| Author | Topic: Add: The Crystal Spring | |
| dmcg | Posted - 29 Jun 03 - 07:29 am | |
The Crystal Spring Down by some crystal spring, where the nightingales sing, Most pleasant it is, in season, to hear the groves ring. Down by the riverside, a young captain I espied, Entreating of his true love, for to be his bride. Dear Phyllis, says he, can you fancy me? All in your soft bowers a crown it shall be; And you shall take no pain, I will you maintain, My ship she's a-loaded just come in from Spain. Whenever you dine, there you shall drink wine; And so sweetly in the season then you shall be mine. Like a lady so rare, I'll maintain you so fair; There's no lady in the navy with you shall compare. If e'er I prove false to my soft little dove, May the ocean turn desert; and the elements move: For whereever I shall be, I'll constant to thee, My heart is no rover, if I rove through the sea. Source: Sharp C and Vaughan Williams, R, A Selection of Collected Folk-Songs, Novello To me, the lyrics of this one appear to have been greatly 'improved' - there is a false ring to them as folk song. I'm sure someone can give more background on it. Database entry is here. | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 29 Jun 03 - 07:27 pm | |
Roud 1391 Noted by Cecil Sharp from Farmer King at East Harptree, Somerset, 25 August 1904. Editorial intervention in this case was intended to give the song greater coherence, though some modifications seem unnecessary and a verse has been omitted. The text appears in Karpeles, Cecil Sharp's Collection of English Folk Songs, 1974, I, 406-7, thus: Down by some crystal spring while the nightingales sing, More pleasant it was in season which the groves ring. Down by some riverside a young farmer I spied Entreating of his true love to be his bride. Dear Phyllis, says he, can you fancy me? All in your soft bowers a crown it shall be; And whenever you dine then you shall drink wine And so pleasant in the season then you shall be mine. You shall take no pain, I will you maintain; My ship she is unloaded just come in from Spain. Like a lady so rare I'll maintain you so fair; There's no lady in the navy with you shall compare. There's young men I know which great kindness show, They'll offer and scoff her more than they can do, And whenever they can find a young girl prove kind, They're laughing and scoffing, they'll change like the wind. But if ever I prove false to my turtle dove, May the ocean make motion and the elements move: And wherever I be I'll be constant to thee; Like a rover I will wander and swim through the sea. The song doesn't seem to have been found very often, though George Butterworth got a set in Norfolk (Michael Dawney, Ploughboy's Glory, EFDSS 1977 12). I don't find any broadside editions, though Phyllis was of course a poetic commonplace and may perhaps have found her way here from a stage song or something of the kind. | ||
| Guest Account |
Posted - 02 Oct 06 - 11:02 pm | |
From: antiquepansies I learned a slightly different version of the lyrics to this one about 15 years ago, but do not know the source of them. They are:Down by some Crystal Spring, where the nightingales sing Most pleasant it is in season , to hear the groves ring Down by the riverside, a young captain I espied Entreating of his true love for to be his bride Dear Phyllis said he, can you fancy me All in your soft bowers, a crown it shall be You shall take no pain, I will you maintain My ship sheâ??s a loaded , just come in from Spain There are young men I know, great kindness will show Theyâ??ll offer and proffer, much more than theyâ??ll do And whenever they can find, a maiden thatâ??s kind With laughing and chaffing, theyâ??ll change like the wind But if ere I prove false, to my soft little dove May the ocean turn desert, and the elements move For wherever I shall be, Iâ??ll be constant with thee Like a rover Iâ??ll wander, and swim through the sea. | ||
| Malcolm Douglas |
Posted - 03 Oct 06 - 12:22 am | |
That's the text published by Sharp in English Folk Songs ... Selected Edition (London, Novello, II, 1920) and in One Hundred English Folksongs (Boston, Oliver Ditson, 1916). The traditional source is the same as indicated above, but the words were polished up a little more for those particular books. | ||
| Kate (guest) |
Posted - 10 Jul 07 - 12:29 am | |
This song was sung in the BBC miniseries "Sense and Sensibility" (1981). | ||
| Singer (guest) |
Posted - 10 Nov 09 - 08:21 am | |
I have a copy that begins: Down by the crystal spring, where the sweet song birds sing... and is again slightly different | ||