Young Oysterman, The (The Tall Young Oysterman)
DESCRIPTION: "It was a tall young oysterman lived by the river-side, His shop was just upon the bank, his boat was on the tide." He sees a girl across the river and swims to join her. Her father chases him off. She faints, he cramps, they die and become mermaids
AUTHOR: Words: Oliver Wendell Holmes
EARLIEST DATE: 1845? (Forget-Me-Not Songster)
KEYWORDS: love beauty courting death mermaid/man
FOUND IN: US(NE,So)
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Hudson-FolkTunesFromMississippi 23, "The Young Oysterman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors, pp. 90-91, "The Tall Young Oysterman" (1 text, 1 tune)
Forget-Me-Not-Songster, pp. 207-208, "Tall Young Oysterman" (1 text)
Roud #5768
File: HuMT023
Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List
Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography
The Ballad Index Copyright 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.