The Stormy Winds- Deaderick (VA) 1914 Davis B & C
[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). I'm putting Davis' version B and C on this page since they are from the same informant. 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.
B. "The Stormy Winds." Reported by Mr. J. M: Grainger, of the Farmville Ballad Club. Contributed by Mr. Inslee Deaderick, of Knoxville, Tennessee. Prince Edward County, March, 1914. With music- Printed, with music, in The Focus for March, 1914, pp. 98-99.
1 'T was Friday morn when we set sail,
And we were not far from land,
When we all espied a fair mermaid
With a comb and a glass in her hand, in her hand,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.
The stormy winds do blow, blow, blow,
And the raging seas how they flow,
While poor sailors are climbing to the top,
The landsmen are lying down below, down below,
The landsmen are lying down below.
2. Then up spake the captain of our gallant ship,
And a well-spoken man was he,
"I've a wife and a child in my own native land,
Who this night shall be weeping for me, oh, for me,
Who this night shall be weeping for me."
3. Then up spake the boy of our gallant ship,
And a well-spoken boy was he,
"I've a father and a mother in my own native land,
Who this night childless shall be, oh, shall be,
Who this night childless shall be."
4. Then three times around turned our gallant ship,
And three times around turned she,
And as she turned the third time around,
She sank to the bottom of the sea, of the sea,
She sank to the bottom of the sea.
C. "The Stormy Winds Do Blow." Reported by Mrs. J. M. Grainger, of the Farmville Ballad Club, Sung by her father, Mr. Inslee Deaderick, of Knoxville, Tennessee. Prince Edward County. January 17, 1914 Printed in The Focus for January, 1914, P. 147.
1. 'T was Friday morn we all set sail,
And we were not far from land,
When all at once we espied a mermaid
With a comb and a glass in her hand, In her hand,
With a comb and a glass in her hand.
Chorus: The stormy winds do blow, blow, blow,
And the raging sea how they flow;
While we poor sailors are climbing to the top,
And the landsmen lying down below, down below,
And the landsmen lying down below.
2. Then up spoke the captain of that gallant ship,
And a right gallant captain was he:
"I've a father and mother in me own native land,
Who'll be watching and waiting for me,
For me,
Who'll be watching and waiting for me."
3. Then up spoke the bo'sun of that gallant ship, [1]
And a right gallant bo'sun was he:
"I've a wife and a child in me own native land,
Who'll be watching and waiting for me,
For me,
Who'll be watching and waiting for me."
4. Then three times around went our gallant ship,
And three times around went she;
And the last time around she
And sank to the bottom of the sea,
Of the sea,
And sank to the bottom of the sea.
1. boat swain; different than B