The Gypsy Laddie

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"The Gypsy Laddie" (Roud 1, Child 200, also known as "Black Jack Davy" among many other titles) is a traditional folk ballad, approximated to have been written in 1720. The ballad has since been used and recorded many different times in many different variations in Scotland, England, the United States, Canada, and Ireland.

Contents

[edit] History

Francis James Child's acclaimed compilation, the five volume The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898), provides an excellent history on this ballad. The Gypsy Laddie is ballad number 200 in the collection, and he describes that the printed versions of this ballad probably date back to at least 1720. The first documented printing was in Tea Table Miscellany (1740). Lady Casslilles Lilt (aka Johnny Faa, the Gypsiey Laddie) is in the Skene Manuscripts which holds documents from the 17th century.[1]

In 1624, Gypsies were banished from Scotland. According to sleevnotes by Alex Campbell, Lady Jean Hamilton, wife of the sixth earl of Doon, fell in love with Sir John Fall. Sir John led a band of sixteen (not seven) men to abduct her. They were caught and hanged on the "Dool Tree" in 1643. And yet .... the Skene MSS (c. 1630) contains the earliest known version of this ballad. An Irish version called 'An Spailpín Fánach' has an itinerant worker in place of a gypsy. Although the earliest version seem to be Scottish, several versions are found in the USA.

[edit] Description

The song tells of a Gypsy who tries, successfully, to charm the unmarried daughter of a squire. He promises her wealth and she goes off with him. When the squire comes home and discovers what has happened he rides off in search of her. After a long chase he finds her. The final encounter is where the daughter refuses to come home, saying "What care I for your fine feather sheets".

In other versions she is married, and her lord comes home to find his lady "gone with the gypsy laddie." He saddles his fastest horse to follow her. He finds her and bids her come home, asking "would you forsake your husband and child?"; she will not return, preferring the cold ground and the gypsy's company to her lord's wealth and fine bed.

In another version the gypsy has six brothers, and when the squire has caught up with them he has all seven of the raggle taggle Gypsies hung. In some versions the gypsy turns out to be genuinely wealthy. The song "Lizzie Lindsay" has a similar theme.

Although the hero of this song is often called "Johnny Faa" or even "Davy Faa," he should not be confused with the hero/villain of "Davy Faa (Remember the Barley Straw)." [Silber and Silber mis-identify all their texts] as deriving from "Child 120," which is actually "Robin Hood's Death." According to "The Faber Book of Ballads" this name was common among Gypsies in the 17th century.

[edit] Alternate titles

  • "Black Jack Davey"
  • "Black Jack Davy"
  • "Clayton Boone"
  • "The Gypsy Davy"
  • "Johnny Faa"
  • "Davy Faa"
  • "The Wraggle Taggle Gypsy"
  • "The Lady and the Gypsy"
  • "Harrison Brady"
  • "Gypson Davy"
  • "Black-Eyed Davy"
  • "The Heartless Lady"
  • "Egyptian Davio"
  • "It Was Late in the Night"
  • "When Johnny Came Home"
  • "The Gyps of Davy"
  • "The Dark-Clothed Gypsy"

[edit] Recordings

[edit] Broadsides

  • Bodleian, Harding B 11(1446), "Gypsy Laddie," W. Stephenson (Gateshead), 1821-1838; also Harding B 11(2903), "Gypsy Loddy"; Harding B 19(45), "The Dark-Eyed Gipsy O"; Harding B 25(731), "Gipsy Loddy"; Firth b.25(220), "The Gipsy Laddy"; Harding B 11(1317), "The Gipsy Laddie, O"; Firth b.26(198), Harding B 15(116b), 2806 c.14(140), "The Gipsy Laddie"; Firth b.25(56), "Gypsie Laddie"
  • Murray, Mu23-y3:030, "The Gypsy Laddie," unknown, 19C
  • NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(092), "The Gipsy Laddie," unknown, c. 1875

[edit] Cross references

  • cf. "The Roving Ploughboy" (theme, lyrics, tune)

[edit] References

  1. Child 200, "The Gypsy Laddie" (12 texts)
  2. Bronson 200, "The Gypsy Laddie" (128 versions+2 in addenda)
  3. BarryEckstormSmyth pp. 269-277, "Gipsy Davy" (4 texts plus 2 fragments and a quoted broadside, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #109, #110}
  4. Flanders-Ancient3, pp. 193-229, "The Gypsy Laddie" (19 texts plus 6 fragments, 8 tunes) {N=Bronson's #107}
  5. Linscott, pp. 207-209, "Gypsy Daisy" (1 text, 1 tune)
  6. Belden, pp. 73-76, "he Gypsy Laddie" (3 texts plus portions of another)
  7. Randolph 27, "The Gypsy Davy" (6 texts plus 2 fragments, 4 tunes) {Randolph's A=Bronson's #100, E=#103, G=#123, H=#40}
  8. Randolph/Cohen, pp. 49-51, "The Gypsy Davy" (1 text, 1 tune -- Randolph's 27G) {Bronson's #123}
  9. Eddy 21, "The Gypsy Laddie" (1 text plus a fragment, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #77, #98}
  10. Davis-Ballads 37, "The Gypsy Laddie" (7 texts plus a fragment, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #6, #91, #33}
  11. Davis-More 33, pp. 253-261, "The Gypsy Laddie" (5 texts, 2 tunes)
  12. BrownII 37, "The Gypsy Laddie" (6 texts plus an excerpt, many of them mixed with "Sixteen Come Sunday"; "D" also partakes of "Devilish Mary")
  13. Chappell-FSRA 16, "Gypsy Davy" (1 fragment)
  14. Hudson 20, pp. 117-119, "The Gypsy Laddie" (2 texts)
  15. Scarborough-SongCatcher, pp. 215-225, "The Gypsy Laddie" (7 texts, with local titles "The Three Gypsies," "Black Jack Davy," "Gypsia Song," Oh Come and Go Back My Pretty Fair Miss," "Gypsy Davy," "The Lady's Disgrace," "Gypsy Davy"; 5 tunes on pp. 411-414) {Bronson's #75, #126, #106, #32, #9]
  16. Brewster 19, "The Gypsy Laddie" (1 text)
  17. Creighton/Senior, pp. 71-72, "The Gypsy Laddie" (1 fragment, 1 tune) {Bronson's #10}
  18. Creighton-SNewBrunswick 4, "Gypsie Laddie" (1 text, 1 tune)
  19. Greenleaf/Mansfield 16, "The Dark-Clothed Gypsy" (2 texts, 1 tune) {Bronson's #50}
  20. Peacock, pp. 194-197, "Gypsy Laddie-O" (2 texts, 2 tunes)
  21. Karpeles-Newfoundland 17, "The Gypsy Laddie" (3 texts, 4 tunes)
  22. Flanders/Brown, pp. 220-221, "Gypsy Daisy," "Seven Gypsies in a Row" (1 text plus a fragment)
  23. Leach, pp. 539-543, "The Gypsy Laddie" (4 texts)
  24. Friedman, p. 105, "The Gypsy Laddie (Johnny Faa)" (2 texts)
  25. OBB 148, "The Gypsy Countess" (1 text)
  26. Warner 42, "Gypsy Davy" (1 text, 1 tune)
  27. PBB 18, "The Gypsy Laddie" (1 text)
  28. Sharp-100E 5, "The Wraggle Taggle Gipsies, O!" (1 text, 1 tune)
  29. Niles 52, "The Gypsy Laddie" (1 text, 1 tune)
  30. Sharp/Karpeles-80E 22, "Gypsy Davy (The Gypsy Laddie" (1 text, 1 tune -- a composite version) {Bronson's #26}
  31. Sandburg, p. 311, "Gypsy Davy" (1 fragment, 1 tune) {Bronson's #99}
  32. SHenry H124, p. 509, "The Brown-Eyed Gypsies" (1 text, 1 tune)
  33. Asch/Dunson/Raim, p. 108, "Black Jack David" (1 text, 1 tune)
  34. Hodgart, p. 72, "The Gypsy Laddie" (1 text)
  35. JHCoxIIA, #10A-C, pp. 40-45, "Gypsy Davy," "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies, O," "The Wraggle Taggle Gypsies, O" (3 texts, 2 tunes) {Bronson's #9, #74}
  36. Ord, pp. 411-412, "The Gypsie Laddie" (1 text, 1 tune) {Bronson's #60}
  37. Fowke/MacMillan 76, "Seven Gypsies on Yon Hill" (1 text, 1 tune)
  38. TBB 6, "The Gipsy Laddie" (1 text)
  39. Abrahams/Foss, pp. 181-184, "Gypsy Davey"; "Gypsy Laddie O"; "Gypsy Laddie" (3 texts, 3 tunes) {Bronson's #83, #81, #27}
  40. Darling-NAS, pp. 75-78, "The Gypsy Laddie"; "Gyps of David"; "Gypsy Davy (Catskill's)"; "The Gypsy Laddie" (3 texts plus a fragment)
  41. Gilbert, p. 35, "The Gypsy Davy" (1 text)
  42. Silber-FSWB, p. 194, "Gypsy Davey"; p. 211, "The Gypsy Rover"; p. 213, "The Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies" (3 texts)
  43. BBI, ZN2567, "There was seven Gipsies all in a gang"
  44. DT 200, GYPDAVY GYPLADD GYPLADD2* GYPLADD3 GYPLADX GYPBLJK* GYPSYRVR* GYPHARBR* BLCKJACK* BLCKJCK2 BLKJKDAV GYPLADY*
  45. Roud #1

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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