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It's of a sea captain, came o’er the salt billow, And he has courted a fair maid, by the banks of green willow. And he has courted this fair maid, ‘til she's proved with child O.1 Crying, "Oh my love, what shall I do, and what will become of me, For my father and mother, they both will disown me." "Go fetch to me your father's gold and some of your mother's money, And you can go sailing on the ocean, along with your Johnny." So she' has fetched to him her father's gold and some of her mother's money, And they have set foot on board of shipping2, both her and her Johnny. They had not been a-sailing scarce six weeks nor so many; The sails they were outspread, but of miles made not any. They had not been kept there3 scarce six hours nor so many, Before she wanted woman's help, but could not get any. "Oh hold your tongue you foolish girl, oh hold your tongue my Annie. For we cannot get woman's help, not for love nor for money." Then a gale came upon them, but of miles they made not any. And she was delivered of a beautiful baby. And the seas reared above them and the winds roared like thunder; But the sails would not fill, which has caused them to wonder. “Oh there’s fey folk on our gallant ship”, the Captain, he cried, so boldly. “Or there is craftwork on our gallant ship; she will not sail for me.”4 So he’s cast the black bullets, he’s cast them twice six and forty. And it’s all those black bullets fell on his dearest Annie.5 "Oh Captain, dearest Captain, here's fifty pounds for thee, If you'll convoy me safe home again, both me and my baby." "Oh no," says the Captain, "See, the storm is agin me;6 And it would be better to loose two lives, than it would to loose so many." So he's tied a kerchief round her head, he's tied it soft and easy, And he has thrown her right overboard, both her and her baby. "See how my love do swim, my boys, see how my love don't taver. See how my love do swim, my boys; that makes my heart quaver."7 And I fear she may never cease her swimming 'til the banks of green willow. Then the winds they did veer, and the tide began a-flowing, And the sails they did fill at last, with a landward breeze blowing.8 They have steered for the land, and at length reached the shore O, But the corpse of fair Annie had reached there before O. “The bells shall be rung mournful, as well befits a lady, And it’s there she shall be buried, both her and her baby.” "And my love shall have a coffin of the gold that shines so yellow. And she shall be buried on the banks of green willow."

Contributed by Rod Stradling (rod @ mustrad.org.uk) - 28.6.04

Notes:

1. A simple way to get all the necessary information into the first verse.  'By the banks of green willow' is sung to the tune of 'came o'er the salt billow' in the first line.
2. Stolen from Wiggy Smith and family - it appears in their Lord Bateman.
3. 'A-sailing', from the previous verse, is repeated here in most traditional versions. Since it's clear that the ship won't sail, I felt the need to change it.
4. This and the preceding verse are largely my own inventions, I think.
5. The verse which hooked me in the first place - it comes from Child; his A text.
6. Another of my additions - basically to compress about three verses into one.
7. Taver: an old word meaning to become 'fatigued or exhausted with wandering or with toil or struggle'.  The final line shows the Captain worried about exactly what he may find, at landfall.  As with the 1st verse, this three-liner uses the same tune for the latter half of its first and second lines.
8. Another invented verse of mine - again to achieve some compression.

Seemingly, Jon's version is from Martin Carthy so, as one may imagine, it has already been composited from a number of sources.  I've not yet had the opportunity to ask Martin about the details.  The tune is said to be from David Clements, of Basingstoke, Hants, as collected by Vaughan Williams in 1909, and as appears in Bronson - but, having listened to Mr Clements sing it (on the CD A Century of Song), I would suggest that Butterworth's orchestral rhapsody is the more likely source.  The only other examples I had available were Child, Purslow's Constant Lovers, where a version mainly from Henry Way appears, collected by Hammond in Bridport Union, and The Penguin Book, supplying one from Emma Overd, of Langport, Somerset.  Purslow makes the point that most collected texts are 'corrupted or deficient in significant detail', and admits that he has 'taken verses from several versions in both the Hammonds' and Gardiner's manuscripts' to construct the one he prints.  Also the Classic English Folk Songs/Penguin one has been compiled from fragments.

So I did the same, using the Baring-Gould C(a) text in Child as a basis - this is one from John Masters of Bradstone in South Devon, collected by Baring-Gould in 1889.  I then added bits from Boden/Carthy, Purslow, CEFS and, I have to admit, inventing a few odds and ends myself.  It's quite a long text when all the traditional versions are added together, and there's a good deal of needless repetition without taking the story much further.  These are the places (as indicated above), where I've made up verses or lines which, I hope, do the necessary.

1. It was of a sea-captain came o’er the salt billow, He courted a maiden down by the green willow. “O take of your father his gold and his treasure, O take of your mother her fee without measure.” 2. “I'll take of my father his gold and his treasure, I'll take of my mother her fee without measure:” She has come with the captain unto the seaside O, “We'll sail to lands foreign upon the blue tide O!” 3. And when she had sailed today and tomorrow, She was beating her hands, she was crying in sorrow; And when she had sailed the days were not many, The sails were outspread, but of miles made not any. 4. And when she had sailed today and tomorrow, She was beating her hands, she was crying in sorrow; And when she had sailed not many a mile O, The maid was delivered of a beautiful child O. 5. Verse not remembered. 6. “O take a white napkin, about my head bind it! O take a white napkin, about my feet wind it! Alack! I must sink, both me and my baby, Alack! I must sink in the deep salten water.” 7. “O captain, O captain, here's fifty gold crown O, I pray thee to bear me and turn the ship round O; O captain, O captain, here's fifty gold pound, O, If thou wilt but set me upon the green ground, O.” 8. “O never, O never! the wind it blows stronger, O never, O never! the time it grows longer; And better it were that thy baby and thou O, Should drown than the crew of the vessel, I vow O.” 9. “O get me a boat that is narrow and thin O, And set me and my little baby therein O.” “O no, it were better that thy baby and thou O, Should drown than the crew of the vessel, I vow O.” 10. They got a white napkin, about her head bound it, They got a white napkin, about her feet wound it; They cast her then overboard, baby and she O, Together to sink in the cruel salt sea O. 11. The moon it was shining, the tide it was running; O what in the wake of the vessel was swimming? “O see, boys! O see how she floats on the water! O see, boys! O see! the undutiful daughter!” 12. “Why swim in the moonlight, upon the sea swaying? O what art thou seeking? for what art thou praying?” “O captain, O captain, I float on the water; For the sea giveth up the undutiful daughter.” 13. “O take of my father the gold and the treasure, O take of my mother her fee without measure; O make me a coffin of gold that is yellow, And bury me under the banks of green willow!” 14. “I will make thee a coffin of gold that is yellow, I'll bury thee under the banks of green willow; I'll bury thee there as becometh a lady, I'll bury thee there, both thou and thy baby.” 15. The sails they were spread, and the wind it was blowing, The sea was so salt, and the tide it was flowing; They steered for the land, and they reach’d the shore O, But the corpse of the maiden had reach’d there before O.

The Banks of Green Willow (from Henry Way - plus Purslow's additions) Staff notation

Oh; it's of a sea cap-tain lived near the sea - side O'. He courted a lady till she prov'd with child O; Crying, "What shall I do, my love, what will become of me? My mother and father they both will disown me." "Go and fetch some of your father's gold and some of your mother's money, And you shall sail the ocean along with your Johnny." So she fetch'd some of her father's gold and some of her mother's money, And she went on board a ship along with her Johnny. She had not been a-salling scarce six weeks nor so many, Before she wanted women's help but could not get any. "Oh', hold your tongue, you silly girl, Oh', hold your tongue my honey, For we cannot get women's help for love nor for money." She had not been a-sailing not miles very many, Before she was deliver'd of a beautiful baby. "Sea captain, sea captain, here's fifty pound for thee, To see me safe back again, both me and my baby." "Oh; no," said the captain, "such things never can be, For 'tis better to lose two lives than it is to lose many." "Oh; come tie a handkerchief over my head, come tie it soft and easy And throw us right overboard, both me and my baby." He's tied a handkerchief over her head, he's tied it soft and easy, And he's thrown them both overboard, both she and her baby. "Don't you see how she swims, my boys, don't you see how her body quivers, She will swim till she comes to the banks of green willow. My love shall have a coffin made of the gold that shines so yellow, And she shall be buried on the banks of green willow. Oh; come toll the bell, come toll the bell, come toll it soft and easy, For the pretty girl is dead and gone who I lov'd so dearly."

The Banks of Green Willow (from Emma Overd - plus Sharp's additions) Staff notation

Go and get your father's good will, and get your mother's money, And sail right o'er the ocean, along with young Johnny. She had not been a-sailing, been sailing many days, O, Before she want some woman's help, and could not get any. Oh hush your tongue, you silly girl, oh hush your tongue, you huzzy For I can do as much for thee as any woman can for thee. Oh, fetch me a silk napkin to tie her head up easy, And I'll throw her overboard, both she and her baby. Oh, they fetched him a napkin and bound her head so easy, And overboard he threw his love, both she and her baby. See how my love do tumble, see how my love do taver, See how my love do try to swim, that makes my heart quaver. Oh, make my love a coffin of the gold that shines yellow, And she shall be buried by the banks of green willow.

Sources:

Books:
Purslow, Constant Lovers p.4
Roud, Upton & Taylor, Still Growing (2003) p.61
Vaughan Williams & Lloyd, Classic English Folk Songs (2003) p.3
Bronson, Traditional Tunes of the Child Ballads 1 pp.298-304
Karpeles, Cecil Sharp Collection 1 p.29
Palmer, Folk Songs Collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams pp.51-52
Sharp, Folk Songs from Somerset 1 pp.28-29, 63-64
Dawney, Ploughboy's Glory p.12
Child, Vol.1 pp.244-247

Further information: