Lucky Escape, The

DESCRIPTION: The singer, born a plowman, meets a "Carfindo" who convinces him to go to sea. After a dreadful time aboard ship, he goes home and is told that his family has met disaster. When he declares that he will roam no more, he is told that all is well at home
AUTHOR: probably Charles Dibdin (1745-1815)
EARLIEST DATE: 1799 (The Columbian Songster)
KEYWORDS: ship sailor farming separation home reunion reprieve
FOUND IN: US
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Ashton-RealSailorSongs, #80, "The Carfindo" (1 text)
Arnett-IHearAmericaSinging, pp. 20-22, "The Lucky Escape" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-TheCrystalSpring 68, "Farewell to Charming Sally" (1 short text, 1 tune, with effectively no plot left, meaning it could be any of several songs; I file it here for consistency with the Roud Index)
ADDITIONAL: (no author listed), _The Columbian Songster: Being a Large Collection of Fashionable Songs, for Gentlemen & Ladies. In a Series of Numbers_, Nathaniel Heaton, Jr., 1799, (Volume) II, (available on Google Books, which calls this Issue 460), p. 1, Song XX, "The Lucky Escape" (1 text)
George Alexander Stevens, _Mirth and song, consisting of A lecture on heads ; and, The courtship, with a collection of approved songs_, E Lincoln for John Whiting, 1804 (available on Internet Archive), pp. 99-101, "The Lucky Escape" (1 text)
Roud #1446
NOTES [53 words]: According to Ashton-RealSailorSongs, a Carfindo was "one of the Ship's Carpenter's gang," although there are very few available citations.
For more on probable author Charles Dibdin, see the notes to "Blow High Blow Low."
Thanks to Michael Taft for pointing out the Columbian Songster and Mirth and Song printings. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.5
File: Arn020

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