Factory Girl (I), The

DESCRIPTION: The singer sees a beautiful girl, an orphan who works in a factory (linen mill). He courts her, but she must leave to go to work. He offers to marry her. She again rejects him. She eventually marries well -- perhaps to the singer, perhaps to a squire
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1906 (Gardiner); before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Bod11415 Harding B 11(1109))
KEYWORDS: love courting beauty marriage money orphan factory technology
FOUND IN: Ireland Britain(England(South)) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (10 citations):
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 221, "The Factory Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Mi 563, "Factory Girl" (1 text)
Purslow-TheConstantLovers, p. 29, "The Factory GIrl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H127, p. 368, "The Factory Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton-FolksongsSungInUlster 19, "The Factory Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
Morton/Maguire-ComeDayGoDayGodSendSunday 41, pp. 129-130,171-172, "The Factory Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
OCroinin/Cronin-TheSongsOfElizabethCronin 157, "The Factory Girl" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Graham-Joe-Holmes-SongsMusicTraditionsOfAnUlsterman 23, "The Factory Girl" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, FACTGIRL* FACTGRL2
ADDITIONAL: Richard Hayward, Ireland Calling (Glasgow,n.d.), p. 7, "The Factory Girl" (text, music and reference to Decca F-3125 recorded Aug 12, 1932)
Roud #1659 and 30120
RECORDINGS:
Margaret Barry, "The Factory Girl" (on IRMBarry-Fairs)
Bill Cassidy, "The Factory Girl" (on IRTravellers01)
Mrs. Ghaney, "The Country Girl" (on MUNFLA-Leach)
Sarah Makem, "The Factory Girl" (on Voice10)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Bod11415 Harding B 11(1109), "The Factory Girl" ("The sun was just rising one May-day morning"), J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Bod6958 Harding B 20(96), Bod11475 Harding B 11(1110), Bod11485 Harding B 11(1120), Bod8446 Harding B 11(191), Bod9820 Firth c.18(222), "The Factory Girl"; Bod9819 Firth c.18(221), Bod16377 Harding B 20(206), "The Fortunate Factory Girl"
NOTES [270 words]: OCroinin/Cronin-TheSongsOfElizabethCronin does not end so well for the suitor. The factory girl tells him to "go marry a lady" and leaves him to wander "in some deep valley, where no one shall no me, I'll mourn for the sake of my factory-maid."
The date and master id (GB-4733-1) for Hayward's record is provided by Bill Dean-Myatt, MPhil. compiler of the Scottish National Discography.
Steve Roud splits the MUNFLA-Leach "The Country Girl" text from "The Factory Girl." There is a Bodleian broadside -- Bod17337 Harding B 19(119b) "The Blooming Goddess. Or Country Girl" ("The sun was just rising on fine Monday morning") -- that may be the source for the MUNFLA-Leach text. Unfortunately, the text of that broadside is not available online. The question is whether or not that text would have been different enough from "The Factory Girl" broadsides to warrant being split from them. The "blooming goddess" phrase of its title is also in "The Factory Girl": "This blooming young goddess the factory girl."
Putting the broadside versions aside, the significant differences between MUNFLA-Leach and "The Fortunate Factory Girl" broadside, dropped lines aside, are the line:
MUNFLA/Leach: In yonder green valleys their works to begin
Bodleian Bod9819 Firth c.18(221): To yonder large village their work to begin
and the substitution of "counteree girl" for "Factory Girl," as in
MUNFLA/Leach-TheBalladBook: That bloomin' young goddess that counteree girl.
Bodleain Bod9819 Firth c.18(221): This blooming young goddess, the Factory Girl
I find the relationship closer than just that one song is derived from the other. - BS
Last updated in version 4.4
File: K221

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