> Tony Rose > Songs > ’Twas on One April Morning
> Louis Killen > Songs > One April Morning
> June Tabor > Songs > April Morning
> Norma Waterson > Songs > One April Morning

’Twas on an April Morning / ’Twas on One April Morning / Young Men Are False

[ Roud 1546 ; Master title: ’Twas on an April Morning ; VWML LEB/5/424/2 , CJS2/10/1787 ; DT APRILAM ; Mudcat 5717 ; trad.]

Although this song is commented on below by singers as “ubiquitous” and “another of those osmosis ones”, it was collected only twice in South-West England: by L. Priscilla Wyatt-Edgell from the singing of Mr. R. Bryant of Cowley, near Exeter, in March 1908, and printed in Folk Song Journal No. 15 [VWML LEB/5/424/2] , and by Cecil Sharp from the singing of Ellen Carter of Cheddar Cliffs, Somerset, on 13 August 1908 [VWML CJS2/10/1787] .

Cyril Tawney sang ’Twas on One April Morning in 1973 on his Argo LP I Will Give My Love. His version is from Devon.

Tony Rose sang ’Twas on One April Morning on his 1976 LP On Banks of Green Willow; he re-recorded it in 1999 for his CD Bare Bones. A live recording from Herga Folk Club in 1978 was included in 2008 on his CD Exe. He noted on the first album:

The village of Cowley, near Exeter, awakens boyhood memories on three counts—it was the terminus of the old “F” bus route, my mum’s favourite picnic spot, and a superb vantage point from which to behold the Great Western Railway in all its majesty! Last year I discovered it was also where Priscilla Wyatt-Edgell collected ’Twas on One April Morning from Mr R. Bryant.

Louis and Sally Killen sang Mr Bryant’s version of April Morning on the 1976 fundraiser album The Second Folk Review Record. Louis Killen recorded One April Morning again in 1989 for his cassette The Rose in June. He gives Cyril Tawney as his source and remarks: “It has a nice switch in the roles normally found in these dialogues.”

The Old Swan Band sang ’Twas on One April Morning in 1979 on their Free Reed album Old Swan Brand. They noted:

We heard a lady sing this lovely song at Bristol Folk Club, and finding that Mel [Dean] knew the words, instantly started trying out harmonies.

Folly Bridge sang April Morning in 1991 on their WildGoose cassette All in the Same Tune.

June Tabor recorded April Morning with Andy Cutting playing diatonic accordion and Mark Emerson playing viola in 1997 for her album Aleyn. This track was also included in the Topic Records compilation English Originals and on her anthology Always. She commented in the anthology’s notes:

The song is another of those osmosis ones. I happened to be at John Jones’ house in the company of Rod and Danny Stradling and we started singing after dinner. This was one of the songs that we sang and somehow I knew all the words, although I’d never consciously learnt them. From that remembering it stuck in my mind and I knew it would be a perfect one for Andy and Mark to play.

Finest Kind sang April Morning on their 1999 album Heart’s Delight. They noted:

This song comes to Ian [Robb] via our good friend and frequent inspiration, Louis Killen, who in turn credits Cyril Tawney for finding it in the Baring-Gould collection from the south-west of England. It is a gorgeous and unmistakably English melody, coupled with a quite contemporary view on courtship and marriage, incongruously expressed in words only a Victorian could conceive.

Norma Waterson sang One April Morning in 2000 on her third solo album, Bright Shiny Morning. She was accompanied by Mary Macmaster, electro harp, Martin Carthy, guitar, Martin Green, piano accordion, Eliza Carthy & Ben Ivitsky, vocals. She noted:

Lal and I used to sing this years and years ago and I’ve no idea where we learned it. (We probably heard it from Martin.)

Bram Taylor sang April Morning in 2001 on his Fellside CD Feragile Peace. He noted:

At last, an opportunity for me to have a go at the harmonies! (I don’t get many chances to do this as a solo artist.) I collected this song in my early twenties from the fine singing repertoire of Tony Rose From the West Country, Tony collected it from Priscilla Wyatt-Edgell, who came by the song from a Mr R. Bryant in the village of Cowley, near Exeter. Together with its lovely tune, it will no doubt stay with me for the rest of my lifetime.

Jane and Amanda Threlfall sang April Morn on their 2002 CD Gown of Green and on their 2007 CD Revisited. They noted:

On One April Morning was collected by L. Priscilla Wyatt-Edgell in March 1908, from Mr R. Bryant of Cowley, near Exeter, Devon [VWML LEB/5/424/2] . It appeared in The Folk Song Journal for 1910, in which its probable origins were suggested as being in the theatre or in ballad-opera. The similarity in tune, words and subject matter to the song Early One Morning was also highlighted.

Jim Moray sang April Morning in 2003 on his CD Sweet England.

Burgess, Ådin & Wingård sang One April Morning on their 2007 CD Doggerland. They noted:

[…] one of the classic English folk songs about unrequited love. This version was collected in 1908 from a singer by the name R. Bryant from Cowley [VWML LEB/5/424/2] .

The Wilson Family sang April Morning on their 2009 CD A Grey Lock or Two. They noted:

We dedicate this song to Tony Rose, who said of the song that, after many years of singing it, he happily discovered that it was collected by Priscilla Wyatt-Edgell from a Mr R. Bryant in the village of Cowley near Exeter, which just happened to be a favourite child­ hood picnic spot for him and his mother—nice one Tony.

Jon Boden sang On One April Morning as the 1 April 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day. He also sang it in 2024 on his Hudson album with the Remnant Kings, Parlour Ballads. He noted in his blog:

A bit of a classic. I’m not sure where it comes from—it’s fairly ubiquitous, although I suppose I associate it most with Lou Killen. It’s unusual in that it’s a folk song actually celebrating chastity…

Pilgrims’ Way sang this song as Young Men Are False in 2011 on their CD Wayside Courtesies. They noted:

Learned form the singing of Norma Waterson, this song was collected from a Mr R. Bryant in Cowley, near Exeter.
67% of the band agree with the sentiment.

This video shows John Jones and Steve Knightley singing ’Twas on One April Morning at Shrewsbury 2013:

Andy Turner sang ’Twas on One April Morning as the 25 April 2015 entry of his project A Folk Song a Week, referring to Cyril Tawney and Tony Rose who introduced it to the folk scene.

This video shows Gemma Khawaja singing It was on One April Morning at The Bridge Folk Club Newcastle on 23 April 2018:

James Findlay sang April’s Morning on his 2019 CD The Where and the When. He noted:

A song promoting abstinence and female independence from ‘false young men’. It is a song that seems to be entrenched in the unconscious mind of every folk singer. This probably has a lot to do with Tony Rose’s definitive version of April’s Morning which was my inspiration.

Jim Causley sang ’Twas on One April’s Morning on his 2021 CD Devonia. He noted:

Traditional, L. Priscilla Wyatt-Edgell Collection. Collected from Mr. R. Bryant of Cowley, Exeter in March 1908.

Lyrics

Cyril Tawney sings ’Twas on One April Morning

’Twas on one April morning, just as the sun was rising,
’Twas on one April morning I heard the small birds sing.
They were singing Lovely Nancy
For love it is a fancy,
So sweet were the notes that I heard the small birds sing.

Young men are false and full of all deceiving
Young men are false and seldom do prove true,
For they’re roving and they’re ranging
And their minds are always changing
For they’re thinking for to find out some pretty girl that’s new.

O if I had but my own heart in keeping,
O if I had but my own heart back again.
Close in my bosom
I would lock it up for ever,
And it should wander never so far from me again.

Why would you spend all your long time in courting?
Why would you spend all your long time again?
For I don’t intend to marry,
I’d rather longer tarry,
So young man don’t you spend all your long time in vain.

(repeat first verse)

Tony Rose sings ’Twas on One April Morning

’Twas on one April morning, just as the sun was rising,
’Twas on one April morning, I heard the small birds sing.
They were singing Lovely Nancy,
For love it is a fancy—
And sweet were the notes that I heard the small birds sing.

Young men are false and are full of all deceiving;
Young men are false, and they seldom do prove true.
For they’re roving and they’re ranging
And their minds are always changing
And they’re thinking for to find out some other girl that’s new.

O if I had but my own heart in keeping,
O if I had but my own heart back again:
Close in my bosom
I would lock it up forever
And it should wander never so far from me again.

So why would you spend all your long time in courting?
Why would you spend all your long time in vain?
For I don’t intend to marry,
I would rather longer tarry.
O young man, don’t you spend all your single life in vain.

(repeat first verse)

Folly Bridge sing April Morning

’Twas on one April morning, just as the sun was rising,
’Twas on one April morning, I heard the small birds sing.
𝄆 They were singing Lovely Nancy,
For love it is their fancy—
And Sweet were the notes that I heard the small birds sing. 𝄇

Young men are false and they’re full of all deceiving;
Young men are false, and they seldom do prove true.
𝄆 With their rambling and their ranging
Their minds they’re always changing,
And thinking to find them some pretty girl that’s new. 𝄇

O if I had my own heart for ever,
O if I had my own heart again:
Then it’s 𝄆 safe in my bosom
I would lock it up forever,
And it would wander never so far from me again. 𝄇

Young men don’t you spend all your long time in courting?
Young men don’t you spend all your long time again?
𝄆 For I don’t intend to marry,
I’d rather longer tarry.
So young man, don’t you spend all your long time in vain. 𝄇

(repeat first verse)

June Tabor sings April Morning

’Twas on one April morning, just as the sun was rising,
’Twas on one April morning, I heard the small birds sing.
They were singing Lovely Nancy,
Love it is a fancy—
Sweet were the notes that I heard the small birds sing.

O young men are false and they are full of all deceiving;
Young men are false, and they never will prove true.
With their roving and their ranging
And their minds are ever changing
They’re seeking for to find out some other girl that’s new.

O if I had but my own heart in keeping,
O if I had but my own heart back again:
Safe in my bosom
I would lock it up forever
And it should wander never so far from me again.

Why must you spend all your long time in courting?
Why must you spend all your long time in vain?
For I don’t intend to marry,
I would rather longer tarry.
Young man, don’t you spend all your single life in vain.

(repeat first verse)

Norma Waterson sings One April Morning

It was on one April morning, just as the sun was rising,
It was one April morning, I heard the small birds sing.
They were singing Lovely Nancy,
For love it is a fancy,
And sweet were the notes that I heard the small birds sing.

Young men are false, young men they are deceitful;
Young men are false and seldom can prove true.
With their rambling and their ranging
And their minds are always changing
And they’re always looking out for some other girl new.

O if I had but my own heart in keeping,
O if I had my own heart back again:
Close in my bosom
I would lock it up forever
And it would wander never so far from me again.

Why would you spend all your long time in courting?
Why would you spend all your long time in vain?
For I don’t intend to marry,
I’d rather longer tarry.
So young men don’t you spend all your long time in vain.

(repeat second verse)

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from the singing of Norma Waterson by Garry Gillard.