Betsy Baker

DESCRIPTION: The singer "never knew what it was to sigh / till I saw Betsy Baker." He tries to court her, but she consistently rejects him. He becomes sick with love, barely recovers, tries again to win her, and is once again rejected
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1829 (Scottish chapbook in the Harvard library)
KEYWORDS: love rejection
FOUND IN: US(So) Canada(Mar) Britain(England)
REFERENCES (5 citations):
Williams-FolkSongsOfTheUpperThames, p. 219, "Betsy Baker" (1 text) (also Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Ox 288)
Randolph 117, "Betsy Baker" (2 texts, 1 tune)
Mackenzie-BalladsAndSeaSongsFromNovaScotia 146, "Betsy Baker" (1 text)
Johnson-BawdyBalladsAndLustyLyrics, pp. 62-63, "Betsy Baker" (1 text, seemingly the same song but with a happy ending)
ADDITIONAL: J.E. Carpenter, editor, The Comic Song Bookn (London, 1863 ("Digitized by Google")), pp. 229-231, "Betsy Bakered" (1 text)
ST R117 (Full)
Roud #1288
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(257), "Betsy Baker," T. Birt (London), 1828-1829; also Harding B 17(24a), "Betsy Baker"; Firth b.25(508), Harding B 11(258), Harding B 25(176), Firth b.34(266), "Betsey Baker"
LOCSinging, as100980, "Betsey Baker," unknown, n.d.
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "Head Man at Mrs Grundy's" (tune, per Carpenter)
SAME TUNE:
The First World's Fair, or The National Exhibition (per broadside Murray, Mu23-y2:005, "The First World's Fair, or The National Exhibition" ("How wonderful it doth appear To people of each station"), unknown, 19C)
Push About the Jorum (per broadside Bodleian Harding B 17(24a))
NOTES [7 words]: Carpenter has Thomas Hudson as author. - BS
Last updated in version 2.6
File: R117

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