> The Watersons > Songs > Ploughman Boy

The Bonny Lighter Boy / My Darling Ploughman Boy

[ Roud 843 ; Master title: The Bonny Lighter Boy ; Laws M22 ; G/D 3:413, 6:1117 ; Ballad Index LM22 ; trad.]

John Ord: Bothy Songs and Ballads Cecil J. Sharp One Hundred English Folksongs

Jimmy McBeath from Elgin, Morayshire sang My Darling Ploughman Boy to Alan Lomax and Hamish Henderson in November 1953. This track was included a few years later on the anthology Songs of Courtship (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 1; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1968) and in 2002 on Jimmy McBeath and Davie Stewart’s Rounder anthology Two Gentlemen of the Road.

This unlikely account of a ploughman lad, heir to a fortune, seems to be an adapted version of a song, perhaps better known in England, in which the protagonist is a sailor. Greig-Duncan, volume 6, no. 1117, gives two versions of the tune of My Darling Sailor Boy, with a first verse closely related to Jimmy’s song here, and refers to Sharp 79, The Bonny Lighter Boy.

Henry Hughes from Dorset sang In My Father’s Garden to Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger in 1963-66. This recording was included in 2014 on Caroline Hughes’ Musical Traditions anthology Sheep-Crook and Black Dog. Rod Stradling noted:

Steve Roud writes: This one is particularly annoying. The motif ‘It was in my father’s garden’ crops up in at least six different songs but in this case it appears to be No. 843. But the last two lines of the second verse (especially that her father will not scold but will ‘encourage her for being so bold’) is familiar from another song, which I can’t place even though it’s in my head somewhere. Can it be given as 843 but with a note explaining its tentative nature?

MichaelAnnJillo sang Ploughman Boy in a probably 1990’s home recording in Mike and Ann Waterson’s kitchen. It was included in 2023 on their CD I’ll Give You One More As You Go.

Christine Kydd sang My Darling Ploughman Boy in 1993 on her Fellside album Heading Home. She noted:

I heard Jimmy McBeath singing this on a record. Apparently, he learned it from Frank Steele at a People’s Festival in Edinburgh. The tune is great, and the images evocative!

Mary Macmaster sang Come All Ye Lonely Lovers on The Poozies’ 1998 album Infinite Blue. They noted:

Mary found this song in Tocher No. 12, the quarterly magazine of the School of Scottish Studies, which contains stacks of superb archive material. This one was originally sung by Jimmy McBeath to Hamish Henderson.

Anna Massie sang My Darling Ploughman Boy on the TMSA Young Trad Tour 2004 at Ugie House Hotel, Keith, and Stonehaven Town Hall in September 2004.

Ange Hardy and Lucas Drinkwater sang Bonny Lighter-Boy on their 2016 album Findings. Lucas Drinkwater noted:

This song was a total gamble. We found the words for this online, neither of us knew it at all so we arranged our own version solely based on the lyrics. As a result this probably isn’t the way this song is supposed to sound, but it’s the way the song sounded to us.

Following extensive research (well, asking various people in folk clubs) we’re pretty sure a lighter is a type of flat-bottomed barge used to transfer goods and passengers to and from moored ships.

Lyrics

Jimmy McBeath sings My Darling Ploughman Boy

Come aa ye lonely lovers, come listen untae me,
’S about a prentice ploughman boy I mean to let you hear.
Concerning of a prentice boy, an a ploughman he is boun,
An ma love an he is the heir of nearly twenty thousand pound.

Down in my father’s garden, when first my love met me,
He threw his airms around my neck an embraced me tenderly.
We both sit down upon the groun for to complete our joy,
Go where you will an I love him still, he’s my darlin ploughman boy.

The sacks and leaves I will pull down, on them I’ll make my bed.
The green woodpiles I will put down, below my weary heid.
The reaper bush will be my guide, and for once my heart’s decoy,
Go where you will an I love him still, he’s my darlin ploughman boy.

Now since I’m not inclined to tell tae you his name,
He is the laddie and the man, the lad that I loe well.
But when he sings the valleys rings, and he makes my heartful joy.
Go where you will an I love him still, he’s my darlin ploughman boy.

Henry Hughes sings In My Father’s Garden

What a clever young man, now, young Willie was,
When he’s first taken his truelove from her home.
Now, as he took her from her father and he leaded her astray,
And he left her in this old wide world to roam.

Now if ever he turns all home back again,
Those curly, curly locks I will unfold.
I would never breathe one word, oh, for what he have a-done,
And he couraging for being, yer, so bold.

It was in my father’s garden, all ‘neath that willow tree,
That was the very hour and the time;
Now I says “My Willie dear, I’ve proved …
[recording breaks up at this point] … sailor so bold.”

Mary Macmaster sings Come All Ye Lonely Lovers

Come a’ ye lonely lovers come and listen unto me,
It’s of a prentice ploughman boy I mean to let you hear.
Concerning of a prentice boy and a ploughman he is bound,
And my love he is the heir to nearly twenty thousand pounds.

It was in my fathers garden that my love first met with me,
He threw his arms around my neck and embraced me tenderly.
We both sat down upon the ground for to complete our joy
Go where you will and I love him still, he’s my darling ploughman boy.

The saxton leaves I will pull down, on them I’ll make my bed,
The greenwood piles I will pull down below my weary head.
The raper bush will be my guide and for once my heart’s decoy,
Go where you will and I love him still, he’s my darling ploughman boy.

Now since I have declined to tell you his name,
He is the laddie and the man the lad I call my ain.
And when he sings the valley rings and he fills my heart with joy,
Go where you will and I love him still, he’s my darling ploughman boy.

Ange Hardy and Lucas Drinkwater sing Bonny Lighter-Boy

It’s of a brisk young sailor lad, he was apprentice bound,
And she a merchant’s daughter with fifty thousand pound.
They loved each other dearly in sorrow and in joy.
Let him go where he will, he’s my love still, my bonny lighter-boy.

It was in my father’s garden, beneath the willow tree,
He took me up all up in his arms kissed me tenderly,
It was on the ground we both sat down and talked of love and joy.
Let him go where he will, he’s my love still, my bonny lighter-boy.

Chorus (after each verse):
Let him go where he will (go where he will),
let him go where he will my bonny lighter-boy.

Her father, being near her, he heard what she did say and cried:
“Unruly daughter! I’ll send him far away!
Upon a ship I’ll have him pressed and rob you of your joy!”
“Let him go where he will, he’s my love still, my bonny lighter-boy!”