Farewell, Charming Nancy [Laws K14]

DESCRIPTION: The sailor bids his sweetheart farewell. She does not wish to part, and offers to go with him. He tells her that she simply is not strong enough for life at sea. They part sadly. Some texts warn girls against trusting sailors
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: c. 1855 (broadside)
KEYWORDS: sailor parting
FOUND IN: US(Ap,SE) Britain(England(South,North)) Ireland Canada(Mar,Newf)
REFERENCES (20 citations):
Laws K14, "Farewell, Charming Nancy"
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "FAREWELL, DEAREST NANCY"
Sharp-OneHundredEnglishFolksongs 30, "Farewell, Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-TheCrystalSpring 75, "Farewel, my Dearest Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Henry/Huntingdon/Herrmann-SamHenrysSongsOfThePeople H755, p. 297, "Johnnie and Molly" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn-MoreIrishStreetBallads 22, "Farewell, Dearest Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Tunney-StoneFiddle, pp. 98-99, "Adieu Lovely Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Graham-Joe-Holmes-SongsMusicTraditionsOfAnUlsterman 36, "Johnny and Molly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Palmer-FolkSongsCollectedBy-Ralph-VaughanWilliams, #33, "Fare ye well, Lovely Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Brown/Belden/Hudson-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore2 101, "Charming Nancy" (2 texts plus mention of 2 more)
Brown/Schinhan-FrankCBrownCollectionNCFolklore4 101, "Charming Nancy" (2 excerpts, 2 tunes)
Scarborough-ASongCatcherInSouthernMountains, pp. 373-373, "Lovely Nancy" (1 short text; tune on p. 456)
Thomas-DevilsDitties, p. 87, "Lovely Nancy" (1 text)
Thomas/Leeder-SinginGatherin, pp. 8-9, "Lovely Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Chappell-FolkSongsOfRoanokeAndTheAlbermarle 38, "Charming Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland 51, "Farewell Nancy" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Creighton-MaritimeFolkSongs, p. 40, "Lovely Molly" (1 text, 1 tune)
Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick 44, "Jimmy and Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Palmer-OxfordBookOfSeaSongs 93, "Fare ye well, lovely Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT 404, FRWLNANC*
Roud #527
RECORDINGS:
Nora Cleary, "Farewell, Lovely Mary" (on Voice12)
Frank Knox, "Molly and Johnny" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
A. L. Lloyd, "Farewell, Nancy" (on Lloyd2, Lloyd3)
Mr. Molloy, "Jimmy and Nancy" (on MUNFLA/Leach)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 25(1704), "The Sailor's Farewell" ("Fare you well dearest Nancy, since now I must leave you"), unknown, n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Pleasant and Delightful" (plot, lyrics)
cf. "Farewell to Old Bedford" (meter)
cf. "Fare Thee Well, My Dearest Dear"
cf. "Adieu to Bon County" (floating lyrics)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
Farewell, Lovely Nancy
The Sailor and His True Love
NOTES [190 words]: This should not be confused with "Adieu, Sweet Lovely Nancy", which does not include most of the elements of this song. - PJS
The editors of Sam Henry do not list their version,"Johnnie and Molly," here. This is understandable, as the text lacks the characteristic first line, "Farewell, lovely Nancy, for now I must leave you." But the plots of the two songs are the same, they scan the same way, and they have many lyrics in common. Same song, sez I. - RBW
The Bodleian broadside and one of the Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland texts lacks the ending warning to girls against trusting sailors.
Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick, as much as there is of it, fits the pattern and some of the lines. Roud puts the fragment here but the note in Henry p. 304 notes that Creighton-FolksongsFromSouthernNewBrunswick 44 is "a fragment that may be a very different version." It seems close enough for me. - BS
Entirely agreed; it lacks the first two lines "Farewell, Lovely Nancy" -- but informant Angelo Dornan remembered only half of the first stanza; one suspects they were part of the version he learned. And the rest is the same. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: LK14

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