Old Brown's Daughter
Old Brown's Daughter (Roud 1426)Fellside Records and it was released on the compilation Voices in 1992. The melody was rewritten by Newfoundland singer/songwriter Ron Hynes and Hynes' version was covered by Great Big Sea on their 1999 album, Turn.
Lyrics
- There is an ancient party at the other end of town,
- He keeps a little grocery store and the ancient's name is Brown;
- He has a lovely daughter, such a treat I never saw,
- Oh, I only hope someday to be the old man's son-in-law.
- Old Brown sells from off the shelf most anything you please,
- He's got Jew's harps for the little boys, lollipops, and cheese;
- His daughter minds the store, and it's a treat to see her serve,
- I'd like to run away with her, but I don't have the nerve.
- And it's Old Brown's daughter is a proper sort of girl,
- Old Brown's daughter is as fair as any pearl;
- I wish I was a ,
- And blow me if I wouldn't marry Old Brown's girl.
- Well Poor Old Brown now has trouble with the gout,
- He grumbles in his little parlour when he can't get out;
- And when I make a purchase and she hands me the change,
- That girl she makes me pulverised, I feel so very strange.
- And it's Old Brown's daughter is a proper sort of girl,
- Old Brown's daughter is as fair as any pearl;
- I wish I was a Lord Mayor, Marquis, or an Earl,
- And blow me if I wouldn't marry Old Brown's girl.
- Miss Brown she smiles so sweetly when I say a tender word,
- But Old Brown says that she must wed a Marquis or a Lord;
- Well, I don't suppose it's ever one of those things I will be,
- But, by jingo, next election I will run for Trinity.
- And it's Old Brown's daughter is a proper sort of girl,
- Old Brown's daughter is as fair as any pearl;
- I wish I was a Lord Mayor, Marquis or an Earl,
- And blow me if I wouldn't marry Old Brown's girl.
- Blow me if I wouldn't marry Old Brown's girl.
Early Publication
The Roud Folk Song Index records that this song was issued as a broadside by a number of publishers.[1] A copy published by Pearson of Manchester is in the Bodleian Ballad Collection.[5]
Notable adaptations
Being a well-documented song publicised by English Folk Dance and Song Society,[6] and Mainly Norfolk,[7] the song was recorded by Jon Boden and Oli Steadman for inclusion in their respective lists of daily folk songs "A Folk Song A Day"[8] and "365 Days Of Folk".[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Search". www.vwml.org.
- ^ "Walter Pardon". mainlynorfolk.info.
- ^ "Old Brown's Daughter [George W. Hunt] (Roud 1426)". mainlynorfolk.info.
- ^ "Peter Bellamy: Peter Bellamy / Fair Annie". mainlynorfolk.info.
- ^ . 26 February 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170226050040/http://ballads.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/static/images/sheets/25000/24156.gif. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "Old Brown's Daughter (Roud index 1426)". Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "Old Brown's Daughter". Retrieved 11 January 2024.
- ^ "A Folk Song A Day: Song List". 12 October 2016. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
- ^ "365 Days Of Folk: Song List". Retrieved 11 January 2024.
