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The Banks of Green Willow

[ Roud 172 ; Child 24 ; Ballad Index C024 ; trad.]

This song from Ralph Vaughan Williams' and A.L. Lloyd's The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs is related to Child 24: Bonnie Annie. Nic Jones recorded it in 1971 for his eponymous album Nic Jones. He commented in his sleeve notes:

I have known this song for some years but have never sung it as none of the many tunes had particularly appealed. Whilst looking at it again in The Folk Song Journals, I began singing it to the present tune, which appears to be a mixture of various phrases that were already in my head.

Martin Carthy sang Banks of Green Willow on his 1972 album, Shearwater. He recorded it again with Jez Lowe for the Fellside anthology A Selection from The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs. An alternate take of this with some more musicians, but with Paul Adams singing instead of Martin Carthy, is on Flash Company. Martin Carthy commented in his original album's sleeve notes:

It's probably due to Vaughan Williams' decision to follow Percy Grainger in using recording techniques to gather songs, that this particular version of The Banks of Green Willow was rescued. He recorded it from an old man in Hampshire and subsequently had great difficulty in transcribing it, so what he wrote is probably only the merest sketch of the tune.

In the early sailing days, a ship which was becalmed was a ship which was bewitched, and the only way out was a sacrifice. A wrongdoer or a woman on board could jeopardise the safety of everyone on board, so if trouble came, the Jonah could expect no mercy and lots were cast to find him out. Once the demon had been exorcised, the ship could continue.

And the A Selection from The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs sleeve notes said:

From Emma Overd, Langport, Somerset; noted in 1904 by Cecil Sharp. Sharp reported the song “very generally sung throughout Somerset.” Ralph Vaughan Williams noted a Hampshire version.

There is a common superstition, older than Jonah, that the presence of a wrong doer aboard ship may make the vessel unmanageable. Disaster may result unless the wrong doer is thrown overboard. In many versions the story seems to have become disordered and the meaning rather obscured. The text gives the brief outline of the plot; the woman robs her parents at her lover's request and then sails away with him. Whilst at sea her baby is born. The sailors fear that someone is flying from retribution. In this version the woman is thrown overboard.

Tony Rose recorded this song in 1976 as title track of his LP On Banks of Green Willow. As this album is no longer available, he re-recorded it in 1999 for his CD Bare Bones. He commented in the original album's sleeve notes:

It was a common superstition, possibly originating with the story of Jonah, that the presence of an evil-doer on board a ship might imperil both vessel and crew, unless the guilty party were sought out and thrown overboard. Such is the theme running through The Banks of Green Willow and Sir William Gower, both of which were collected by Cecil Sharp in Somerset.

Jackie Oates learned The Banks of Green Willow from Tony Rose's album and recorded it in 2006 for her eponymous first album, Jackie Oates.

John Spiers & Jon Boden played Banks of Green Willow on their 2001 CD, Through & Through, and Jon Boden sang in as the July 10, 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day. He commented in the CD sleeve notes:

A version of this nightmarish ballad put together by Martin Carthy using a tune sung by Mr David Clements in 1909 (see A Century of Song, EFDSS) and various texts from Child. This was the first ballad I ever learnt and I didn't get the melody quite right at the time—a mistake which stuck.

Banks of Green Willow was also recorded by Coope Boyes & Simpson in 2005 for their album Triple Echo: Songs collected by Ralph Vaughan Williams, George Butterworth and Percy Grainger.

Lyrics

Nic Jones sings The Banks of Green Willow	Tony Rose sings The Banks of Green Willow
O it's of a sea-captain Down by the sea-side o, And he's courted a young lady And he's got her by child.	O it's of a sea-captain Down by the banks of willow, He's courted a pretty girl Till she proved with child o. She cried, “What shall I do my love? What will become of me? My mother and father, They both will disown me.”
“Go and fetch your father's gold And some of your mother's money, And go all across the ocean, All along with young Johnny.”	“Go fetch me some of your father's gold And some of your mother's money, And you shall sail the ocean along with young Johnny.”
“Now I've got me father's gold And some of me mother's money, And I'll go all across the ocean, All along with young Johnny.”	So she's fetched him some of her father's gold And some of her mother's money, And she has gone aboard a ship Along with young Johnny.
Now they hadn't been a-sailing, No miles not a great many Before she was delivered Of a beautiful baby.	Well they had not been sailing Scarce six weeks nor so many Before she was delivered Of a beautiful baby. “Sea captain, sea captain, Here's fifty pounds for thee To see me safe home again, Me and my baby.” “Oh no,” said the captain, “Such things they never can be. 'Tis better to lose two lives Than 'tis to lose many.”
“Go and fetch a white napkin For to tie me head easy, And throw me quite overboard, Both me and my baby.”	“Then tie the napkin round my head, Come tie it soft and easy, And throw me right overboard, Me and my baby.” So they tied the napkin round her head, They've tied it soft and easy. They've thrown her right overboard, She and her baby.
Now see how she totters, See how she tumbles, And see how she's rolling All upon the salt water.	Don't you see how she swims, my lad, Don't you see how her body quivers? She'll swim till she comes to The banks of green willow.
Go fetch me a longboat For to row me lover back again, For to row me lover back again, Both for her and her baby.
For she shall have a coffin, And the coffin it shall shine yellow, And she shall be buried On the banks of green willow.	And my love shall have a coffin made Of a gold that shines yellow, And she shall be buried On the banks of green willow.

Martin Carthy sings on Shearwater	… and on Penguin Book of English Folk Songs
It's of a sea captain Who lived down by the seaside, oh, And he's courted with a fair maid, And he's got her with child.
Go and get your father's goodwill, And get some of your mother's money, And we'll sail right o'er the ocean Along with young Johnny.	Go and get your father's goodwill, And get your mother's money, Sail right o'er the ocean All along with young Johnny.
Oh she's got her father's goodwill, And she's ta'en some of her mother's money, And she's sailed right o'er the ocean Along with young Johnny.
Now they had not been a-sailing But six weeks or better, Before she needed women And she could not get any.	She had not been a-sailing It wasn't many days, oh, Before she needed women's help And she could not get any.
Oh hold your tongue you silly girl Oh hold your tongue my honey For we cannot get women For love nor for money.
Now they had not been a sailing But seven weeks or better, With our sails high and the sea smooth, But miles we made not any.
Oh there's fay folk in our gallant ship, The captain he cried so boldly, Oh there's fay folk in our gallant ship, She will not sail for me.
So they've cast the black bullets, And they've cursed twice six and forty, And it's oh the black bullet Fell on his dearest honey.
	Oh, fetch me a silk napkin And tie her head up easy, And I'll throw her overboard, Both she and her baby.
Oh he's tied a napkin all round her head And he's tied it round so softly, And he's thrown her right over, Both she and her baby.	Oh they fetched him a silk napkin And he tied her head up easy, And overboard he threw his love, Both she and her baby.
And it's seeing how she doth swim my boys, And it's seeing how she doth swagger, She will never leave off swimming Till she come to some cover.	Oh, see how my love tumble, See how my love do waver, See how she try to swim, That makes my heart quaver.
Oh she shall have a coffin And the nails shall shine yellow And me love she shall be buried On the banks of green willow	Oh, make my love a coffin Of the gold that shines yellow, And she shall be buried On the banks of green willow

Acknowledgements

Martin Carthy's Shearwater version transcribed by Garry Gillard. The other words are from The Penguin Book of English Folk Songs, eds Ralph Vaughan Williams & A.L. Lloyd, Penguin, 1959. Martin Carthy's variations transcribed by Reinhard Zierke.