> Anne Briggs > Songs > Gathering Rushes in the Month of May
> Shirley Collins > Songs > Gathering Rushes in the Month of May
> Steeleye Span > Songs > Underneath Her Apron

Gathering Rushes in the Month of May /
Underneath Her Apron

[ Roud 899 ; Ballad Index DTundrap ; trad.]

Anne Briggs sang Gathering Rushes in the Month of May in 1966 on the Topic theme album The Bird in the Bush: Traditional Erotic Songs. As all of her tracks from this album it was reissued on her two compilations Classic Anne Briggs and A Collection. A.L. Lloyd commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

How many country girls through the centuries have been heartened by the sweet nobility of this song? A girl bears a bastard. She is afraid of her father's displeasure, but her pride in her baby and in the way she got it triumphs over her fear. The song has been common enough (the present set was got in Suffolk in 1937) but no collector thought it fit to publish. Queer lot. It's one of the masterpieces of English love songs. Gathering rushes—used chiefly as floor covering and for basket-making—was traditionally thought propitious for love encounters, no doubt because rushes grew in lonely spots and offer good cover for secret sport.

Shirley Collins sang Gathering Rushes in the Month of May unaccompanied in 1969 on her and her sister Dolly's album Anthems in Eden, next to another song about unwanted pregnancy, Nellie the Milkmaid.

Bob Hart sang this song as Underneath Her Apron in a recording at home in Snape, Suffolk, in July 1972 made by Tony Engle. This was released a year later on his Topic album Songs from Suffolk. An earlier home recording made by Rod and Danny Stradling on July 8, 1969 was included in 2007 on his Musical Traditions anthology A Broadside.

Peta Webb sang Underneath Her Apron in a 1989 recording by John Howson on her 2003 Musical Traditions anthology The Magpie's Nest.

Maddy Prior sang Underneath Her Apron in 1996 on Steeleye Span's album Time. The latter album's sleeve notes commented:

A fifteen year old girl woke her mother at 4 o'clock in the morning with the words “I think I'm going to have a baby, now.” This happened to my personal knowledge within the last ten years. And she shared her room with her sister. She just used a baggy sweater rather than an apron to hide her predicament.

Jon Boden sang Gathering Rushes in the Month of May as the May 8, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Anne Briggs sings Gathering Rushes in the Month of May

A fine young girl all in the month of May,
She was gathering rushes just at the break of day.
But before she's come home she's born a little son,
And she's rolled him underneath her apron.

Well, she cried at the threshold as she coming at the door,
And she folded in her apron the little babe she bore.
Said her father, “Where've you been, my little daughter Jane,
And what's that you've got underneath your apron?”

“Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then,” said she.
“It's only my new gown and that's too long for me.
And I was afraid it would draggle in the dew,
So I rolled it underneath my apron.”

But in the dead of the night, when all were fast asleep,
This pretty little baby, oh, it began to weep.
Said her father, “What's that bird a-crying out so clear
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?”

“Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then,” said she,
“It's just a little bird that fluttered to my knee,
And I'll build for it a nest, and I'll warm it on my breast
So it won't wake early in the May morning.”

But in the third part of the night, when all were fast asleep,
This pretty little baby again began to weep.
Said her father, “What's that baby a-crying out so clear
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?”

“Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then,” said she,
“It's just a little baby that someone gave to me.
Let it lie, let it sleep this night along o' me
And I tell to you its daddy in the May morning.”

“Well, was it by a black man or was it by a brown,
Or was it by a ploughing lad a-ploughing up and down,
That gave to you the stranger you wear with your new gown,
That you rolled up underneath your apron?”

“No, it wasn't by a black man and it wasn't by a brown,
I got it from a ploughing lad that ploughs the watery main.
He gave to me the stranger I wear with my new gown
That I've rolled up underneath my apron.”

“Well, was it in the kitchen got or was it in the hall?
Or was it in the cow-shed or was it in the stall?
I wish I had a firebrand to burn the building down
Where you met with him on a May morning.”

“No, it wasn't in the kitchen got, it wasn't in the hall,
And neither in the cow-shed and neither in the stall.
It was down by yonder spring where the small birds they sing
That I met with him on a May morning.”

Shirley Collins sings Gathering Rushes in the Month of May

It's of three young maidens a-rushing they went,
And a-gathering of rushes it was their intent;
But before one's come home she's born a little son,
And she's rolled it underneath her apron.

So it's home came young Sally with her eyes all full of tears,
“What is it that ails you, my little daughter dear?
And what is it that ails my pretty little Sal?
And what have you got underneath your apron?”

Oh then, “Father, oh father, oh father dear,” said she,
“It is but my new gown that's too long for me,
And I was afraid it would draggle in the dew,
So I rolled it underneath my apron.”

But it's in the first part of the night, when all were fast asleep,
The pretty little baby began for to weep.
Said her father, “What's that a-crying out so shrill
In the room all among the pretty maidens?”

Well then, “Father, oh father, oh father dear,” said she,
“It is but a little baby someone gave to me.
Let it lie, let it lie this night along of me
And I tell to you its daddy in the morning.”

“Well then, was it by a black man got, or was it by a brown,
Or was it by a ploughing lad a-ploughing up and down,
For if I had a sword I would run the villain through,
And leave him to die in the morning.”

“Well, it wasn't by a black man got, it wasn't by a brown,
But it was by a sailor lad that came from London town,
And he left me a posy to wear with my new gown
And I met him early in the May morning.”

“Well then, was it in the kitchen got or was it in the hall?
Or was it in the stable or was it in the stall?
For if I had a brand I would burn the building down
Where you met with your love on a May morning.”

“Well, it wasn't in the kitchen, it wasn't in the hall,
It wasn't in the stable, it wasn't in the stall.
It was down by yonder spring where the small birds they do sing
That I met with my love on a May morning.”

Maddy Prior sings Underneath Her Apron

A pretty young girl all in the month of May,
A-gathering rushes just at the break of day
And before she's come home she has born a little son,
And she's rolled him underneath her apron.

All in the first part of the night, when all were fast asleep,
This pretty little baby, oh, it began to weep.
“Oh what's that little babe that's a-crying out so clear
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?”

“Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then,” said she.
“It's a little bird that my sister gave to me
And I'll build for it a nest, and I'll warm it on my breast
So that it won't wake you early in the May morning.”

All in the last part of the night, when they were fast asleep,
This pretty little baby, again, began to weep.
“Oh what's that little babe that's crying out so clear
In the bedroom among the pretty maidens?”

“Oh father, dear father, it's nothing then,” said she.
“It's just a little baby that someone gave to me
Let it lie, let it sleep this night along o' me
And I tell to you its daddy in the May morning.”

“Oh, was it by a black man or was it by a brown,
Or was it by a ploughing boy that's ploughing up and down,
That gave to you the stranger you wear with your new gown,
That you've rolled up underneath your apron?”

“It wasn't by a black man and it wasn't by a brown
But it was by a sailor lad that ploughs the watery main
And 't was him gave me the stranger that I wear with my new gown
That I've rolled up underneath my apron.”

“Oh, was it in the kitchen got or was it in the hall?
Or was it in the cow-shed or up against the wall?
I wish I had a firebrand to burn the building down
Where you met with him on a May morning.”

“It wasn't in the kitchen got, it wasn't in the hall.
It wasn't in the cow-shed nor up against the wall?
It was down by yonder spring where them pretty birds do sing
That I met with him on a May morning.”