Fatal Snowstorm, The [Laws P20]

DESCRIPTION: The singer, out in a severe snowstorm, sees a woman with a baby. She laments the cruelty of her parents and of the child's father, who left her for money. She warns against such deceivers, kisses the frozen child's lips, and dies herself
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1813 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 17(342a))
KEYWORDS: storm family baby death
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland(Aber)) Canada(Mar,Newf) Ireland Canada(Ont) US(Ro)
REFERENCES (11 citations):
Laws P20, "The Fatal Snowstorm"
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "FATAL SNOWSTORM, THE"
Greig/Duncan6 1176, "Cruel Were My Parents" (4 texts, 4 tunes)
MacColl/Seeger-TravellersSongsFromEnglandAndScotland 71, "The Fatal Snowstorm" (1 text, 1 tune)
Kennedy-FolksongsOfBritainAndIreland 154, "The Forsaken Mother and Child" (1 text, 1 tune)
Purslow-TheConstantLovers, p. 33, "The Fatal Snowstorm" (1 text, 1 tune)
Munnelly/Deasy-TheMountCallanGarland-Tom-Lenihan 16, "A Wint'ry Evening" (1 text, 1 tune)
Peacock, pp. 447-448, "The Forsaken Mother and Child" (1 text, 1 tune)
Mackenzie-BalladsAndSeaSongsFromNovaScotia 62, "The Fatal Snowstorm" (1 text)
Hubbard-BalladsAndSongsFromUtah, #115, "Cruel Was My Father" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, FATALSNW*
Roud #175
RECORDINGS:
Mrs. Freeman Bennett, "The Forsaken Mother and Child" (on PeacockCDROM) [one verse only]
Mrs Jack [Vera] Keating, "The Wintry Winds" (on Ontario1)
Tom Lenihan, "A Wint'ry Evening" (on IRTLenihan01)
Sarah Makem, "The Forsaken Mother and Child" (on FSBFTX15)
Paddy Tunney, "The Month of January" (on Voice06)
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 17(342a), "Winter's Evening" or "The Deploring Damsel" ("'Twas one winter's evening when fast came down the snow"), J. Evans (London), 1780-1812; also Harding B 25(2088), "The Winter's Evening" or "Deploring Damsel"; Harding B 11(1824), "It Was One Winter's Evening"; or "Deploring Damsel"; Harding B 15(388a), Harding B 25(2087), Harding B 11(3152), Harding B 28(102), "Winter's Evening"; 2806 c.17(315) , 2806 c.17(316), "Oh Cruel" or "Winter's Evening"
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Mary of the Wild Moor" [Laws P21] (theme)
ALTERNATE TITLES:
It Was On a Cold and Winter's Night
Twas a Cold and Frosty Evening
File: LP20

Go to the Ballad Search form
Go to the Ballad Index Song List

Go to the Ballad Index Instructions
Go to the Ballad Index Bibliography or Discography