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The Pretty Ploughboy

[ Roud 186 ; Laws M24 ; Ballad Index LM24 ; trad.]

Harry Cox sang The Pretty Ploughboy in a recording by Peter Kennedy in London in December 1953. This was published on his Rounder CD What Will Become of England?. Another version, recorded by Charles Parker and Ewan MacColl in the mid-1960s, was included on his Topic anthology The Bonny Labouring Boy. Steve Roud commented in the latter album's notes:

A somewhat conventional story-line of faithful and persistent love has not prevented this being an extremely popular song, with versions collected all over England, Scotland, and Ireland, and others in Canada and the USA. The Edwardian collectors, such as Sharp, Merrick, Greig, and Vaughan Williams noted it often, and more recent recordings include those from Walter Pardon and Fred Jordan. It was equally popular on broadsides, with examples from nearly all the well-known 19th century printers, including Catnach and Pitts, which prove its existence in the 1820s, but there is no evidence of it being any older.

Royston Wood sang The Pretty Ploughboy in 1967 on The Young Tradition's second album, So Cheerfully Round. He commented in the album liner notes:

I learned The Pretty Ploughboy from an archive recording of that superb old stylist, Harry Cox. This kind of ballad is a challenge to a singer; it dares you to experiment, to decorate, but gives you plenty of scope to accept its challenge. In this sort of ballad you are a narrator and singer; and to tell the story convincingly is as important as to be able to sing. For a busy suburban revivalist singer, material such as this, from singers of Harry Cox's quality, is a vital part of learning one's trade.

Walter Pardon sang The Pretty Ploughboy in a home recording by Bill Leader on February 12, 1977 on his Leader LP Our Side of the Baulk and in another Bill Leader recording from June 8, 1974 on his Topic CD A World Without Horses.

Eliza Carthy sang and played an abridged version of Pretty Ploughboy in 2002 on her record Anglicana together with John Spiers, melodeon, Jon Boden, fiddle, Barnaby Stradling, acoustic bass, and Donald Hay, drums, percussion, hammer and girders. She commented in the album's sleeve notes:

I love the fact that she grabs him at the end of the song and doesn't let go; not only does she go find her true love and rescue him from the press gang, but she pays for him as well, and we all know how girls are with bargains. Harry Cox sang this.

Note: The Copper Family's The Brisk Young Ploughboy, also sung by the Watersons as The Brave Ploughboy, is quite another song with a harvest supper theme.

Lyrics

Harry Cox sings The Pretty Ploughboy

It's of a brisk young ploughboy, he was ploughing on the plain,
And his horses stood down in yonder shade.
It was down in yonder grove, he went whistling to his plough,
And by chance there he met a pretty maid, pretty maid,
And by chance there he met a pretty maid.

So the song that he sang as they walked along,
“Pretty maid, oh, you are of high degree.
If I should fall in love and your parents they should prove,
Oh, the next thing they would send me to the sea, to the sea,
And the next thing they would send me to the sea.”

So when her aged parents they came for to know
That her love he was ploughing on the plain,
They sent for the press gang and pressed her love away.
And they sent him to the wars to be slain, to be slain,
And they sent him to the wars to be slain.

So she dressed herself up all in that's her best
And her pockets had been well lined with gold.
You should see her trudge the streets with a tear all in her eye.
She was searching for her jolly sailor bold, sailor bold,
She was searching for her jolly sailor bold.

So the first that she met was a jolly sailor bold.
“Have you seen my pretty ploughing boy?” she cried.
“He's just across the deep and he's sailing for the fleet.”
And he said, “My pretty maid, will you ride, will you ride?”
And he said, “My pretty maid, will you ride?”

So she sailed until she came to the ship her love was in
And unto the Captain did complain.
She said, “I'm come in search for my pretty ploughing boy,
Who was sent to the wars to be slain, to be slain,
Who was sent to the wars to be slain.”

So five hundred bright guineas she then did lay down,
And so freely she told them all o'er,
Until she got her pretty ploughboy all in her arms,
And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore, safe on shore.
And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore.

She set those bells to ring and so sweetly she did sing,
Just because she'd saved the lad that she adore, she adore,
Just because she'd saved the lad that she adore.

Royston Wood sings The Pretty Ploughboy

It's of a brisk young ploughboy, was ploughing on the plain,
And his horses stood down in yonder shade.
It was down in yonder grove, he went whistling to his plough
And by chance there he met a pretty maid, pretty maid,
And by chance there he met a pretty maid.

Then this young lad did sing as they walked along,
“Pretty maid, oh, you are of high degree.
If I should fall in love the mind your parents disapprove
And the next thing they would send me to the sea, to the sea,
And the next thing they would send me to the sea.”

And when her aged parents they came for to know
That her love he was ploughing on the plain,
They sent for the press gang and pressed her love away
And they pressed him to the wars to be slain, to be slain,
And they pressed him to the wars to be slain.

So she dressed herself up all in her best
And her pockets had been well lined with gold.
You should see her trudge the streets with a tear all in her eye;
She was searching for her jolly sailor bold, sailor bold,
She was searching for her jolly sailor bold.

So the first man that she met was a jolly sailor bold.
“Have you seen my pretty ploughing boy?” she cried,
“Oh, he's just across the sea and he's sailing for the fleet.”
He said, “My pretty maid, will you ride, you ride?”
He said, “My pretty maid, will you ride?”

So she sailed until she came to the ship her love was in
And unto the Captain did complain.
She said, “I've come in search for my pretty ploughing boy,
Who was pressed into the wars to be slain, to be slain,
Who was pressed into the wars to be slain.”

So four hundred bright guineas she then did lay down,
And so freely she told them all o'er
Until she got her pretty ploughboy all in her arms,
And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore, safe on shore.
And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore.

And she set the bells to ring and so merry she did sing,
Just because she's saved the lad that she adore, she adore,
Just because she's saved the lad that she adore.

Eliza Carthy sings Pretty Ploughboy

It's of a brisk young ploughboy, he was ploughing on the plain,
And his horses stood down in yonder shade.
It was down in yonder grove he went whistling to his plough,
And by chance there he met a pretty maid, pretty maid,
And by chance there he met a pretty maid.

And when her aged parents they both came for to know
That her love he was ploughing on the plain,
They sent for the press gang and sent her love away,
And they sent him to the wars to be slain, to be slain,
And they sent him to the wars to be slain.

So she sailed till she came to the very ship she thought her love lay in
And unto the Captain she did complain.
She says, “I'm come in search for my pretty ploughing boy,
Who was sent unto the wars to be slain, to be slain,
Who was sent unto the wars to be slain.”

So four hundred bright guineas with her hand she did lay down,
And so freely she told them out all o'er,
Until she got her pretty ploughboy all in her arms,
And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore, safe on shore.
And she hugged him till she got him safe on shore.

And she set those bells to ring and so sweetly she did sing,
Just because she saved the lad that she adored, she adored,
Just because she saved the lad that she adored.

Acknowledgements

Eliza Carthy's version was transcribed by Kira White. Thank you!