One Night As I Lay On My Bed

DESCRIPTION: Singer dreams of his love; the dreams torment him so much that he goes out and calls at her window, bidding her to let him in. She demurs, saying her parents will punish her. He says they're asleep and won't hear; she lets him in.
AUTHOR: unknown
EARLIEST DATE: 1803 (Scots Musical Museum)
KEYWORDS: courting sex nightvisit
FOUND IN: Britain(England(South),Scotland) Canada(Newf)
REFERENCES (6 citations):
Gardham-EarliestVersions, "ONE NIGHT AS I LAY ON MY BED"
VaughanWilliams/Lloyd-PenguinBookOfEnglishFolkSongs, p. 79, "One Night as I Lay On My Bed" (1 text, 1 tune)
Williams-Wiltshire-WSRO Wt 425, "Whisper, My Love, Do" (1 text)
Karpeles-FolkSongsFromNewfoundland 81, "Go From My Window" (1 text, 1 tune)
Reeves-TheEverlastingCircle 101, "Open the Window" (1 text)
DT, LAYBED*
Roud #672
RECORDINGS:
Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger, "One Night as I Lay On My Bed" (on ENMacCollSeeger02)
CROSS-REFERENCES:
cf. "The Drowsy Sleeper" [Laws M4]
cf. "Farewell to Bonny Galaway" (lyrics, theme).
cf. "Go From my Window, Go"
cf. "The Waters of Dee" (theme)
cf. "So Long I Have Lady" (theme)
NOTES [61 words]: [The earliest known version of this was a] fragment found by Burns [and] published in Johnson's "The Scots Musical Museum." - PJS
There is a hint of Song of Songs 5:2 here:
I slept, but my heart was awake.
Listen! My beloved is knocking.
"Open to me, my sister, my love,
my dove, my perfect one;
for my head is wet with dew,
my locks with the drops of the night." - RBW
Last updated in version 6.8
File: VWL079

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