Faithless Nancy Dawson

Subject: Faithless Nancy Dawson
From: Alan.Ackerman
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 09:03 PM

We do an English country dance called Faithless Nancy Dawson to the tune A-Roving. (It is indexed here as A-ROVIN' (1).) The question came up on the ECD list of where the name of the dance came from. I would have guessed it was in the lyrics soemwhere, but it is not, and I cannot find it in the threads here. (See, for example, Maid from Amsterdam -- very entertaining.) Any ideas?

Subject: RE: Faithless Nancy Dawson
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 09:26 PM

From The Fiddler's Companion:

FAITHLESS NANCY DAWSON. AKA and see "A-Rovin." English, Country Dance Tune (4/4 time). D Major. Standard. One part. The title may refer to the Nancy Dawson who was a famous stage dancer in London in the 1760's. Barnes (English Country Dance Tunes), 1986. Laufman (Okay, Let's Try a Contra, Men on the Right, Ladies on the Left, Up and Down the Hall), 1973; pg. 27 (appears as "A-Roving").

On the "Nancy Dawson" song & tune, see The South Riding Tune Book.

Subject: RE: Faithless Nancy Dawson
From: masato sakurai
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 09:37 PM

And see also notes to EPPIE MARLY in the DT.

Subject: RE: Faithless Nancy Dawson
From: GUEST,Me
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 09:52 PM

DT's Eppie Marley and notes is from Murrary Shoolbraid, and reliable. For Nancy Dawson song (in Universal Magazine, 1760) see Scarce Songs 2 at www.erols.com/olsonw, were the earlier version of the tune, "Piss upon the Grass", and "Miss Dawson's Hornpipe" are given as ABCs. Reported, but not yet verified, is that the song "Nancy Dawson" is George Alexander Stevens.

Subject: RE: Faithless Nancy Dawson
From: Alan.Ackerman
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 09:52 PM

Just looked up A-Rovin' in Stan Hugill's Shanties from the Seven Seas. It gives under version (d), the additional verse:

In Number One New England Square,
Me Nancy Dawson she lives there.

Not Faithless Nancy Dawson, but close.

His verse 20 in version (a) is:

Now when I got back from sea,
A soger had her on his knee.

Which is certainly faithless!

Subject: RE: Faithless Nancy Dawson
From: toadfrog
Date: 29 Aug 03 - 10:06 PM

Little Nancy Dawson
Haul 'em away!
Got her flannel drawers on!
Haul 'em away!
Says our poor old bos'n,
Haul 'em away!
And a holy heigh ho!
Haul 'em away!