Nightingale (IV), The (As I walked out one May morning my fortune for to seek)

DESCRIPTION: "As I walked out one May morning my fortune for to seek, It's who should I find but a fair pretty maid." The singer describes her beauty and asks to walk with her. He plays her a tune. She asks when they will be married. He rejoices in his quick courtship
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1855 (Journal of the Lydia)
KEYWORDS: love music marriage floatingverses beauty
FOUND IN:
REFERENCES (1 citation):
Huntington-TheGam-MoreSongsWhalemenSang, pp. 233-234, "The Nightingale" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Roud #27545
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "One Morning in May (To Hear the Nightingale Sing) [Laws P14]" (plot)
NOTES [130 words]: Huntington tentatively lists this as a version of "One Morning in May (To Hear the Nightingale Sing) [Laws P14]," but admits that it is "a strange and very different version." It is true that they share many plot elements. But this one has no nightingale, and it's not clear that the singer is a soldier or sailor (there is a confused final verse mentioning fife and drum, but as it stands it appears to defy the military, and it looks like a floater anyway -- it doesn't fit the rest of the song). The overall impression of this piece isn't much like the more popular ballad. Roud splits them, and I incline to agree, and so this has its own entry -- although, with no known tune (Huntington's are both from other sources), it's not likely that anyone will be singing this one. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: HGam233

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