ADD: The Garland (Edwin Waugh/Harry Boardman)

Subject: Lyr Add: THE GARLAND (Edwin Waugh, Harry Boardman)
From: Turlough
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 05:15 AM

Please forgive me if this is already somewhere around here (I couldn't find it in DT or the forum), but I really like this one. I found it in "Folk Songs & Ballads of Lancashire".

THE GARLAND
(Edwin Waugh/Harry Boardman)

'Twas when the dawn of mornin'
began to stir in th'sky
I donned myself to wander
Afore the dew wur dry
To wander in the gay green wood
Reet early I did rove
I could not sleep upon my bed
For thinkin' of my love

Down in a bonny dingle
Where sometimes we did stray
Our vows of love to mingle
At close of summer day
It's there, where oft among her hair
The flowers of spring I've wove
I sat me down to think upon
The girl that I do love

It's there I made a garlan'
My darlin' for to don
And the posies that were in it
They shined like the sun
The dewy posies, wild and sweet
All in the leafy grove
It breaks my heart to think upon
The girl that I do love

The cowslip and the speedwell
With a dewdrop in its e'e –
An' the wild rose, an' the bluebell
They blend so bonnilie
An' the honey-suckle, wandrin' wild
With violets blue, I wove
They made me for to think upon,
The girl that I do love

An' when I poo'd my posies
The small birds they did sing
An' when I wove my garlan'
They made the woods to ring
On every tree, the wild birds' glee
Rang through the leafy grove
As I came away, at dawn of day
Still thinkin' of my love

Oh, the mornin' sun it rises
To cheer my heart's delight
An' the silver moon she wanders
Among the clouds at night
An' the twinklin' stars that look so fine
All in the heavens above
At wark or play, by neet an' day
I'm thinkin' of my love

I also made a MIDI, but I don't know how to put it in here...

And could somebody tell me what "when I poo'd my posies" means, I think it sounds a bit nasty :-)

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Garland
From: nutty
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 05:33 AM

I would translate it as "pulled my posies" meaning "picked my flowers"

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Garland
From: Turlough
Date: 25 Oct 03 - 05:56 AM

Thank you, Nutty, somehow I prefer singing "I pulled my posies" in stead of "I poo'd my posies"... :-)

I also replace "neet" with "night" and "wark" with "work", since I'm not from Lancashire.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Garland
From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK
Date: 24 Apr 24 - 03:58 AM

The lines are from Rochdale 'rambling poet' Edwin Waugh, but does anyone know where the tune is from?

In my mind's ear I'm sure I can hear Anne Briggs singing something to roughly this melody, but I can't for the life of me summon more detail than that.

Any pointers at all on the tune, gratefully recieved!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Garland
From: GUEST,BlackAcornUK
Date: 24 Apr 24 - 04:35 AM

Apologies, I should also have linked to the tune in question:

https://youtu.be/mRZaLqESeso?si=qoZjLizGwSFVMOli

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Garland
From: leeneia
Date: 25 Apr 24 - 06:32 PM

Thank you, Turlough and BlackAcorn. That's a delightful song, and I appreciate getting both lyrics and melody.

Edwin Waugh the poet lived died in 1890, so the lyrics are safely in the public domain.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: The Garland (Edwin Waugh/Harry Boardman)
From: Reinhard
Date: 02 May 24 - 10:57 AM

> The lines are from Rochdale 'rambling poet' Edwin Waugh, but does anyone know where the tune is from?

I got Harry & Lesley Boardman's book "Folk Songs & Ballads of Lancashire" in the post today. It says for "The Garland": Words: Edwin Waugh. Tune: Harry Boardman. Copyright: Maypole Music 1972.