| Author | Topic: Add: The Queen of Hearts. | |
| Pip Freeman | Posted - 24 Jun 04 - 02:38 pm | |
Queen of Hearts, The To the Queen of Hearts he's the Ace of sorrow, He is here today, he is gone tomorrow; Young men are plenty, but sweet-hearts few, If my love leave me, what shall I do? When my love comes in I gaze not around, When my love goes out, I fall in a swound; To meet is pleasure, to part is sorrow, He is here today, he is gone tomorrow. Had I the store in yonder mountain, Where gold and silver is had for counting, I could not count, for the thought of thee, My eyes so full that I could not see. I love my father, I love my mother, I love my sister, I love my brother, I love my friends, my relations too, But I'd leave them all for the love of you. My father left me both house and land, And servants many at my command; At my commandment they ne'er shall be, I'll forsake them all to follow thee. An Ace of sorrow to the Queen of Hearts, O how my bosom bleeds and smarts; Young men are plenty, but sweet-hearts few, If my love leave me, what shall I do? Source: A workman on the Borrow-Tor reservoir at Sheepstor. Notes: Notes abridged from S. Baring-Gould. Sung by a workman on the Borrow-Tor reservoir, the water supply for Plymouth, 1894. It has been printed on Broadside by Batchelar, B.M. in vol. vi p110. This version begins-- 'O my poor heart, my poor heart is breaking, For a false young man, or I am mistaking: He is gone to Ireland, for a long time to tarry, Some Irish girl I am afraid he will marry. The ballad has a flavour of of the period of Charles II. | ||
| masato sakurai | Posted - 25 Jun 04 - 03:22 pm | |
I've been listening to Joan Baez's version. Three editions are at Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads: queen of hearts [title] | ||
| IanC | Posted - 28 Jun 04 - 05:21 pm | |
The broadside versions all appear to be C19th and have a somewhat different burden than the traditionally collected versions (which seem to have have lost some verses). The Mudcat thread here has some information and my transcript from one of the Bodleian examples. The mention of The Victory would suggest that the Broadside versions, at least, don't date from much earlier than the 19th Century. The title may not have previously been "The Queen of Hearts" either, as the Broadside versions have a different first verse . :-) | ||