Jolly Sailors (I)

DESCRIPTION: "I am a jolly rover [or sailor boy(s)], Just lately come on shore. I spent my time in jubilee [or money on a moonlight night] as I have done before" "... march all round ... Until I come to a pretty, pretty girl, And I'll kiss her kneeling down"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1609 (Ravenscroft's _Deuteromelia_, according to _Sea Songs and Ballads_)
KEYWORDS: courting playparty sailor
FOUND IN: Britain(England(West)) Canada(Ont) US(MW,NE)
REFERENCES (8 citations):
Opie/Opie-TheSingingGame 39, "Jolly Sailors" (3 texts, 1 tune)
Newell-GamesAndSongsOfAmericanChildren, #58, "Three Jolly Sailors" (1 text)
Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors, p. 46, "The Jolly Sailor Boys" (1 text, 1 tune)
JournalOfAmericanFolklore, Goldy M. Hamilton, "The Play-Party in Northeast Missouri," Vol. XXVII, No. 105 (Oct 1950), #15 p.295, "Jolly Rover" (1 text)
JournalOfAmericanFolklore, Katherine H. Wintemberg and W.J. Wintemberg, "Folk-Lore from Grey County, Ontario," Vol. XXXI, No. 119 (Jan 1918), #336 p. 111, "Here Come Two Jolly Jovers" (1 text)
JournalOfAmericanFolklore, Leah Rachel Clara Yoffie, "Three Generations of Children's Singing Games in St. Louis," Vol. LX, No. 235 (Jan 1947), #13 p. 20 ("Here comes a crowd of jolly sailor boys") (1 text)
ADDITIONAL: Sea Songs and Ballads by [Charles] Dibdin and Others (London, 1863 ("Digitized by Google")), p. 185, "The Mariner's Glee" ("We be three poor mariners") "From 'Deuteromelia; or, the Second Part of Musick's Melodie,' &c. 1609." (1 text)
G.F. Northall, English Folk-Rhymes (London, 1892 ("Digitized by Google")), p. 369, ("Here comes four jolly sailor boys") ("Here's three jolly, jolly sailor boys") (2 texts)
ST OpGa039 (Full)
Roud #12441
NOTES [62 words]: For additional information on Deuteromelia, with the text of "We be three poor mariners," see Thomas Oliphant, La Musa Madgrigalesca (London, 1837 ("Digitized by Google")), pp. 242-251. - BS
The Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors makes this a counting song: "Here comes one jolly, jolly sailor boy." "Here come two jolly, jolly sailor boys." There is no other change. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.4
File: OpGa039

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