The Raggle Taggle Gypsy

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"The Raggle Taggle Gypsy" (Roud 1, Child 200) is a traditional folk ballad. It was originally titled "The Gypsy Laddie". It has also been referred to as "Black Jack David", "Gypsy Davy", "Gyps of Davy", "The Gypsy Lover", "Black-Eyed Davy", "The Lady's Disgrace", "The Three Gypsy Laddies", and "The Jewish Lady".

Nick Tosches in his Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock 'N' Roll, spends part of his first chapter examining the song's history. He compares the song's narrative to the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. The ballad, according to Tosches, retells the story of John Faw, a 17th century outlaw, described as a Gypsy, and Lady Jane Hamilton, wife of John VI, Earl of Cassillis. The "Gypsies" were killed (except for one, who escaped) and Hamilton was imprisoned for the remainder of her life, dying in 1642.

Robert Burns used the song in his Reliques of Robert Burns; consisting chiefly of original letters, poems, and critical observations on Scottish songs (1808). As "The Gypsy Laddie", it is the 200th ballad in Francis J. Child's Compilation of 305 traditional English and Scottish ballads.

1 Narrative
2 Recordings
3 Notes
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Narrative

The ballad tells the story of an unnamed "Lady" whose house is visited by "Gypsies." She leaves her house with them. When her husband, "the Lord", returns home, he is told that she is "away with the raggle-taggle gypsy", and he, after some discussion about which of his horses he should use, sets out to find her. After some searching, the Lord finds the Lady and the Gypsies, and a conversation occurs between the married couple. The Lord asks his wife how she can leave him, her comforts and possessions. Her romantic reply is that she would "rather have a kiss from the yellow gypsy's lips". The song ends with her rejection of her husband, and her insistence that she remains "away with the raggle-taggle gypsy".

[edit] Recordings

"The Raggle Taggle Gypsy" has been recorded a vast number of times, notably by The Chieftans (with Nickel Creek) on Further Down The Old Plank Road (2003), Planxty on their eponymous album, Carlos Núñez on Os Amores Libres (1999), The Electrics on Livin' It Up When I Die (1998), and by The Irish Descendants on Gypsies & Lovers (1994). The Waterboys' recording of the song on Room To Roam (1990) is likely the most widely-recognized, and Mike Scott, the band's leader, also contributed to Núñez's version. The official The Waterboys website refers to The Waterboys during the Room to Roam period as the "Raggle Taggle band".^[1]

The Raggle Taggle Gypsy (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- The Waterboys' recording of "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy", from the album Room to Roam.
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