Queen of Hearts- navvy worker (Dev) Baring-Gould 1894
[From: Songs of the West, by S. Baring Gould, H. Fleetwood Sheppard, and F.W. Bussell, new and revised edition (Methuen, n.d. [1905], pp. 232-233; with music). His notes follow.
The word, "navvy" is a UK term used to describe manual laborers working on major civil engineering projects. Since Baring-Gould knew the broadside, it's uncertain what was collected and what was not. He kept, fro example, certain spellings and words found in the broadsides indicating that the Bachelar broadside may have been the main source of the text..
R. Matteson 2017]
--[Notes, p. 30]:
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS. Sung by a workman engaged on the Burrow-Tor reservoir at Sheepstor, the water supply for Plymouth, 1894. A quaint little song. It has been printed on Broadside by Bachelar, B.M., in vol. vi. p. 110, of several volumes of Broadsides I gave to the B.M. This begins--
"O my poor heart, my poor heart is breaking
For a false young man, or I am mistaking:
He is gone to Ireland, for a long time to tarry,
Some Irish girl I am afraid he will marry."
This is obviously an addition to fill out space in the Broadside. The ballad has a favour of the period of Charles II.
THE QUEEN OF HEARTS
1. To the Queen of Hearts he's the Ace of sorrow,
He's here to-day, he's gone to-morrow;
Young men are plenty but sweet-hearts few,
If my love leave [sic] me, what shall I do?
2. When my love comes in I gaze not around,
When my love goes out, I fall in a swound;
To meet is pleasure, to part is sorrow,
He is here to-day, he is gone to-morrow.
3. Had I the store in yonder mountain,
Where gold and silver is had for counting,
I could not count, for the thought of thee,
My eyes so full that I could not see.
4. I love my father, I love my mother,
I love my sister, I love my brother;
I love my friends, my relations too,
But I'll leave them all for the love of you.
5. My father left me both house and land,
And servants many at my command;
At my commandment they ne'er shall be,
I'll forsake them all for to follow thee.
6. An Ace of sorrow to the Queen of Hearts,
O how my bosom bleeds and smarts;
Young men are plenty, but sweet-hearts few,
If my love leave me what shall I do?