The New York Trader- Goffin (Norfolk) 1921
From the reprint in Penguin Book Of English Folk Songs, Ed Pellow's rendition of the tune of The New York Trader (Child #57) (FSJ VII 2):
Britain has a group of ballads in which a criminal on board a ship is detected by supernatural means. These include "Brown Robyn's Confession" (Child 57), "The Gosport Tragedy," "Sir William Gower," and "William Glenn," with which the New York Trader is sometimes confused. In fact, all three latter songs seem to derive from an older ballad called The Pirate, in which the ship is bound for New Barbary, not for 'New York in Ameriky'. The New York Trader evidently enjoyed a vogue in the nineteenth century. It was frequently published by provincial broadside firms, and Catnach, in London, found it worth issuing at least three times. Alfred Williams collected a version in Wiltshire (WUP 265—6) and Cecil Sharp reported two Somerset versions of the closely related "Sir William Gower" (FSJ V 263—4). The ballad called "The Sailor and the Ghost" or "The Man and the Two Maidens" (FSJ VII 46—7) belongs to the same family of songs.
THE NEW YORK TRADER- Sung by Ted Goffin, Catfield, Norfolk (E.J.M. 1921)
To a New York trader I did belong,
She was built for sea, both stout and strong,
Well rigged 'well manned, well fit for sea;
She was bound for New York in Ameriky.
Our cruel captain, as we did find,
Left half of our provisions behind.
Our cruel captain, as we understand,
Meant to starve us all before we made the land.
At length our hunger grew very great.
We had but little on board to eat,
And we were in necessity,
All by our captain's cruelty.
Our captain in his cabin lay.
A voice came to him and thus did say.
'Prepare yourself and ship's company,
For tomorrow night you shall lay with me.'
Our captain woke in a terrible fright,
It being the first watch of the night,
Aloud for his bo'sun he did call,
And to him related the secret all.
'Bo'sun,' said he, 'it grieves my heart
To think I have acted a villain's part,
To take what was not my lawful due,
To starve the passengers and the ship's crew.
'There is one thing more I have to tell -
When I in Waterford town did dwell,
I killed my master, a merchant there,
All for the sake of his lady fair.
'I killed my wife and children three,
All through that cursed jealousy,
And on my servant I laid the blame,
And hanged he was all for the same.'
'Captain,' said he, 'if that be so,
Pray let none of your ship's crew know,
But keep your secret within your breast,
And pray to God to give you rest.'
Early next morning a storm did rise,
Which our seamen did much surprise;
The sea was over us, both fore and aft,
Till scarce a man on deck was left.
Then the bo'sun he did declare
That our captain was a murderer.
It so enraged the whole ship's crew
They overboard their captain threw.
When this was done a calm was there,
Our good little ship homeward did steer,
The wind abated and calmed the sea,
And we sailed safe to Ameriky.
And when we came to anchor there,
Our good little ship for to repair,
The people wondered much to see
What a poor distressed shipwrecked crew were we.