> Folk Music > Songs > Died for Love
Died for Love
[
Roud 18828
; Master title: Died for Love
; Ballad Index Gard028
; Go Dig My Grave / Died for Love / The Butcher Boy at Fire Draw Near
; trad.]
Mary and Nigel Hudleston: Songs of the Ridings
This is the Died for Love variant in which the father finds his deserted and pregnant daughter having hung herself.
Ewan MacColl sang All You Maidens Sweet and Kind in 1958 on his Riverside album All You Maidens Sweet and Kind. Kenneth S. Goldstein noted:
This was much sung during the second world war. Both the Royal Air Force and the Royal Artillery claim it as their own—though it is hard to see on what grounds. It has many variants, this one being from [Hamish] Henderson’s Ballads of World War II [in which the song has title An R.A. Ballad].
Emily Sparkes sang Died for Love in a recording made in Rattlesden in 1958/59 that was included in 1993 on the Veteran album of traditional music making from mid-Suffolk, Many a Good Horseman. He noted:
A very widely distributed song in England, Ireland, Scotland and North America, which was published by several 19th century broadside printers. Emily’s version is one of the most complete to be found in the oral tradition, with a first verse setting the scene for a story of betrayal which finally ends in suicide. Although Died for Love is the usual name, it has appeared under many titles including Bold/Brisk Young Farmer/Sailor/Lover, and The Alehouse/Tavern in the Town or I Wish My Baby It Was Born. In the West Country, particularly amongst Gypsy communities, it is known as Over Yonder’s Hill and has a couple of additional floating verses about a flower that would cure heartache. Two fine versions of this form can be heard on Veteran, sung by Jean Orchard on VT151CD Holsworthy Fair and Viv Legg on VT153CD Romany Roots. In east Suffolk, Blaxhall’s Geoff Ling regularly sang Died for Loves and he can be heard on TSCD660 Who’s That at My Bed Window?.
Jasper Smith sang Died for Love to Mike Yates in Epsom, Surrey, in 1975. This recording was published two years later on the Topic anthology of Gypsy singers, The Travelling Songster. It was also included in 2000 on the Topic CD Hidden English. Mike Yates noted on the original album:
Some songs and ballads are extremely difficult to identify with any degree of accuracy. Many are closely related with verses floating freely between whatever form the singer chooses to sing. It would seem that Jasper’s song comes initially from the 18th century ballad The Cruel Father, with additions from an early 19th century song The Squire’s Daughter. Other songs from this parentage are The Alehouse and There is a Tavern in the Town. Jasper’s version of this well-loved piece appears to be a relatively late form and, so he tells me, one that was popular with servicemen during World War II.
Geoff Ling sang Change the Old Love for the New in a recording made by John Howson that was published on the Veteran Tapes cassette Songs Sung in Suffolk 4: Those Sentimental Songs. This track was also included in 1993 on the Veteran CD of traditional folk music, songs and dances from England, Stepping It Out!.
Will Duke and Dan Quinn sang Maiden’s Prayer on their 1996 album Wild Boys. They noted:
Lifted, word for word, from An East Riding Songster edited by Steve Gardham. Lots of good songs here!
Jim Eldon sang Died for Love on his and Lynnette Eldon’s eponymous album Jim & Lynette Eldon.
Keith Kendrick sang Died for Love in 1997 on his Fellside album Home Ground. He noted:
From the singing of Jasper Smith (of the famed travelling Smith Family) on an old Topic album The Travelling Songster. I chose the instruments for this track to try and reflect the mix of influence between English and American Country styles that has evolved over recent decades and is evident in many modern gypsy performances around England today and, indeed, in Jasper’s own delivery of this song.
Stephanie Hladowski learned Died for Love from Jasper Smith’s recording and sang it accompanied by Chris Joynes on their 2012 CD The Wild Wild Berry. This track was also included in the Leigh Folk Festival 2013 album Sportsmen Seafarers Scumbags & Psychos.
Lyrics
Ewan MacColl sings All You Maidens Sweet and Kind
Now all you maidens sweet and kind
A soldier’s love is hard to find.
So when you’ve found one good and true
Don’t change the old one for a new.
She was a maiden sweet and kind
Brought up in high society.
A soldier in this Battery
Came and stole that girl away from me.
Her father came home late one night
And found his house without a light.
He went upstairs to go to bed
When a certain thought came into his head.
He went into his daughter’s room
And found her hanging from a beam.
He took a knife and cut her down
And on her breast these words he found:
My love is for a soldier boy
Who’s gone across the deep blue sea;
I often seem to think of him
But he never seems to think of me.
I wish my baby could be born
Then all my troubles would be gone;
But dig my grave and dig it deep
And place white lilies round my feet.
Then all you maidens sweet and kind
A soldier’s love is hard to find.
So when you’ve found one good and true
Don’t change the old love for a new.
Emily Sparkes sings Died for Love
There was a young farmer who once courted me,
He stole my heart and sweet liberty.
He stole my heart with a sweet good will
And I must confess that I love him still.
There is an alehouse in the town,
My love go in and sit himself down.
He takes another girl on his knee,
Now don’t you think that’s a grief to me.
Grief to me as I’ll tell you why
Because she’s got more gold that I.
Her gold will waste and her silver fly
And she’ll become a poor girl like I.
O don’t I wish my baby was born,
Sit smiling on his dadda’s knee.
And I myself in a cold, cold grave
With green grass growing over me.
The farmer coming home one night,
He call-ed for his hearts delight.
Upstairs he flew and the door he broke,
He found his love hanging there by a rope.
He took a knife and cut her down,
Into her bosom a note he found.
“Since I can’t be this young farmer’s wife.
Then with this rope I have ended my life.”
So dig me a grave both long, wide and deep,
Strew it with flowers that do smell sweet.
And on my bosom, two turtle doves
To let the world know I died for love.
Jasper Smith sings Died for Love
A man came walking home one night,
He found his house without a light.
He walked upstairs to go to bed
Then the second thought came in his head.
He walked into his daughter’s room
And found her hanging by the beam.
He drawed a knife and cut her down
And on her breast this is what he found:
“My love is for a sailor boy
Who sails across the deep blue sea.
So all you maidens good and true
Never change the old love for the new.
“Oh Lord I wish my child was born
And all my troubles could be gone.
So all you maidens good and true
Never change the old love for the new.”