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Index of Laws Ballads

This is a list of Laws Ballads featured on this site. It is automagically generated from the title lines in the site’s song pages.

References numbers are given to:

• Steve Roud, Folk Song Index (London, Vaughan Williams Memorial Library),
• Francis James Child, The English & Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-98, reprinted New York, Dover, 1965),
• G. Malcolm Laws jnr., American Balladry From British Broadsides (Philadelphia, American Folklore Society, 1957),
• Patrick Shuldham-Shaw, Emily B. Lyle (editors), The Greig-Duncan Folk Song Collection Volumes 1-8 (Aberdeen University Press, Mercat Press, 1981-2002).

> Folk Music > Songs > Laws Ballads

Ballads in Native American Balladry

A: War Ballads

• Brave Wolfe / Bold Wolfe (Roud 961; Laws A1)
• The Stately Southerner (Roud 625; Laws A3)

C: Ballads of Lumberjacks

• Canada I O / Canadee-I-O (Roud 309; Laws C17; Henry H162)

D: Ballads of Sailors and the Sea

• Off to Sea Once More (Roud 644; Laws D7)
• The Dreadnought (Roud 924; Laws D13; Henry H194)
• The Coast of Peru (Roud 1997; Laws D26)

E: Ballads About Criminals and Outlaws

• Twenty-One Years on Dartmoor [Bob Miller] (Roud 2248; Laws E16)

F: Murder Ballads

• Cruel Knife (Roud 500; Laws F1)
• Omie Wise (Roud 447; Laws F4)
• Banks of the Ohio (Roud 157; Laws F5)

G: Ballads of Tragedies and Disasters

• Springfield Mountain / The Wicked Serpent (Roud 431; Laws G16)
• Young Charlotte / Frozen Girl (Roud 260; Laws G17)
• Silver Dagger / Doleful Warning / Katie Dear (Roud 711; Laws G21)

H: Ballads on Various Topics

• The Lakes of Pontchartrain (Roud 1836; Laws H9; Henry H619)
• The Lonesome Scenes of Winter / Here’s My Heart Come Take It (Roud 443; Laws H12)
• Heenan and Sayers / Sayers’ and Heenan’s Great Fight (Roud 2148; Laws H20)

I: Ballads of the Negro

• John Henry (Roud 790; Laws I1)
• Duncan and Brady [Huddie Ledbetter] (Roud 4177; Laws I9)
• Stagger Lee / Stagolee (Roud 4183; Laws I15)
• Boll Weevil, Holler (Roud 3124; Laws I17)

Ballads in American Balladry From British Broadsides

J: War Ballads

• Plains of Waterloo (Roud 1922; Laws J3; G/D 1:152)
• The Bonny Bunch of Roses O (Roud 664; Laws J5; G/D 1:155)
• The Heights of Alma (Roud 830; Laws J10; G/D 1:158; Henry H123)
• The Croppy Boy (Roud 1030; Laws J14)
• The Belfast Shoemaker / The Rambling Royal (Roud 982; Laws J15; G/D 1:82)
• The Fourteenth of July / The Little Fighting Chance (Roud 980; Laws J19; G/D 1:42)

K: Ballads of Sailors and the Sea

• The Loss of the ‘Ramillies’ (Roud 523; Laws K1; G/D 1:28)
• The Rocks of Scilly / St Celia’s Rocks / Come All You Brisk Young Seamen (Roud 388; Laws K8)
• Lady Franklin’s Lament / Lord Franklin (Roud 487; Laws K9; G/D 1:16; Henry H815)
• Long Years Ago / The Bride’s Lament (Roud 274; Laws K10; G/D 1:19)
• Sweet William / Willie the Bold Sailor Boy / A Sailor’s Life / Early in the Month of Spring (Roud 273; Laws K12; G/D 6:1245)
• The Faithful Sailor Boy / Outward Bound [Thomas Payne Westendorf, G.W. Persley] (Roud 376; Laws K13; G/D 1:66; Henry H543, H678)
• Farewell Dearest Nancy / Farewell Nancy / Nancy of Yarmouth (Roud 527; Laws K14; Henry H755)
• Thomas and Nancy / In Bristol There Lived a Fair Damsel (Roud 2323; Laws K15)
• The Lovers’s Lament for Her Sailor / The Constant Lovers / The Drowned Lovers / The Forsaken Mermaid (Roud 466; Laws K17; G/D 6:1244)
• The Drowned Sailor / The Drowned Lover / Stow Brow (Roud 185; Laws K18; G/D 1:20; TYG 7)
• The Greenland Whale Fishery (Roud 347; Laws K21; G/D 1:9)
• Captain Glen / William Glenn / Sir William Gower / The New York Trader (Roud 478; Laws K22; G/D 2:191)
• Banks of Newfoundland (Roud 1812; Laws K25)
• Bold McCarthy (Roud 1800; Laws K26)
• The Maid on the Shore / Fair Maid on the Shore / The Sea Captain (Roud 181; Laws K27)
• The Flying Cloud (Roud 1802; Laws K28; G/D 1:44)
• The Bold Princess Royal / The Fourteenth of February (Roud 528; Laws K29; G/D 1:47)
• High Barbaree / Barbaree (Roud 134; Laws K33; G/D 1:38)
• Captain Kidd (Roud 1900; Laws K35)
• The Green Bed (Roud 276; Laws K36; G/D 1:48; Henry H779)
• The Saucy Sailor (Roud 531; Laws K38; G/D 1:49)
• Jack Tar / Jack Tar on Shore (Roud 919; Laws K39)
• Jack the Jolly Tar / Jacky Tar / Do Me Ama (Roud 511; Laws K40)
• The Rambling Sailor / Young Johnson / The Trim-Rigged Doxy (Roud 1901; Laws K41)
• Barrack Street (Roud 1902; Laws K42)
• Rosemary Lane / He Called for a Candle / Bell Bottom Trousers / Home Boys Home (Roud 269; Laws K43; G/D 7:1429; TYG 10)
• Hame, Hame, Hame (Roud 269; Laws K43)
• The Oak and the Ash / The North Country Maid (Roud 1367; Laws K43B; G/D 5:1058)

L: Ballads of Crime and Criminals

• The Crafty Ploughboy / Jack and the Robber / Well Sold the Cow / The Yorkshire Bite (Roud 2637; Laws L1; G/D 2:266; Henry H51; TYG 78)
• The Highwayman Outwitted / The Highwayman and the Farmer’s Daughter / The Farmer in Cheshire (Roud 2638; Laws L2)
• The Box Upon Her Head / The Girl With the Box on Her Head / The Staffordshire Maid / Undaunted Female (Roud 289; Laws L3; G/D 2:268)
• The Three Butchers / Three Jolly Butchers / Two Butchers / Three Jolly Sportsmen (Roud 17; Laws L4; G/D 2:186; Henry H185)
• Jack Hall / Sam Hall (Roud 369; Laws L5)
• Brennan on the Moor (Roud 476; Laws L7; G/D 2:258)
• Turpin Hero (Roud 621; Laws L10)
• The Streets of Derry / Derry Gaol / Hail a Brighter Day (Roud 896; Laws L11; Henry H705)
• The Highway Man / The Rambling Blade / Newlyn Town / Newry Town (Roud 490; Laws L12; G/D 2:260)
• Bold Lovell (Roud 534; Laws L13B)
• Whiskey in the Jar / Gilgarrah Mountain / Captain Devin (Roud 533; Laws L13A; Henry H792)
• The Gallant Poachers / The Poacher’s Fate (Roud 793; Laws L14)
• Botany Bay / The Whitby Lad / The Boston Burglar (Roud 261; Laws L16; G/D 2:260; Henry H691, H202)
• Jack Williams the Boatswain (Roud 1906; Laws L17)
• Van Diemen’s Land / The Gallant Poachers (Roud 519; Laws L18; G/D 2:252)
• The Wild Colonial Boy (Roud 677; Laws L20; Henry H750)

M: Ballads of Family Opposition to Lovers

• Early, Early in the Spring / One Morning in the Spring / The Single Sailor (Roud 152; Laws M1; G/D 1:51)
• The Lover’s Lament / I Courted a Damsel (Roud 405; Laws M3)
• The Drowsy Sleeper / Arise Arise / Awake Awake / Silver Dagger / Waking Dreams (Roud 22620, 22621; Laws M4; Henry H722)
• John Reilly / John Riley (Roud 270; Laws M8; G/D 1:22; Henry H468)
• My Father’s Servant Boy / My Father’s Serving Boy / North Amerikay (Roud 1910; Laws M11; Henry H198, H525)
• Locks and Bolts / Back o’ Benachie / I Dreamed Last Night of My True Love (Roud 406; Laws M13; G/D 5:1012)
• The Bonny Labouring Boy (Roud 1162; Laws M14; Henry H576)
• The Cruel Father / Her Servant Man / The Iron Door (Roud 539; Laws M15; G/D 5:1003; Henry H668)
• Charming Mary Neal / Mary Neal (Roud 142; Laws M17; Henry H55)
• The Rich Merchant and His Daughter / The Flower of London (Roud 548; Laws M19)
• Betsy the Servant Maid / Betsy the Serving Maid / The Grazier’s Daughter (Roud 156; Laws M20; G/D 6:1094)
• The Bonny Lighter Boy / My Darling Ploughman Boy (Roud 843; Laws M22; G/D 3:413, 6:1117)
• The Pretty Ploughboy (Roud 186; Laws M24; G/D 1:170; Henry H105)
• The Banks of Sweet Dundee (Roud 148; Laws M25; G/D 2:224)
• The Bold Dragoon / Bold Keeper / Only a Soldier (Roud 321; Laws M27)
• Down by the Tan Yard Side / The Tan Yard Side / The Slaney Side (Roud 1021; Laws M28; Henry H52b)
• Bruton Town / The Bramble Briar / The Murdered Servantman (Roud 18; Laws M32)
• The Constant Farmer’s Son (Roud 675; Laws M33; G/D 2:221; Henry H806)
• Young Edwin in the Lowlands Low / Edwin / Young Emma (Roud 182; Laws M34; G/D 2:189; Henry H113)
• Lovely Willy (Roud 1913; Laws M35; Henry H587)
• The Nightingale (Roud 1093; Laws M37; G/D 1:18; Henry H75a)
• The Yarmouth Tragedy (Roud 187; Laws M38; G/D 2:222)

N: Ballads of Lovers’ Disguise and Tricks

• The Fourteenth of November (Roud 1915; Laws N1)
• The Female Sailor Bold (Roud 1699; Laws N3)
• The Rainbow / As We Were A-Sailing / A Broadside (Roud 492; Laws N4; G/D 1:180)
• The Press Gang / The Lady of Riches (Roud 601; Laws N6; G/D 1:174; Henry H108a)
• Jackie Munro / The Wars of Germany / There Was a Wealthy Merchant (Roud 268; Laws N7; G/D 1:171, 1:172)
• Lisbon / William and Nancy’s Parting (Roud 551; Laws N8; G/D 1:63; Henry H561)
• The Banks of the Nile (Roud 950; Laws N9; G/D 1:99; Henry H238a)
• William Taylor / Bold William Taylor / Willie Taylor (Roud 158; Laws N11; G/D 1:169; Henry H231, H757)
• The Rakish Female Sailor / Short Jacket and White Trousers / Maid That’s Deep in Love (Roud 231; Laws N12)
• The Female Cabin Boy / The Handsome Cabin Boy (Roud 239; Laws N13; G/D 1:181)
• Polly Oliver / Pretty Polly (Roud 367; Laws N14; Henry H166)
• Caroline and Her Young Sailor Bold (Roud 553; Laws N17; G/D 1:176)
• The Golden Glove / The Squire of Tamworth / Dog and Gun (Roud 141; Laws N20; G/D 1:166; Henry H524)
• The Female Highwayman / Cecilia / Sovay (Roud 7; Laws N21; Henry H35)
• The Half-Hitch (Roud 1887; Laws N23)
• The Blind Beggar’s Daughter of Bethnal Green (Roud 132; Laws N27; G/D 5:1061)
• The Welcome Sailor / A Seaman and His Love (Roud 604; Laws N29; Henry H581)
• Bloody Waterloo / Lonely Waterloo (Roud 622; Laws N31)
• Plains of Waterloo (Roud 960; Laws N32)
• Sweet Jenny of the Moor (Roud 581; Laws N34; G/D 5:1050; Henry H107)
• The Dark-Eyed Sailor (Roud 265; Laws N35; G/D 5:1037; Henry H232)
• The Mantle so Green / Mantle of Green / Willy O’Reilly (Roud 714; Laws N38; G/D 5:1033; Henry H76)
• The Banks of Claudy / Claudy Banks (Roud 266; Laws N40; G/D 5:1036; Henry H5, H693)
• The Young and Single Sailor / The Poor and Young Single Sailor / A Fair Maid Walking / The Broken Token (Roud 264; Laws N42; G/D 5:1038, 6:1201; Henry H471, H818)

O: Ballads of Faithful Lovers

• Blackwater Side (Roud 312; Laws O1; Henry H811)
• Banks of the Bann / Bonny Brown Girl (Roud 889; Laws O2; Henry H86)
• The Foggy Dew (Roud 558; Laws O3; G/D 7:1496)
• The Gipsy Girl / Little Gipsy Girl / The Gipsy’s Wedding Day (Roud 229; Laws O4)
• The Lass of Glenshee [Andrew Sharpe] (Roud 292; Laws O6; G/D 5:953; Henry H590)
• Searching for Young Lambs / Young Johnnie (Roud 1437; Laws O9; G/D 5:966)
• The Blackberry Fold / Betsy the Milkmaid (Roud 559; Laws O10)
• The Rigs of Rye (Roud 985; Laws O11; G/D 5:1054)
• Sir Arthur and Charming Molly / The Noble Lord Hawkins (Roud 195; Laws O14; G/D 2:226)
• The Green Mossy Banks of the Lea (Roud 987; Laws O15)
• Seventeen Come Sunday / As I Roved Out / The Soldier and the Maid (Roud 277; Laws O17; G/D 4:791; Henry H152, H793)
• When a Man’s in Love (Roud 990; Laws O20; Henry H211)
• Huntingtower / Jeannie and Jamie / When Will Ye Gang Awa’? (Roud 345; Laws O23; G/D 5:1052)
• The Bold Fisherman / The Fisherman (Roud 291; Laws O24; G/D 4:834)
• The Bold Lieutenant / The Lion’s Den / The Fan / The Lady of Carlisle (Roud 396; Laws O25; G/D 5:1056; Henry H474)
• The Turkish Lady (Roud 8124; Laws O26)
• The Jolly Roving Tar (Roud 913; Laws O27; Henry H670)
• Black-Eyed Susan [John Gay] (Roud 560; Laws O28)
• Pleasant and Delightful / A Sailor and His True Love (Roud 660; Laws O30; TYG 51)
• The Bold Privateer (Roud 1000; Laws O32; Henry H514)
• The Trees They Do Grow High / The Trees They Grow So High / Growing / Long A-Growing / The Bonny Boy / Lady Mary Ann (Roud 31; Laws O35; G/D 6:1222)
• The Shooting of His Dear / Molly Bawn / Polly Vaughan / The Fowler (Roud 166; Laws O36; Henry H114)
• The Silvery Tide (Roud 561; Laws O37; Henry H77)
• The Sheffield Apprentice (Roud 399; Laws O39; G/D 5:998; Henry H31; TYG 71)
• The Constant Lovers / A Sailor Courted a Farmer’s Daughter (Roud 993; Laws O41; G/D 6:1093; Henry H634)

P: Ballads of Unfaithful Lovers

• The Girl I Left Behind / The Wealthy Squire (Roud 262; Laws P1; G/D 5:1059; Henry H188)
• Green Bushes (Roud 1040; Laws P2; Henry H143)
• The West-Country Couple / Up in the North (Roud 582; Laws P3; G/D 4:895)
• The Watchet Sailor (Roud 917; Laws P4)
• Courting Too Slow (Roud 1918; Laws P5)
• The Grey Mare / Roger the Miller and the Grey Mare / Young Roger Esquire (Roud 680; Laws P8; G/D 4:761; Henry H90)
• The Sailor from Dover / The Rich Irish Lady / Queen Sally (Roud 180; Laws P9; G/D 6:1219; Henry H72)
• The Rambling Beauty (Roud 563; Laws P12; G/D 6:1213)
• Peggy and the Soldier (Roud 907; Laws P13; G/D 6:1129)
• The Bold Grenadier / The Soldier and the Lady / One Morning in May / To Hear the Nightingale Sing (Roud 140; Laws P14; TYG 34)
• The Mountains High / Upon the Mountains High / Reynardine / Bannero (Roud 397; Laws P15; G/D 2:333)
• Blow the Candle Out (Roud 368; Laws P17; G/D 4:788)
• The Distressed Maid / Down By the (Old) Riverside / The Lily-White Hand / The Grand Hotel (Roud 564; Laws P18; G/D 6:1188)
• The Shady Green Tree / The Bonny Green Tree / May Morning / As I Roamed Out (Roud 2512; Laws P19; Henry H795)
• The Fatal Snowstorm / It Was in the Month of January / The Month of January / Cruel Was My Father (Roud 175; Laws P20; G/D 6:1176)
• Mary of the Wild Moor / Wind Across the Moor (Roud 155; Laws P21; G/D 6:1175)
• The Butcher Boy (Roud 409; Laws P24)
• I Know My Love (Roud 60; Laws P25)
• The Brisk Young Sailor / Died for Love / Will Ye Gang, Love (Roud 60; Laws P25; G/D 6:1169, 6:1170; Henry H683)
• The Bonny Irish Boy (Roud 565; Laws P26; G/D 6:1080; Henry H168)
• Flora, the Lily of the West / The Lily of the West (Roud 957; Laws P29; Henry H578)
• Oxford City / Worcester City / Newport Street / The Cup of Poison / Young Maria (Roud 218; Laws P30; G/D 2:210)
• The Nobleman’s Wedding / Another Man’s Wedding / The Orange and the Blue / Down in the Valley (Roud 567; Laws P31; G/D 6:1199; Henry H60ab)
• The Sailor’s Tragedy / A Sailor By My Right / Flame of Fire / The Dreadful Ghost (Roud 568; Laws P34; G/D 2:341)
• The Miller’s Apprentice / The Prentice Boy / The Butcher Boy / Hanged I Shall Be / The Oxford Tragedy / The Oxford Girl / Wexford Town / The Wexport Girl / Ekefield Town / Ickfield Town (Roud 263; Laws P35; G/D 2:200)
• The Cruel Ship’s Carpenter / The Ghost Song / Polly’s Love / Love and Murder (Roud 15; Laws P36A; G/D 2:201, 2:202)
• Pretty Polly (Roud 15; Laws P36B)

Q: Humorous and Miscellaneous Ballads

• The Old Man and His Wife / The Capable Wife (Roud 281; Laws Q1; Henry H702)
• Marrowbones / Tigery Orum / The Old Woman of Wexford (Roud 183; Laws Q2; G/D 2:318; Henry H174; TYG 6)
• Johnny Sands (Roud 184; Laws Q3; G/D 2:319)
• A Sailor in the North Country (Roud 1504; Laws Q6)
• A Week’s Work Well Done / On Monday Morning I Married a Wife (Roud 433; Laws Q6)
• The Battle With the Ladle / A Rich Old Miser (Roud 1004; Laws Q7)
• The Boatswain and the Tailor / Tailor in the Tea Chest (Roud 570; Laws Q8; G/D 7:1432; Henry H604)
• Will the Weaver / Bill the Weaver / Every Day Dirt (Roud 432; Laws Q9; G/D 7:1461; Henry H682)
• The Oyster Girl (Roud 875; Laws Q13; G/D 2:304; Henry H725)
• Erin-Go-Bragh (Roud 1627; Laws Q20; G/D 2:236)
• The Miller and His Sons / The Miller’s Three Sons / The Derby Miller (Roud 138; Laws Q21; G/D 3:703)
• Skewbald / Skewball / Stewbald / Old Kimball (Roud 456; Laws Q22)
• Creeping Jane (Roud 1012; Laws Q23)
• Young Sailor Cut Down in His Prime / The Unfortunate Rake / St. James’s Hospital (Roud 2; Laws Q26/B1; G/D 7:1404; Henry H680)
• Young Girl Cut Down in Her Prime / The Unfortunate Lass / Bad Girl (Roud 2; Laws Q26)
• When I Was on Horseback / The Dying Soldier (Roud 2; Laws Q26)
• Bright Shiny Morning (Roud 2; Laws Q26)
• The Soldier’s Poor Little Boy / Early Pearly / Haley Paley (Roud 259; Laws Q28; TYG 126, 127)
• The Farmer’s Boy (Roud 408; Laws Q30; G/D 5:960)
• The Lost Lady Found (Roud 901; Laws Q31)
• The Lakes of Coolfin / Lakes of Cold Flynn / The Lakes of Shilin / Loughinsholin / Willie Lennox (Roud 189; Laws Q33; G/D 2:228; Henry H176)
• Babes in the Wood / Lost in a Wood (Roud 288; Laws Q34)
• The Blantyre Explosion (Roud 1014; Laws Q35)