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The Stonecutter Boy / The Bricklayer's Dream

[ Roud 971 ; Ballad Index DTstoneb ; trad.]

The Stonecutter Boy is a variant of The Bricklayer's Dream as collected by Frank Purslow from Daniel Wigg, Hants in 1907 and published in his book Marrow Bones.

Anne Briggs sang The Stonecutter Boy in 1966 on the theme album The Bird in the Bush: Traditional Erotic Songs. As all of her four songs on this album it was reissued on her two compilations Classic Anne Briggs and A Collection. A.L. Lloyd commented in the original recording's sleeve notes:

Seemingly local to the South of England, this song, without wasting a word on description, sets us in a dremy landscape on a golden summer evening when the quarrymen are drifting home with the powder of stone-dust on their clothes. Cecil Sharp noted a version but never printed it; perhaps because, to polite people of his day, the idea of girls actually enjoying sexual intercourse was offensive. Too good for the working classes?

Lloyd himself recorded The Stonecutter Boy in the same year for his own album The Best of A.L. Lloyd. He commented in his album's sleeve notes:

A love-song from the stone-quarry of the English south. Without wasting a word on description it sets us in a dreamy landscape on a golden summer evening when the men drift home from work with the powder of quarry-dust on them. A young fellow meets a girl and both are delighted with their chance encounter. The song has not appeared in print, I believe.

Jon Boden sang The Stonecutter Boy as the July 21, 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Anne Briggs sings The Stonecutter Boy

It's of a brisk stonecutter boy returning from his work,
A pretty girl appeared on his side.
He said, “My dearest dear,
If you rest a moment here,
I'll tell you what I dreamed about last night, last night,
I'll tell you what I dreamed about last night.”

It was under an oak that they sat themselves down.
And this young girl she gave a little scream.
And what they done I'll miss,
I'll leave you all to guess.
But it seems she got the content of his dream, of his dream,
It seems she got the content of his dream.

Well, this young girl, she then arose and she smoothed down her clothes.
So nimbly she stood on the plain.
She said, “My dearest sweet,
Next time that we meet,
I hope you tell me that dream over again, over again,
I hope you tell me that dream over again.”

A.L. Lloyd sings The Stonecutter Boy

It's of a brisk stonecutter boy returning from his work,
A young girl she appeared on his side.
And he said, “My dearest dear,
If you rest a moment here,
I'll tell you what I dreamed about last night, last night,
I'll tell you what I dreamed about last night.”

It was under an oak that they sat themselves down.
And this young girl soon gave a little scream.
And what they done I'll miss,
Well I'll leave you all to guess.
But she surely had the content of his dream, of his dream,
She surely had the content of his dream.

This young girl she arose and she smoothed down her clothes.
And so nimble there she stepped on the plain.
And she said, “My dearest sweet,
Well the next time that we meet,
I hope you'll tell that dream over again, over again,
I hope you'll tell that dream over again.”