William and Nancy (II) (Courting Too Slow) [Laws P5]

DESCRIPTION: William loves Nancy, but sails away before he has married her. Eventually he learns that she has married another. He sickens with grief. Nancy comes to comfort him. Both eventually die of grief
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1869 (Logan-APedlarsPack)
KEYWORDS: courting sailor disease marriage infidelity death
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MW,So) Britain Canada(Newf) Ireland
REFERENCES (9 citations):
Laws P5, "William and Nancy II (Courting Too Slow)"
Graham-Joe-Holmes-SongsMusicTraditionsOfAnUlsterman 6, "Bonny Brown Jane" (1 text plus some extra verses, 1 tune)
Belden-BalladsSongsCollectedByMissourFolkloreSociety, pp. 196-197 "Courting Too Slow" (1 text)
Grimes-StoriesFromTheAnneGrimesCollection, pp. 66-67, "Pretty Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Sharp-EnglishFolkSongsFromSouthernAppalachians 81, "William and Nancy" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Thomas-DevilsDitties, pp. 96-97, "Sweet William and Lovely Nancy" (1 text, 1 tune)
Scarborough-ASongCatcherInSouthernMountains, pp. 317-318, "William and Nancy" (1 text, with local title "Come All Ye Umarried Men"; tune on p. 441)
Logan-APedlarsPack, pp. 364-365, "Courting Too Slow" (perhaps a comic rewrite of the original version?)
DT 493, WMNANCY
Roud #1918
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "My Bonny Brown Jane" (lyrics)
cf. "Courtin' Owre Slow" (theme: lover lost by courting too slowly)
cf. "On Top of Old Smokey" (theme: lover lost by courting too slowly)
File: LP05

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