US & Canada Versions: 286. The Sweet Trinity
[I've put some of the US versions (raw text and some info) below- and have added many (around 120 so far) to left hand column. Looks like I have about 160 US and Canada versions in my collection. Eventually the text will be put in individual versions on the left column- then the music will be added (some have music now). Looks like I only have 6 or so recordings but the Wolfe, Abrams and Max Hunter collections have about 15 accessible recordings.
This ballad was very popular in the United States and Canada and two early country recordings were made in the 1920s-1930s. Listen to: The Carter Family- Sinking in the Lonesome Sea; 1935. In the US the song was was published with music as a college/minstrel song as early as 1868 in Carmina Collegensia: a complete collection of the songs of the American colleges by Henry Randall Waite.
Bob Coltman:
The recently popularized version of the "Turkish Revelry" ( = "Golden Vanity/Willow Tree") sung on the double CD of pirate songs issued in connection with Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean -- sung by Loudon Wainwright III-- stems from Paul Clayton's version, "The Turkish Revelee," recorded in 1957 on his most popular album, Whaling and Sailing Songs from the Days of Moby Dick, Tradition 1005. The record has been reissued on CD at least twice and last time I looked was still available.
Clayton's notes on the song say "The ballad probably originated about the middle of the 17th century when the Barbary pirates (known as Turks) raided shipping in the English Channel and even looted coastal towns." He transcribed and learned his version from a 1932 aluminum recording of one of the best American traditional singers, Horton Barker of Chilhowie / St. Clair's Bottom, Virginia, in the collection of the Virginia Folklore Society. Barker's repertoire contained many of the finest American versions of the Child Ballads. The song was included in a book Clayton made primary contributions to as a graduate student, Arthur Kyle Davis' More Traditional Ballads of Virginia, UNC Press, Chapel Hill, 1960.
Below is one of the early publications with music of the ballad in the US. It was adapted in the 1868 Carmina Collegensia as a minstrel/Glee Club song and appeared in several college songbooks.
From: Carmina Collegensia 1868
LOWLANDS- From Carmina Collegensia: edited by Henry Randall Waite; 1868
A boy he had an auger,
That bored two holes at once;
A boy he had an auger,
That bored two holes at once;
And some were playing cards,
And some were throwing dice,
The boy upset the tea-kettle
And drownded all the mice.
CHORUS.
As we sailed along the lowlands, lowlands, lowlands,
As we sailed along the lowlands low.
And we buried him in the lowlands, lowlands, lowlands,
And we buried him in the lowlands low.
Oh Pompey was the greatest man
That ever yet was born,
And Pompey was the greatest man
That ever yet was born;
For he could play the banjo,
And on the tambourine,
At rattling of the bones he was
The greatest ever seen.
"In the Louisiana Lowlands" (1859- see: Version 1) is the earliest minstrel adaptation I've found but it's lacking important parts of the plot found in the Carmina Collegensia version. Several versions were collected of both "Louisiana Lowlands" and "Lowlands."
This ballad is found throughout across the US dating back to the early to mid 1800s. The chorus (as above) was attached to different songs. Certainly a date going back to the 1700s is possible but yet no documented. Barry et all in British Ballads from Maine in 1929 comments: "One could hardly have better evidence of the date when it came to America. "With the very first emigrants' is the only answer." Barry et all also add: During the Civil War "lowlands," variously rewritten, was one of the most popular songs.
The first country singer to record this ballad was a Kentucky musician named Welby Toomey, who travelled to a recording studio in Richmond, Indiana in 1925 where he recorded "Golden Willow Tree." The Carter Familey recorded it in 1935.
An instrumental version titled, Golden Chain Tree, was recorded by fiddler Taylor Kimble, from the Laurel Fork community of southern Virginia. His version is found on The Kimble Family. Carroll County Pioneers, Marimac 9036, Cas (released 1992), track 14, c. 1973-77.
R. Matteson 2014]
CONTENTS: (click on individual versions attached on left column to open)
Golden Willow Tree- Ingersoll (IL) early1800s Scarborough B
Bold Gallantry- Angell (RI) c.1821 Flanders II
In the Louisiana Lowlands- (MA) 1859 Oliver Ditson
Sailing in the Lowlands Low- Clark(VA) c1861 Davis
The Golden Furnity- Jepson (UT) 1863 Hubbard
Lowlands- (MA) 1868 Carmina Collegensia; Waite
The Turkey-rogher Lee- Mitchell (VA) c1870 Davis D
Lowlands Low- Burditt (VT) 1870 Flanders C
The Turkish Revoloo- Smith (NC) c1885 Brown A
The Golden Vanity- Getchell (ME) 1888 Barry C
The Green Willow Tree- Wehman's Songster 1889
Lowlands Lonesome Low- Cook (CO) 1890 Lumpkin
Golden Willow Tree- George (VT) c1890 Flanders E
Lowlands Low- Surber (FL) c1890 Morris B
The Golden Victory- Blake (VT) 1900 Flanders AA
Three Ships- Sicily (VT) pre1902 Flanders A1
The Golden Vanity- J.G.M (VT) 1904 Barry JOAFL
The Little Cabin Boy- Irasburg (VT) 1905 Barry
The Merry Golden Tree- Ritchie (KY) 1907 Sharp J
The Lowlands Low- Davidson (MO) pre1910 Belden
Golden Willow Tree- Gevedon (KY) 1910 Roberts
The Lowlands- Barnett (MO) pre1912 Belden B
The Green Willow Tree- Goodwin (VA) 1914 Davis A
Lowlands Low- Webster (VA) 1914 Davis E
The Lonesome Low- (NC) c.1915 Sutton- Brown C
The Merry Golden Tree- Case (MO) 1916 Belden C
The Green Willow Tree- Adkins (WV) 1916 Cox A
The Green Willow Tree- Thornton(WV) 1916 Cox B
Weeping Willow Tree- Gentry (NC) 1916 Sharp A
Golden Willow Tree- Buckner (NC) 1916 Sharp B
The Golden Willow Tree- Peck (WV) 1916 Cox C
Lowlands Low- House (NC) 1916 Sharp C
Merry Golden Tree- (Pine Mountain, KY) 1916 Wells
The Mary Golden Tree- (KY) 1916 Wyman
Mary Golden Tree- Stoton (KY) 1917 Sharp E
Green Willow Tree- Shadoin (KY) 1917 Sharp D
Silver Family- Wilson (KY) 1917 Sharp G
Green Willow Tree- Smith (KY) 1917 Sharp F
Lowlands Deep- Maples (TN) 1917 Sharp H
The Golden Willow Tree- Wooten (KY) 1917 Sharp I
Golden Willow Tree- (KY) pre1917 McGill
Bold Trinity- Beckett (VA) 1918 Sharp K
The Lowlands Low- Barron (NE) 1919 Pound
The Lowlands Low- Plummer (VA) 1921 Davis C
The Golden Banneree- Wyatt (VA) 1922 Davis B
Cabin Boy- Tillett (NC) 1923 Brown D/ Chappell B
The Merry Golden Tree- Baird (MO) pre1924 Rand B
Green Willow Tree- Cooper (NC) 1924 Chappell A
The Golden Vanity- Gott (ME) 1925 Barry A
Sinking in the Lowlands- DeCoster(ME) 1925 Barry B
A Boy Had An Auger- (US) pre1927 Sandburg
The Golden Vanity- Robbins (ME) 1928 Barry E
The Lowlands Low- Black (ME) 1928 Barry F
Sinking in the Lowlands- Stanley(ME) 1929 Barry D
Lowlands Low- Lorette (VT) 1930 Flanders G, Brown
The Cabin Boy- Beane (VT) c1930 Flanders J, Barry
Green Willow Tree- Ballard (VT) 1930 Flanders U
The Lowlands Low- Kelley (MO) 1931 Randolph A
The Virginal Three- Waters (VT) 1931 Flanders L
Lowlands- Perkins (VT) 1931 Flanders T
Green Willow Tree- Sanders (VT) 1932 Flanders D
The Turkish Revelee- Barker (VA) pre1932 Davis
A Ship Set Sail- Jacobs (WI) 1933 Treat JOAFL
The Golden Victory- George (VT) 1933 Flanders BB
Lowlands Low- Hathaway (ME) 1933 Barry BFSN
The Pirate Ship- Finley (IL) 1934 McIntosh JOAFL
The Golden Vanity- Edwards (VT) 1934 Flanders F2
Lowlands Low- Daniels (VT) 1935 Flanders H
Sinking in the Lonesome Sea- Carter Fam (VA) 1935
The Lowlands Low- Lewis (MS) 1936 Hudson
Lowland Lonesome Low- Proffitt (NC) 1937 Brown E
The Golden Willow Tree- Begley (KY) 1937 Lomax
The Green Willow Tree- Davis (VT) 1939 Flanders B
The Lowlands Low- Moses (NH) 1939 Flanders M
Lowland Low- Taggart (MA) 1939 Flanders N
Lowland Sea- Ingalls (VT) c.1940s Flanders R
Green Willow Tree- Thurston (VT) c1940 Flanders S
Weeping Willow Tree- Fish (NH) 1940 Flanders V
The Golden Vanity- Richards (NH) 1941 Flanders Z
Golden Vanistee- Dragon (VT) 1941 Flanders EE
Lowlands Low- Murphy (ME) 1942 Flanders K, Olney
Louisiana Lowlands Low- Pease (NH) 1942 Fland P
Lowlands Low- Houghton (VT) 1942 Flanders Q
Green Willow Tree- Delorme (NY) 1942 Flanders JJ
The French Gallee- Barry (VT) 1942 Flanders CC
Lowlands Low- Hayes (ME) 1942 Flanders DD
Lowlands Low- Fitzgerald (RI) 1944 Flanders W
American Ship- Clarke (RI) 1945 Flanders X
The Golden Vanity- Stevens (RI) 1945 Flanders GG
Golden Victoree- Henry (RI) 1946 Flanders I, Olney
Lowlands Low- Cassidy (RI) 1946 Flanders Y
Golden Vanity- Young (NS) pre1950 Creighton A
Golden Vanity- Scott (NS) pre1950 Creighton B
Golden Vanity- Wallace (NS) pre1950 Creighton C
If You Will Sink- Jeddore (NS) pre1950 Creighton D
Golden Vanity- Crowell (NS) pre1950 Creighton E
Golden Merrilee- Scheffer (FL) pre1950 Morris A
The Golden Vanity- Dorman (NB) 1954 Creighton
Golden Willow Tree- Chism (CT) 1956 Flanders F1
The Bold Trellitee- Edwards (VT) 1958 Cazden
There Was A Little Ship- Duvall (OK) pre1964 Moore
Golden Willow Tree- Presnell (NC) 1966 Burton
The Golden Willow Tree- Hicks (NC) c1940 Abrams
Lowdown Lonesome Low- Stubblefield (ID) 1941
A Ship Set Sail- Jacobs (WI) 1941 Draves REC
The Weepin' Willow Tree- Morris (KY) 1937 Lomax
The Merry Golden Tree- Harmon (TN) 1930 Henry A
The Golden Willow Tree- Wilson (NC) 1930 Henry B
The Merry Golden Tree- Bagwell (TN) 1933 Henry C
The Golden Willow Tree- (Appalachia, KY) 1924 Raine (1917 Sharp)
The Green Willow Tree- (KY) pre1911 Combs
The Weep-Willow Tree- McIntosh (KY) 1932 Niles
Cruise in the Lowlands Low-Watts (PA) 1784 Shoe
Gallant Victory- Johnson (MA) pre1962 Linscott
There Was A Ship Sailing- Thomas(TN) 1950 Boswell
Golden Vanity- Doug Wallin (NC) pre1992 REC
The Golden Vanity- Maher (NL) 1950 Leach REC
Golden Vallady- Hartlan (NS) pre1932 Creighton
Louisiana Lowlands- Haddow (ON) c1883 Creighton
Golden Willow Tree- Riddle (AR) c1918 Wolfe
Golden Willow Tree- Donahue (AR) c1918 Riddle
The Merry Golden Tree- Drake (TX) 1952 Owens
The Golden Vanity- Abbott (ON) 1957 Fowke
The Green Willow Tree- James (ON) 1957 Fowke
The Mary Golden Tree- (US) 1927 Richardson
The Golden Willow Tree- Ayers (WV) 1970 Gainer
Gold China Tree- Ferrell (TN) 1963 Wolfe
Turkish Revery- Ives (IL) pre 1941 REC 1959
Golden Vanity- Seeger/Guthrie (NY) 1941 REC
Merry Golden Tree- Lunsford/Moss (NC) 1925 REC
Merrie Golden Tree- Moss (NC) 1925 Lunsford
The Little Ship- McCloud (GA) 1980 Rosenbaum
Golden Vanity- Jackman (NL) 1930 Karpeles
The Lowlands Low- Graham (CA) 1939 Cowell REC
Golden Vanitie- Barret (NL) pre1933 Mansfield
Lowlands Low- Young (NL) 1929 Mansfield
Green Willow Tree- Gilbert (MO) pre1960 Cochran
Lonesome Low- Rice (MO) 1934 Randolph C
Lonesome Low- Ingenthron (MO) 1897 Randolph D
Merry Golden Tree- Trail (AR) 1942 Randolph E
The Golden Vanity- Clark (ON) pre1965 Fowke
Golden Vanity- (Eastern Seaboard) 1963 Warner
The Green Willow Tree- Henry (AR) 1951 McNeil
The Lowland Sea- Lenington (IN) 1936 Brewster A
The Lowland Sea- Hopkins (IN) 1935 Brewster B
The Lowland Sea- Bryant (IN) 1935 Brewster C
The Lowlands Low- Evilsizer (MI) 1935 Gardner
Green Willow Tree- Joines (NC) c1920 REC 1968
The Lowlands Low- Ford (WS-CA) 1938 Cowell REC
Golden China Tree- (IN) 1979 Nettl LOC REC
Merry Golden Tree- Ritchie (KY) c.1930 REC 1961
Turkish Revillie- Little (AR) 1959 Hunter REC
Turkish Sugarlee- Parker (AR) 1958 Hunter REC
Green Willow Tree- Hauser (AR) 1960 Hunter REC
The Little Ship- Haney (AR) 1961 Max Hunter REC
Golden Willow Tree- Gilbert (AR) 1969 Max Hunter REC
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Source O'Bryant, Folksongs & Ballads (in Koch, Kansas Folklore)
Kansas Folklore
THE SWEET TRINITY (THE GOLDEN VANITY)
(CHILD 286)
[Collected from Mrs. Letha Watkins, Wichita, Kansas, July, 1958. Mrs. Watkins grew up in Greenwood County, Kansas, and said her father often sang this song, which was known in her family as "The Golden Willow Tree," while he rocked her and the other children on his lap. Child prints three texts of the ballad, and most American versions appear to be closest to his Version C. The ballad seems widely known in America. See Cecil J. Sharp, English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians (London: Oxford University Press, 1932), I, 282-291; Belden, pp. 97-101; Paul G. Brewster, Ballads and Songs of Indiana
(Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1940) , pp. 158-164;
Randolph, I, 195-202; and The Frank C. Brown Collection of
North Carolina Folklore, II, 191-195.]
There was an old ship that was sailin' on the sea,
The name of that ship was the Golden Willow Tree.
She was sailin' in the lowlands, lie so low,
She was sailin' in the lowland sea.
We hadn't been a-sailin' more than leagues two or three,
When we came in sight of the Turkey Roguery,
She was layin' in the lowlands, lie so low,
She was layin' in the lowland sea.
When up from below came a little cabin boy
Saying, what will you give me the ship to destroy?
I can sink her in the lowland, lie so low,
I can sink her in the lowland sea.
Well, says the captain, I'll give you money, I'll give you ease,
I've an only daughter you may marry when you please,
If you'll sink her in the lowland, lie so low,
If you'll sink her in the lowland sea.
So he took off his coat and in jumped he,
Swam 'til he came to the Turkey Roguery,
She was layin' in the lowland, lie so low,
She was layin' in the lowland sea.
He had a little auger that he kept for this use,
He put nine holes in the bottom of the boat,
For to sink her in the lowland, lie so low,
For to sink her in the lowland sea.
Now some with their caps and some with their hats
Were trying to stop up the salt-water gaps,
For they were sinking in the lowland, lie so low,
They were sinking in the lowland sea.
He said to the captain, now take me on board,
And be to me as good as your word,
For I sunk her in the lowland, lie so low,
I sunk her in the lowland sea.
Oh no, said the captain, I can't take you on board,
Nor be to you as good as my word,
But I can sink you in the lowland, lie so low,
I can sink you in the lowland sea.
If it weren't for the love that I have for your men,
I'd do to you what I did to them.
I'd sink you in the lowland, lie so low,
I'd sink you in the lowland sea.
So he turned on his back and down went he,
Waving farewell to the Golden Willow Tree.
He was sinking in the lowland, lie so low,
He was sinking in the lowland sea.
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Missing versions- some to be added:
-------------
Arlie Baker The Golden Vanity
The Library of Congress
----------------
GOLDEN VANITY
Source Edith Fowke Coll. (FO 56)
Performer Keating, Mrs. Vera
Place collected Canada : Ontario : Peterborough
Collector Fowke, Edith
GOLDEN VANITY, THE
Source Creighton, Folksongs from Southern New Brunswick pp.17-21 (version a)
Performer Hutchins, Mrs. Bruce
Place collected Canada : New Brunswick : North Head
Collector Creighton, Helen
GOLDEN VANITY, THE
Source Edith Fowke Coll. (FO 1, FO 57) Fowke & Mills, Canada's Story in Song pp.38-40
Performer Kelly, Joe
Place collected Canada : Ontario : Downer's Corners
Collector Fowke, Edith
GOLDEN VANITY, THE
Source Leach, Folk Ballads & Songs of the Lower Labrador Coast (1965) pp.44-45
Performer Letto, Ben
Place collected Canada : Labrador : Lance au Clair
Collector Leach, MacEdward
GOLDEN VANITY, THE
Source Edith Fowke Coll. (FO 77)
Performer McAra, Mrs. Thelma
Place collected Canada : Quebec : Beechgrove
Collector Fowke, Edith
SWEET TRINITY, THE
Source O'Bryant, Folksongs & Ballads (in Koch, Kansas Folklore) pp.165-168
Performer Watkins, Mrs. Letha
Place collected USA : Kansas : Wichita
Collector O'Bryant, Joan
GOLDEN VANITEE
Source Harlow, Chanteying Aboard American Ships (1962) pp.35-37
Performer
Place collected USA
Collector Harlow, Frederick Pease
GOLDEN VANITY, THE
Source Grover, Heritage of Songs p.138
Performer Grover, Mrs. Carrie
Place collected USA : Maine
Collector
GOLDEN WILLOW TREE, THE
Source Folk-Legacy FSA 2 (`Joseph Able Trivett')
Performer Trivett, Joseph Able
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Butler
Collector Paton, Sandy
Roud number 122 | Roud number search
GREEN WILLOW TREE, THE
Source Bush, Folk Songs of Central West Virginia 1 pp.88-90
Performer
Place collected USA : W. Virginia : Clay County
Collector Morris, David
LITTLE SHIP, THE
Source Rosenbaum, Folk Visions & Voices p.10
Performer Eller, Lawrence
Place collected USA : Georgia : Upper Hightower
Collector Rosenbaum, Art
LONESOME SEA BALLAD, THE
Source Shellans, Folk Songs of the Blue Ridge Mountains pp.62-63
Performer Vass, Miss Ruby
Place collected USA : Virginia : Fancy Gap
Collector Shellans, Herbert
MERRY GOLDEN TREE, THE
Source Kirkland: Southern Folklore Quarterly (1938) p.79
Performer Capps, Dr. Claudius M.
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Knoxville
Collector Kirkland, Edwin Capers & Mary Neal
GOLDEN VANITY
Source Helen Creighton collection (Nova Scotia Archives) AR 5041 / AC 2224 / 131
Performer Gallagher, Mrs. Edward
Place collected Canada : Nova Scotia : Chebucto Head
Collector Creighton, Helen
GOLDEN VANITY
Source Helen Creighton collection (Nova Scotia Archives) AR 5148 / AC 2146 & 2185 / 1211
Performer Smith, Earl B.
Place collected Canada : Nova Scotia : Lower Clark's Harbor
Collector Creighton, Helen
GOLDEN VANITY
Source Helen Creighton collection (Nova Scotia Archives) AR 5174 / AC 2277 / 1476
Performer Lewin, James
Place collected Canada : Nova Scotia : Halifax
Collector Creighton, Helen
GOLDEN WILLOW TREE, THE
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.1361 (version b)
Performer Johnson, Mrs. Polly
Place collected USA : Virginia : Wise
Collector Hamilton, Emory L.
LONESOME SEA, THE
Source McDonald, Study of Selected Folk-Songs of S. Missouri (1939) pp.17-19
Performer Martin, James
Place collected USA : Missouri : Floods
Collector McDonald, Grant
LOWLAND SEA, THE
Source List, Singing About it (1991) pp.291-294
Performer Bryant, Mary Vandora McNeely
Place collected USA : Indiana : Evansville
Collector Lomax, Alan
LOWLANDS
Source Clements, Manavilins (1928) pp.40-41
Performer
Place collected
Collector Clements, Rex
LOWLANDS LOW, THE
Source Library of Congress: Archive of American Folk Culture 3377 B1
Performer Graham, George Vinton
Place collected USA : California : San Jose
Collector Cowell, Sidney Robertson
MARY GOLDEN TREE, THE
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.1361 (version a)
Performer
Place collected USA : Virginia : Big Laurel
Collector Fuson, Harvey H.
GOLDEN WILLOW TREE, THE
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.1361 (version b)
Performer Johnson, Mrs. Polly
Place collected USA : Virginia : Wise
Collector Hamilton, Emory L.
LONESOME SEA, THE
Source McDonald, Study of Selected Folk-Songs of S. Missouri (1939) pp.17-19
Performer Martin, James
Place collected USA : Missouri : Floods
Collector McDonald, Grant
MARY GOLDEN TREE, THE
Source WPA Collection, Univ. of Virginia, Charlotteville, No.1361 (version a)
Performer
Place collected USA : Virginia : Big Laurel
Collector Fuson, Harvey H.
LITTLE SHIP
Source Duncan, Ballads & Folk Songs Collected in Northern Hamilton County (1939) pp.111-113
Performer Hughes, Mrs. Exona
Place collected USA : Tennessee : Flat Top
Collector Duncan, Ruby
---------------------
Excerpt from: The Great Meadow - Page 3
Elizabeth Madox Roberts, KY
Sam was singing, flinging the song free of the worried strings, making a very good tune of it:
There was a ship sailed for the North Amer-i-kee—
Crying, O the lonesome lowlands low——
There was a ship sailed for the North Amer-i-kee,
And she went by the name of the Golden Van-i-tee,
As she sailed from the lowlands low.
---------------------
Some Notes from Cazden 1982 on Edwards version:
Care is needed in the drawing of fine literary theories (Barry, Reed Smith) about the transmission and "degeneration" of texts which Wehman, for example, published in 1889 as The Green Willow Tree in a booklet that also contains the ubiquitous Barbary Ellen. It has been pretty well established that the ballad originally dealt with the actual repute of Raleigh as a brutal captain, and the story may well embody a true event. The many transformations of the title ship's name indicate how in oral transmission of song, memories that are long on sound but short on sophisticated reference has operated on the presumed original forms. The name of the enemy ship seems to have begun with the term galleon, The rather lively way in which George Edwards sang THE BOLD TRELLITEE depended much on a rather crunching accent on the peculiar variant term "cruising." His text was otherwise "neat and complete," and for a rarity it mentions an auger as the tool used by the boy. Belden believes that the motif of the boy's solicitude for his fellow crew members as the reason for not sinking his own ship is peculiar to versions from the south and Midwest of the United States-- Judging by our text, that would place the Catskill area somewhat further from the Hudson River than we had believed it to be.
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http://contentdm.library.appstate.edu/docapp/abrams/field_recordings/golden_willow2.html
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Abrams Collection
There once was a little ship in North America
Went by the name of the Golden Willow Tree
As she sailed on the low land lonesome low
As she sailed on the low land sea
Written down for me in a hotel room - Andrew Johnson Hotel in Raleigh - by Prof. Vance C. Howell, ASTC, while we were attending annual meeting of N. C. Cultural Groups in December - 1941??Doc
--------------------------
Brown Vol. 4
47. The Sweet Trinity (The Golden Vanity)
(Child 286)
A(1) 'The Turkish Revoloo.' Sung by Mrs. James York. From previous recording of Dr. W. A. Abrams, Boone, September 14, 1941- Other titles given are 'The Sweet Trinity' and 'The Golden Willow Tree.' [The Yorks were performers rather than informants. It's hard to say what their sources were or if this version was traditional or the Smith version.]
For melodic relationship cf. **SharpK I 284 and 288, No. 41 C and G, measures 1-2; ibid. 289, No. 41H, last three measures with our last six.
Scale: Hexachordal, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: abcc^ (2,2,2,2) = ab (4,4). Possibly nmmi (4,2,2) = inverted barform. Circular tune (V).
B. 'The Golden Willow Tree.' Sung by Dr. I. G. Greer. Recorded, but no date or place given. Other titles given are: 'Cabin Boy,' 'The Golden Trinity,' 'The Golden Vanity,' 'Lowland Lonesome Low,' and 'Turkish Revoloo.'
For melodic relationship cf. *SharpK i 289, No. 41 H, measures 7-8.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: f. Structure: abcc^ (2,2,2,2) = ab (4,4). Possibly nmmi (4,2,2) = inverted barform. Circular Tune (V).
C. 'The Lonesome Low.' Sung by Myra Barnett Miller. Recorded as ms score, but no date or place given.
For melodic relationship cf. ***SharpK i 339, No. 52B, measures 284, No. 41 C.
Scale : Hexachordal. Tonal Center : c. Structure : abcc1 (2,2,2,2) = Possibly nmmi (4,2,2) = inverted barform.
C(1) 'The Lonesome Low.' Sung by Myra Barnett Miller. Recorded probably at Lenoir, August 1939, 1940, or 1941. This is a second version by this singer, a recording against which the score of the previous version could be checked. The second melody proved to be merely a variation of the first. Other titles given are 'The Sweet Trinity,' and 'The Golden Willow Tree.'
For melodic relationship see references to 47C above.
Scale: Mode III, plagal. Tonal Center: e-flat. Structure: abcc1 (2,2,2,2) = ab (4,4). Possibly nmm (4,2,2) = inverted barform. Circular Tune (V).
--------------------
American Ballad Survivors- Bradley 1916
Swimming to "The Sweet Trinity," he bores fifteen holes in her side and sinks her, then returns to his own ship where his reception varies according to the different versions. In the one which, under the title of "The Mary Golden Tree," is current on Greasy Creek in Kentucky, the captain flatly refuses to keep any of his promises — even to throw a rescuing rope to the gallant "little ship-boy," who is accordingly drowned:
He turned upon his back and down sank he
Farewell, farewell, to the Mary Golden Tree,
For I'm sinking in the lone and the lonesome low
For I'm sinking in the lonesome sea.
This version of the ballad is evidently derived from one in which the word "Lowlands" is substituted for "Netherlands" (Child's version B.) The jargon refrain achieves a haunting musical quality entirely absent from every other that I have seen, and the mediocre ballad, thus corrupted by the ignorant mountain minstrel, becomes one of the best "chanteys" on record — a considerable achievement for a strictly inland artist!
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http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/cowellbib:@field(NUMBER+@band(afccc+a4194a2+a4194a3))
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The Turkish Revelee (Not traditional- from Horton Barker's version)
Paul Clayton, Whaling & Sailing Songs, Tradition TCD 1064, recorded in 1956, original lp release: Whaling and Sailing Songs from the days of Moby Dick TLP 1005
There was a little ship and she sailed on the sea
And the name of our ship was The Turkish Revelee
O she sailed out in that lonely lonesome water
O she sailed on the lonesome sea
Up stepped a little sailor, saying – What'll you give to me
To sink that ship in the bottom of the sea
If I'll sink her in that lonely lonesome water
If I'll sink her in the lonesome sea?
I have a house ad I have land
And I have a daughter that shall be at your command
If you'll sink her in that lonely lonesome water
If you'll sink her in the lonesome sea
He bowed on his breast and away swam he
And he swam till he came to the Turkish Revelee
As she sailed out in that lonely lonesome water
As she sailed on the lonesome sea
He had a little auger all made for the bore
And he bored nine holes in the bottom of the floor
O he sank her in that lonely lonesome water
O he sank her in the lonesome sea
He bowed on his breast and away swam he
And he swam till he came to the Golden Willow Tree
As she sailed in that lonely lonesome water
As she sailed in the lonesome sea
Captain, o captain, will you be as good as your word
Or either take me up on board
For I've sunk her in that lonely lonesome water
O I've sunk her in the lonesome sea
No I won't be as good as my word
Nor neither will I take you up on board
'Though you've sunk her in the lonely lonesome water
'Though you've sunk her in the lonesome sea
If it weren't for the love that I bear unto your men
I'd sink you the same just as I sank them
O I'd sink in that lonely lonesome water
O I'd sink you in the lonesome sea
He bowed on his breast and down sank he
A-bidding farewell to the Golden Willow
O he sank in that lonely lonesome water
O he sank in the lonesome sea
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West Virginia Songbag - Page 68
Jim F. Comstock - 1974 -
7 Some had hats and some had caps,
And they tried to stop them awful water gaps,
For they were sinking in the low and the lonesome low,
For they were sinking in the lonesome sea.
8 He bowed upon his breast and back swam he, Till he
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The Golden Vanity (probably not traditional)
Jody Stecher, Going Up On the Mountain, The Classic First Recordings, Acoustic Disc ACD-39, 2000, recording made in the 70s.
There was a little ship and she sailed upon the sea
And the name of our ship was The Golden Vanity
And she sailed upon the low and lonesome low
Sailed upon the lonesome sea
She had not been out but two weeks or three
When she was overtaken by the Turkish Revelee
As she sailed upon the low and lonesome low
She sailed upon the lonesome sea
Then up spake our little cabin boy
Saying – What will you give to me if I do them destroy
If I sink them in the low and lonesome low
If I sink them in the lonesome sea?
Well, the man that them destroys – our captain then replied
Ten thousand pounds and my daughter for his bride
If you sinks them in the low and lonesome low
If you sinks them in the lonesome sea
Then he leaned upon his breast and out jumped he
He swum till he come to the Turkish Revelee
As she sailed upon the low and lonesome low
Sailed upon the lonesome sea
He had a little tool that was made for the use
He bored nine holes in her hull all at once
He sunk her in the low and lonesome low
Sunk her in the lonesome sea
Captain, pick me up – our cabin boy he cried
O Captain, pick me up for I'm weary with the tide
And I am sinking in the low and lonesome low
Sinking in the lonesome sea
I will not pick you up – our captain then replied
I'll shoot you, I'll drown you, I'll sink you in the tide
I'll sink you in the low and lonesome low
Sink you in the lonesome sea
They picked him up and on the deck he died
O they wrapped him in his hammock that was so long and wide
As we sailed upon the low and lonesome low
As we sailed upon the lonesome sea
Yes, they wrapped him in his hammock, it was so long and wide
Throwed him overboard and he drifted down the tide
And it sank to the low and lonesome low
Sank to the lonesome sea
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The Golden Vanity- (not traditional attributed to Peter Paul & Mary).
There was a ship that sailed
All on the Lowland Sea,
And the name of the ship
Was the Golden Vanity
And they feared she would be taken
By the Spanish enemy
As she sailed upon the Lowland,
Lowland, Low
As she sailed upon the Lowland Sea.
Then up stepped the cabin boy
And boldly outspoke he
And he said to the captain,
"What would you give to me
If I would swim along side
Of the Spanish enemy
And sink her in the Lowland,
Lowland, Low
And sink her in the Lowland Sea?"
"Oh, I would give you silver
And I would give you gold,
And my own fairest daughter
To have and to hold,
If you will swim along side
Of our enemy of old
And sink her in the Lowland,
Lowland, Low
And sink her in the Lowland Sea!"
The boy he made him ready,
Then overboard sprang he,
And he swam alongside
Of the Spanish enemy
And with his brace and auger
In her side he bored holes three,
And he sank her in the Lowland,
Lowland, Low,
And he sank her in the Lowland Sea.
Then quickly he swam back
To the cheering of the crew
But the captain would not heed him
For his promise he did rue,
And he scorned his poor entreatings
When loudly he did sue,
And he left him in the Lowland,
Lowland, Low
And he left him in the Lowland Sea.
Then quickly he swam round
To the Vanity's port side
And up to his messmates
Full bitterly he cried,
"Oh, messmates, draw me up
For I'm drifting with the tide,
And I'm sinking in the Lowland,
Lowland, Low
Aye, I'm sinking in the Lowland Sea!"
Then his messmates drew him up,
But on the deck he died,
And they stitched him in his hammock
Which was so fair and wide,
And they lowered him overboard
And he drifted with the tide,
And he sank beneath the Lowland,
Lowland, Low
And he sank beneath the Lowland Sea.
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Winter Evenings in Iowa, 1873-1880
Catharine Ann McCollum and Kenneth Wiggins Porter
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 56, No. 220 (Apr. - Jun., 1943), pp. 97-112
Another Civil War song contained the following lines, all I can remember:
Then up came Josy Hooker, with all his fighting train,
He whipped them on the third day and walloped them over again,
On the old Virginia lowlands low, on the old Virginia lowlands low. [22]
22. These lines are evidently from the song which includes the following:
Away down in old Virginny many months ago,
McClellan made a movement and made it very slow;
The Rebel Generals found it out and pitched into our rear,
They caught the very devil, for they found Old Kearney there.
In the old Virginny low-lands, low-lands,
The old Virginny low-lands, low.
This is described as being from "a ballad of the Seven Days Fight before Richmond," June 25- July 1, 1862, which treats the period as if it were marked by a series of Union victories, whereas actually "the Union troops were driven steadily backward, both sides suffering terrible losses." See this JOURNAL 5: 274; Arthur Meier Schlesinger, Political and Social Growth of the United States, 1852-1933 (New York, 1935) 74. It was probably sung to the same tune as "In the Old Louisiana Lowlands Low," 1859.
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"Following Music" in a Mountain Land [see complete version: Golden Willow Tree- (KY) McGill 1917]
by Josephine McGill
The Musical Quarterly, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Jul., 1917), pp. 364-384
When once heard, this gentle bard proved well worth anticipation and resolute capture. In the entire quest no experience gave keener delight than his singing of The Golden Willow Tree and The Cherry Tree Carol, to name his choicest numbers. One
version of The Golden Willow Tree has as its hero Sir Walter Raleigh "sailing in the lowlands low" where his ship, "The Sweet
Trinity," is seized by "a false gallaly." In the mountain version the sole hero is "the little bold cabin boy." To hear the troubadour with unique rhythmic effects recount the story, to note the enjoyment of the listeners, to relish one's own delight, is to be freshly aware of the charm of an imaginative musical and literary composition and an artistic rendition of the same. One of the characteristic practices of the mountain singers is to ornament the tunes according to their own fancy-words, syllables, as well as notes being liberally added. Sir Charles Villiers Stanford notes this tendency among Hungarian and Irish musicians, a tendency encountered also among more primitive peoples. The effects thus produced, so different from those conventionally heard, stimulate speculation upon the mysterious sources of mood and emotion, personal or atavistic, which inspire such rhythmic. elaboration. Genuine if singular pleasure was it to note the original melodic phrasing of these lines:
I had a little ship and I sailed her on the sea,
Crying: "O the land that lies so low!";
I had a little ship and I sailed her on the sea,
And she went by the name of The Golden Willow Tree,
As she sailed in the lowlands low, low, low,
As she sailed in the lowlands low.
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Ballads and Songs by G. L. Kittredge;
The Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 30, No. 117 (Jul. - Sep., 1917), pp. 283-369
also in Ballads and Songs by Belden 1940, version C.
THE SWEET TRINITY (THE GOLDEN VANITY) (Child, No. 286).
To Child's version B belongs the Vermont text ("The Little Cabin Boy") printed in JAFL 18: 125-127 (cf. 18: 127). To Child's version C belong Belden, No. 78 (JAFL 23:429-430); "Focus," 4: 158-159; Wyman and Brockway, "Lonesome Tunes," I : 72-75; McGill, "Folk-Songs from the Kentucky Mountains," pp. 96-102. See also Virginia Folk-Lore Society, Bulletin, No. 3, P-. 5; No. 4, P. 8; F. C. Brown, p. 9; Cox, 45:I 16 (JAFL 29:400); Shearin and Coombs [sic], p. 9 (Shearin, "Modern Language Review," 6: 514); " Berea Quarterly," October, 1915 (18 : I8); Reed Smith (JAFL 28 : 200-202). Dr. B. L. Jones has found the ballad in Michigan.
The ballad is common in modern English broadsides, usually under the title of "The Golden Vanity; or, The Lowlands Low." See Harvard collection: 25242.11.5, fol. 107 (Such; same in 25242.17, xi, 31, and among the Child Broadsides); 25242.17, iii, 46 (J. Easton, York); same, iii, 150 (Forth, Pocklington); IV, 124 (J. Gilbert, Newcastle-upon-Tyne); v, 68 (J. Cadman, Manchester); x, 207(J. Bebbington, Manchester). These broadsides are all alike, corresponding to Child's version Ca (Pitts). Closely similar are copies from recent singing in England, a number of which are noted by Child, (5: 137-138); see also Broadwood and Fuller Maitland, "English County Songs," pp. 182-183; Baring-Gould and Sheppard, "Songs of the West," No. 64, 3:24-25 [1] "Journal of Folk-Song Society," I : 10o4-10o5; 2 : 244; Sharp, "One Hundred English Folksongs," No. 14, pp. xxiii, 36-37.[2] Greig's variant, however, in "Folk-Song of the North-East," CXVI, belongs under Child's B. Ashton's copy, in "Real Sailor Songs," No. 75, is Child's A.
The Merry Golden Tree - Communicated by Professor Belden, 1916. From Mrs. Eva Warner Case, from memory, with the assistance of her mother and grandmother, as sung in Harrison County, Missouri.[3] This copy is noteworthy because of the poetical justice offered in the concluding stanza, which distinguishes it from all versions heretofore recorded.[4]
The text belongs in general to version C, but it has a special touch of its own:
Down went the vessel and down went the crew,
And down to join the cabin-boy went the captain too!
Finis coronat opus!
1. "O captain, dear captain, what will you give to me,
If I'll sink for you that ship called the Merry Golden Tree,
As she sails in the Lowlands lonesome low,
As she sails in the Lowlands low?"
2. "It's I will give you money and I will give you fee;
I have a lovely daughter I will marry unto thee,
If you'll sink her in the Lowlands lonesome low,
If you'll sink her in the Lowlands low."
3. He bent upon his breast and out swam he;
He swam until he came to the Merry Golden Tree,
As she sailed in the Lowlands lonesome low,
As she sailed in the Lowlands low.
4. He took with him an auger well fitted for the use,
And he bored nine holes in the bottom of the sloop,
As she sailed in the Lowlands lonesome low,
As she sailed in the Lowlands low.
1 Reprinted sumptuously, New York, 1899 ("The Golden Vanity and The Green Bed"), with colored illustrations.
2 Compare Masefield, A Sailor's Garland, pp. 149-152.
3 See p. 322.
4 Compare Child's remarks on his versions B and C as distinguished from version A (5: I36).
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British Traditional Ballad in North America; Coffin 1950
286. THE SWEET TRINITY (THE GOLDEN VANITY)
Texts: Anderson, Coll Bids Sgs, 53 / Barry, Brit Bids Me, 339 / Belden, Mo F-S, 97 / Berea Quarterly, XVIII, 1 8 / Bowles, Am F-S / Brewster, Bids Sgs Ind, 158/ Brown Coll / BFSSNF, V, 10 / Cambiaire, Ea Tenn Wstn Va Mt Bids, 93 / Carmer, Am Sings, 185 / Chappell, F-S Rnke Alb, 43 / Colcord, Roll and Go, 79 / Colcord, Sgs Am Sailormen, 154/ Coleman and Bregman, Sgs Am Flk, 16 / Cox, F-S South, 169 / Cox, Trd Bid W Va, 52 / Cox, W. Va. School Journal and Educator, XLV, 58 / Creighton, Sgs Bids N Sc, 20 / Davis, Trd Bid Va, 516 / Duncan, No Hamilton Cnty, 111/ Flanders, Cntry Sgs Vt, 40 / Flanders, Vt F-S Bids,
230 / Focus, IV, 158 / Gardner and Chickering, Bids Sea Sgs So Mich, 214 / Greenleaf and Mansfield, Bids Sea Sgs Newfdld, 43 / Harper's Mgz (May, 191 5), 912 / Henry, F-S So Hghlds, 127 / Hudson, F-S Miss, 125 / Hudson, Spec Miss F-L, #22 / Hummel, Oz F-S / JAFL, XVIII, 125; XXIII, 381, 429; XXX, 331; XLV, 25; XLVIII, 312; LII, 11 / Lomax and Lomax, Our Sgng Cntry, 210 / Macintosh, So III F-S, 21 / McDonald, Selctd F-S Mo, 17 / McGill, F-S Ky Mts, 97 / Minish Mss / Morris, F-S Fla, 476 / Musical Quarterly, III, 374 / Niles, Anglo Am Bid Stdy Bk, 28 / Niles, Bids Lv Sgs Tgc Lgds, 18 / Ozark Life, VI, :fti / Perry, Carter Cnty, 197/ Pound, Am Bids Sgs, 24/ Raine, Land Sddle Bags, 121 / Randolph, Oz F-S, I, 195 / Randolph, The Ozarks, 177 / Richardson, Am Mt Sgs, 28 / Elizabeth M. Roberts, The Great Meadow, N.Y., 1930, 3—4 / Scarborough, Sgctchr So Mts, 184 / SharpC, EngF-S So Aplchns, 4f 35 / SharpK, EngF-S So Aplchns, I, 282 / Shearin and Combs, Ky Syllabus, 9 / Shoemaker, Mt Mnstly, 132, 299 / Shoemaker, No Pa Mnstly, 126 / Singer's Journal, II, 686 / Smith and Rufty, Am Anth Old Wrld Bids, 59 / SFLO, II, 79 / Va FLS Bull, 4£s 3, 4, 8 — 10 / Wyman and Brockway, Lnsme Tunes, 72.
Local Titles: A Ship Set Sail for North America, Gold China Tree, Golden Vallady, Low Down Lonesome Low, Merry (Mary) Golden Tree, Sailing in the Lowlands Low, Sinking in the Lowlands Low, The Cruise in the Lowlands Low, The French Galilee, The Gold China Tree, The Golden Merrilee, The Golden Vanity, The Golden Willow Tree, The Green Willow Tree, The Little Cabin Boy, The Little Ship, The Lonesome Low, The Lonesome Sea, The Lowlands, The Lowland Sea, The Lowlands Low, The Pirate Ship, The Turkey-rogherlee and the Yellow Golden Tree, The Turkey Shivaree, The Weep-willow Tree.
Story Types: A: A boat is sailing in the lowlands when attacked by a feared pirate. A cabin boy volunteers to sink the robbers. As a reward, he is to get money and the hand of the captain's daughter. He accomplishes his task by swimming to the other ship and cutting some gashes in her. The pirate goes down. When the boy has swum back to his ship, the captain refuses to keep his word. Out of respect for his mates or the girl, the boy reluctantly does not sink the captain's boat. He either dies of exhaustion in the water or in a hammock on deck after his mates hoist him aboard.
Examples: Barry (A), Davis (A), SharpK (A).
B: The story is the same as that of Type A. However, the cabin boy is rescued by his shipmates. He scorns the gold and fee, but accepts the girl's hand in marriage.
Examples: JAFL, XVIII, 125.
C: The story is identical to that of Type A. However, the ghost of the boy returns to haunt the captain or the Lowlands.
Examples: Belden (A), Coleman and Bregman.
D: The usual story is told. But, after the boy drowns, the crew throws the captain overboard and drowns him.
Examples: Shoemaker, Mt Mnstly, p. 132.
E: The usual story is told. However, the boy swears that he will sink the captain, too.
Examples: Shoemaker, Mt Mnstly, p. 299.
Discussion: The American versions of this song should not be confused with the later Lowlands Low group (Young Edmund) which traces back to the English Young Edwin in the Lowlands Low series.
The Sweet Trinity in this country does not really follow any of the Child versions textually, although there is on the whole a closer resemblance to Child B and C than to Child A. In America, Sir Walter Raleigh is no longer connected with the song, the ships have "Golden Vanity" and "Turkish (also Russian, Irish, French, etc.) Revelee" names which may vary with historical circumstances, and a more positive ending.
The New World story types differ with respect to the conclusion only, Type A resembles Child A (though in a more definite form) and/or Child C, but cannot be said to parallel either. The gallant refusal by the cabin boy to follow his inclinations to sink the captain's ship is only in America. Type B seems definitely derived from Child B, but also is more definite, while Types
C, D, and E reflect the desire for justice to be done, and in the case of Type E for revenge as well. Colcord, Roll and Go, 79 and JAFL, XVIII, 125 reflect the American tendency to sentimentalize.
The Colcord, Sgs Am Sailor Men, 154 text contains a great deal of sea lingo, while the Henry, F-S So Hghlds, 130, B version finds the Golden Willow Tree sunk by a lad from the Turkish Revelee. Note also BFSSNE, V, 11 in the text printed there the boy "upsets the tea-kettle and drowns all the mice".
Barry, Brit Bids Me, 347 points out that the similarity between the southern and New England versions of this ballad indicates that the height of the song's popularity in England was at the time of the big American emigration.
For a parody of the song, see Sandburg, Am Sgbag, 343. For other college versions, note The American College Songster (Ann Arbor, Mich., 1876), 101; Waite's Carmina Collegensia (Boston, cop. 1868), 171; and White's Student Life in Song (Boston, cop. 1879), 58.
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34. GOLDEN WILLOW TREE
(Child 286)
Child had three versions of the ballad for his entry. His A, from Pepys of 1685, names Sir Walter Raleigh in title and text, but Mr. Child is silent about the historical allusion. Some of the many variants of B and C appeared as stall- ballads in Scotland. Variations in the narrative come mostly in the denouement.
In A the ship-boy, refused his reward, sinks into the sea. In B he is thrown a rope line, presumably he receives an estate as reward. In C he is refused the reward but is taken on board, dies soon after, and is buried in a cow-hide at sea. The ballad
has been found since Child's time in tradition in England and occasionally in Iceland.
Coffin cites about 100 references to the ballad in North America. Although the American texts do not follow Child's A closely, they do rather often have its ::lrng (Coffin's story Type A). It has been found in Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. In the United States it has been collected in Maine . pp. 339-347, 4 texts and a fragment); Vermont, Massachusetts,
Pennsylvania, and in most states touching Appalachia-Virginia (TBV , mo. 47, is a fragment; MTtsv, no. 43, one printed of 4); West Virginia (FSS, no. 32, 2).