7G. Early, Early by the Break of Day (The Two Lovers; William and Nancy; "A new song called William and Nancy or The Two Hearts")
Aa. "A new song called William and Nancy or The Two Hearts." Published by E. Hodges of 26 Grafton Street, Soho, London, c. 1855-1861. It appears in the Bodleian Library broadsides collection, shelfmark Firth b.25(433).
b. "A new song called William and Nancy or The Two Hearts." sold wholesale by Alex Mayne, High-street, Belfast. Reprinted in Ulster Folklife - Volumes 29-33 - Page 2, 1987.
c. "William and Nancy" J. D. White Collection; Cashel Ballads, Vol. 2; Early Printed Books, Trinity College Library, Dublin
Item No.: EPB OLS X-1-531 [no imprint, no date given]
B. "Early, Early" sung by Maria Doherty of Clooney, Magilligan (Ireland). From Sam Henry's collection., Huntington, 2010.
C. "The Two Hearts," sung by Geordie Robertson of Aberdeenshire in August 1954, recorded by Hamish Henderson- School of Scottish Studies.
D. "Early, Early, by the Break of Day" as sung Robert Cinnamond of County Antrim, Ireland, recorded by Robert Kennedy, 1955.
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Rare Irish Print
["Early, Early by the Break of Day" is categorized as by the traditional ballad index as "Died for Love III" and is listed as Roud 495[1]. It's similar to, or based on, an entirely different broadside ballad titled, "A new song called William and Nancy or The Two Hearts," my A version. Here's the text in full:
A new song called William and Nancy
or,
The Two Hearts
It's early early by the break of day,
Down by the fields I chanc'd to stray.
I heard a fair maid both sigh and say,
The lad I love is gone far away.
He's gone and left me in grief and woe,
And where to find him I do not know,
I'll search those green fields and vallies low,
If the hills were cover'd with frost & snow.
What voice, what voice is that I hear
It's like the voice of my Willy, dear,
If I had wings, I would fly to you,
See what the force of true love can do.
There's one thing more that's grieved my mind,
My Willy dear, has proved unkind,
For when he's crossing the western shore,
He'll ne'er think of his true love [any] more.
I wish I was now with my sweetheart,
Sitting here alone breaks my poor heart,
You have two hearts now, but I have none,
Pray grant me mine love, and keep your own.
Young men will come to you with a flattering tongue,
And tell[2] that they think they have you won,
Then out of sight they see out of mine[3],
Listen to one but they'll prove unkind.
The laurel leaf shall be my bed,
The highest angel guard my head
It's there I'll lie till the break of day
And pretty small birds around me play.
But if he had been true as me,
I'd not stay here, love, in poverty,
I'd sail to America where plenty flow,
And seek my fortune with my Willy O.
The above "Two Hearts" broadside, my Aa, was printed about the same time (1856) as my Ab, a broadside with minor changes printed by Alex Mayne of High-street, Belfast[4]. On July 25, 1925 Sam Henry collected a version he titled, "Early Early," that was sung by Maria Doherty of Clooney, Magilligan (Ireland). It was known to the informant as Ellen Lowry's song because Ellen Lowry was the only one known to sing it. Maria Doherty brought the song from Dungiven, a district which she was a native, to Clooney. The text is short and is given in full:
Oh, it's early, early by the break of day,
Down by yon green fields I chanced to stray,
I heard a fair maid to sigh and say,
'The lad I love is gone far away.
'He's gone and left me now in grief and woe,
And where to find him I do not know
I'll search those green fields and valleys low,
Should the hills be clad, ay, with frost and snow.
'What voice , what voice now is yon I hear?
It's like the voice of my Willie dear.
Oh, had I the wings, love, I'd feel no fear,
But fly forever till I knew thee near.'
Even this fragment of "Early, Early" shows that the ballad has a theme similar to "Constant Lady and the False-Hearted Squire" ia related ballad ("Love Has Brought Me to Despair") and the "Died for love" songs. The second stanza is very similar to stanzas in Died for Love while the third stanza is found in one of the great Scottish "Died for Love" versions titled "What A Voice." Here is the basic ballad story of "Early, Early" or "Two Hearts":
Early, early by the beak of day a maid is observed in the fields[5]. She sighs and says her lad has gone far away. He left her in grief and woe and where he's gone she does not know. But she will search for him through frost and snow[6]. What's this voice she hears? She thinks it might be her Willy dear. If she had wings she would fly to him-- see what the power of love can do. She's upset because not only has he left her but she's not in his mind and he's forgotten her and left her behind. She wishes she was with him-- for being left alone breaks her heart. He has two hearts-- hers and another love but she has none. Young men have a flattering tongue, until they think they have you won-- then it's out of sight out of mind, they flatter another and treat you unkind. Distraught she rests on laurel leaves[7] while an angel guards her head where she stays until day. If he had been true, she wouldn't be lying on a bed of leaves, She'd seek her fortune in America with her Willy-O.
The third stanza is borrowed famously in Jeannie Robertson's "What A Voice" that was also sung by her daughter, Lizzie Higgins. Roberston's song is a variant of "Died for Love" and begins:
What a voice, what a voice, what a voice I hear,
For it's like the voice of my Willie dear.
But if I had wings like that swallow flyin',
For I would clasp in the arms of my Billie boy.
Although Robertson's first stanza is clearly similar to or based on this broadside, her last line is different while the broadside uses the last line of the similar broadside, The Unfortunate Swain:
Down in yon Meadow fresh and gay,
Picking of Flowers the other day,
Picking of Lillies red and blue:
I little thought what Love could do.
Compare to "Two Hearts" broadside:
What voice, what voice is that I hear
It's like the voice of my Willy, dear,
If I had wings, I would fly to you,
See what the force of true love can do.
Robertson's "What a Voice" uses a stanza from "Two Hearts" with a different ending. This suggest the possibility of an older but different print version.
The alternative title "Two Hearts" comes from the last two lines of stanza five:
You have two hearts now, but I have none,
Pray grant me mine love and keep your own.
A different "two hearts" stanza has appeared in Brisk Young Sailor broadsides of the mid-1800s and in tradition. Here's the 5th stanza of False Lovyer (Brought Me to Despair) taken from Vaughan Williams MS as sung by James Punt of East Horndon, Essex on 23 April, 1904:
V. O yonder he stands on yonder hill,
He's got a heart as hard as steel,
He's gained two hearts in the room of one
And he'll be a true lover when I am gone.
The unique ending of the broadside "Two hearts" has no equivalent versions in any of the related ballads. The closest verse I've found is taken from "What Can't Be Cured," a song published in several a songsters from the 1860s. A smiliar reference to America is found a version given by James Joyce in 1922 and in the Dubliner's "I Wish, I Wish" (Love is Pleasin'):
And what can't be cured love has to be endur-ed love
And now I am bound for Americ-ka.
When these two lines tare compared to the end lines of "Two Hearts,"
I'd sail to America where plenty flow,
And seek my fortune with my Willy O.
the lines are not closely related.
Conclusion
"A new song called William and Nancy or The Two Hearts" is an obscure broadside[8] with only three extant versions found in tradition. The few known traditional ballads are probably based on the extant broadsides or an earlier unknown broadside.
R. Matteson 2017]
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Footnotes:
1. This ballad is similar in sentiment but is clearly a different ballad than "I Wish I Wish"-- Roud 495. It has a stanza in common with "What a Voice," which could be considered Roud 495. It just needs a different Roud number.
2. Until
3. they think out of mind, So it's ten to one they'll prove unkind. [J.D. White Collection]
4. This broadside was reprinted in
5. The opening is very similar to the Constant Lady broadside and family ( "A Forlorn Lover’s Complaint" (c.1613) "The Deceased Maiden Lover," (1686).
6. "Frost and snow" appears in the Died for Love: he follows her through "frost and snow" until she's pregnant-- then he passes by but won't stop in.
7. This too is similar to Constant Lady and family.
8. The Traditional Ballad Index in their listing, "Died for Love III," did not know of the broadside.