8E. The Spanish Lady Roud 542; (Song 83; The Ride in London; Dublin City; Chester City; Ettrick Lady; Madam I'm a Darling; Galway City; As I Walked Up Through London City; Edinburgh City; Twenty-Eighteen; Oh, Dear Oh)
Unfinished Painting of Spanish Lady- Richard Matteson 2017
Includes the two traditional stanzas collected in Donegal in 1911 by Joseph Campbell:
As I walked down thro' Dublin City
At the hour of twelve in the night,
Who should I see but a Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candlelight.
First she washed them and then she dried them,
Over a fire of ambery coal,
In all my life I never did see,
A maid so neat about the sole.
* * * *
A. "Song No. 83" dated circa 1770; later titled "The Ride in London."
a. SONG LXXXIII-"The Frisky Songster." It was first printed circa 1770 in London, or Dublin. Reprint copies include Bodleian (1776), Harding Collection (1802), and the Kinsey-ISR Library. The 1776 edition is found online in the Jack Horntip Collection.
b. "The Ride in London," dated c.1786, is a reprint found in "The Merry Muses: A Choice Collection of Favourite Songs Gathered by Robert Burns," 1827.
B. "Spanish Lady I" Roud 542 (also "Galway City" and "Ettrick Lady") first two stanzas rewritten from "SONG LXXXIII" in "The Frisky Songster," 1776 edition, aso titled "The Ride in London" in "The Merry Muses: A Choice Collection of Favourite Songs Gathered by Robert Burns" 1827. The first Spanish Lady stanzas are frequently combined with stanzas of 8. Madam, I Have Come to Court You. See also: "Madam."
a. "As I Walked Up Through London City," sung by Mrs. Margaret Gillespie (1841-1910) of Glasgow, sister of Rev. Duncan about 1906; collected Duncan, version B from Greig-Duncan Collection.
b. "Edinburgh City," sung by William Wallace of Leochel-Cushnie collected by Greig about 1907, version D from Greig-Duncan Collection 4.
c. "London City," sung by John Johnstone of New Deer collected by Greig about 1907 (As I went up thro' London City) Greig-Duncan Collection 4 pp.66-71 (version E). Mistitled, with music for version F.
d. "Spanish Lady," sung by Mrs. Longhill Dunbar of Crimond, Aberdeenshire about 1908; b. 1855 married John Dunbar collected by Greig, version A from Greig-Duncan Collection 4.
e. "Spanish Lady," sung by Mary Cruickshank of Aberdeenshire; collected by Greig about 1908, published in 1910 in Greig's weekly folk song column. version C from Greig-Duncan Collection 4.
f. "Twenty-Eighteen." Sung by Fred Yeldam, July 12th, 1911, and on Oct. 5th, 1911 by Mrs. Hollingsworth, Thaxted. Noted by Clive Carey. From Five English Folk Songs taken from Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Dec., 1934), pp. 130-137.
g. "Oh, Dear Oh (Spanish Lady)." Sung by Ethel Findlater of Orkney. Learned about 1914 from her cousin Bella who sang a chorus after every two verses, though Ethel thinks even that is too often. From two recordings at Collection - School of Scottish Studies, 1969.
h. "Spanish Lady" sung by Burl Ives, learned about 1944 from an Irish Bartender in NYC. Recorded in 1945 and published by Ives in "Wayfaring Stranger: An Autobiography," 1948.
i. "Dublin City," sung by Seamus Ennis of Dublin c. 1951, recorded by Alan Lomax. From: Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland & Wales: Songs of Seduction.
j. "The Spanish Lady" sung by Nancy McCuddy Stevenson of Clarksville, TN on Dec. 5, 1953, learned from her father. From "Folk Songs from Middle Tennessee," Boswell edited Wolfe.
k. "Spanish Lady" an Irish street song as sung by Dominic Behan of Dublin on his 1959 recording released on the Topic LP "Down by the Liffeyside." This represents the standard UK version popular from the 1960s onward.
l. "Galway City" as sung by Clancy Brothers. Recorded in 1965 and released 1966 on their "Isn't It Grand Boys" album. Tommy Makem got this from Sean O'Boyle of Armahg.
m. "The Spanish Lady" sung by Frank Harte on his 1973 Topic LP "Through Dublin City." Also at The Trinity Inn on June 12, 1998.
n. "Ettrick Lady," sung by The Corries from the Album: Live from Scotland Volume 2; 1975. Based on, or similar to, "Galway City" from Sean O'Boyle.
0. "The Spanish Lady," sung by Martin Howley of Fanore, northwest Clare; as recorded in singer's home, summer 1975. From "Singers and Songs of County Clare," see online at Clare County Library's Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie Collection.
p. "Madam, I'm a Darling" (also "Chester City")- sung by Frank Harte, 1975, learned in Kerry. From the 1975 LP recording "Frank Harte: . . . and Listen To My Song." It also appears in "Songs of Dublin" edited by Frank Harte in 1978.
C. "Spanish Lady II" Songs with primarily Spanish Lady text and the "she answered No" chorus (For songs that mention Spanish Lady and have the "No Sir/Oh No John" text see 8A. "Oh No, John," "No Sir," "Spanish Merchant's Daughter," "She answered No" Roud 146.
a. "Spanish Lady' sung by Bell Robertson of Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire; collected about 1906 by Gavin Greg; Greig Duncan I.
b. "Dublin City," sung by Miss Georgina Reid of Collyford, New Deer, married name Mrs Ironside of Tarriff; collected by Greig about 1908; version F from Greig-Duncan Collection 4.
c. "Spanish Lady" sung by Andrew Hawes of Pittsburg, New Hampshire June 18, 1943. Collected by Helen Hartness Flanders.
D. "Spanish Lady III." A poem by Irish poet Joseph Campbell c.1913 based off the first two stanzas he collected of Spanish Lady I. Includes the songs that use Campbell's text.
a. "Spanish Lady" a poem by Joseph Campbell (1879-1944), a native of Belfast. My date is c. 1913, a guestimation.
b. "Spanish Lady" as sung by Dominic Behan of Dublin on his 1959 on his Topic LP "Down by the Liffeyside."
E. "Spanish Lady IV" The name "Spanish Lady" is found replacing "lovely creature" in a number of "Madam" versions including at least one children's game song,
a. "Spanish Lady." From Wehman's "Universal Songster," Volume 39 circa 1893 (New York)
b. ["A Spanish Lady"] A Cornwall informant quotes (Dec. 11, 1909) a version formerly heard at Colborne, Ont., which he supposes to be Irish. My title. From Journal of American Folklore, Volume 31, 1917; "Canadian Folk-Lore from Ontario" by F.W. Waugh.
c. "Spanish Lady." Communicated by Miss Violet Noland, Davis, Tucker County, 1916; obtained from Mr. John Raese, who heard it sung when he was a boy. From Cox, Folk Songs of the South, 1925.
d. "Spanish Lady" sung by Mrs. S. T. Topper, Ashland, Ohio, 1939; Eddy Ballads and Songs of Ohio.
F. "The Spanish Lady V." A 1930 arrangement with new text of Spanish Lady for piano and voice by Irish composer Herbert Hughes using the opening traditional verses of Spanish Lady I.
a. "The Spanish Lady. Old Song." Adapted and arranged by H. Hughes. Dedicated to Hugh Campbell Stracathro. Publisher: London and New York: Boosey & Co, 1930.
b. "Spanish Lady; (with Ballynure Ballad)," recorded by James McCafferty (voice); Herbert Hughes Piano); London on His Master's Voice = HMV, 1930. Listen: https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/sound/cid-230911
c. “The Spanish Lady in Dublin City” sung by Richard Dyer-Bennet. Learned in NYC about 1942. From Folkways "Richard Dyer-Bennet, Vol. 4," 1957.
d. "Spanish Lady" arranged by The Dubliners from the album: A Parcel of Rogues; 1976. (Composite, includes last stanza from Campbell; Spanish Lady III)
e. "Spanish Lady" arranged by Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers, from "Irish Pub Songs" 1996. (Composite, includes last stanza from Campbell; Spanish Lady III)
[The mysterious figure of the "Spanish Lady" is found throughout the variants of 8. Madam, I Have Come to Court You (hereafter "Madam"). The uses of the Spanish Lady in "Madam" and other related ballads come from the lineage of two traditional stanzas collected in Donegal in 1911 by Joseph Campbell:
As I walked down thro' Dublin City
At the hour of twelve in the night,
Who should I see but a Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candlelight.
First she washed them and then she dried them,
Over a fire of ambery coal,
In all my life I never did see,
A maid so neat about the sole.
These stanzas, adapted from an 18th century erotic song or an unknown print adaptation of that erotic song, were used by Irish poet Joseph Campbell as the opening for his poem titled "Spanish Lady." Campbell's poem (see: Spanish Lady III) has entered tradition and is occasionally combined with two choruses used with versions of "Madam"-- the "Twenty, Eighteen" chorus and also the "Wheel of Fortune" chorus. The same opening is used in the Scottish versions collected by Greig and Duncan in Aberdeenshire in the early 1900s (see Spanish Lady I). Because "Dublin City" is the location in Campbell's stanzas, that city is sometimes used as the title for versions of Spanish Lady.
My Aa version is an antecedent of the two stanzas collected by Campbell, titled "Song 83." It is found in an erotic folksong collection of the late 18th century, "The Frisky Songster." The 1776 edition is found online in the Jack Horntip Collection. It was first printed circa 1770 in London,and/or Dublin. Reprint copies include (1776) Bodleian, Harding Collection; (1802), and the Kinsey-ISR Library. Here are the first stanzas of erotic song No. 83 which compare to Campbell's version and to the Scottish versions:
SONG LXXXIII.
AS I went through London city,
Twas at twelve o'clock at night,
There I saw a damsel pretty,
Washing her joke[1] by candle-light.
When she wash'd it then she dr'd it,
The hair was black as coal upon it
In all my lif I never saw,
A girl who had so fine a c--t.
The remainder of the bawdy song[2] is not applicable to the evolution of the stanzas which become "The Spanish Lady." The song was reprinted in "The Merry Muses: A Choice Collection of Favourite Songs Gathered by Robert Burns," 1827: https://books.google.com/books?id=XZVkAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA115&dq=%22AS+I+went+through+London+city%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi3u-K_1MzV The original of Burn's 1827 reprint, dated c.1786, was titled, "The Ride in London."
Sometime after the song was printed about 1770, the "damsel pretty" became the "Spanish Lady" and in the new text she was washing her feet or clothes by candlelight. Whether this was done by a print writer whose work is undiscovered or whether the bawdy lyrics were unsuitable and were changed in tradition is unknown. Following the two reworked, once bawdy, opening stanzas were stanzas of "Madam." By the early 1900s these new lyrics were known in Ireland and Scotland suggesting the change was made earlier than the mid-1800s. Joseph Campbell included the two traditional stanzas of The Spanish Lady that he took down in Donegal in 1911 in his play:
Judgment: A Play in Two Acts
by Joseph Campbell, 1912
The Stranger breaks into a verse of a song.
As I walked down thro' Dublin City
At the hour of twelve in the night,
Who should I see but a Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candlelight.
First she washed them, and then she dried them
Over a fire of amber coal:
Never in all my life did I see
A maid. . .
John (endeavouring to talk the song down). When'll the coffin be here, Owen?
Stranger. Can't you listen? It's a good song.
Never in all my fife did I see
A maid so neat about the sole!
From these two traditional stanzas Campbell wrote his poem which appears:
"Spanish Lady" by Joseph Campbell (1879-1944)
As I went out through Dublin City,
At the hour of twelve o´clock at night,
Who should I see but a Spanish lady,
Washing her feet by candle light.
First she washed them and then she dried them,
Over a fire of ambery coal,
In all my life I never did see,
A maid so neat about the sole.
I stopped to peep but the watchman passed,
And says, "Young fellow, the night is late,
Get home to bed or I'll wrastle you,
At a double trot through the Bridewell gate!
So I waved a kiss to the Spanish lady
Hot as the fire of cramsey coals
I've seen dark maids though never one
So white and neat about the sole.
Oh she's too rich for a poddle swaddy
With her tortoise comb and her mantle fine
A hellfire buck would fit her better,
Drinking brandy and claret wine.
I'm just a decent college sizar,
Poor as a sod of smouldering coal,
And how would I dress the Spanish lady,
And she so neat about the sole?
O, she'd make a mott for the Provost Marshal,
Or a wife for the Mayor in his coach so high,
Or a queen of Andalusia,
Kicking her heel in the Cardinal's eye.
I'm as blue as cockles, brown as herrings,
Over a grid of glimmery coal,
And all because of the Spanish lady,
So mortial neat about the sole.
I wandered north and I wandered south,
By Golden Lane and Patrick's Close,
The Coombe, Smithfield and Stoneybatter,
Back by Napper Tandy's house.
Old age has laid its hand upon me
Cold as a fire of ashy coal
And where is the lovely Spanish lady
The maid so neat about the sole?
Campbell's poem, based on the two traditional stanzas, has entered tradition as a song (see: D. Spanish Lady III) and has been recorded a number of times under the titles "Spanish Lady," "Dublin City," and with textual variations as "Galway City," "Madam I'm a Darling" and "Ettrick Lady." Pete Coe explains some of Campbell's text in the liner notes[3] of his recent CD The Man in the Red Van: "A 'Poddle swaddy' is a local working class lad [from Poddle, a small river in Dublin], a 'mott' is a girl friend or mistress and a 'sizar' is a poor scholarship student at Trinity College." Other place names from Dublin include Stonybatter (Bothar-na-gloch (road of stones) in North Dublin near the river Liffey; Patrick's Close (for St. Patrick's Close) the location of St. Patrick's Cathedral; Glouchester Diamond (a daimond shaped intersection in the heart of Dublin (once Monto, a red-light district) at Glouchester Place and Sean MacDermott St.; Napper Tandy's house (James Napper Tandy, b. 1739, formed Dublin branch of the United Irishmen).
In the following Scottish version (a variant of "Madam") of "Spanish Lady" collected by Greig in the early 1900s (B. Spanish Lady I), the opening text is the similar to the Irish text with the city becoming "Edinburgh" and the washing of her feet becoming "dressing herself":
Spanish Lady - sung by Mary Cruickshank of Aberdeenshire; collected Greig, published in 1910.
As I went up thro' Edinburgh city,
Half-past twelve o'clock at night,
There I spied a Spanish lady
Dressing herself with candle light.
She had a basin full of water
And a towel into her hand;
Five gold rings on every finger,
Like an angel she did stand.
Oh she was a charming creature,
What she is I do not know.
But I'll go court her for her beauty,
Whether she be high or low.
"Madam, I am come to court you,
If your favour I could gain.
If you gently entertain me
Maybe I'll come back again."
"Sit ye doon, ye're harty welcome,
Whether ye come back or no.
All I want is a handsome young man
Whether he be high or low."
"Madam, ye talk much of beauty,
That's a flower will soon decay.
The fairest flower in all the summer,
When winter comes it doth fade away."
After two stanzas this Scottish version shift back to the standard stanzas of "Madam." The Scottish versions (Spanish Lady I) predate the 1912 publication of the opening stanzas in Campbell's play[4] and can be reasonably dated mid-1800s. Besides the Irish and Scottish versions, there are English versions. Here's is a version of from Five English Folk Songs taken from the Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, Vol. 1, No. 3 (Dec., 1934), pp. 130-137 which is similar to the Scottish text given above:
TWENTY, EIGHTEEN [MADAM, I HAVE COME TO COURT YOU.]
Sung by Fred Yeldham, July 12th, 1911, and on Oct. 5th, 1911 by Mrs. Hollingsworth, Thaxted. Noted by CLIVE CAREY.
1. As I walked through London city
After twelve o'clock at night,
There I saw a Spanish lady
Washing and ironing by candle light.
CHORUS: Fal the ral the riddle al the ray-do,
Fal the ral the rid-dle all the day,
Fal the ral the rid-dle all the ray-do,
Fal lal la the rid-dle all the day.
Twenty, eighteen, sixteen, fourteen, twelve, ten, eight, six, four, two, none;
Nine-teen, seventeen, fifteen, thirteen, eleven, nine, seven, five, three, and one.
2. Madam I have come to court you
If your favour I should win;
If you make me kindly welcome
Then perhaps I'll come again.
Chorus, etc.
3. Madam I've got rings and jewels,
Madam I've got house and land,
Madam I've the world of treasure,
If you'll be at my command.
Chorus, etc.
4. What care I for your rings and jewels,
What care I for your house and land,
What care I for your world of treasure,
All I want is a handsome man.
Chorus, etc.
5. Madam you trust much in beauty,
Beauty dies and fades away.
The finest flower in the garden growing,
Summer goes it fades away.
Chorus, etc.
The last stanza is found independently in other songs and poems. It, like the "ripest apple" stanza shows the fleeting nature of beauty. The other important arrangement of Spanish Lady (Spanish Lady V) was made by Irish composer Herbert Hughes (May 16, 1882– May 1, 1937). Here is the text:
The Spanish Lady. "Old Song." Adapted and arranged by H. Hughes. Dedicated to Hugh Campbell Stracathro. Publisher: London and New York: Boosey & Co, 1930. The 1930 recording with Hughes playing piano and James McCafferty singing can be heard here: https://www.itma.ie/digital-library/sound/cid-230911
I walked down thro' Dublin city
At the hour of twelve at night,
who should I spy but a Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candlelight.
First she washed them and then she dried them,
Over a fire of ambery coal,
In all my life I ne'er did see,
A maid so neat about the sole.
CHORUS: Whack for the toora, loora lady
Whack for the toora loora lee.
Whack for the toora, loora lady
Whack for the toora loora lee.
As I came back thro' Dublin city
At the hour of half past eight
Who should I spy but a Spanish lady
Brushing her hair in broad daylight.
First she tossed it, then she brushed it,
On her lap was a silver comb
In all my life I ne'er did see
So fair a maid since I did roam.
CHORUS:
As I went down thro' Dublin city,
When the sun began to set,
Who should I see but the Spanish lady
Catching a moth in a golden net.
When she saw me, then she fled me
Lifting her petticoat over the knee
In all my life I ne'er did spy
A maid so blithe as the Spanish lady!
CHORUS:
The last two sets of stanzas given by Hughes are probably from his pen and differ from Campbell's poem. Hughes text has also entered tradition. His text is sometimes found mixed with Campbell's in the arrangements made by the Dubliners and the Clancy Brothers from the 1970s. Here are five specific variants of the Spanish Lady, some used in the "Madam" courting songs:
Spanish Lady I: Uses the opening stanzas derived from the first two stanzas of 1776 bawdy song The Ride in London which have been reworked. The first two stanzas are found in tradition with "Spanish Lady" instead of "damsel pretty" and are usually followed by stanzas of "Madam." Some versions use the "Twenty-Eighteen" and "wheel of Fortune" chorus or the "syllable" chorus found similarly in Hughes 18930 arrangement.
Spanish Lady II: The Spanish Lady as found in the 1800s "She answered No," "No Sir" and "Oh No, John" songs. In most versions (including the 1883 published version by Wakefield), she is the daughter of a Spanish merchant or Spanish sailor or captain and isn't found with the actual name "Spanish Lady" in the text. These versions of "No Sir" and Oh No John" are given under 8A. and not found here. A rare variant (see here under Ca- Cc) includes first two stanzas of "Spanish Lady I" with other traditional stanzas associated with Spanish Lady and also has the "she answered No" chorus.
Spanish Lady III: The Spanish Lady found as the poem of the same title by Irish poet Joseph Campbell based off the first two stanzas he collected of Spanish Lady I in 1911. Campbell's poem was sung and has entered tradition. It is sometime sung with the "Twenty-Eighteen" chorus and/or other choruses. It is sometimes mixed with Herbert Hughes version (see Spanish Lady V).
Spanish Lady IV: The name "Spanish Lady" is found replacing "lovely creature" in a number of "Madam" versions including at least one children's game song, "Here sits a Spanish lady" dated 1909 as collected by Waugh in Ontario. See also Wehman's print version of the late 1800s and Cox's version in "Folk Songs of the South," 1925.
Spanish Lady V: An arrangement with new text of Spanish Lady for piano and voice by Irish composer Herbert Hughes. It was based on the first two stanzas (1911) supplied by Joseph Campbell from tradition. Hughes text was copyrighted and published in 1930-- the same year his recording with singer James McCafferty was released. After the traditional opening, Hughes sets of stanzas are new and were probably written by him[5]. They also have entered tradition. Hughes and Campbell's versions have been occasionally mixed (see, for example, Spanish Lady by the Dubliners and also the version by Clancy brothers with Tommy Makem).
The fact that Spanish Lady is the central figure in so many related variants is probably not a coincidence. It suggests an early reworking of the bawdy antecedent song of c.1770 in which "Spanish lady" replaced "damsel pretty." The association[6] with the "Madam" songs must have been early too since the name was brought to America and appears, for example, in an archaic version collected by Cox in West Virginia[7] that he titles "Spanish Lady" (Spanish Lady IV). When an adaptation or adaptations were made from the bawdy song is currently not known but the Spanish Lady was added sometime between the late 1700s and early to mid-1800s.
Most of the ballads of C. "Spanish Lady II" are based on the following stanza with a "No Sir" chorus as sung by a wooed Spanish Lady:
2. My father was a Spanish merchant
And before he went to sea,
He told me to be sure and answer No!
To all you said to me.
This is followed by the "No Sir" or "Oh No John" chorus:
CHORUS: No sir! No sir! No sir! No-- sir!
No sir! No sir! No sir! No.
The "No Sir" songs are represented mostly by an arrangement by Englishwoman Mary Wakefield taken from "an American governess[8]" which was first published with music in "The Peterson Magazine," Volumes 79-80, Philadelphia, 1881. In the text a Spanish Merchant's or Spanish Captain's daughter is wooed by man who seeks her favor. Although the daughter is a "Spanish Lady," she is not called "Spanish Lady" by name and it's unclear if there is relationship with the texts of B and C. Here's the complete text of "No Sir" from: "Songs and Ballads: 96 Songs - Words and Music as published by W.F. Shaw," 1882. It's also found in Shaw's "Gems of Minstrel Song" also dated 1882 and later in Delaney's Song Book (New York).
No Sir!
Words and Music Arr. by A. M. Wakefield
1. Tell me one thing, tell me truly,
Tell me why you scorn me so?
Tell me why when asked a question,
You will always answer no?
CHORUS: No sir! No sir! No sir! No-- sir!
No sir! No sir! No sir! No.
2. My father was a Spanish merchant
And before he went to sea,
He told me to be sure and answer No!
To all you said to me.
CHORUS
3. If I was walking in the garden,
Plucking flow'rs all wet with dew,
Tell me will you be offended,
If I walk and talk with you?
CHORUS
4. If when walking in the garden,
I should ask you to be mine,
and should tell you that I loved you,
would you then my heart decline?
CHORUS
This print version of "No Sir" was reprinted a number of times and was "very popular[9]." The second stanza is sung by a Spanish lady in response to the man's advances. Although "No Sir" is regarded as a different song at least three versions with the "she answered No" chorus (Ca-Cc) are clearly related because they have the standard "Spanish Lady I" opening. From the following archaic Scottish version, one evolution of "No Sir" can be quantified. More importantly the probable source (see stanza 4) of the reference of a "Spanish/wealthy merchant" in "Oh No John" and Nor Sir" songs has been revealed. The common stanzas of "No Sir" can be traced to their roots in this early traditional version which was sung by Bell Robertson of Pitsligo, Aberdeenshire:
1. Walking down through London city,
Between twelve and one at night,
There I saw a Spanish lady
Wash herself by candle light.
CHORUS: She said Aye, no, no, no,
She said Aye, no, no, no,
She said Aye, no, no, no,
Still the lady answered No.
2 Wi' a basin full of water
And a towel in her hand.
And a candle on the table,
Like an angel she did stand.
CHORUS
3 Madam, I am come to court you,
If I could your favour gain.
And gin ye mak me kindly welcome
Maybe I come back again.
CHORUS
4. My father he's a wealthy merchant
He has lately gone from home
He left me strict directions
Never to say Aye to none.
CHORUS
5. Saw ye ever a copper kettle,
Marriet with a brazen pan,
Saw ye ever a Spanish Lady,
Would refuse an Englishman?
CHORUS
This Scottish composite version of "Spanish Lady" and "lady answered No" was sung by Bell Robertson of New Pitsligo (b.1841) which may, through her mother and maternal grandmother of Strichen, date back to the late 1700s or early 1800s. It was collected by Grieg about 1907 and is version I from Greig-Duncan Collection, vol. 4. The Scottish versions of Spanish Lady have the opening stanzas of the bawdy 1776 song rewritten as found Bell's stanza 1 and 2. They are usually followed by stanzas of "Madam" and in Bell's version there is only one. The Spanish merchant stanza is standard in "Oh No John" and "No Sir," while the last stanza is found similarly in "Galway City" and some other versions of Spanish Lady.
This archaic Scottish version by Bell Robertson is the missing link that connects "Spanish Lady I" to "Spanish Lady II" with its "she answered No" chorus. Fortunately her rare version is corroborated by two similar "Spanish Lady" versions:
1) "Dublin City," sung by Miss Georgina Reid of Collyford, New Deer, married name Mrs Ironside of Tarriff ; collected by Greig about 1908 (version F from Greig-Duncan Collection 4).
2) "Spanish Lady" recorded by Helen Hartness Flanders as sung by Andrew Hawes of Pittsburg, New Hampshire June 18, 1943.
A recording of Hawes version is available at the Internet Archive. Versions of "No Sir" or "Oh No John" that have the "My father was a Spanish merchant/sailor" stanza will not be covered here (see 8A. "No Sir" for those versions)-- only Ca-Cc with the standard Spanish Lady I opening are included here. It's also necessary to include the composite versions of B. "Spanish Lady I" here again (see also 8. Madam I Have Come to Court You) since they are directly related to Spanish Lady by their opening stanzas.
Several versions have the "Spanish Lady I" opening but are not composites of Madam. An example is the following version of the "Spanish Lady" found in "Folk Songs of Middle Tennessee: The George Boswell Collection" edited by Charles K. Wolfe- 1997 which was first printed in "Bulletin - Volumes 42," page 140, 1974. The name "Carbon City" resembles Frank Harte's "Chester City." Here's this rare version from North America:
"The Spanish Lady" sung by Nancy McCuddy Stevenson of Clarksville, TN on Dec. 5, 1953, learned from her father. (Compare the ending with Clancy Brothers version of "Galway City")
1. I went down to Carbon City,
Twelve or one o'clock at night,
There I saw a Spanish lady,
Dressing by the candlelight.
CHORUS: Larry a-ma-lowdin, liden, looden,
Larry a-ma-1owdin liden lay.
2. With a vessel of cold water
And a mirror in her hand,
With her hair down over her shoulders,
Like an angel she did stand.
Chorus:
3. I can drink and not get drowsy,
I can fight and not get slain.
I can court a Spanish lady
And be welcome back again
Chorus:
4. Did you ever see a pewter vessel,
Mended with a copper pan?
Did you ever see a Spanish lady,
Married to an Irishman?
Chorus:
The last stanza compares to Bell Robertson's version as well as another Irish version: "Galway City" by The Clancy Brothers. This Tennessee variant and some other versions (Madam I'm a Darling; Galway City) are not composite with 8. Madam, I Have Come to Court You. These versions open with the "Spanish Lady I" stanzas but no stanzas of "Madam" are present or there are just one or two floating secondary stanzas. Since the have the archaic opening stanzas they are part of the the "Spanish Lady I" group.
* * * *
The name "Spanish Lady," my Spanish Lady IV, is found replacing "lovely creature" in a number of "Madam" versions including at least one children's game song, "Here sits a Spanish lady," dated 1909 as collected by Waugh in Ontario. The Spanish Lady IV group includes the Wehman's print version of the late 1800s and Cox's version in "Folk Songs of the South," 1925. At least four versions are extant-- all from North America. Here is the earliest record of a full version of Spanish Lady IV from Wehman Universal Songster, Volume 39 circa 1893 (New York):
THE SPANISH LADY.
Yonder sits a Spanish lady,
Who she is I do not know;
I'll go court her for her beauty,
Let her answer be yea or no.
Chorus. Nedy um a do to dod dum da,
Nedy um a do to du dum da.
Madam, I have come a-courting,
Though your name I do not know;
I will court you for your beauty,
Let your answer be yes or no.- Chorus.
Sir, if you have come a-courting
Some kind pleasure for to win,
I will kindly entertain you
If you will never come again.- Chorus.
Madam, I have gold and silver,
Madam, I have house and land;
Madam, I have a world of treasure,
All to be at your command.- Chorus.
What care I for your gold and silver,
What care I for your house and land;
What care I for your world of treasure,
All I want is a handsome man. - Chorus.
Blue is a pretty color
When it gets a second dip,
Young men when they go a-courting
Very often get the slip.- Chorus.
Ripest apples soonest rotten,
Hottest love soonest cold;
Young men's vows are soon forgotten,
Pray, pretty maids, don't be so bold.- Chorus
Iowa boys are the boys of honor,
To court pretty maids they're not afraid.
Hug them, kiss them, call them honey;
That's the way, boys; don't be afraid. -Chorus.
This form has a chorus that resembles many of the versions popular in the UK today. The last stanza is found in the Johnson Boys and is similarly found in a 1923 version from North Carolina[10]. In Folk Songs of the South (1925). Cox gives a version of Spanish Lady IV from West Virginia that he titles "Spanish Lady." In this case "Spanish Lady" is substituted for "Lovely creature" but no additional text is provided. Here's the first stanza and chorus:
Spanish Lady- Communicated by Miss Violet Noland, Davis, Tucker County, 1916; obtained from Mr. John Raese, who heard it sung when he was a boy.
1 Yonder stands a Spanish lady;
Who she is I do not know;
I'll go and court her for her beauty,
Let her answer yes or no.
Refrain: Rattle O ding, ding dom, ding dom,
Rattle O ding, dom day.
The use of "Spanish Lady" in Spanish Lady IV group is no coincidence. Although the stanzas are entirely from "Madam" the Spanish Lady name has carried over from the earlier association with the Spanish Lady opening stanzas of Spanish Lady I. Although this is not proven by antecedents in North America, the early Scottish versions are evidence.
* * * *
The standard modern UK versions of Spanish Lady use the opening of Spanish Lady I with some variation and use stanzas of Campbell's poem combined with a chorus similar to Hughes 1930 version. The following standard UK version is based entirely on Campbell's poem with the standard new chorus. It was sung in the late 1950s by Dublin singer Dominic Behan. Notice the folk process at work: "ambry" becomes "angry" etc.
THE SPANISH LADY —as sung by Dominic Behan of Dublin on his 1959 on his Topic LP "Down by the Liffeyside."
As I went down through Dublin City
At the hour of twelve at night,
Who should I see but a Spanish lady
Washing her feet by candle light?
First she washed them, and then she dried them,
Over a fire of angry coals,
In all me life I ne'er did see
Such a maid so neat about the soles.
Chorus: Whack fol the too-ra loo-ra laddy,
Whack fol the too-ra loo-ra-lay.
I stopped to look but the watchman passed.
And said he, “Young fellow, now the night is late.
Along with you home or I will wrestle you
Straightway through the Bridewell gate.”
I threw a kiss to the Spanish lady,
Hot as a fire of angry coals,
In all my life I ne'er did see
Such a maid so neat about the soles.
CHORUS:
Now she's no mott for a Poddle swaddy
With her ivory comb and her mantle fine
But she'd make a wife for the Provost Marshall
Drunk on brandy and claret wine
I got a look from the Spanish lady,
Cold as a fire of ashy coals,
In all my life I ne'er did see
Such a maid so neat about the soles.
I've wandered North and I've wandered South
by Stonybatter and Patrick's Close,
Up and down the Gloucester Diamond
And back through Napper Tandy's house.
[Slow] Old age has laid her arm on me,
Cold as a fire of ashy coal;
But where is the lovely Spanish lady
Neat and sweet about the soles?
[Back to tempo] Chorus: Whack fol the too-ra loo-ra laddy,
Whack fol the too-ra loo-ra-lay. [repeat Chorus]
This is an example of the standard version and has been called an "Irish Street ballad," an indication that it's immediate source is unknown[11]. It was similarly recorded by many artists including The Halliard (Nic Jones, Dave Moran, Nigel Patterson) who sang "The Spanish Lady" in 1967 on their first album, It's the Irish in Me and also Al O'Donnell, who sang Spanish Lady in 1967 on a single on the Tribune label. It was also included in the following year on the Tribune anthology Ballads for Drinking and the Crack.
The first arrangement of Campbell's poem is not known. Behan's version was the common arrangement of Campbell's poem from the 1960s that was circulating in the UK at that time. A second arrangement emerged in the 1970s that combined both Campbell's poem and Hughes arrangement. The Dubliners and also the Clancy Brothers (with Tommy Makem) both have similar arrangements. Here's my transcription of Clancy Brothers version:
Spanish Lady- Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers from "Irish Pub Songs."
[instrumental, fiddle]
As I came into Dublin city,
At the hour of twelve at night,
Who should I spy but a Spanish lady,
Washing her feet by candlelight.
First she washed them, then she dried them
Over a fire of ambery coal,
In all my life I ne'er did see
A maid so sweet about the sole.
CHORUS:
Whack fol the toora, toora laddy
Whack fol the foora loora lay (2x)
As I came back through Dublin city
At the hour of half past eight
Who should I spy but the Spanish lady
Brushing her hair in the broad daylight.
First she brushed it, then she tossed it,
On her lap was a silver comb
In all my life I ne'er did see
A maid so sweet since I did roam.
CHORUS
As [yet again] I came back through Dublin city
As the sun began to set
Who should I spy but the Spanish lady
Catching a moth in a golden net.
When she saw me then she fled me
Lifting her petticoat o'er her knee
In all my life I ne'er did see
A maid so fair as the Spanish lady.
CHORUS
I've wandered north and I've wandered south
Through Stonybatter and Patrick's Close
Up and around the Gloucester Diamond
Back by Napper Tandy's house.
But old age has laid her hand on me [tempo slows]
Cold as a fire of ashy coal
But where is the lovely Spanish lady
Neat and sweet about the sole.
CHORUS 2X [original tempo]
The form and chorus are the same as the Dominic Behan version. The second and third stanzas of the Clancy Brother version (above) are taken from Hughes' 1930 arrangement. The last stanza is from Campbell's poem and is arranged in the same manner as Dominic Behan's version (slows, then the chorus is sung a tempo). A third arrangement was recorded in 1973 by Frank Harte. This arrangement uses Campbell's poem but has the "Twenty, Eighteen" and "Wheel of Fortune" choruses.
The Spanish Lady- sung by Frank Harte at The Trinity Inn on June 12, 1998 (first recorded by Harte in 1973).
Listen: https://www.itma.ie/goilin/song/spanish_lady_frank_harte
As I was a-walking through Dublin City
About the hour of twelve at night,
It was there I saw a fair pretty female
Washing her feet by candlelight.
First she washed them and then she dried them
Around her shoulder she pegged a towel,
And in all me life I never did see
A maid so neat about the sole.
CHORUS: She had 20 18 16 14, 12 10 8 6 4 2 none,
She had 19 17 15 13, 11 9 7 5 3 and 1.
Well I stopped to look but the watchman passed
"Say, young fellow, the night is late
Along with you home or I will wrassle you
Straightway though the Bridewell Gate."
I got a look from the Spanish lady
Hot as the fire of ambry coals
And in all my life I never did see
A maid so neat about the sole.
CHORUS:
As I walked back through Dublin City
As the dawn of day was o'er
Oh, who should I spy but the Spanish lady
When I was weary and footsore.
She had a heart so filled with loving
And her love she longed to share,
And in all my life I never did meet with
A maid who had so much to spare.
CHORUS
Well, I've wandered north and I've wandered south
By Stoney Batter and Patrick's Close;
And up and around by the Gloucester Diamond
Back by Napper Tandy's house.
But old age has laid her hands upon me
Cold as a fire of ashy coals
But gone is the lovely Spanish lady
Neat and sweet about her sole.
CHORUS
2ND CHORUS: And round and round goes the Wheel of fortune,
Where it rests it wearies me,
Young maid's hearts are so uncertain,
Sad experience teaches me.
CHORUS
Frank Harte sang The Spanish Lady in 1973 on his Topic LP Through Dublin City. His sixth stanza is unique and possibly a recreation by Harte. He commented in the album liner notes:
For too long this fine old Dublin song has been sung mainly by choral groups and concert sopranos. I remember the song from childhood and it has grown as I heard verses of it year after year. In some versions the last verse ends—
She had 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 none
She had 19 17 15 13 11 9 7 5 3 and 1,
meaning “she had the odds and the evens of it“—in other words she had everything.
Seamus Ennis sang a fragment of Dublin City to Alan Lomax in Dublin in 1951. This recording was included on the anthology Songs of Seduction. (The Folk Songs of Britain Volume 2; Caedmon 1961; Topic 1968). Here's Seamus Ennis text in which "candle light" becomes "four-pronged pike":
Dublin City- sung by Seamus Ennis of Dublin c. 1951, recorded by Alan Lomax.
As I walked through Dublin City
At the hour of twelve at night,
Who should I see but a maiden beauty,
Combing her hair with a four-pronged pike?
Chorus (after each verse):
Turry-idle-ido-dido-dido,
Turry-idle-ido-dido-day.
As I walked again through Dubin,
On the same or another night,
Who should I see but the same fair maiden,
Counting her cash by the candlelight?
Courtin' women is foolish folly,
And marryin' women is just the same.
Courtin' women when they're not willin'
Is like throwin' water against the stream.
On the 2000 reissue of Ennis' version on the album's Rounder CD, the album's booklet commented:
Burl Ives used to sing another version of this song, which began:
A I walked out in Dublin city
About the hour of twelve at night,
I spied a fair young maiden
Washing her feet by candlelight,
"In the refrain, she appears to be counting, but in reverse series, running from twenty to nothing and from nineteen to one. On the one hand, the song seems to portray a market girl summing up her day's receipts in coins. On the other, it is perhaps another instance in Irish folk song of an encounter with a feminine symbol—in this case a revolutionary one—of the spirit of oppressed Ireland. The song is also called The Spanish Lady (the title that was used by Herbert Hughes for his piano setting of the tune), the Irish equivalent for the English song, No, John, No. An American version is A Paper of Pins."
The Rounder notes show the complete confusion regarding the "Spanish Lady" songs and the related songs of 8. Madam, I Have Come to Court You. "No, John No" is a different song and there are only three extant versions that are composites with the "she answered No" chorus-- none with the "No John No" chorus. "Paper of Pins" is also a different song and although it is a courting song-- it is not related to the variants of Madam[12]. The "Twenty-Eighteen" chorus which dates back to at least 1871[13] is associated with "Madam" and its variants but is also found in a number of different songs. The meaning is speculative and it has been said that for the Spanish Lady songs it means "she is counting the number of her lovers[14]" or "she is counting the amount money she has" (as suggested above).
The first published version of Spanish Lady similar to Frank Harte's version with the two choruses was in 1948. It was titled "Dublin City" and was collected about 1944[15] by a once Illinois farm-boy living in New York City from an Irish bartender on Third Avenue. This singer included it on his first album in 1945, "A Collection of Ballads and Folk Songs" (Personality Series. Album No. A-407. New York: Decca Records). Did Frank Harte get part of his version from Burl Ives, an itinerant Illinois farm boy? Truth is sometimes stranger than fiction.
Here's the story behind the 1945 recording and the song, "Dublin City" which was published in "Wayfaring Stranger: An Autobiography" by Burl Ives, published by Whittlesey House, 1948. McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc. New York:
It was lunchtime and I began to feel hungry. The aroma of beer drifted past my nostrils, my head turned toward it, and I followed my nose into a little bar-restaurant on Third Avenue.
The bar stretched along one wall; opposite was a row of tables covered with red-and-white checked cloths. A man and woman were seated at a table eatinsf boiled beef and white potatoes. An old man sat sipping a glass of beer at the end of the bar, his back toward the street. Further along the bar a grocery clerk sat in a white apron and coat and a hard-brimmed straw hat. I took a bar stool and ordered a beer and a salami sandwich. Above the bar were two Irish thorn canes crossed like swords. When the bartender spoke, my guess that he would be an Irishman was confirmed. He had the Irish kind of face that all good Irish bartenders have. He called my order to the kitchen. "Coming up," the cook called back.
The bartender mopped up the bar and served me a beer. Nobody spoke except the couple at the table and they spoke in quiet tones. An elevated train roared by every minute or two, trucks and taxicabs made gross music as they stopped, started and tooted their horns. The bartender took a clean cloth and started to polish the glasses stacked before the mirror behind the bar. As he twisted the white cloth in and out and around the glasses he hummed a melody in a minor key over and over. His song was interrupted by the cook who handed him a plate with my sandwich. He mopped the bar in front of me, and his cloth absorbed the rings of wet beer made by my glass.
"What was that tune you were humming?" I asked.
He looked at me, surprised and embarrassed. "And was I hummin' a tune?"
"Yes, you were, and a very nice tune."
He shook his head, "If my life depended on it, I couldn't repeat it."
I started to eat. He served a beer to the old man and began to polish the glasses again. Soon he was humming the tune. I took a pencil from my pocket, drew a musical staff on my paper napkin, and jotted down the notes of the melody.
I called him for another beer, and when he stood before me I said, "What is the name of this song?" I sang his tune back to him.
"Why, that's a song I sang as a young man in Dublin. Where did you hear it?"
I told him it was his melody, and he was much impressed and looked at the notes on the paper napkin. "What do you think about that now?" was all his amazement could utter.
I asked him if he could recall the words. "I think so," he said, and quietly he sang as only an Irishman can sing his own songs:
As 1 was a walkin through Dublin City
About the hour of twelve at night,
It was there I spied a fair, pretty maid,
Washing her feet in candle light.
First she washed them, and then she dried them,
Around her shoulders she pegged a towel,
And in all me life I ne'er did see,
Such a fine young girl, upon my soul.
She had 20, 18, 16, 14;
12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, none;
She had 19, 17, 15, 13;
11, 9, 7, 5, 8 and one:
Round round, the wheel of fortune
Where it stops wearies me.
Fair maids they are so deceivin'
Sad experience teaches me,
She had 20, 18, 16, 14;
12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, none.
She had 19, 17, 15, 13;
11, 9, 7, 5, 3 and one.
When I had learned the song and put a guitar accompaniment to it, I made an acetate record at a little voice-reproduction shop and brought it to my friend the bartender. When I saw him a few weeks later he told me that he had gathered all his friends together to listen to it. He said it was his most prized possession.
It seems, odd as it may be, that part of Frank Harte's version of Spanish Lady came from Burl Ives (confirmed by the "pegged a towel" stanza) who got it from an Irishman bartender in New York City about 1944. Harte, who lived briefly in the US, also traveled regularly to the US and would have access to Ives 1945 record (which was reissued) and his autobiography published in 1948. Harte drew from many sources and reported knew over 5,000 songs[16]. He also knew a different variant: Madam I'm a Darling (Chester City).
* * * *
Another variant of Spanish Lady I is "Galway City" which was recorded by the Clancy Brothers with Tommy Makem in New York in 1965 and appears on their 1966, "Isn't It Grand Boys" album. This version has stanzas of "Madam" much like the Scottish versions collected by Grieg and Duncan in Aberdeenshire in the early 1900s. The forth stanza is related to "Madam will you Walk" from a different courting song. Tommy Makem got it from: "Sean O'Boyle, the well-known folk collector and Gaelic scholar" [born June 14, 1946 in Armagh, Ireland].
Galway City- Clancy Brothers from Sean O'Boyle of Armahg
(He:) As I walked out through Galway City
At the hour of twelve at night,
Whom should I spy but a handsome damsel,
Combing her hair by candlelight.
Lassie, I have come a-courting,
Your kind favors for to win,
And if you'd but smile upon me,
Next Sunday night I'll call again.
Chorus: Raddy at a toodum, toodum, toodum,
Raddy at a toodum, toodum day.
Raddy at a toodum, toodum, toodum,
Raddy at a toodum, toodum day.
(She:) So to me you came a-courting,
My kind favors for to win,
But 'twould give me the greatest pleasure
If you never did call again.
What would I do, when I go walking,
Walking out in the morning dew?
What would I do when I go walking,
Walking out with a lad like you?
Chorus.
(He:) Lassie, I have gold and silver,
Lassie, I have houses and land.
Lassie, I have ships on the ocean,
They'll be all at your command.
(She:) What do I care with your ships on the ocean?
What do I care with your houses and land?
What do I care with your gold and silver?
All's I want is a handsome man.
Chorus
(He:) Did you ever see the grass in the morning,
All bedecked with jewels rare?
Did you ever see a handsome lassie,
Diamonds sparkling in her hair?
(She:) Did you ever see a copper kettle,
Mended with an old tin can?
Did you ever see a handsome lassie
Married off to an ugly man?
This uses the "Spanish Lady 1" opening and the form and chorus are similar to the popular standard UK versions of Spanish Lady that use Campbell's text (Spanish Lady III). Stanza four resembles "Madam will you Walk?" while the last stanza is similarly found in Bell Robertson's version and the Tennessee version. Curiously, two variants were recorded by Maritime Canada singers: the first by The Fables, a Newfoundland group in 1998 and the second in 2007 from Nova Scotia singers Hector MacIsaac and Emma MacIsaac, who attribute it to their Irish Uncle Jerome Downey. The source of these Canadian versions may be the Clancy Brothers, but more investigation is needed.
Another "Spanish Lady I" variant is "Ettrick Lady" recorded by the Scottish folk group the Corries in 1975. This version is clearly a re-write of "Galway City," a variant of "Madam" that Tommy Makem got from Irishman Sean O'Boyle (see their version above).
Ettrick Lady- sung by The Corries from the Album: Live from Scotland Volume 2; 1975
[Mando solo]
As I gang doon the Ettrick Highway
At the hour o' twelve at night;
What should I spy but a handsome lassie,
Combin' her hair by candlelight.
Lassie, I have come a-courtin',
Your kind favors for to win;
And if you but smile upon me,
Next Sunday night I'll call again.
CHORUS: Falla-talla ru-dum, ru-dum, ru-u-dum;
Falla-talla ru-dum, ru-dum-day! (2X)
So to me you came a-courtin',
My kind favors for to win;
But 'twould give me the greatest pleasure
If you never would call again!
What would I do, when I go walking,
Walking out in the Ettrick view;
What would I do when I go walking,
Walkin' oot wi' a laddie like you?
- Chorus -
Lassie, I have gold and silver,
Lassie I have houses and land
Lassie, I have ships on the ocean,
They'll be all at your command.
What do I care for your ships on the ocean?
What do I care for your houses and land?
What do I care for your gold and silver?
When all I want is a handsome man!
- Chorus - [mando solo]
Did you ever see the grass in the mornin',
All bedecked with jewels rare?
Did you ever see a handsome lassie,
Diamonds sparkling in her hair?
Did you ever see a copper kettle,
Mended wi' an auld tin can?
Did you ever see a handsome lassie
Married up tae an ugly man?
- Chorus- (2x)
* * * *
Another variant of Spanish Lady is "Madam, I'm a Darling," also known as "Chester City," features a unique chorus. It was learned in a Kerry session by Frank Harte. The "Madam, I'm a Darling" title is named after the chorus which, in turn, is ironically similar to the words "Madam I'm come a courting." It was recorded in 1975 and is on the "Frank Harte: . . . and Listen To My Song" LP. Here are his notes:
"This is another version of the type of song similar to the Spanish Lady. I have no idea of its origin or of the reference in the first line to "Chester City". I heard the song at a session in Kerry where it is Rabelaisian humour was much to the delight of the locals. I am sure that if this song had been collected in Victorian times it would have been stripped of its honest humour to suit the taste of the drawing room, as has been done with the Spanish Lady and so many of the English and Scottish ballads. I give it to you as I heard and enjoyed it. Another version called "As I strayed Through Dublin City" is very similar to this song."
Madam, I'm a Darling (Chester City)- sung by Frank Harte, 1975
As I came down to Chester City,
In the dark hour late at night
Who should I meet but a fair young maiden
Washing her clothes by the broad moon light
Chorus: Madam I'm a darling a-di-ro-didero
Madam I'm a darling a-di-ro-dee
First she washed them, then she squeezed them
Then she hung them up to dry
Then she folded up her arms
Saying what a nice young girl am I!
Going to the well for a pail of water
Bringing it home for to make the tea
She fell over, I fell under
All the game was above the knee
Madam I will tie your garter,
I'll tie it above the knee
If you like, I'll tie it up farther
Madam I'm a darling a di-ro-dee
Madam you have gold and silver
Madam, you have tracts of land
Madam you ships on the ocean
All you need is a nice young man!
It also appears in print in "Songs of Dublin" edited by Frank Harte in 1978. A second recent (2013) version by Anne and Niamh Buckley of Dublin can be heard here: http://www.dublincity.ie/songs-murder-madams-and-mayhem/madam-im-darling They've changed the city to Dublin City and have added with two additional stanzas which appear to be traditional.
Madam, I'm a Darling." Performed by Anne and Niamh Buckley
As I rode out through Dublin city
It being the dark hour twelve at night
Who should I see but a fair young maiden
Washing her clothes in the pale moon light
Chorus (after each verse):
Madam, I'm a darling, a di ro, a dither o
Madam, I'm a darling, a di ro dae
First she washed them, then she squeezed them
And then she hung them out to dry
Then she folded up her arms
Saying what a nice, young girl am I.
Going to the well for a pale of water
Fetching it home for to make some tae [tea]
She fell over, I fell under
All the game was above her knee
Madam, I will tie your garter
I will tie it above your knee
And if you like I'll tie it up further
Madam, I'm a darling, a di ro de
Madam, I'm a darling, a di ro de
Have you ever heard of cups and saucers
Rattlin' around in an auld tin can?
Have you ever heard of a fair, young maiden
Married to an ugly, gray old man?
And blue it is a lovely colour
Until it gets the second dip
Well that's the way with the old man courting
You never know till he gets those fits
Madam, you have gold and silver
And madam, you have tracks of land
Madam you have ships on the ocean
All you need is a fine, young man.
One of the additional stanzas is associated with Spanish Lady/Madam-- it begins: "And blue it is a lovely colour." See a similar stanza in the several of versions of the "Madam" family ("Madam, Madam, You Came Courting" sung by William Gilkie, Sambro, NS, September, 1950). The "Madam, I will tie your garter" stanza is common to the "Oh No John" songs.
These are the main variants of Spanish Lady although one, the version by Christy Moore[17], has no basis in tradition after the opening and appears to be an individual recreation. Moore learned Spanish Lady about 1967 when he first performed it in Manchester on May 4. "The Spanish Lady" appeared on Christy's 1969 recording "Paddy on the Road" which was recorded with Dominic Behan. Behan's standard version of Spanish Lady (see above) was recorded in 1959 and copyrighted so it seems Moore changed the standard version (Behan's) and created his own version.
* * * *
In the US there are four extant versions with the archaic opening stanzas:
1. “The Spanish Lady in Dublin City” sung by Richard Dyer-Bennet. Learned in NYC about 1942. From Folkways "Richard Dyer-Bennet, Vol. 4," 1957.
2. "Spanish Lady" sung by Andrew Hawes of Pittsburg, New Hampshire June 18, 1943. Collected by Helen Hartness Flanders.
3. "Dublin City" sung by Burl Ives, learned about 1944 from an Irish Bartender in NYC. Recorded in 1945 and published by Ives in "Wayfaring Stranger: An Autobiography," 1948.
4. "The Spanish Lady" sung by Nancy McCuddy Stevenson of Clarksville, TN on Dec. 5, 1953, learned from her father. From "Folk Songs from Middle Tennessee," Boswell edited Wolfe.
They are identified as two versions of Spanish Lady I (Ives and McCuddy), one of Spanish Lady II (Hawes) and one of Spanish Lady V (Dyer-Bennet). The other variants of Spanish Lady (at least four) are of the Spanish Lady IV type where the name "Spanish Lady" is found replacing "lovely creature" in a number of "Madam" versions. The first reported version with the archaic opening stanzas was learned by Richard Dyer-Bennet in NYC about 1942:
“The Spanish Lady in Dublin City” sung by Richard Dyer-Bennet. Learned in NYC about 1942.
As I walked out in Dublin city,
At the hour of twelve in the night,
Who should I see but the Spanish lady,
Washing her hair by the pale moonlight.
First she washed it, then she dried it
Over a fire of amber coal,
Ne'er did I see such a lovely lady
Taking such care upon my soul.
As I walked out in Dublin city,
At the hour of twelve in the noon,
Who should I see but the Spanish lady,
Combing her hair with a golden comb,
First she combed it, then she curled,
Then into a a black and glossy row.
Ne'er did I see such a lovely lady
Taking such care upon my soul.
Richard Dyer-Bennet version is a corrupt adaptation of Hughes' 1930 arrangement[18] that Dyer-Bennet recorded in 1957. He learned the version in NYC about 1942 (twelve years after the release of Hughes recording) and from Dyer-Bennet's liner notes it's clear he had no idea of the pedigree of his song.
Some conclusions:
The Spanish Lady variants spring from the first two stanzas of a circa 1770s bawdy song known as "The Ride in London[19]." Sometime after the song was printed about 1770 but before the mid-1800s, the "damsel pretty" became the "Spanish Lady" and in the new text she was washing her feet or clothes by candlelight. The Spanish Lady stanzas appear along with stanzas of "Madam" in many of the variants. Two important important arrangements using the new "Spanish Lady" opening stanzas were made in the 1900s-- the first, a poem by Joseph Campbell about 1913, entered tradition and was widely sung in the UK in the 1960s while the second by pianist Herbert Hughes has been covered by John McDermott and is sometimes mixed with Campbell's text (see the Dubliners and Clancy Brothers version from the 70s).
Five categories of the main types of these Spanish Lady have been created. Initially the opening stanzas were filled mostly with stanzas of "Madam." Campbell's poem (Spanish Lady III) and Hughes arrangement with new text (Spanish Lady V) also used the opening two traditional stanzas but were individual recreations. Campbell's poem became an "Irish Street Song" song and was popular in UK in the 1960s. Hughes arrangement was recorded in 1930 and in the 1970s the last stanza of Campbell poem was added. These Campbell and Hughes variants were usually named "Spanish Lady" but since "Galway City" was the location-- that was an alternative title.
The "Twenty Eighteen" and "Wheel of Fortune" stanzas associated with "Madam" have also been used with Spanish Lady. The borrowing of stanzas from "Madam" and its relatives (the "she answered No" songs) appear to be from the late 1700s to the early 1800s.
There are other completely different songs with mention "Spanish Lady" or "Spanish Ladies." These songs include the titles "Tinkle, Tinkle, Tra-La-La!" "Spanish Ladies" or "Lady of Spain" and are not versions of this Spanish Lady.
The confusion about the "Spanish Lady" songs of this study continues today and very little accurate information is available. For example, the information currently at Wiki is almost totally inaccurate (the earlier Spanish Lady titles are diffeernt songs and should not be mentioned); the Traditional Ballad Index entry lumps so many different songs together that it's impossible to sort out the different variants and antecedents. Many of these songs lumped together in the entry are different songs- related but distinctly different (for example "Quaker's Courtship" and the different song "Courting Case" have nothing to do with Spanish Lady). The Roud Index (No. 542) includes various versions of "Madam" that have nothing to do with Spanish Lady and some of the versions listed under 542 do not mention Spanish Lady in the text. Simply put, chaos reigns.
This short study is an attempt to sort out this chaos. Even with this humble study, it needs further sorting--
Richard Matteson 2017]
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Footnotes:
1. Burns' version has "jock"-- both are references to female genitals.
2. The entire song (Song no. 83) of Aa is given in the British Versions page and follows in the Supplemental music page.
3. These notes were posted online at the Mudcat Discussion Forum-- I do not have Coe's original CD notes.
4. "Judgment: A Play in Two Acts" by Joseph Campbell, 1912.
5. Hughes was a collector but his stanzas have not been found in tradition and therefore were probably written by his to fill out the traditional opening stanzas-- just as Campbell had done some years earlier.
6. Stanzas of "Madam" were used to complete the two stanzas reworked from the 1700s erotic song.
7. "Spanish Lady." Communicated by Miss Violet Noland, Davis, Tucker County, 1916; obtained from Mr. John Raese, who heard it sung when he was a boy. From Cox, Folk Songs of the South, 1925.
8. According to Cecil Sharp her arrangement was "very popular." He reports that Wakefield said, "I first heard something like this from an American Governess. . . neither words or music were at all complete. I wrote it down and it got a good deal altered. I never regarded it as a folk song."
9. Ibid.
10. See "Madam": "Yankee Boys." Recorded from Able Shepherd, Bryson City, N. C about 1923. From: Some Songs and Ballads from Tennessee and North Carolina by Isabel Gordon Carter; The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 46, No. 179 (Jan.- Mar., 1933), pp. 22-50.
11. Obviously it's Campbell's text set to music. When this happened is not known but this is the version that was circulating in the pubs in the 1960s. The chorus is similar to Hughes 1930 chorus and I would date this version as post World War II (1945).
12. "Although "Paper of Pins" is a different song, one version "Madam Will you Walk" AKA "Keys of Heaven"/"The Keys of Canterbury" is composite with a varaint of 8C. "On a Mountain Stands a Lady" the children's game song variants, (Roud 2603).
13. "Twenty, Eighteen" - Sung by a carpenter at Besthorpe, Norfolk, to the Rev. J. T. Howard who learned in in 1871, and it was collected by John Graham for The Musical Herald, September, 1891. Reprinted in English County Songs edited by Lucy Etheldred Broadwood and John Alexander Fuller-Maitland, 1908.
14. A suggestion made in a post on the Mudcat Discussion Forum.
15. My date, Ives was back in NYC Dec. 1943 and 1944 would seem to be the right time also it could have been collected earlier.
16. The number was reported in a post on the Mudcat Discussion Forum. Not verified.
17. This is my opinion and without consulting Moore (which may not help since artists are sometimes reluctant to reveal there sources if they are not traditional) is not verified.
18. The possibility exists, however unlikely, that Hughes text is taken from tradition and that Dyer-Bennet's version is taken from a similar tradition. The large degree of corruption suggests this possibility.
19. This is the title of Robert Burns' version, the first printed version is titled "Song 83."
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Supplemental Pieces (random order)
1. This song resembles Spanish Lady and seems to be related:
Folk song collected by H.E.D. Hammond from George Moore of Hazelbury Bryan, Dorset.
As I was walking Portsmouth City
There I met a saucy strump;
Up against a wall I pushed her,
Then I found that she was drunk.
Twenty, eighteen, sixteen, fourteen,
Twelve, ten, eight, six, four, two, none;
Nineteen, seventeen, fifteen, thirteen,
Eleven, nine, seven, five, three and one.
Going on I met some other
And I told to her my case.
She said "You need go no further,"
Up she took me to her place.
When I woke up in the morning,
Oh! What a terrible sight of woes!
She had only gone and left me,
Gubbered off with all my clothes!
The backwards counting, according to the note, is supposed to be a test for drunkenness.
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2. From The Frisky Songster. (London, or Dublin, ca. 1770.) from 1802 edition. Reprint copies: (c. 1776) Bodleian, Harding Collection; (1802), Kinsey-ISR Library. Essential erotic folksong collection in English of the late 18th century. With minor changes from "Merry Muses of Caledonia," Burns, 1827. This is the bawdy antecedent of "Spanish Lady" which has the first two stanzas in common.
SONG LXXXIII. [edited, for punctuation and minor spelling errors]
"AS I went through London city,
Twas at twelve o'clock at night,
There I saw a damsel pretty,
Washing her joke by candle-light.
"When she wash'd it then she dr'd it,
The hair was black as coal upon it
In all my life I never saw,
A girl that had so fine a c—t.
"My dear said I what shall I give thee,
For a touch at you know what,"
Half a crown if you are willing,
Two shillings or you shall not.
"Eighteen pence my dear I'll give you,"
"Twenty pence or not at all;"
With all my heart it is a bargain,
So up she mounts [in] the Cobbler's stall.
"My dear," said I, "how shall I ride you,
The gallop, amble, or the trot?"
"The amble is the easiest pace sir,"
"With all my heart," so up I got.
The Cobbler hearing of our parley,
Through a hole he thrust his awl;
He prick'd the girl into the a--e,
Which threw the rider from the stall.
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