| Play/Download Music File Lesley Nelson |
|
|
|
|
| This appeared in English County Songs (1893) under Songs of the Sea. It had been printed previously in a collection of southern country songs, Besom Maker and Other Country Folk Songs (1888) by Heywood Sumner. Broadwood states that in printed versions the A appears as A sharp in bars 4, 8 and 14, but she altered it to natural A, as that was "possibly the older form of the tune."
Rev. Baring-Gould also collected the tune. It was printed on broadsides which is listed in the Charles Sanderson catalog.* The song was popular in Britain, Ireland and in Wales. |
My Johnny was a shoemaker, And dearly he loved me My Johnny was a shoemaker, But now he's gone to sea; With nasty pitch to soil his hands And to sail across the stormy sea, My Johnny was a shoemaker. His jacket was a deep sky blue, And curly was his hair , His jacket was a deep sky blue, It was, I do declare; To reef the topsail now he's gone, And to sail across the stormy sea My Johnny was a shoemaker. And he will be a captain by and bye, With a brave and gallant crew, And he will be a captain by and bye, With a sword and a spyglass too, And when he is a captain bold, He'll come back to marry me, My Johnny was a shoemaker. |
| From English County Folk Songs See Bibliography for full information and *Steve Roud's Broadside Ballad Index. |
|