> Martin Carthy > Songs > A Cornish Young Man

A Cornish Young Man

[ Roud 595 ; Ballad Index K132 ; trad.]

Cyril Tawney sang A Cornish Young Man on his 1970 Argo album A Mayflower Garland. He commented in his sleeve notes:

Not such a “Cornish” song as the title suggests, but a more generally distributed folk song whose first line is not always so specific. This version was sung to Cecil Sharp in April 1904 by Frederick Crossman of Huish Episcopi, Somerset.

Martin Carthy sang A Cornish Young Man in 1988 as a bonus track of his Right of Passage CD, but not on the original LP.

Rubus sang Cornish Young Man in 2008 on their CD Nine Witch Knots. Emily Portman commented in their liner notes:

Here's a story about a man who goes in search of his dream woman and finds her, without the help of speed dating or the internet. Cecil Sharp collected this melody from a Mrs Harriet Young of West Chinnock, Somerset, just down the road from my hometown of Glastonbury. Though we never discover whether this Cornish lad's love is reciprocated I like to believe that they live happily ever after.

Lyrics

Martin Carthy sings A Cornish Young Man

A Cornish young man he dreamed a dream
The most beautiful girl in the nation
No coucil he'll take but a journey he'd make
Into England to seek this fair creature

For seven long years he sought her all about
Till he came to the place where he met her
He opened the door and she stood in before
She's just some poor labouring man's daughter

Oh, I never saw you but once in my life
And that was a dream, love, lie by me
And now that I find you there's tears in my eyes
And I hope that you never deny me

Oh, what is the matter, young man, she replied
That you seem so afraid of denial
Although I am poor, I will never be whore
So put me not under no trial

No whore should you be, no any such thing
So take this sweet kiss as a token
For love, oh my dear, is a stone in a sling
And it's hard to believe when its spoken

Oh, take up this ring and a guinea in gold
And between us never let it be broken
For love, oh my dear, is a stone in a sling
And it's hard to believe till its spoken

Acknowledgements

Transcribed by Reinhard Zierke