The Lowlands Low- Plummer (VA) 1921 Davis C
[From Davis, Traditional Ballads Of Virginia 1929, his notes are below. The boat is named "O'Robberee" which is not clear in Stone's transcription- he has Boat-O'Robberee.
R. Matteson 2014]
THE SWEET TRINITY (THE GOLDEN VANITY)
(Child, No. 286)
Our complete text, A, and five more or less fragmentary ones, with one tune, have been found in Virginia. The titles are 'The Lowlands Low," "The Green Willow Tree," "The Golden Vanity," "Turkeyrogherlee and the Yellow Golden Tree," and "Sailing in the Lowlands Low." All the Virginia items are printed here. They are all closely related to the Child C version, as shown especially by the final death of the cabin boy, either from exhaustion in the sea, as in A, or on deck, as in B. But there are verbal suggestions of other versions; for instance stanza 1 of the Virginia E fragment suggests Child B 9. Several Virginia texts of a later "Lowlands low" song, also known in Virginia as "Young Edmund," which belong to the English song of "Younq Edwin in the Lowlands Low" have of course been excluded as out of place here. The story of the ballad is given with fair completemess in Virginia A.
C. "The Lowlands Low." Collected by Mr. John Stone. Sung by Mrs. Oscar Plummer, of Park, Va., Grayson County. November 8, 1921.
1 "O captain, O captain, and what'll you give me
If I will destroy the boat O-Robberee?"
"I'll give you gold and I'll give you fee
And my oldest daughter, and married you shall be,
If you'll rink her in the lonesomes lowlands low,
If you'll sink her in the lonesomes lowlands low."
2. He swam on his belly and he swam on his back
Until he came to the boat O-Robber's deck.
Him a-having the instruments suitable for the use,
Cut a hole in the bottom and let in the juice,
And he sunk her in the lonesomes lowlands low,
And he sunk her in the lonesomes lowlands low.
3. He swam upon his belly and he lwam-upon his back
Until he came to his own boater's deck.
"Captain, O captain, be as good as your word,
Capiain, O capfain, be as good as your word,
For I've sunk her in the lonesomes lowlands low,
For I've sunk her in the lonesomes lowlands low."
4. "I'll neither give you gold nor neither give you fee,
Nor my oldelt daughter, nor married you shan't be,
If you've sunk herln the lonesomes lowlands low,
If you've sunk her in the lonesomes lowlands low."
5. "If it wasn't for the honor that I have for your men,
I'd just serve you as I've just served them;
I'd sink you in the lonesomes lowlands low,
I'd sink you in the lonesomes lowlands low."