Author Topic: Add: The Watercress Girl

Jon Freeman

 Posted - 02 Oct 02 - 07:44 pm
I love this one - happy memories of joining in the chorus when the Rhyl folk club used to sing it...

One day I took a ramble down by a running stream
Where the water lillies gambol - it was a lovely scene
And there I saw a maiden, a maiden from the dell:
She was gath'ring watercresses 'twas Martha the watercress girl.

Chorus:

Then her hair it hung in tresses, down by the stream that's close to the mill;
She was gath'ring watecresses, was Martha the watercress girl.


I asked if she was lonely, she answered with a smile:
'Kind sir, I am not lonely, for here I daily toil.
I have to rise up early my cresses for to sell:
My Christian name is Martha - they call me the watercress girl'

The day is not far distant when Marth will be mine,
And on our wedding morning it will be nice and fine.
I'll have to rise up early and dress up like an earl,
To go and marry Martha, the sweet little watercress girl.




Source: Everyman's Book Of British Ballads, ed. Roy Palmer.

Notes:

Palmer notes:

Even without knowledge of the original street ballad, one would have to conclude tht the style and sentiment of this song is unmistakenly Victorian"


Collected by Roy Palmer from George Dunn (1887-1975), Quarry Bank, Staffordshire, 24-5-71 (Folk Music Joural, 1973, pp 292-3)


abc:

X:1
T:The Watercress Girl
B:Everyman's Book Of Brittish Ballads, ed. Roy Palmer
S:Collected from George Dunn (1887-1975)
Z:Roy Palmer
F:/songs
M:3/4
L:1/8
K:G
D2|D4D2|G4A2|B2B4-|B4B2|A4G2|A2B4|G6|z2z2GG|G4G2|F4E2|D2B4-|B4B2|B4A2|A4B2|A6-|A2z2D2|D4D2|G4A2|B2B4|z2z2B2|A4G2|A4G2|G6|z2z2GG|G4G2|F4E2|D2B4|z2z2B2|D2F2A2|D2F2A2|G6-|G2z2Bc|d4_d2|c4G2|B2B4|A2_A2=A2|B4A2|G2F3E|D4GB|d4_d2|c4G2|B2B4|z2z2G2|A2c2B2|A3E F2|G4|]
w:One day I took a ram-ble_ down by a run-ning stream. Where the wa-ter lil-lies gam-bol it was a lov-ely scene__ And there I saw a mai-den, a mai-den from the dell: She was gath-'ring wa-ter cres-ses 'twas Mar-tha the wa-ter-cress girl.:_ Then her hair it hung in tres-ses, down by the stream that's close to the mill; She was gath-'ring wa-ter-cres-ses, was Mar-tha the wa-ter-cress girl.

Added to database here






Malcolm Douglas
 Posted - 13 Oct 02 - 09:01 pm
Roud 1541.

Two broadside examples can be seen at Bodleian Library Broadsides; in both cases the printers and dates are not recorded.

The water-cress girl Harding B 11(4047)

The water-cress girl Harding B 11(1233)


Matthew Edwards

 Posted - 20 Oct 02 - 08:44 pm
This song is generally credited to Harry Clifton.
George Dunn's singing of it has recently been issued on CD by Musical Traditions: excellent notes on the song and on George Dunn by Roy Palmer can be found here George Dunn.
There is a brief discussion about Harry Clifton, including a text of this song, on the Mudcat Forum Harry Clifton


Jon Freeman

 Posted - 22 Oct 02 - 02:50 am
Thanks Matthew, it has been added to the song db.

Jon



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