All Things Are Quite Silent

DESCRIPTION: The singer's lover is taken from their bed by a pressgang; she begs them to spare him but they refuse. She laments, remembering the joys of their life together, but says she will not be downcast, as someday he may return.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1904 (Palmer-FolkSongsCollectedBy-Ralph-VaughanWilliams)
KEYWORDS: love separation lament sailor pressgang
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South))
REFERENCES (4 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "ALL THINGS ARE QUITE SILENT"
VaughanWilliams/Lloyd-PenguinBookOfEnglishFolkSongs, p. 13, "All Things Are Quite Silent" (1 text, 1 tune)
Palmer-FolkSongsCollectedBy-Ralph-VaughanWilliams, #97, "All Things Are Quite Silent" (1 text, 1 tune)
DT, THNGSLNT*
Roud #2532
RECORDINGS:
Guy Wolff, "All Things Are Quite Silent" (Piotr-Archive #437, recorded 01/08/2023)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Lowlands of Holland" (theme)
NOTES [54 words]: "...by [1835] the system of impressment had almost faded out, although it was never actually abolished by Act of Parliament." -- A. L. Lloyd
Lloyd reports this as the only known version of the song. - PJS
It is true that the only traditional version seems to be that collected from Ted Baines, but it comes from broadsides. - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: VWL013

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