Constant Farmer's Son- Josie Connors (Wick) c.1973
[From: Musical Traditions Records: From Puck to Appleby (MTCD325-6), 2003, also released in 1984 on the VWML cassette of songs of Irish travellers in England, Early in the Month of Spring. The liner notes follow.
R. Matteson 2016]
Josie Connors sang The Constant Farmer’s Son to Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie, probably in Langley, near Slough, in 1973-83. This recording was released in 1984 on the VWML cassette of songs of Irish travellers in England, Early in the Month of Spring, and in 2003 on the extended Musical Traditions anthology From Puck to Appleby. Jim Carroll and Pat Mackenzie commented in the latter's booklet:
The plot of The Constant Farmer's Son was used in the 14th century by Boccaccio in The Decameron and later made the subject of poems: by Nuremberg poet Hans Sachs in the 16th century and, in the early 19th century, by John Keats in his Isabella and the Pot of Basil.
Based on an older song, The Bramble Briar or Bruton Town, which has been described as “probably the song with the longest history in the English tradition”, it owes its continued popularity to its appearance on nineteenth century broadsides. A version from Hertfordshire in 1914 gives it as Lord Burling's (or Burlington's) Sister or The Murdered Serving Man.
As well as being found widely in England, it is very popular in Ireland, though it has only appeared in print there a couple of times. It is included in the Sam Henry Collection which gives four sources and, more recently it was included in Fermanagh singer John Maguire's autobiographical Come Day, Go Day, God Send Sunday. Josie learned it from her mother, a Dublin Traveller.
The Constant Farmer's Son- sung by Josie Moorhouse, (neé Connors), of Co Wicklow, Ireland, c. 1973.
There being a lovely lady near Limerick town did dwell,
She was admired by lords and squires, her parents loved her well;
She was modest fair and handsome, with all her hopes in vain,
There being but one, a farmer's son, that young Mary's heart could gain.
For a long time Willie courted her and appointed the wedding day,
But all of her parents gave consent and the brothers they did say:
“There is one young lord have placed his word and him you shall not shun,
For we'll betray and we will slain your constant farmer's son.”
There being a fair not far from there, the brothers went straight away,
And asked young Willie's company with them to spend the day.
The day being gone and the night rolled on, they said, “Your race is run.”
'Twas with two sticks they took the life of my constant farmer's son.
As Mary lay on her pillow soft, she had a sadful dream,
She dreamed she seen her own true love lying by a russell[1] stream.
She then have 'rose, put on her clothes, to seek her love she run.
'Twas pale and cold she did behold her constant farmer's son.
The tears rolled down her cherry cheeks and mingled in his[2] gore,
And to release her troubled mind, she kissed him more and more.
She got the green leaves from the tree to shade him from the sun,
Three nights and days she passed away with her constant farmer's son.
'Til hunger it crept over, poor girl fell down in grief and woe,
And to acquaint her parents, it is home straight away she did go.
“Oh, parents dear, you soon shall hear the dreadful deed that is done,
In yon green vale lies cold and pale my constant farmer's son.”
Up steps the youngest brother who says, “It was not me.”
The same reply the other, aye, who swore most bitterly.
Young Mary says, “Don't be afraid to try the law to shun.
Youse done the deed and youse shall bleed for my constant farmer's son.”
Oh, now the two are taken and locked all in a cell,
Surrounded by cold irons, aye, and their sad face to be seen.
The jury found them guilty and for the same were hung;
In a madhouse cell, young Mary did dwell, for her constant farmer's son.
1. russet
2. originally "her"