Minor Groups- Satirical Themes
D. Satirical Themes Contents
86. Roving Bachelor 184
87. The Country Clown 187
89. Old Enoch 188
90. The Gunner and Boatswain 189
D. Satirical Themes
In this class is grouped a miscellany of four unusual songs,
two of which in the manuscript are so mice-bitten that, as
mediaeval scribes would say, multa desimt — many things are
lacking.
Jests about bachelors and spinsters are common in folksongs
and folktales, but "Roving Bachelor" does not seem a product
of the folk; note the word "precarious," properly spelled, and
the name Aristotle. The fifth stanza, however, has a standard
folk jest of olden times, a man's bitter choice between marriage
and hanging. "The Country Clown" is in a "Hey Rube" pattern,
ridiculing a rustic, and it may have been sung at a circus. No-
body seems to know much about circus songs before 1900.
"Old Enoch," as Miss Cutting surmises, may be a song invented
in a lumber camp; on the other hand, satire on a thief is not
a common subject among lumberjacks; note the references that
may be to real persons in a rural district.
"The Gunner and Boatswain" is a come-all-ye type of street
ballad which may have been composed to please merchant sailors
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or other people who could enjoy satire on the navy's important
(sometimes self-important) noncommissioned officers.
This last section of the manuscript is a series of mysteries.
What good thing does not end with mystery?
86. Roving Bachelor
This humorous song of warning to bachelors has not been identi-
fied. The last stanza is related to the old English belief that a man
who is to be hanged may be saved if a woman will offer to marry
him. According to J. L. Lockhart {Memoirs of the Life of Sir Walter
Scott, Bart. [Edinburgh, 1862]), one of Scott's ancestors who had
plundered the estate of Sir Gideon Murray of Elibank was given the
choice of being hanged or marrying his captor's homely daughter,
"Meikle-mouthed Meg." For three days he, like the man in the fol-
lowing song, declared his preference for death, but with the rope
around his neck he decided on marriage.
Roving Bachelor
1. Come all you roving bachelors that wish to get good wives
I pray you be right cautious before you change your lives
For women are as verious as fishes in the sea
And ten times more precarious than spring or winters day
For when you think you have them won
The bisness is not half begun
Tey'l ne'er be content with one young man
But sport and play with all they can
2. Before the maid is maried she's mild as any dove
Oh then you will declare to her she is is worthy of your [love]
You then will give to her your hand and wed with only . . .
She will return the same to you in her true constancy
When you've done this and all you can . . .
. your first and best perfection . . .
. next young man that doth come in . . .
. the same reception
. maid is maried she's as mild as . . .
. first comes speed she then lets loose her . . .
. an orrator and makes the whole house ring
. should i become your wife to wash to card and spin
1 88 A Pioneer Songster
. you afterwards
. of old bachelors
. should i become your wife
. with my single life
4. Aristotle thought he could get a most a comdious bride
And in counsel he did say in choice there is no strife
To mary a girl is all in vain when all your work is done
There is no choice among them all but take them as they come
To shut your eyes and then advance
The prize is but a chance
If you meet with one bepleased at once
For you pay let who will dance
5. There was a criminal in the cart just going to behanged
And a reprieve was sent to him the cart and crowd did stand
Too marry a girl twill save your life the judge to him did say
Then why should i corrupt my life the victim did reply
Here is a crowd of every sort
And why should i prvent the sport
The bargain is hard on every part
A wife is the worst drive on your cart
87. The Country Clown
This humorous account of the misadventures of a booby has not
been identified. It might possibly be a circus song.
The Country Clown
1 . My father sent me to a school
All for to learn nice books
But I was allways sich a fool
I would scarcely in them look
For seven long years asive been told
And now ill tell to the
I scarcely learned my a b c
Such a great booby
2. My father took me home again
All for to learn to plough
And how to haw the oxen about
Gad zax I didnt know how
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He took the whip right out of my hand
And so belabored me
Which caused me for to roar and cry
Like a great booby
3. I thought I'd go to London town
And be at school no more
For to be banged by master so
Caused me to cry and roar
So without farther ado I went to town
Kind fortune for to see
Where they called me a fool and a country clown
And a great booby
4. I thought i'd cross the water sirs
As you shall understand
I tumbled out of the boat sir
Before I reached the land
The boatman took me in again
And thus he said to me
Twas not thy fortune to be drowned
You great booby
5. Of all the sights that I have seen
Thats many aye delight in
To go and see the circus sir
To me is most inviting
For the music did play and the ladies did sing
Which so delighted me
I thought i was going to heaven in a sling
Like a great booby
88. Old Enoch
The rhythm of this ballad and the "Derry down" refrain are com-
mon in lumbermen's songs, such as "Blue Mountain Lake." It is pos-
sible that this ballad is one composed in some lumber camp to satirize
a local character. The word "dabster" means "expert."
[Old Enoch]
1 . Old Enoch was aged he wished to be still
He gave up his business to Enoch and bill
190 A Fioneer Songster
They being industrious and prudent with all
Laid up a good store of fat pork in the fall
Derry Down Down Derry Down down
2 . They lived a man they supposed it was he
Who in this Cellar this pork tub did see
He says by my soul gives the barrel a knock
I really want ome of old Enocks fat pork
Dery Down &c
3. A night or two after as we were informed
This man with his sack to this pork tub did storm
And taking one hundred twas all clear and good
With a Devil of a back load made haste to the wood
Dery Down &c
4. And when he arrived at the foot of the hill
He threw down his sack and says Enock and Bill
Ive stole of your pork help your Selves if you can
I shant be mistrusted for im called a nice man
Dery Down &c
5. And when he arrived at the place where he lived
Being pressed with a load like a cart under sheaves
He threw down his sack and says there by my soul
Theres quite a big load though I took not the whole
Dery Down &c.
6. And now I have pork enough to last me till fall
If any old friends should chance for to call
I'd give them a portion of something to eat
They'll never mistrust how I came by my meat
Dery Down &c.
7. OI am a dabster at seating [stealing] tis clear
I stole many sheep before ever I came here
And since Ive been here ive stole corn wheat and peas
And once Id a chance of a good beehive to squeeze
Dery Down &c.
8. Oh stealing is a practice I do not call good
This wheat I just mentioned I stole from John Wood
Twas five bushels just if I measured it right
. . . Cleaned up and backed away all in one night
Dery Down &c.
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191
10.
1 1,
Just after John Wood took a journey below
The wheat was threshed out I supposed for to sow
I not haveing any my spring crops was small
I thought Id take a little to sow in the fall
Dery Down &c.
steating [stealing] is a practice I do not much like
For what can be worse than a theif in the night
For men they'll get hardened to such a degree
They'll break open houses and steal at midday
Dery down &c.
Oh I'm a dabster at gambling tis true
1 can play very well at all four whist and liew
And when at by chance my cart it falls stalk
I've often times tried to pick sam wellses lock
Dery down, &c.
89. The Gunner and Boatswain
This humorous ballad is so fragmentary that the story is not
clear. It seems to be a trial of the honesty of two men, with the devil
acting as judge. Possibly it belongs among the tests of truth with
Motif group H 226, ordeal by balance. According to that, a de-
fendant, weighed twice, must be lighter the second time.
The Gunner and Boatswain
Come all you merry soldiers that merry merry be
No good thing shall be want unto thee
But if you will grant me one request
I will tell you of a merry jest
on a certain day
riding along in the . . .
prancing along . . .
song
says the gunner mad fellow stay
the gait and give me the way
you provoke me to draw my blade
make you jump from you cut tail jade
Oh says the Boasan dont control
You will spoil your body and ruin your soul
192 A Fioneer Songster
Oh says the gunner you've done worse
You've sold your soul for to fill your purse
. Now says the gunner if you'll consent
The verry next thing that I will invent
The verry first nan that passes by
Shall center us both of our honesty
. They had not stayed long in that place
Before came an old man with a hac in his face
With a high crownhat and a narrow brim
stood awry and his beard grew thin
7. . . . that was rent and roug . . .
a dimond under his . . .
of the buff of . . .
mare . . .
8. In that box there was a glass
Where every thing was brought to pass
They opened the box and looked in
And there sat the devil black and grim
9. He had a pair of balances in his hand
And in one of then the gunner did stand
And in the other the boasan did lie
And he batanced [balanced] them both acrost his thigh
10. First he held them a little awry
Then he held them a different way
Then he held them just upright
And the gunners pepper corn too light
1 1 . Now says the devil by my flight
If i had you both i should have but my right
The scale stands eaven as you may see
And i think you are a couple bolh [both? ] for me
12. The . . . began for too swear . . .
. . . off from his cuttail mare
. . . he was weighed again . . .
. . . honester man . . .