Blow the Candle Out [Laws P17]
DESCRIPTION: The singer comes to visit his love on a moonlit night. She lets him in. He points out that her parents are in bed in the next room; he suggests rolling into his arms and blowing out the candles. (Nine months later, when he is gone, she has a child)
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1714 (Pills to Purge Melancholy) as "The London 'Prentice"
KEYWORDS: courting nightvisit pregnancy bawdy apprentice
FOUND IN: US(Ap,MA,NE,So) Britain(England(Lond,South),Scotland) Ireland
REFERENCES (13 citations):
Laws P17, "Blow the Candle Out"
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "BLOW THE CANDLE OUT"
Randolph/Legman-RollMeInYourArms I, pp. 61-65, "Blow the Candle Out" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
Combs/Wilgus-FolkSongsOfTheSouthernUnitedStates 114, pp. 140-141, "The Jolly Boatsman" (1 text)
Greig/Duncan4 788, "Blow the Candle Out" (5 texts, 5 tunes plus a single verse on p. 541)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 170, "Blow the Candle Out" (1 text, 1 tune)
OLochlainn-MoreIrishStreetBallads 74, "Blow the Candle Out" (1 text, 1 tune)
Lomax-FolkSongsOfNorthAmerica 160, "Blow the Candle Out" (1 text, 1 tune)
Hodgart-FaberBookOfBallads, p.247, "Blow the Candle Out" (1 text)
Ord-BothySongsAndBallads, p. 95, "Blow the Candle Out" (1 text)
Newman/Devlin-NeverWithoutASong, p. 197, "Your Father and Your Mother, Love" (1 fragment, 1 tune, probably this although the text is too short to have any plot)
Silber/Silber-FolksingersWordbook, p. 156, "Blow The Candles Out" (1 text)
DT 499, CANDLOUT*
Roud #368
RECORDINGS:
Jumbo Brightwell, "Blow the Candle Out" (on Voice10)
Jimmy Gilhaney, "Blow the Candle Out" (on FSB02, FSB2CD)
Martin Howley, "Blow the Candle Out" (on IRClare01)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Johnson Ballads 168, "Blow the Candle Out," J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 11(335), Harding B 20(139), Firth c.18(294), Firth b.25(299), Harding B 11(336), Harding B 16(26c), Johnson Ballads 1279, Firth b.34(33), Harding B 17(30b), "Blow the Candle Out"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Dash Along" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Johnson Ballads 1279)
cf. "Come Into My Arms" (tune, per broadside Bodleian Harding B 17(30b))
cf. "Erin's Lovely Home" (tune, per Greig/Duncan4)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
The London 'Prentice
File: LP17
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