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Wiltshire Community History

Folk Song Information

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Book Title

Author

Date

Notes

Song Title	Rich gentleman's daughter
Roud No.	21209
Collected From	Godwin, Sarah A. Miss
Location	Southrop
County	Gloucestershire
Collected By	Williams, Alfred
Alternative Title
Tune
Date
Source Primary	WSRO: 2598/36 Packet 2 - Gloucestershire: Williams, A: MS collection No Gl 156
Source Secondary	Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, 19th February, 1916, p 3, Part 19, No. 11
Recording

Song Lyrics
Verse 1 It's of a rich gentleman in London did dwell, He had a young daughter a farmer loved so well; His parents being so cruel, and to him severe, They sent him to a foreign land for seven long years. Verse 2 He had not been gone but a month and one day When he wrote a letter and sent it away; An answer came back with haste and great speed, Saying - "My love, I will come to you, wherever you may be." [hyphen] Verse 3 As one was going up and the other going down, The damsel being a-tired she sat herself down; And with her deep sighing her tender heart did break, So she died for her true love, her true lover's sake. Verse 4 Now when that young man got to his journey's end, He called for a bottle to drink with a friend; They asked of that young man, that which was sent abroad, And told him of the poor girl that died on the road. Verse 5 As soon as he heard the news he desired the corpse for to see, As soon as he saw her he said, "It is for me; For me and me only, the only love I have, Let me and my true love lie both in one grave." Verse 6 So all that long night, and part of the next day, He kissed her cold cheeks, much colder than clay; And with a deep sighing his tender heart did break, So he died for his true love, his true lover's sake. Verse 7 Come all you cruel parents, wherever you may be, You should never part lovers, as lovers parted were we; For what we have suffered, this world shall never know, What I and my true love, we both have been through.

Print Song Lyrics

Notes
Williams, Alfred: Ms / WGS: 'This is one of the old sort, by which I mean it is really in the common ballad singer's style. I have heard of it twice, i.e. at South Marston and Southrop, where I obtained the words complete of Miss Sarah Godwin.' Transcribed and edited by Chris Wildridge, 2010.