The Golden Willow Tree (Turkish Revoloo)- Hicks (NC) c1940 Abrams
[From the Abrams Collection by Nora Hicks, 1886-1953 who was Addie's mother. Collected Edith Cavell Walker [Madison], in Sugar Grove, Watauga County, North Carolina. From an MS in the Abrams collection, some minor editing to fix spelling and punctuation. Hicks changes Travelue to Travellee to fit the rhyme scheme. Recording is from c. 1940 but surely she's known this for many (probably 40) years.
I just found the info from Brown Vol. 4: the date is Aug. 28, 1940, which is reassuring since I guessed the date as 1940. I'll add the music (see bottom of this page). The title in Vol. 4 seems wrong, especially since Hicks changes the word Travelue (her spelling) to rhyme.
R. Matteson 2014]
THE GOLDEN WILLOW TREE- sung by Nora Hicks c. 1940; Sugar Grove, Watauga County, North Carolina
Listen: http://contentdm.library.appstate.edu/docapp/abrams/field_recordings/golden_willow2.html
There was a little ship in North Amerikee
It went by the name of the Golden Willow Tree
As she sailed on the lowland lonesome low
As she sailed on the Lowland sea.
They hadn't been sailing more than one week or two
Until they spied the Turkish travelue [2]
As she sailed on the lowland lonesome low
As she sailed on the lowland sea.
"Captain, oh, Captain, what shall we do
For yonder comes a ship of the Turkish travelue,"
As she sailed on the lowland lonesome low
As she sailed on the lowland sea.
Up stepped a little man, says, "What will you give me
If I go sink the Turkish travelee?
I'll sink them in the lowland lonesome low
I'll sink them in the Lowland Sea."
"I have house and I have land
My only daughter shall be at your command
If you sink them in the Lowland lonesome Low
If you sink them in the Lowland Sea."
He turned to his breast and away swam he
He swam till he came to the Turkish Travelee [3]
As she sailed on the Lowland Lonesome Low
As she sailed on the Lowland Sea.
He had a little instrument just for the use
He cut nine gashes in the salt water juice
As she sailed on the lowland Lonesome Low
As she sailed on the Lowland sea.
Some was playing cards; some were playing jack
Some were dancing on the salt water deck
Some with their hats, some with their caps
Trying for to stop the salt water gaps
As she sunk in the Lowland lonesome low
As she sunk in the Lowland Sea.
He turned to his breast and back swam he
He swam till he came to the The Golden Willow Tree
As it sailed on the lowland lonesome low
As she sailed on the lowland sea.
"Now will you be as good as your word
Or will you take me back on board?
For I've sunk them in the low and lonesome low
I've sunk them in the Lowland Sea."
"I'll not be as good as my word
Nor neither will I take you back on board
For you've sunk them in the Lowland Lonesome low
You've sunk them in the Lowland Sea."
"If it wasn't for the love I have for your men
I'd do unto you as you done unto them
I'd sink you in the lowland lonesome low
I'd sink you in the lowland Sea.
He turned to his back and down sunk he
Bidding farewell to the Golden Willow Tree
As he sunk in the lowland lonesome low
As he sunk in the Lowland Sea.
1. Spelled in MS: America; sung, Amerikee
2. Before they come to the Turkish Travelue [recording]
3. Changes to rhyme
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A. 'The Turkish Revoloo.' Sung by Mrs. Nora Hicks. Recorded at Mast's Gap, Watauga county, August 28, 1940. Only slight changes m text. It is noteworthy that all versions except 47D have the same structure. But in general, all the versions (except 47D) resemble one another a great deal.
For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK i 284, No. 41C; SharpK i 339, No. 52B ('The Boatsman and the Chest').
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: abcci (2,2,2 2) = ab (4,4). Possibly nmmi (4,2,2) = inverted barform. Circular Tune (V).