Question about English Folk songs

Subject: Question about English Folk songs
From: Georgiansilver
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 05:36 PM

Having enjoyed many years of English Folk music...some of which is very traditional. I have noticed that there were a lot of women through the years that only had one breast...."And on her breast he found"" in the Sailors Lament for example...also there seem to have been a profusion of boys and men called "Willy". "It was willy what got drownded in the deep blue sea"....Buzzer's blowin willy lad" etc etc. Can anyone please explain these phenomenoms.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: masato sakurai
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 10:06 PM

"Willie" has been discussed at Why so many Willies?.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: MMario
Date: 19 Apr 04 - 10:12 PM

Breast (in the singular) can refer to the bosom in general - not just a single teat.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST, Mikefule
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 02:35 AM

I'm reminded of the Kipper Family's lyric, "She had a dark and a roving eye, and another one quite similar."

I think "breast" referring to a single fleshy thoracic protrusion is a fairly modern idea. Breast used to be singular, referring to the chest of a man or woman.

There are many good old fashioned English words for what we now call "breasts", but they are deemed to be less dignified terms. (Tits, dugs, paps, etc.)

Willy probably became a euphemism for penis long after the folk songs were written. Again, I'm reminded of a literary allusion: if Jane Austen had her time again, the protagonist of Mansfield Park would probably not have been called Fanny.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 04:27 AM

According to the late Hamish Imlach the hero/villain was often a buthchers boy, sometimes a butchers boy called Willie.
eric

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Gurney
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 04:46 AM

As Vin Garbutt has pointed out, sailors were often sad, on account of their sweetheart's left behind.
must have been a lot of buttockectomies in those days.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 04:52 AM

Her long dark hair hung round her breast - lowlands, lowlands away my John.
The hair was false, so was the rest - lowlands away.


Once when the late Stan Hugill was a bit tipsy, we got quite a few verses like that from him.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Lighter
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 07:39 AM

Dave Bryant, can you recall any of those extra verses?

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 08:13 AM

if Jane Austen had her time again, the protagonist of Mansfield Park would probably not have been called Fanny.

I can't see Jane Austen changing a name just to hand over a perfectly good name to the giggly bunch. Too much like surrender. After all her brother was a sailor.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: JennieG
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 10:19 PM

"After all her brother was a sailor."
Probably called Willy.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 20 Apr 04 - 10:48 PM

At least two: Francis and Charles. Francis made Admiral, and Charles was involved in the suppression of the slave trade, I gather. There is some suggestion that the young Charles was the model for Fanny Price's sailor bother William, so there is a connection of a sort.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST,confused school girl
Date: 02 May 04 - 03:54 PM

well good stuff but i cant really write that in my music book can i !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST,con fused school girl
Date: 02 May 04 - 03:56 PM

me again what songs did they not talk about dicks and tits in?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 02 May 04 - 04:08 PM

Confused, see thread 62913, "The Queen's Ass." Queen's Ass

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Ed.
Date: 02 May 04 - 04:14 PM

You can write anything you wish in your music book.

To avoid annoying others, I'd suggest that not placing 30 punctuation marks after each message, might help. Defining your question more clearly wouldn't go amiss.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: GUEST
Date: 02 May 04 - 04:19 PM

Ooh, touchy, touchy. Lighten up, Ed. (correctly punctuated you will note).

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Ed.
Date: 02 May 04 - 04:23 PM

I'm hardly being 'touchy' Whatever. I have better things to do

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Megan L
Date: 02 May 04 - 04:29 PM

fishings good in here then.

Subject: RE: Question about English Folk songs
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 03 May 04 - 04:29 AM

Ed, did you really count those punctuation marks ? very sad.
eric