The Stormy Winds- Bouldin (VA) 1914 Davis H
[From Davis, Traditional Ballads From Virginia, 1929. The repetitive extended chorus is similar to the 1868 Carmina Collegensia version published by Oliver Ditson (also Child B, C, and D). The first stanza is the chorus. Footnotes by Davis follow.
R. Matteson 2014]
48. THE MERMAID
(Child, No. 289)
Thirteen texts, whole or fragmentary and two tunes are the contribution of this ballad to the Virginia archives, under the titles,"The Stormy Winds Do Blow," "The Stormy Winds How Do They Blow," "The Stormy Winds" and "The Wreck," as well as "The Mermaid." Only one reĀpetitive fragment is here excluded. The twelve remaining variants are quite similar and in
the main follow the Child sequence B-C-D. But the speech of the cook which appears in Virginia A, D, K, L, is more tike child E and F. Virginia A shows the impress of another "section" of the country (see the footnote). Virginia B and C come from the same singer but show certain variations; They are place in juxtaposition for comparison. An interesting feature of
the fuller variants is the use made of the "stormy winds" stanza usually it is the chorus, sometimes the first stanza and chorus, sometimes first and last stanza, sometimes (once) it is omitted.
The ship sets sail as in Child B, C, D, on Friday, a day of ill omen. The appearance of a mermaid is a signal despair to seamen in this ballad as in certain versions of Sir Patrick Spens (Child, No. 52, J, L, P, Q). As Child there (II, 19) remarks, "If nothing worse, mermaids at least bode rough weather, and sailors do not like them. . . They have a reputation for treachery; there is a Danish ballad one who has betrayed seven ships."
The popularity of this ballad in college and other songbooks has often been pointed out (see Cox and Mackenzie, head-notes). For other traditional American texts, see Barry, No. 7; Bulletin, Nos. 2-5, 8-10; Cox No. 33; Heart Songs, p. 360, Hudson No. 23 (Mississippi); Journal, XVIII, 136 (Barry, Vermont, text and melody); XXII 78 (Barry, Vermont, melody only): XXV, 176 (Belden Missouri); XXVI, (Kittredge, Massachusetts); McGill p. 46; Mackenzie Ballads, No. 16; Pound, Syllabus, p. 10 (fragment); Pound Ballads No. 11; Spaeth, Read 'em and Weep, 1927, p. 81. For additional references, see Cox, p. 172; Journal, XXX, 333.
H. "The Stormy Winds How They Blow." Collected by Miss Ellen B. Bouldin of Houston, Va. Sung by her brother, Halifax County. February 12, 1914.
1. O the stormy winds how they blow, blow, blow,
And the raging billows how they roar,
While we poor sailors toiling at the masts,
And the landsmen lying down below, down below,
And the landsmen lying down below.
2. Up stepped a youth, a gallant youth was he,
Of our most gallant crew;
Says he, "I've a mother on a distant shore, [1]
Who this night is looking out for me, for me,
Who this night is looking out for me."
Chorus: The first stanza is used as chorus after the second and after all later stanzas.
3 Up stepped the captain, a gallant man was he,
Of our most gallant crew;
Says he, "I've a wife and three little ones
Who this night are looking out for me, for me,
Who this night are looking out for me."
4. Three times around went our gallant ship,
Three times around went she,
The fourth time she turned she trembled in the blast,
And sank to the bottom of the sea, of the sea,
And sank to the bottom of the sea.
1. I am not sure about the underlined words, "on a distant shore." (Miss Bouldin).