Dying Soldier (I), The (Erin Far Away II) [Laws J7]

DESCRIPTION: A dying soldier asks a comrade to send a lock of his hair from India to his mother in Ireland. He sends his sister and brothers word of his death in the fight against the Sepoys. He dies and is buried.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1926 (Rickaby-BalladsAndSongsOfTheShantyBoy)
KEYWORDS: war soldier death family
HISTORICAL REFERENCES:
1857-1858 - Sepoy Mutiny in India. The inhabitants of Northern India revolt against the East India Company on behalf of their ancestral customs (many of which, such as the murder of widows, were abhorrent to Western opinion)
FOUND IN: US(MW) Ireland Canada(Ont)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Laws J7, "The Dying Soldier (Erin Far Away II)"
Rickaby-BalladsAndSongsOfTheShantyBoy 50, "The Dying Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
Rickaby/Dykstra/Leary-PineryBoys-SongsSongcatchingInLumberjackEra 50, "The Dying Soldier" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-MaritimeFolkSongs, p. 166, "Old Erin Far Away" (1 text, 1 tune)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H816, p. 92, "Old Ireland Far Away" (1 text, 1 tune)
Dean-FlyingCloud, pp.. 5-6, "The Dying Soldier" (1 text)
DT 827, DYSOLDR*
Roud #893
RECORDINGS:
Jerry Carey, "Old Erin Far Away" (on ONEFowke01)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Erin Far Away (I)" [Laws J6] (plot, theme) and references there
NOTES [43 words]: This song is frankly so close to Laws J6 that I find it impossible to tell them apart. Even the first lines in Laws's sample versions are similar. Laws does not give reasons for the distinction. One should therefore examine the references for both songs. - RBW
Last updated in version 4.3
File: LJ07

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