Lord Gregory- Joe Heaney (Ireland) pre1983
[Two takes of Joe Heaney's version]
Lord Gregory (Version 1)- Joe Heaney (Ireland) pre1983 From Milner D and Kaplan P, 1983, Songs of England, Ireland and Scotland, Oak, New York. The information in the book is as follows:
The famous Irish (old-style) singer Joe Heaney is often requested to sing Lord Gregory. He calls it "a song you can't do justice to and a song you can't run away with ... just treat it as it comes."
While the essential tune of Lord Gregory is very simple, Joe's rendition of it is virtually impossible to transcribe exactly. His use of melodic variation is such that no verse is ornamented the same and no two performances are identical.
I am a king's daughter who's strayed from Cappoquin
In search of Lord Gregory, pray God I find him.
"The rain beats at my yellow locks, the dew wets my skin,
My babe is cold in my arms; Lord Gregory let me in."
"Lord Gregory's not at home me dear, henceforth he can't be seen.
He's gone to bonny Scotland to bring home a new queen.
"So leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For it's deep in the ocean you must hide your downfall."
"Who'll shoe my babe's little feet, who'll put gloves on her hand?
Who'll tie my babe's middle with a long and green band?
"Who'll comb my babe's yellow locks with an ivory comb?
Who'll be my babe's father till Lord Gregory comes home?"
"I'll shoe your babe's little feet, I'll put gloves on her hand.
I'll tie your babe's middle with a long and green band.
"I'll comb your babe's yellow locks with an ivory comb.
I'll be my babe's father till Lord Gregory comes home."
"So leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For its deep in the ocean you must hide your downfall."
"You remember Lord Gregory that night in Cappoquin
We changed silken handkerchiefs and all against my will.
"Yours were of fine linen, love, and mine was all cloth;
Yours cost one guinea, love, and mine none at all.
"You remember Lord Gregory that night in my father's hall
We changed rings on our fingers and that was worse than all.
"Yours were of fine silver, love, and mine was old tin;
Yours cost one guinea, love, and mine just one cent."
"But leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For it's deep in the ocean you must hide your downfall."
"My curse is on you mother and sister also,
Tonight the curse of Aughrim came knocking at my door."
"Lie down my little son, lie down and sleep,
Tonight the lass of Aughrim lies sleeping in the deep."
"Saddle me the brown horse, the black or the grey,
But saddle me the best horse in my stable this day."
"And I'll roam over the valleys and the mountains so wild
Till I find the lass of Aughrim and lie by her side."
"Oh, leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For its deep in the ocean you must hide your downfall."
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Lord Gregory (Version 2)- Joe Heaney (Ireland) pre1983
Listen: http://www.joeheaney.org/default.asp?contentID=930
This girl from Cappoquin – Cappoquin was the seat of the kings one time, Waterford – and this was a king’s daughter that got into trouble with Lord Gregory. In fact, she had a baby and she was carrying the baby around with her. And she went to Lord Gregory’s house, and he was asleep, and the mother – the mother behind the door – was answering the girl. And she told the girl that Lord Gregory wasn’t home; and when Lord Gregory woke up and found the girl was there – because the girl was after going down to the sea and committing suicide, drowning herself – he cursed his mother for not waking him up….
I am a king’s daughter who strayed from Cappoquin
In search of Lord Gregory, pray God I find him
The rain beats at my yellow locks, the dew wets my skin
My babe is cold in my arms. Lord Gregory, let me in!
Lord Gregory is not home my love, and still can’t be seen
He’s gone to bonnie Scotland to bring home his new queen
So leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For it’s deep in the ocean you should hide your downfall.
Who’ll shoe my babe’s little feet, who’ll put gloves on her hand?
And who’ll tie my babe’s middle with a long and green band?
Who’ll comb my babe’s yellow locks with an ivory comb?
And who’ll be my babe’s father till Lord Gregory comes home?
I will shoe your babe’s little feet, I’ll put gloves on her hand
And I’ll tie your babe’s middle with a long and green band
I will comb your babe’s yellow locks with an ivory comb
And I’ll be your babe’s father till Lord Gregory comes home.
But leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For it’s deep in the ocean you must hide your downfall.
Till I find the lass of Aughrim and sleep by her side.
I am a king’s daughter who strayed from Cappoquin
In search of Lord Gregory, pray God I find him
The rain beats at my yellow locks, the dew wets my skin
My babe is cold in my arms. Lord Gregory, let me in!
Lord Gregory is not home my love, and still can’t be seen
He’s gone to bonnie Scotland to bring home his new queen
So leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For it’s deep in the ocean you should hide your downfall.
Who’ll shoe my babe’s little feet, who’ll put gloves on her hand?
And who’ll tie my babe’s middle with a long and green band?
Who’ll comb my babe’s yellow locks with an ivory comb?
And who’ll be my babe’s father till Lord Gregory comes home?
I will shoe your babe’s little feet, I’ll put gloves on her hand
And I’ll tie your babe’s middle with a long and green band
I will comb your babe’s yellow locks with an ivory comb
And I’ll be your babe’s father till Lord Gregory comes home.
But leave you these windows and likewise this hall
For it’s deep in the ocean you must hide your downfall.
So don’t leave you these windows, don’t leave this hall
For it’s d—
Oh now. Well, that’s it anyway. Ah, there’s only another line somewhere.1
Notes
Of the Child Ballads collected in Ireland, this one appears to have been particularly popular in Connemara. Unlike ‘An Tiarna Randal,’ however, it was never translated into Irish, but was sung only in English. Joe told Lucy Simpson that he heard it from a number of people growing up, including his father and his second cousin, Colm Keane.
1 All of the other recordings in the collection – or on commercial recordings from Joe – end with the last two lines precisely as they are elsewhere in the song. It’s hard to imagine why Joe tried to change them here.
This was recorded while Joe was Artist in Residence at University of Washington.
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