Sweet William- Harry Cox (Norfolk) 1956 REC
[From BBC recording 22914.
R. Matteson 2017]
Sweet William- sung by Harry Cox of Catfield, Norfolk on July 15, 1956
Oh father, father build me a boat,
That I may on the ocean float,
And ev'ry big ship I do pass by,
I will inquire for my sailor boy.
Though she had not sail-ed two days or more,
Before she spied a last man-o'-war,
Saying, "Captain, captain, pray tell me true
Is my sweet William on board of you?
What kind of clothes does your William wear?
His blue silk suit and his galley hair,
His blue silk suit and buckin' shoes,
They are the clothes my Sweet William use
Oh no fair lady, he is not here
For he is drownd-ed great is our fear
For it was the other night when the wind blew high,
We lost seven hands and your sailor boy.
She then sat down and wrote down a song,
She wrote wide and she wrote it long,
At the end of every line she shed a tear,
For the loss of her sweet William dear.
She wrang her hands and she tore her hair,
Like some mad woman in great despair,
She threw her body into the deep,
Saying is this where my Sweet William sleeps.