Faithful Sailor Boy, The [Laws K13]

DESCRIPTION: A sailor and his true love bid a tearful farewell on the deck of the ship as it is about to sail. He dies on the voyage; his shipmates deliver the girl a letter in which he says they will meet in heaven
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1859
KEYWORDS: sailor separation death
FOUND IN: US(MA,NE,SE) Britain(England(South),Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (19 citations):
Laws K13, "The Faithful Sailor Boy"
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "FAITHFUL SAILOR BOY, THE"
Roud/Bishop-NewPenguinBookOfEnglishFolkSongs #5, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ives-FolksongsFromMaine 14, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Doerflinger-SongsOfTheSailorAndLumberman, p. 164, "The Sailor Boy" (1 short text, 1 tune)
Greig-FolkSongInBuchan-FolkSongOfTheNorthEast #64, pp. 1-2, "The Sailor Boy's Farewell" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan1 66, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (8 texts, 3 tunes)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H543, p. 103, "The Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Ranson-SongsOfTheWexfordCoast, pp. 32-33, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
McBride-FlowerOfDunaffHillAndMoreTradSongsInnishowen 60, "The Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hugill-SongsOfTheSea, p. 94, "Stormy Winter's Night" (1 text, 1 tune)
Manny/Wilson-SongsOfMiramichi 68, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Guigné-ForgottenSongsOfTheNewfoundlandOutports, pp. 123-125, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore2 111, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text plus mention of 3 more)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore4 111, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 excerpt, 1 tune)
Chappell-FolkSongsOfRoanokeAndTheAlbermarle 33, "Sailor Boy" (1 text)
Fuson-BalladsOfTheKentuckyHighlands, pp. 61-62, "The Soldier Boy" (1 text)
Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors. pp. 208-209, "The Faithful Sailor Boy" (1 text, 1 tue)
DT 559, FTHFULSL
Roud #376
RECORDINGS:
Daisy Chapman, "Your Faithful Sailor Boy" (on SCDChapman01)
Mrs. T. Ghaney, "Faithful Sailor Boy" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Ernest Poole, "Faithful Sailor Boy" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
Thomas Williams, "Faithful Sailor Boy" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
BROADSIDES:
NLScotland, L.C.Fol.70(64a), "The Sailor Boy," Poet's Box (Dundee), c. 1890
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Irish Soldier Boy" (plot)
NOTES [84 words]: George W. Persley has been listed as the author of this piece, but the song appears older. Steve Roud and Lane/Gosbee-SongsOfShipsAndSailors mention an attribution of the words to Thomas P. Westendorf and the music to Persley, but has been unable to verify this.
The Sam Henry text "The Irish Soldier Boy" has so many elements in common with Laws K13 that I initially listed here. If it isn't Laws K13, it's swallowed several verses whole. But it seems to be a distinct form, so we've now split it. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: LK13

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