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Pleasant and Delightful / A Sailor and His True Love

[ Roud 660 ; Ballad Index DTplesde ; trad.]

Sam Larner sang Pleasant and Delightful in a recording by Ewan MacColl and Peggy Seeger made in 1958-60. This was published in 1961 on his Folkways Records album Now is the Time for Fishing (later released on CD on the Topic label).

Charlie Bate sang How Pleasant and Delightful in a concert presented by the EFDSS at the Royal Festival Hall, London on June 4, 1965, later published on the album Folksound of Britain.

Cyril Poacher sang this song as A Sailor and His True Love in a recording by Tony Engle and Keith Summers in the singer's home, Grove Farm, Blaxhall, Suffolk, made in 1974. This was published in 1975 on his Topic LP The Broomfield Wager: Traditional Songs from Suffolk. A later recording made by Ginette Dunn in 1975 was included in 2004 on his posthumous Musical Traditions CD Plenty of Thyme.

Louis Killen sang Pleasant and Delightful in a midnight folk concert in London in May 1963 which was recorded by Decca for the LP Hootenanny in London. He recorded it again in 1968 for his 1973 LP Sea Chanteys and he and Sally Killen sang Pleasant and Delightful in 1975 on their LP Bright Shining Morning. Louis Killen commented in that album's sleeve notes:

When I was nine years of age my older brothers used to sing the first chorus of this song in three part harmony. Where they got it from I do not know, nor do they remember, but they would sing it “ad nauseam”, me too! It was another sixteen years before I found the rest of the words and tune, sung by Sam Larner of Winterton, Norfolk. Not long after I'd learned it, my friend Paul Carter, now of Bristol, presented me with this tune, to the same set of words, but much sweeter to harmonise.

And in 2001, Louis Killen sang this song live at the 22nd Annual Sea Music Festival at Mystic Seaport.

And Shirley Collins' sang Pleasant and Delightful as part of her and her sister Dolly's Song Story which was one half of both their albums Anthems in Eden and Amaranth.

Jon Boden sang this song with the title The Larks They Sang Melodious as the midsummer's day (June 24) 2010 entry to start his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

Louis Killen sings Pleasant and Delightful

It was pleasant and delightful on a midsummer's morn
And the green fields and the meadows were all covered in corn;
And the blackbirds and thrushes sang on every green spray
And the larks they sang melodious at the dawning of the day,
And the larks they sang melodious (3x) at the dawning of the day.

Now a sailor and his true love were a-walking one day.
Said the sailor to his true love, “I am bound far away.
I'm bound for the East Indies where the load cannons roar
And I'm bound to leave you Nancy, you're the girl that I adore,
And I'm bound to leave you Nancy (3x) you're the girl that I adore.”

Then the ring from off her finger she instantly drew,
Saying, “Take this, dearest William, and my heart will go too.”
And as they were embracing tears from her eyes fell,
Saying, “May I go along with you?” “Oh no, my love, farewell,”
Saying, “May I go along with you?” (3x) “Oh no, my love, farewell,”

“Fare thee well my dearest Nancy, no longer can I stay,
For the topsails are hoisted and the anchors aweigh,
And the ship she lies waiting for the fast flowing tide,
And if ever I return again, I will make you my bride,
And if ever I return again (3x), I will make you my bride.”