”

“Is he a lord, a squire or a duke
Or a man of noted fame?
Or is he young John from the Isle of Man
That ploughs the raging main?”

“He is neither a lord, a squire or a duke,
Or a man of noted fame,
But he is young John from the Isle of Man
That ploughs the raging main.”

“Then call him down the salt sea strand
And bring him unto me.
If he’s thinking to gain my daughter’s hand
He must leave this fair country.”

“Oh, Father dear, don’t be severe
Or be cruel unto me!
If you send away my John Barlow
You will get no good of me.”

So the king has called his merry, merry men,
And he called them by one two, three.
And instead of young John being the very first man,
The very last one came he.

He entered the room, young John Barlow,
And the clothing he wore was silk.
And his two blue eyes like the morning stars
And his skin was as white as milk.

“I think it no wonder,” the king he did say,
“My daughter’s in love with thee.
For if I was a woman as I am a man,
My bed-mate you would be.”

“Will you wed my daughter?” the king did say,
“Will you take her by the hand?
And you will dine at my table
And be master over all my land.”

“Oh, I will wed your daughter,” he said,
“But she’s no match for me.
For every pound that she counts down,
I will count down thirty-three.”

Now, fill your glasses to the brim,
Drink a health to your country!
Drink a health to young John from the Isle of Man
And his Lady Winsbally.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to David Summers for lyric corrections.