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Wheel of Fortune

[ Roud 1075 ; G/D 6:1173 ; Henry H790 ; Ballad Index HHH790 ; Bodleian Roud 1075 ; Wiltshire 881 ; trad.]

Fred Hamer: Garner’s Gay Gale Huntington: Sam Henry’s Songs of the People

Cilla Fisher and Artie Trezise sang Wheel of Fortune in 1976 on their Trailer album Balcanquhal and in the following year on Jean Redpath’s BBC Television series Ballad Folk.

Jez Lowe sang Wheel of Fortune in 1980 on his eponymous Fellside album Jez Lowe. He noted:

A version of this song was printed as a broadside by Hoggotts of Durham in the last century, and more recently in the journals of the EFDSS, though the melody here is slightly adapted.

Bram Taylor sang Wheel of Fortune in 1986 on his Fellside album Dreams and Songs to Sing. This track was included in 1999 on his Fellside anthology Singing!. He noted:

Jez Lowe and Ged Foley from the North East compiled this song as a potpourri of verses from other traditional songs. The tune has been adapted and the words captivate me as I hope they will you.

Lyrics

Jez Lowe sings Wheel of Fortune

It’s after the morn there comes the evening,
After the evening another day.
And after a false love comes another,
It’s hard to keep them who will away.

Chorus (after each verse):
So turn you round you wheel of fortune,
Turn you round and smile on me.
Loving words are quite uncertain,
Sad experience teaches me.

If I had known before I courted
Love was oh so cruel to win,
I’d have locked my heart in a box of golden
And tied it with a silver pin.

Do you recall our days of fortune
With your sweet head laid on my breast?
You could make me believe with a touch of your hand
The morning sun rose in the west.

Winter brings an end to summer,
Green leaves fall from every tree.
Time will bring an end to all things,
Love will bring an end to me.