Betsy Baker

DESCRIPTION: The singer "never knew what it was to sigh / till I saw Betsy Baker." He tries to court her, but she consistently rejects him. He becomes sick with love, barely recovers, tries again to win her, and is once again rejected
AUTHOR: Thomas Hudson (1791-1844) sources: FolkSongAndMusicHall; Carpenter)
EARLIEST DATE: 1824 (Thomas Hudson songbook, according to FolkSongAndMusicHall)
KEYWORDS: love rejection
FOUND IN: US(So) Canada(Mar) Britain(England)
REFERENCES (7 citations):
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 219, "Betsy Baker" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 288)
Randolph 117, "Betsy Baker" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Mackenzie-BalladsAndSeaSongsFromNovaScotia 146, "Betsy Baker" (1 text)
Johnson-BawdyBalladsAndLustyLyrics, pp. 62-63, "Betsy Baker" (1 text, seemingly the same song but with a happy ending)
RodeyMaguiresComicVarietySongster, pp. 46-48, "Betsey Baker" (1 text)
FolkSongAndMusicHall, "Betsey Baker"
ADDITIONAL: J.E. Carpenter, editor, The Comic Song Book, London, 1863 (available on Google Books), pp. 229-231, "Betsy Baker" (1 text)
ST R117 (Full)
Roud #1288
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(257), "Betsy Baker," T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Harding B 17(24a), "Betsy Baker"; Firth b.25(508), Harding B 11(258), Harding B 25(176), Firth b.34(266), "Betsey Baker"
LOCSinging, as100980, "Betsey Baker," unknown, n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Head Man at Mrs Grundy's" (tune, per Carpenter)
SAME TUNE:
The First World's Fair, or The National Exhibition (per broadside Murray, Mu23-y2:005, "The First World's Fair, or The National Exhibition" ("How wonderful it doth appear To people of each station"), unknown, 19C)
Push About the Jorum (per broadside Bodleian Harding B 17(24a))
NOTES [60 words]: Jackson-EarlySongsOfUncleSam, pp. 64-66, has a song also called "Betsy Baker," from Dixon's Songs (1842). It is clearly not the same song, though it also involves adventures courting Betsy. I strongly suspect it is a deliberate knock-off intended to take advantage of Thomas Hudson's song. Which would seem to demonstrate the popularity of the original. - RBW
Last updated in version 7.0
File: R117

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