Spotted Cow, The

DESCRIPTION: Singer meets a milkmaid who has lost her spotted cow. He says he's seen the cow in yonder grove, and offers to show her. They spend the day there. Now whenever she sees him, she calls to him again: "I have lost my spotted cow"
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1813 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 28(65))
KEYWORDS: courting love sex farming animal lover worker
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,North,South))
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "SPOTTED COW, THE"
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 71, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 413)
Kidson-TraditionalTunes, pp. 70-71, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text, 2 tunes)
Copper-ASongForEverySeason, pp. 232-233, "Spotted Cow" (1 text, 1 tune)
OShaughnessy-YellowbellyBalladsPart2 47, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 142, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Baring-Gould/Sheppard-SongsOfTheWest2ndEd, #74, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text, 1 tune, shortened)
Roud/Bishop-NewPenguinBookOfEnglishFolkSongs #38, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text, 1 tune)
Palmer-EnglishCountrySongbook, #68, "The Spotted Cow" (1 text, 1 tune)
ADDITIONAL: Leslie Shepard, _The Broadside Ballad_, Legacy Books, 1962, 1978, p. 151, "The Spotted Cow" (reproduction of a broadside page with "The Pretty Plough Boy," "The Spotted Cow," and "Canadian Boat Song")
Roud #956
RECORDINGS:
Harry Cox, "The Spotted Cow" (on HCox01) (on FSBFTX13)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 28(65), "The Spotted Cow" ("One morning in the month of May"), J. Evans (London), 1780-1812; also Firth b.27(104), Firth b.28(14a), Harding B 11(1759), Harding B 15(311a), Firth c.18(217), Firth b.25(108), Harding B 11(3164), 2806 c.16(260), Firth b.27(95), Harding B 28(65), 2806 c.17(404), Firth b.27(294), Firth b.25(178), Firth b.26(83), Harding B 11(1106), Harding B 11(3628), Harding B 11(4201), "The Spotted Cow"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Kitty of Coleraine" (theme)
cf. "Blackberry Grove" (theme)
cf. "Three Maidens to Milking Did Go" (theme)
NOTES [14 words]: Not to be confused with "The Old Spotted Cow," a version of "The Crafty Farmer." - PJS
Last updated in version 6.8
File: K142

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