Dying Fifer, The

DESCRIPTION: "When the battle was hot and raging Shot and shell around did fly... When I heard a piercing cry." The ship's fifer is mortally wounded. He sends dying messages to his mother and the rest of his family
AUTHOR: C. G. Wright?
EARLIEST DATE: before 1865 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 31(29))
KEYWORDS: death battle sailor
FOUND IN: US(SE) Canada(Mar)
REFERENCES (2 citations):
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore2 227, "The Dying Fifer" (1 text)
Smith/Hatt/Fowke-SeaSongsBalladFromNineteenthCenturyNovaScotia, pp. 94-95, "Our Fifer Boy" (1 text)
Roud #1977
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 31(29), "Our Fifer-Boy," H. De Marsan (New York), 1861-1864
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "James Bird" [Laws A5] (tune)
cf. "The Dying Californian (I)" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Harding B 31(29))
NOTES [86 words]: Broadside Bodleian Harding B 31(29) seems to be exactly the source for Smith/Hatt/Fowke-SeaSongsBalladFromNineteenthCenturyNovaScotia, word-for-word, including parenthesis and headnote "Composed by C.G. Wright, on board the U.S. Steam-ship Mississippi, (New Orleans.) Air: James Bird; or Dying Californian."
Broadside Bodleian Harding B 31(29): H. De Marsan dating per Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS
File: BrII227

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