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Newport Street
Oxford City / Worcester City / Newport Street
[Trad.]
This song of a woman poisoned by her jealous lover is printed as Oxford City in Ralph Vaughan Williams and A.L. Lloyd's The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. Joseph Taylor sang it in 1908 under the title Worcester City. This was recorded on wax cylinders by Percy Grainger and published in 1972 on the LP Unto Brigg Fair. The LP's sleeve notes say:
This song is most commonly known by the alternative titles, Oxford City - The Cup of Poison or Jealousy though it appears on many broadsides under the title of In --- Town - a device to allow for localization. For other variants see HGG, SLM, VWLP, GNE, REC, GCSM and the following broadsides: P, C, H, F, Bi Fo, WM, HP, PB, JB etc. Sound recordings: BBC 18581 BBC 22738, C-le 1, FTA 102, TC 1163, 12T138, 12T195.
Eliza Carthy learned Worcester City from the singing of Joseph Taylor and recorded it for her CD Anglicana. She commented in her album sleeve notes:
I first heard Joseph Taylor when my Dad played me Creeping Jane, another of his songs. He was the first traditional singer to have a commercial release after Percy Grainger recorded him and put out Brigg Fair on a wax cylinder. I always loved his voice and style, singing to me from 1908; don't ever let anyone tell you that traditional singers know nothing about music or performance! In the story I think that if I was her I'd have clocked him and tried to get back to his house and the antidote, rather than giving him the satisfaction of dying in his arms… might not have been as good a story, but Steven Spielberg might have been with me.
Nic Jones sang another version called Newport Street on his 1978 album From the Devil to a Stranger. He gives the Journals of the Folk Song Society as source.
Lyrics
| Joseph Taylor sings Worcester City | Eliza Carthy sings Worcester City |
|---|---|
|
In Worcester City there lived a damsel |
In Worcester City there lived a damsel |
|
She loved him too, but at a distance; |
She loved him true, but at a distance; |
|
Then a short time after, this fair young damsel, |
By a young master, this fair young damsel |
|
As she was dancing all with another |
As she was dancing all with another |
|
Then quickly he prepared some poison, |
Oh, quickly he prepared some poison, |
|
A little after this fair young damsel, |
A little after this fair young damsel, |
|
As they was walking along together, |
As they was walking along together, |
|
“And I have drunk of the same, my jewel, |
“And I have drunk of the same, my jewel, |
| Nic Jones sings Newport Street | |
|
In Newport Street it was reported: | |
|
He says, “My dear, let us get married! | |
|
She says, “Kind sir, let us consider, | |
|
But then he saw her dancing with some other, | |
|
She drank the wine and then she halted, | |
|
As they were walking home together |
Acknowledgements
Trascribed from the singing of Eliza Carthy by Reinhard Zierke based on Joseph Taylor's version as transcribed by Garry Gillard.