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There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth the Salt of My Tears

[Fred Fisher]

There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’ Worth the Salt of My Tears is a Paul Whiteman Orchestra hit recording from 1928.

Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy sang There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’ Worth the Salt of My Tears in 1996 on Norma’s first solo album, Norma Waterson. Both recorded it again a cappella in 1998 which was published in 2004 on the Watersons’ 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song. A live recording from 2001 at the Folk Festival Sidmouth was published in 2004. Here, Norma is accompanied by Martin Carthy playing the guitar and Chris Parkinson playing the accordion. Another track on that compilation recorded at the same gig is When First I Came to Caledonia. Strangely, on this track they are listed as Waterson:Carthy.

Another Waterson:Carthy live recording from the Raunds Music Festival, Northamptonshire, on 2-4 May 2003 was included in 2006 on Norma Waterson: The Definitive Collection.

This video from “Later… with Jools Holland”, Series 7, Episode 5, first broadcast on 8 June 1998, shows Norma Waterson accompanied by Martin and Eliza Carthy, Richard Thompson, and Danny Thompson:

Lyrics

Norma Waterson and Eliza Carthy sing There Ain’t No Sweet Man That’s Worth the Salt of My Tears

Shaking like a leaf on a tree
That’s coming loose from its stem
Shaking like a leaf on a tree
Because I’m coming loose from my man

I’m like a weeping willow
Weeping on my pillow
It’s been for years
There ain’t no sweet man
That’s worth the salt of my tears

Down and down he dragged me
Like a pain he nagged me
For years and years
There ain’t no sweet man
That’s worth the salt of my tears

Although I may be low
Still I know
I must tell him goodbye
Rather than have that man
See me lay down and die

So brokenhearted sisters,
Aggravating misters
Lend me your ears
There ain’t no sweet man
That’s worth the salt of my tears

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Iain MacDonald for informing me on the date of the “Later… with Jools Holland” show.