Nottamun Town

Last updated

Nottamun Town, also known under other titles such as "Nottingham Fair" and "Fair Nottamon Town" (Roud # 1044) is an American folk song. Although sometimes suggested to be an English song of medieval origin brought to North America during the early colonial era and preserved in oral tradition, and still described as such in some popular works, it is more likely derived from popular 18th and 19th century printed broadsides, with the most likely immediate precursor being the 19th century "Paddy's Ramble to London". [1] [2]

Contents

The British musicologist Cecil Sharp collected the best-known version of the song in 1917 in the area of the Eastern Kentucky Coalfield. [2] Josiah Combs had previously collected it in the same area, and other versions were found later in the century by Creighton in Nova Scotia, by Randolph in Missouri, and even in New Jersey. [1] However, very closely related songs, such as the stage comedy song "The Old Grey Mare", were in fact well-known in print form in America during the 19th century. [3] [4]

Lyrics

Nearly all modern versions of the song are based on the version recorded in the 1950s by Jean Ritchie, the text of which was originally collected by Sharp in 1917 from the singing of Ritchie's older sister Una. [5] Modern versions often include lyrics (such as the phrase "mule roany mare" and the first two lines of the fifth verse) first introduced, and later copyrighted, by Jean Ritchie herself: [5]

In fair Nottamun Town, not a soul would look up
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down
Not a soul would look up, not a soul would look down
To show me the way to fair Nottamun Town
I rode a grey horse, a mule roany mare
Grey mane and grey tail, green striped on his back
Grey mane and grey tail, green striped on his back
There weren't a hair on her but what was coal black
She stood so still, She threw me to the dirt
She tore-a my hide, and she bruised my shirt
From saddle to stirrup I mounted again
And on my ten toes I rode over the plain
Met the King and the Queen and the company more
Came a riding behind and a walking before
Come a stark naked drummer, a-beating a drum
With his heels in his bosom come marching along
They laughed and they smiled, not a soul did look gay
They talked all the while, not a word they did say
I bought me a quart to drive gladness away
And to stifle the dust, for it rained the whole day
Sat down on a hard, hot cold frozen stone
Ten thousand stood round me yet I was alone
Took my hat in my hand, for to keep my head warm
Ten thousand got drowned that never was born

Although Ritchie believed the song had only been preserved in her family, [5] very similar versions were known locally only a few years earlier. The Kentucky song collector Josiah Combs found a text printed in 1910 in a chapbook Wehman Bros' Good Old-Time Songs, No. 1 as "Fair Nottingham Town", and collected a nearly identical oral version in 1910 from State Senator Hilliard Smith, including additional stanzas, under the title "Fair Nottamon Town": [6]

As I went down to Nottamon fair
I rode a stone horse they called the gray mare;
She had a green list down her back:
And there wasn't a hair but what was coal black.
She stood still, but she threw me in the mud
She daubed my hide and bruised my shirt,
From saddle to stirrup I mounted her again,
And on my ten toes rode over the plain.
I met the king and the queen and a company more
A-riding behind and walking before,
And a stark naked drummer a-beating his drum,
With his heels in his ass a-marching along.
I asked them the way to fair Nottamon town,
They were so mad not a soul look-ed down-
They were so mad not a soul look-ed down
To tell me the way to fair Nottamon town. [lower-alpha 1]
When I got there, no one could I see,
They all stood around a-looking at me;
I called for a quart to drive gladness away,
To stifle the dust - it had rained the whole day.
I sat on a cold hot frozen stone,
Ten thousand standing 'round me, yet I was alone;
Ten thousand got drownded before they were born,
I took my hat in my hand to keep my head warm.
Then I'll take my black horse and a-fishing I'll go,
A-fishing I'll go, whether or no;
My fish they turned over, my wagon did spill -
I'll sell my gray mare - I'll be damned if I will!
The first girl I have, it shall be a boy,
Returned to the house of my first joy;
The first house I live in, it shall be a hog-pen,
And what-in-the-hell will become of me then?

Origins

There has been a great deal of speculation on the song's origins and meaning; its reference to Nottingham has been taken to suggest an origin in England. One often stated theory, originally suggested to Ritchie by EFDSS director Douglas Kennedy, is that it is of medieval origin and derives from a song associated with an English Mummers' play, which often featured absurd topsy-turvy imagery, though Ritchie was unable to find records supporting this. [7] [5] A second is that it might refer to the English Civil War, in which Charles I of England raised his first army around Nottingham: a popular theme at the time with diarists and pamphleteers was 'The World Turned Upside Down'. [5]

However, there is no particular evidence of any 'hidden' meaning in "Nottamun Town", and broadly similar "songs of marvels and lies" are very common; "Nottamun Town" appears to be a late example [8] and no evidence has been found supporting a connection with mumming or Nottingham itself. [5]

A more likely interpretation is that the words of "Nottamun Town" and other American versions ultimately derive from the early 18th century broadside "Teague's Ramble", or "Teague's Ramble to the Camp", a story of an Irish soldier travelling to England which includes a series of very similar contradictions and absurdities. [9] "Teague's Ramble" and various imitations were printed in several English or Scottish broadsides of c.1740, as well as in Boston, Massachusetts as early as 1748; [10] its tune was used to set a number of other songs and was performed "with variations" on the Dublin stage in 1750. [11] The song was one of a large number of the period mocking the Irish, [12] although its subject matter of an Irishman joining the King's army at Salisbury Plain and references to "Holland's Genever" suggest it may specifically originate as an anti-Catholic satire on the Revolution of 1688, when there were rumours of Irish armies being sent to England.

By the early 19th century a popular broadside version called "Paddy's Ramble to London" was circulating in America, and probably formed the source for "Nottamun Town". [2] The text was adapted by singers to include local or topical references, such as the phrase "ten thousand drownded" apparently added in reference to the 1889 Johnstown Flood: [6] another version has the gray mare attending the Battle of Bull Run. [6]

Versions

Other than mid 19th century printed versions such as "The Old Grey Mare", [13] variants similar to Ritchie's were collected elsewhere in America during the 20th century. These include "Nottingham Fair", a version collected in 1941 in Walnut Shade, Missouri from the singing of Charles Ingenthron; a 1969 version from the Ozarks, "Adam Ham Town", from the singing of Ollie Gilbert; [14] and another collected from Bill Jackson, a migrant worker in California in 1941, "That Awkward Old Song". [15] A variant was even collected in Newfoundland under the title "Paddy Backwards". However, most commercial versions postdating the American folk-music revival, such as the well-known versions recorded by Fairport Convention and Bert Jansch, derive from Jean Ritchie's version. Shirley Collins and Davy Graham’s 1964 recording, an important addition to the second British folk revival, likewise bears a close similarity to Ritchie’s. [16]

The melody of the same version was used by Bob Dylan for his 1963 song "Masters of War" on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan . [17] Dylan's interpretation influenced John Lennon's song Working Class Hero. Iain Matthews used the melody for his song "So Many Eyes" on the 1996 album God Looked Down. However, there was previously a reference in Second Spring (1969) on the track "Southern Comfort" written by Sylvia Tyson.

The British folk artist Steve Tilston has recorded a version with contemporary lyrics on his 2011 album 'The Reckoning'; The English folk trio Lady Maisery recorded a version of this song, 'Nottamun Fair', which appears on their 2011 album Weave and Spin. Cats Laughing recorded the song on Another Way to Travel, and John Langstaff recorded it on the album of the same name. LISTENBEE also produced a house version of the song in 2015, which samples the original recording by Jean Ritchie. English folk duo Jacob & Drinkwater included a version on their 2019 album, This Old River.

Notes

  1. ↑ Combs' source forgot part of the stanza and simply reversed and repeated its first two lines, but earlier printed versions suggest the missing lines were "The drums they did rattle and the people did stare / T'see a coach and six horses drawn by a gray mare" (Randolph, 1992, p.304)

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbara Allen (song)</span> Traditional ballad

"Barbara Allen" is a traditional folk song that is popular throughout the English-speaking world and beyond. It tells of how the eponymous character denies a dying man's love, then dies of grief soon after his untimely death.

<i>The Freewheelin Bob Dylan</i> 1963 studio album by Bob Dylan

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album Bob Dylan had contained only two original songs, this album represented the beginning of Dylan's writing contemporary words to traditional melodies. Eleven of the thirteen songs on the album are Dylan's original compositions. It opens with "Blowin' in the Wind", which became an anthem of the 1960s, and an international hit for folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary soon after the release of the album. The album featured several other songs which came to be regarded as among Dylan's best compositions and classics of the 1960s folk scene: "Girl from the North Country", "Masters of War", "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" and "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right".

"Lily of the West" is a traditional British and Irish folk song, best known today as an American folk song, listed as number 957 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The American version is about a man who travels to Louisville and falls in love with a woman named Mary, Flora or Molly, the eponymous Lily of the West. He catches Mary being unfaithful to him, and, in a fit of rage, stabs the man she is with, and is subsequently imprisoned. In spite of this, he finds himself still in love with her. In the original version, the Lily testifies in his defense and he is freed, though they do not resume their relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ebernoe Horn Fair</span>

Ebernoe Horn Fair is held in the small Sussex village of Ebernoe, the location of which is about five miles north of Petworth. The fair is held annually on Saint James's Day, 25 July. The tradition is centuries old though it appears to have been revived in 1864 after a long lapse. The celebration is held on the village common and the main attraction is a cricket match between Ebernoe and a nearby village. Towards the end of the day the highest scoring batsman is presented with a set of horns. These are taken from a sheep which has been roasted during the day. It is thought the presentation of horns is associated with the custom of dressing up with horns as a symbol of cuckoldry. Centuries ago horn fairs were boisterous events where cuckoldry and seduction would not be unknown. The practice of dressing up with horns is alluded to in the traditional Horn Fair Song. The old saying All's fair at Horn Fair probably originates from such events. In days gone by it seems that Ebernoe Fair was often beset by thunderstorms. However, the storms were taken as a good luck sign and farmers would look forward to a good harvest. The absence of a storm would suggest the crops would fail. Ebernoe Horn Fair was also the day on which gardeners were reminded to sow their spring cabbages.

Reynardine is a traditional English ballad. In the versions most commonly sung and recorded today, Reynardine is a werefox who attracts beautiful women so that he can take them away to his castle. What fate meets them there is usually left ambiguous.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean Ritchie</span> American folk singer, songwriter and musician (1922–2015)

Jean Ruth Ritchie was an American folk singer, songwriter, and Appalachian dulcimer player, called by some the "Mother of Folk". In her youth she learned hundreds of folk songs in the traditional way, many of which were Appalachian variants of centuries old British and Irish songs, including dozens of Child Ballads. In adulthood, she shared these songs with wide audiences, as well as writing some of her own songs using traditional foundations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silver Dagger (song)</span> Traditional song performed by Joan Baez

"Silver Dagger", with variants such as "Katy Dear", "Molly Dear", "The Green Fields and Meadows", "Awake, Awake, Ye Drowsy Sleepers" and others, is an American folk ballad, whose origins lie possibly in Britain. These songs of different titles are closely related, and two strands in particular became popular in commercial Country music and Folk music recordings of the twentieth century: the "Silver Dagger" version popularised by Joan Baez, and the "Katy Dear" versions popularised by close harmony brother duets such as The Callahan Brothers, The Blue Sky Boys and The Louvin Brothers.

"The Elfin Knight" is a traditional Scottish folk ballad of which there are many versions, all dealing with supernatural occurrences, and the commission to perform impossible tasks. The ballad has been collected in different parts of England, Scotland, Ireland, the US, and Canada. As is the case with most traditional folk songs, there have been countless completely different versions recorded of the same ballad. The first broadside version was printed before 1674, and the roots of the song may be considerably older.

Skewball was the name of an 18th-century British racehorse, most famous as the subject of a broadsheet ballad and folk-song.

"The Parting Glass" is a Scottish traditional song, often sung at the end of a gathering of friends. It has also long been sung in Ireland, where it remains popular and has strongly influenced how it is often sung today. It was purportedly the most popular parting song sung in Scotland before Robert Burns wrote "Auld Lang Syne".

"Masters of War" is a song by Bob Dylan, written over the winter of 1962–63 and released on the album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the spring of 1963. The song's melody was adapted from the traditional "Nottamun Town." Dylan's lyrics are a protest against the Cold War nuclear arms build-up of the early 1960s.

"Geordie" is an English language folk song concerning the trial of the eponymous hero whose lover pleads for his life. It is listed as Child ballad 209 and Number 90 in the Roud Folk Song Index. The ballad was traditionally sung across the English speaking world, particularly in England, Scotland and North America, and was performed with many different melodies and lyrics. In recent times, popular versions have been performed and recorded by numerous artists and groups in different languages, mostly inspired by Joan Baez's 1962 recording based on a traditional version from Somerset, England.

"The Lass of Roch Royal" is Child ballad number 76, existing in several variants.

"Fair Margaret and Sweet William" is a traditional English ballad which tells of two lovers, of whom either one or both die from heartbreak. Thomas Percy included it in his folio and said that it was quoted as early as 1611 in the Knight of the Burning Pestle. In the United States, variations of Fair Margaret have been regarded as folk song as early as 1823.

"Seventeen Come Sunday", also known as "As I Roved Out", is an English folk song which was arranged by Percy Grainger for choir and brass accompaniment in 1912 and used in the first movement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' English Folk Song Suite in 1923. The words were first published between 1838 and 1845.

The Suffolk Miracle is Child ballad 272 and is listed as #246 in the Roud Folk Song Index. Versions of the ballad have been collected from traditional singers in England, Ireland and North America. The song is also known as "The Holland Handkerchief" and sometimes as "The Lover's Ghost".

"Let Me Die in My Footsteps" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan in February 1962. The song was selected for the original sequence of Dylan's 1963 album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, but was replaced by "A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall". This version was recorded at Columbia studios on April 25, 1962, during the first Freewheelin' session, and was subsequently released in March 1991 on The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 1961–1991.

"The Cuckoo" is a traditional English folk song, also sung in the United States, Canada, Scotland and Ireland. The song is known by many names, including "The Coo-Coo", "The Coo-Coo Bird", "The Cuckoo Bird", "The Cuckoo Is a Pretty Bird", "The Evening Meeting", "The Unconstant Lover", "Bunclody" and "Going to Georgia". Lyrics usually include the line : "The cuckoo is a pretty bird, she sings as she flies; she brings us glad tidings, and she tells us no lies."

"The Unfortunate Lad", also known as "The Unfortunate Rake", is a traditional folk ballad, which through the folk process has evolved into a large number of variants, including the country and western song Streets of Laredo.

Transportation ballads are a genre of broadside ballad some of which became an important part of the folk song traditions of Britain and Ireland. They concern the transportation of convicted criminals firstly to the American colonies and then to penal colonies in Australia. Transportation ballads were published as broadsides,. Many have passed into the folk tradition and have been collected subsequently from traditional singers.

References

  1. 1 2 Randolph, V (1992) Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore: Roll me in your arms, Volume 1, University of Arkansas Press, pp.304
  2. 1 2 3 Hal Rammel (1990) Nowhere in America: The Big Rock Candy Mountain and Other Comic Utopias, University of Illinois Press, p. 84
  3. ↑ The Old Grey Mare, Library of Congress, American Song Sheets Series 3 Volume 3
  4. ↑ Journal of American Folklore, Vol. 52 (1939) p.66
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fair Nottamun Town, Roger McGuinn's Folk Den, accessed June 01, 2019
  6. 1 2 3 Randolph, V (1992) Unprintable Ozark Folksongs and Folklore: Roll me in your arms, Volume 1, University of Arkansas Press, p.303
  7. ↑ Harvey (2001) The Formative Dylan: Transmission and Stylistic Influences, 1961-196, Scarecrow Press, p.69
  8. ↑ Gilchrist, Anne. (1940). "The Song of Marvels (or Lies)", Journal of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, IV, 2, p.113
  9. ↑ Teague's Ramble to the Camp , Isaiah Thomas Broadside Ballads Project, accessed June 1, 2019
  10. ↑ Boorstin, D. (1964) The Americans: the colonial experience, Vintage Books, p.321
  11. ↑ Greene (2011) Theatre in Dublin, 1745–1820: A Calendar of Performances, Lehigh University Press, p.180
  12. ↑ Sanjek, A. (1988) American popular music and its business: the first four hundred years, OUP, p.368
  13. ↑ E.g. the version in "The Shamrock, or Songs of Old Ireland", The Universal Book of Songs and Singer's Companion (1864) New York: Dick and Fitzgerald, iv p.29
  14. ↑ E.g. Adam Ham Town , sung by Ollie Gilbert, Mountain View, Arkansas on August 8, 1969; Max Hunter Song Collection, Missouri State, accessed June 01, 2019
  15. ↑ Jackson, Bill. That Awkward Old Song . Arvin FSA Camp, CA, 1941
  16. ↑ Shirley Collins and Davy Graham, “Nottamun Town,” Folk Roots, New Routes (Decca, 1964).
  17. ↑ Clinton Heylin, Revolution in the Air: The Songs of Bob Dylan, 1957-1973, p. 116
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.