Bristol City

DESCRIPTION: In Bristol City the singer hears Polly singing about her sailor, "so true to his love": sailors are honourable and courageous in war. The sailor praises Polly. He will build her a castle. "You shall be my shepherdess, and I'll be your dear swain"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1893 (Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs)
KEYWORDS: love war separation sailor
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,South))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "SAILOR FOR ME, A"
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #32, p. 2, "Bristol City" (1 fragment)
Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs, pp. 162-163, "Bristol City" (1 text, 1 tune)
OShaughnessy-YellowbellyBalladsPart1 26, "The Jolly Sailor" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1087
NOTES [69 words]: Broadwood/Maitland-EnglishCountySongs: "From 'A Favorite Ballad, sung by Mr. Huttley, at the Convivial Societys [sic] of Bath and Bristol.' Printed by Preston and Sons, London. No excuse need be offered for including this pretty tune, though the song is, strictly speaking, outside the scope of the collection, since it is not in any sense traditional." Nevertheless, the song is said to be from Somersetshire. - BS
Last updated in version 6.8
File: Grg032a

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