High Germany (II)

DESCRIPTION: A soldier has been called up and must leave his pregnant sweetheart. She would follow him "through France, Spain and even Ireland." He warns of the hardships and that her parents will be angry. She insists. He agrees to take her and will marry her first.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: before 1839 (broadside, Bodleian Harding B 11(3897))
KEYWORDS: love marriage request army war parting pregnancy France Ireland Spain lover soldier
FOUND IN: Britain(England(Lond,South))
REFERENCES (3 citations):
Reeves-TheEverlastingCircle 64, "High Germany" (1 text)
Palmer-FolkSongsCollectedBy-Ralph-VaughanWilliams, #90, "High Germany" (1 text, 1 tune)
Purslow-TheConstantLovers, p. 104, "The True Lovers" (1 text, 1 tune)
Roud #1445
BROADSIDES:
Bodleian, Harding B 11(3897), "The True Lovers" or "The King's Commands Must Be Obey'd" ("Abroad as I was walking alone"), J. Catnach (London), 1813-1838; also Harding B 15(335b), Harding B 11(3898), 2806 c.18(317), "The True Lovers" or "The King's Commands Must Be Obey'd"; Harding B 15(161b), "The King's Commands Must Be Obeyed" or "The True Lovers"
NOTES [114 words]: There is no statement here about cross-dressing but she "will go For to fight ... [any] daring foe." - BS
The two songs we index as "High Germany" both involve soldiers leaving sweethearts, and I suspect they frequently mix. I will not guarantee that all versions are properly filed. Roud seems to have a few confused versions, too. A characteristic of this song is that it usually starts with a line such as "Abroad as I was walking, and a-walking alone"; the other opens with lines such as "O Polly, dear Polly, the rout it is begun" or "Busk, my bonnie Betsy, busk, and buckle braw" or "O, cursed be the wars love that ever they began." And, yes, I know that's not much to go on! - RBW
Last updated in version 4.2
File: ReCi064

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