Whence the Butcher's Boy? [Anthology Revisited - Song 6 - Supplement]
TL;DR -- The Butcher's Boy has roots in multiple songs. Herein, we examine the roots of those songs.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: When I write these pieces, I try to compose them as if you, dear reader, and I are on a long, casual walk together. On this journey, there is no hurry. I am sharing the results of my research into the Anthology of American Folk Music in my own voice.
While I realize that not everyone has the time (or the desire) to examine multiple versions of multiple folk songs to uncover the source of another folk song, I am committed to providing an in-depth analyses, if for no other purpose than my own future reference.
So, if you’re here, reading this analysis, I thank you for your continued attention and sincerely hope you will find something of value in this exercise of digging into old folk songs.
~r
What is “The Butcher’s Boy” made of?
In the liner notes to the Anthology of American Folk Music, Harry Smith indicates that song 6, “The Butcher’s Boy” is an amalgamation of two songs; “The Cruel Father” and “There is an Alehouse in Yonder Town”.
While this is true, it’s only half of the story. There is a third song, “Sheffield Park”, from which “The Butcher’s Boy” draws quite heavily. Lyrics from a fourth song, “Sweet William“ appear in the original 1890’s broadside of “The Butcher Boy”, but don’t appear in Kazee’s 1928 recording of “The Butcher’s Boy”.
In this article, we’ll examine these source songs and see what they contribute to the whole of “The Butcher’s Boy”. Here’s a link to my original piece on “The Bucther’s Boy” if you want to head back there when you’re done.
PART ONE: The Cruel Father
Our first ballad, “The Cruel Father” tells the story of a young woman who has fallen in love with one of her family’s servants. The young woman’s father learns of her love for the servant and is angered that she would desire a man of such a low social standing. The father is so outraged that he constructs an underground dungeon with an iron door, and locks his daughter inside. Once imprisoned, the daughter is beaten regularly and barely fed, but despite her father’s cruelty and the dismal conditions of her imprisonment, she refuses to renounce her love.
The servant swears to free her, and his love ultimately proves no match for the iron door. He breaks in and rescues the girl from the dungeon. The father finds that his daughter has escaped, and vows revenge upon her. The servant confronts the father and claims responsibility for her liberation. He explains that he did it for the love of his daughter. He then offers his own life in sacrifice, saying it would be worth it if it would cause the father to forgive his daughter. The father, so moved by the servant’s willingness to sacrifice his own life, falls to the floor weeping and allows the two to live happily ever after.
I’ve selected three different versions of this song to discuss, which I’ll share in reverse chronological order. The first is a version of the song titled “Her Servant Man” as performed by Peter Bellamy in 1991. It’s unclear which source text was used for this performance, but I wanted to include an example of the text from the 20th century, so you can see the differences in the texts.
Her Servant Man
It’s of a damsel both fair and handsome,
These lines are true, as I am told.
On the banks of Shannon, in a lofty mansion,
Her parents claimed great stores of gold.Her hair was black as a raven’s feather,
Her form and features dissemble who can.
There was a young fellow worked on that station,
She fell in love with her servant man.As Mary Ann and her love were walking
Her father spied them and near them drew;
As they together so sweet were talking,Home in rage then her father flew.
For to build a dungeon was his intention
And to part true lovers he contrived a plan.
He swore by oaths and powers to mentionHe would part his fair one from her servant man.
His dungeon it was of bricks and mortar
With a flight of steps being underground.
The food he gave her was bread and water,No bed nor blanket for her was found.
Three times a day he did sorely beat her
Till to her father she crying began,
“Oh if I’ve transgressed, my own dear father,
Yet I’ll live and die for my servant man.”Young Edwin he found her habitation,
It was protected with an iron door;
He vowed in spite of all the nation
He would set her free or would rest no more.Now after leisure he toiled with pleasure
How he’d gain releasement for his Mary Ann.
He gained his object, set free his treasure,
She cried, “My faithful young servant man!”But when he found his daughter vanished,
Like a lion he began to roar,
Saying, “Out of Ireland you shall be banished,
With my broadsword I will shed your gore.”“Well I agree,” cried Edwin, “It’s at your leisure,
Since I’ve released her now do all you can.
Oh forgive your daughter, I will die with pleasure,
For the one in fault it is your servant man.”But when he saw him so tender-hearted
Down he fell onto the dungeon floor,
Crying, “Such true lovers can ne’er be parted
Since love has entered in an iron door.”So they were joined to be parted never
And to roll in riches this young couple can.
And this fair young lady she rules in pleasure
For to live for ever with her servant man.SOURCE: https://mainlynorfolk.info/peter.bellamy/songs/thecruelfather.html
The Cruel Father, or the Affectionate Lover (circa 1860-1876)
The image below is of a broadside from Dublin, Ireland that was published between 1860 and 1876. As you can see, the text of the broadside (reprinted below the image) is fundamentally the same as “The Servant Man” from 1991. There are a couple of sections of the tale that don’t appear in the 1991 version, the most critical element being that when liberating the young woman from the dungeon, the servant brings a set of men’s clothes to the girl so that she might change clothes and escape undetected. Otherwise, the story has remained more or less the same in the 150 plus years since this particular text was published.
SOURCE: https://archivesspace.library.nd.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/1055246
The Cruel Father, or The Affectionate Lover.
Twas of a damsel both fair and hand.
Those lines are true is I've been told,
On the banks of the Shanon in a lofty mansion
Her parents claimed stores of gold.
Her hair was black as a raven's feather,
Her form and features describe who can,
But still tis a folly belonging to nature,
She fell in love with her servant man.Sweet Maryann with her love was walking,
Her father to them nearer drew,
And as those true lovers were fondly talking,
Home in anger her father flew.
To build a dungeon was his intent,
To part these true loves he contrived a plan,
He swore an oath 'tis vile to mention,
He'd part that fair one from her servant manHe built a dungeon of bricks and mortar,
With a flight of steps, it was underground,
The food he gave her was bread and water,
The only cheer that for her was found,
Three times a day he did cruelly beat her,
Unto her father she thus began:
“As I have transgressed, now, dear father
I'll live and die for my servant man,”Young Edward found out her habitation,
It was well secured by an iron door,
He vowed in spite of all this nation,
He'd gain her freedom or rest no more,
It was his leisure, he toiled with pleasure,
To gain relief for his Maryanne.
He gained his object and found his treasure,
She cried, “my faithful servant man!”,A suit of clothing, he brought his lover,
Of man's apparel, her to disguise,
Saying for your sake I’ll face your father,
To see me here, it will him surprise.
When her cruel father brought bread & water,
To call his daughter he then began,
Said Edward, enter. I've cleared your daughter
I will suffer, your servant man.When her father found him so tender,
Down he fell on the dungeon floor,
He said, true lovers shall not be parted,
Since love can force an iron door.
Soon they joined to be parted never,
And roll in riches his young couple can,
This fair young lady has rural pleasure,
She lives content with her servant manSOURCE: https://archivesspace.library.nd.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/1055246
The Cruel Father and Constant Lover (aka “A Lady’s Daughter in the West”)
Our earliest edition of the song was printed between the years of 1800 and 1820, and bore the title “The Cruel Father and Constant Lover” (aka “A Lady’s Daughter in the West”). The song recounts a tale similar to the one in the broadside previously discussed, but this time with a significantly different ending.
As in other texts, the father in this version disapproves of his daughter’s affection for a servant. But here, the dungeon is never built. Rather than imprisoning the daughter, the father kills his daughter, then kills himself. After this, the girl’s mother comes in and discovers the bodies. She mourns and blames their death on ambition. Then, the servant comes on the scene, and once he’s seen that this beloved has been slain, he takes his own life. The lovers were buried in a grave together.
What fascinates me about this version is that these broadsides were published by John Pitts of London, somewhere between the years of 1800 and 1820. The previous text we examined (“The Cruel Father, or the Affectionate Lover”) was printed in Ireland between the years 1860 and 1876, and the one before it (“Her Servant Man”) was sung in 1991.
In the 100+ years between the publication of “The Cruel Father and the Constant Lover”, and the performance of “Her Servant Man” (1991) the text of the song remained mostly stable.
However, in the 40-80 years between the printing of “The Cruel Father and Constant Lover”, (circa 1800-1820) and our previous text “The Cruel Father, or the Affectionate Lover” (circa 1860-1876), the story underwent a dramatic change. Sadly, no images of this broadside are available online, but physical copies can be found in rare book collections in New Zealand and Scotland.
Here are the lyrics to the circa 1800-1820 printing, so you can see for yourself just how much the text changed.
The Cruel Father and Constant Lover (aka “A Lady’s Daughter in the West”)
A Lady's daughter in the West,
About the age of twenty,
And she had sweethearts of the best,
Both Lords and Squires plenty.A youthful beauty, charmer bright
Who was far and near admir'd
Yet she ador'd her father's clerk,
No grandeur she requir'd.Her father would both frown and chide,
When he alone did meet her;
Will you disgrace my blood, he cry'd,
You fond and foolish creature?By wedding to a servant slave,
That hath neither birth nor breeding,
Portion of me you none shall have,
If this is your proceeding.Dear honor'd father, she reply'd,
There you may use your pleasure,
For I adore my dearest joy,
More than all worldly treasure;With him I hope to live or die,
To him I have consented
Kind heaven will our wants supply
If that I am contented.Her father in a passion flew,
And threatened to destroy her,
If that her folly she pursued,
No clerk should e'er enjoy her;But she replied, he must and shall,
Though father you're offended,
When from my solemn vows I fall
Pray let my life be ended.When in the parlour all alone
A loaded piece was lying
He took the piece all in his hand
And then at her let flying;Against this youthful lady's breast,
Full soon she laid before him
When he had seen what he had done,
What! have I slain my daughter!A rapier then he pulled forth,
And slew himself soon after.
Her mother came into the room
And both their deaths stood viewing,With grief her tender heart did break,
Ambition was their ruin.
Her lover came among the rest,
With hands of sorrow ringing,To see the youthful breast of her,
From whence the blood was springing,
How could her wicked father be,
So base, severe and cruel,Could he not lay the blame on me,
And so have spared my jewel!
He took a pistol in his hand,Saying here I'll stay no longer,
I'll cut the thread of life,
And my true love I'll follow.
They both were buried in one grave,Like two young lovers loyal,
May God preserve all those in love,
And send them no such trial.SOURCE: https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/MC/article/view/21836
Maid of the East
This recording of Marie Hare of Strathdam, New Brunswick, Canada performing “Maid of the East” (a variant of “The Cruel Father and Constant Lover”) was made at a festival and released by Folkways in 1962. The recording is referenced in this excellent article “The Cruel Father and Constant Lover - A Broadside Ballad in Tradition”, which I recommend highly for anyone interested in exploring this song further. You can visit the Smithsonian Folkways site to learn more about (or purchase) Marie Hare’s recordings. The liner notes are also available via the Smithsonian Folkways site and provide excellent context for this performance.
Quick Recap
Just to keep this on the rails, I want to wrap up this first segment with a little recap. The texts above reflect only one source of “The Butcher’s Boy”, and the relationship between “The Cruel Father” and “The Butcher’s Boy” is visible, although you may need to squint your mind’s eye a little bit to see the connection.
The literal text of “The Cruel Father” doesn’t appear in “The Butcher’s Boy’, but key concepts, especially the young woman’s willingness to die for love, are clearly present. It is for this reason that “The Cruel Father” is considered a source for “The Butcher’s Boy”.
PART TWO: There Is An Alehouse in Yonder Town
The second song Harry Smith identified as a source for “The Butcher’s Boy” is title “There is an Alehouse in Yonder Town”. Like many ballads, this one has other names, two of the most common being “A Brisk Young Sailor Courted Me” and “Died for Love”.
The lyrics (below) tell the story of a young girl who was courted by a sailor who impregnated, then ignored her, turning his affections towards another. I’ve added emphasis throughout the lyrics in bold italics to indicate phrases that would later appear in Kazee’s recording. The final verse in this version implies that the young woman has taken her own life and that the sailor says he’s glad she’s dead, but inside he’s regretful. While this doesn’t exactly line up with “The Butcher’s Boy”, it is in the neighborhood.
“A Brisk Young Sailor Courted Me”
(aka “There is an Alehouse in Yonder Town”, aka “Died for Love”)
A brisk young sailor courted me,
He stole away my liberty,
He stole my heart with a free good will,
I must confess I love him still.Down in the meadows she did run,
A gathering flowers as they sprung,
Every sort she gave a pull,
Till she had gathered her apron full.When first I wore my apron low,
He followed me through frost and snow,
But now my apron is up to my chin,
He passes by and says nothing.There is an alehouse in this town,
Where my love goes and sits him down,
He takes another girl on his knee,
Why is not that a grief to me.Ah, griev'd I am, I'll tell you why,
Because she has more gold than I,
Her gold will waste, her beauty blast,
Poor girl she'll come like me at last,I wish my baby it was born,
Set smiling on its father's knee,
And I was dead and in my grave,
And green grass growing over me.There is a bird all in yonder tree,
Some say 'tis blind, and cannot see,
I wish it had been the same by me,
Before I had gained my love's company,There is a man on yonder hill,
He has a heart as hard as steel,
He has two hearts instead of one,
He'll be a rogue when I am gone.But when they found her corpse was cold,
They went to her false love and told,
I am glad says he, she has done so well,
I long to hear her funeral knell,In Abraham's bosom she does sleep,
While his tormenting soul must weep,
He often wished his time o'er again,
That his bride he might make her merry & marry her soon
Below is a broadside of the text from around 1855, where the song is titled simply “Brisk Young Sailor”.
SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Brisk_Young_Sailor_Courted_Me
SOURCE: https://web.archive.org/web/20160303184126/http://www.chethams.org.uk/axon_ballads/055.htm
Here’s yet another version of the song (with yet another title) that was published in Frank Kidson’s Traditional Tunes, published in 1913. The text and themes are basically the same, although the lines about finding a corpse are not present in this version.
“My True Love Once He Courted Me” (Kidson 1913)
My true love once he courted me,
And stole away my liberty;
He stole my heart with my free good will,
I must confess I love him still.There is an alehouse in this town
Where my love goes and sits him down;
He takes another girl on his knee --
O! Isn’t that a grief to meA grief to me, I’ll tell you why --
Because she has more gold than I;
Her gold will waste, her beauty blast
Poor girl, she’ll come like me at last.O, once I had no cause for woe,
My love followed my through frost and snow;
But ah the changes time doth bring
My love passes by and he says nothing.I wish my baby it was born
Set smiling on it’s nurse’s knee;
And I myself was in the grave
And the green grass growing over meI wish, I wish, but it’s all in vain;
I wish I were but free again
But free again, I’ll never be
Til an apple grows on an orange treeThere is a bird in yon churchyard,
They say it’s blind and cannot see;
I wish it had been the same with me
Ere I joined my true love’s company
SOURCE: https://archive.org/details/imslp-tunes-kidson-frank/page/n47/mode/2up
PART THREE: Sheffield Park
While not mentioned in Smith’s liner notes, a third song often associated with “The Butcher’s Boy” is “Sheffield Park”. The song first appeared around 1794 on a London broadside bearing the title of “The Young Man from Sheffield Park”.
The lyrics for the song are below, and similarities to the Butcher’s Boy are in bold italics. “Sheffield Park” is the source which mention the mournful young woman’s activities within her home, which are at the core actions in “The Butcher’s Boy”. We don’t get any mention of self-harm, but we do have verses which suggest what should be done with the maiden’s body. Alas, yet another life lost to heartbreak.
1
Down Sheffield Park a maid did dwell,
A brisk young man he loved her well,
He courted her from day to day,
At length he stole her heart away.2
One morning upstairs to make her bed,
She lay down her weary head,
Her mistress came and to her did say,
“What is the matter with you today?”3
“Oh, mistress, oh, mistress, you little do know,
What trials and troubles that I undergo.
Place your right hand upon my left breast,
My fainting heart it knows no rest.”4
“Then write him a letter and write it with speed,
And send it to him if he can read,
And bring me an answer without delay,
For young Colin has stolen your heart away.”5
“Then gather leaves to make my bed,
A feathery pillow for my weary head,
And the leaves they flutter from tree to lea
Will make a covering o’er me.”6
There is a flower that bloometh in May,
That’s seldom seen by night or by day,
And the leaves they flutter from tree to lea
Will make a covering o’er me.SOURCE: https://www.yorkshirefolksong.net/song.cfm?songID=39
PART FOUR: Sweet William
Multiple versions of “Sweet William” (aka “A Sailor’s Life”) would also be included in this analysis if this article was devoted solely to the 1890’s broadside version of “The Butcher Boy”, because there are connections.
However, for the purpose of examining “The Butcher’s Boy” as performed by Buell Kazee, a thorough examination of multiple versions of “Sweet William” might add more confusion than substance because the parts of “Sweet William” that appear in the broadside “The Butcher Boy” are not in Kazee’s recording of “The Butcher’s Boy”, and I could find no texts of “Sweet William” predating Kazee’s recording that shared lines with the song.
But…
When researching this article, I found reference to a single performance of “Sweet William” that shared substantial lyrics with Kazee’s 1928 performance of “The Butcher’s Boy”. These shared lyrics appeared in a 1974 performance by Mike Waterson. The text of Waterson’s performance is below, with text in bold italics to indicate lines that also appear in Kazee’s recording.
NOTE: Since this performance took place so long after Kazee’s recording was made, I’m not including these shared lyrics in my final bullet points that indicate what each song contributes to the amalgamation sung by Kazee.
Sweet William
(as performed by Mike Waterson, October 20, 1974)
It was early, early on a sunny day in spring
My love has listed all for to serve the king
The wind’s blown high and the wind’s blown low
And we parted, me and my young sailor boy“Oh father, far, will you build me a boat
That on the cold ocean I may float?
And every king’s ship that we pass by
I’ll make enquiry for my sailor boy.”Why, she hadn’t been a-sailing so very far upon the deep
When did her first king ship she chanced to meet,
It’s, “Captain, captain, tell me true,
Does my sweet William sail on board with you?”“What colour is your true love’s hair?
And what sort of jacket does your true love wear?”
“His jacket’s blue, it’s bright round with gold
And his hair it is the same colour as yours.”“Oh no, fair maiden, I’m afraid he isn’t here.
But he’s been drownded and that I greatly fear.
On yon green ocean as we passed by,
There we lost sight of your young sailor boy.”Why, she wrung her hands a little while and tore her hair
Much like some maiden in great despair.
“Oh happy, happy is the girl,” she cried,
“What has her own true lover by her side.”Her father he, he come home late at night
His looking round for, for his sad delight
He went upstairs and the door he broke
And he found her hanging by a rope.And didn’t he take him a knife so long and sharp and he cut her down
And in her bosom a note was found
Been written in blood just to testify
That for her true love William she did die.“Will you dig me a grave so very wide and so very deep
And put a marble stone at, at my head and feet
And in the middle, place a snow-white dove
Just to let the world know that I died for love.”SOURCE: https://mainlynorfolk.info/lloyd/songs/sweetwilliam.html#mikewaterson
This entire article is kinda like bonus coverage, and since you made it all the way down here, I want to share a little something extra. Below is a recording of “A Sailor’s Life” (aka “Sweet William”) from Fairport Convention’s 1969 album “Unhalfbricking”. I have enjoyed this recording for many years and hope you’ll give it a listen. I assure you, it’s nothing like any of the other performances in this article, and I’m a little bit surprised that we landed here, but here we are.
Conclusion
Here’s what we’ve uncovered. Buell Kazee’s 1928 recording of “The Butcher’s Boy” was based on an 1890’s broadside called “The Butcher Boy”, that was created, using parts of (at least) four other songs:
“The Cruel Father” gives us the premise and general idea of a girl who is willing to die for love.
“There is an Alehouse in Yonder Town” tells us about the boy’s shenanigans with another woman.
“Sheffield Park” sets our action inside of a home and includes several acts and phrases that ultimately show up in the 1890’s broadside, “The Butcher Boy”, and in Buell Kazee’s 1928 recording of “The Butcher’s Boy”.
“Sweet William” contributes to the 1890’s broadside, but the lines shared by the ballads don’t appear in Kazee’s recording.
I hope this excursion down the rabbit hole has been of interest and has held some value for you. Examining the various iterations of these ballads can get a little complicated at times, and I hope I’ve done a decent job of connecting the dots between the texts that contributed to the musical amalgamation called “The Butcher Boy” (aka “The Butcher’s Boy” aka “Butcher Boy” aka “Railroad Boy” aka ???).
Speaking of “The Butcher’s Boy” here’s a link to my original “The Butcher’s Boy” article in case you clicked into this article without completing that one. :)
Sources
The Cruel Father / Her Servant Man / The Iron Door (Roud 539)
https://mainlynorfolk.info/peter.bellamy/songs/thecruelfather.html
"The Cruel Father, or, The affectionate Lover," and "The Boughleen Dhoun", undated
University of Notre Dame Rare Books & Special Collections
Irish Broadside Ballads (BPP_1001)
Series 1: Broadsides, chiefly printed by P. Brereton of Dublin, 1860-1876
https://archivesspace.library.nd.edu/repositories/3/archival_objects/1055246
Yates, M. (1980). The Cruel Father and Constant Lover - A Broadside Ballad in Tradition. MUSICultures, 8. Retrieved from https://journals.lib.unb.ca/index.php/MC/article/view/21836
Evidence of early 1800’s broadside containing text of “The Cruel Father and Constant Lover” (The actual document is in a rare books collection that is inaccessible to this researcher) -
The cruel father, and constant lover.. - Pitts, John, 1765-1844 - London : Printed and sold by J Pitts 14 Great st andrew Street seven Dials, between 1802 and 1819
https://natlib-primo.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/primo-explore/fulldisplay?vid=NLNZ&docid=NLNZ_ALMA71218652630002836&context=L&search_scope=NLNZ
Folk Music Index - Bum to Bz
https://www.ibiblio.org/keefer/b17.htm#Butbo
The Butcher's Boy (folk song) - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Butcher%27s_Boy_(folk_song)
In Sheffield Park (Roud 860)
https://mainlynorfolk.info/eliza.carthy/songs/sheffieldpark.html
Sheffield Park - Yorkshire Garland Group
https://www.yorkshirefolksong.net/song.cfm?songID=39
A Brisk Young Sailor Courted Me
Folk Songs of Sussex - George Butterworth - Published 1913
https://archive.org/details/folksongsfromsus00butt/page/14/mode/2up
The Butcher’s Boy - Journal of American folklore v.35 1922
American Folklore Society. Journal of American Folklore. Washington [etc.]: American Folklore Society,
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015034746373&seq=382
Traditional Tunes - Kidson, Frank - 1891 (pp 44-46)
https://archive.org/details/imslp-tunes-kidson-frank/page/n47/mode/2up