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Meeting Is a Pleasure / Courting is a Pleasure

[ Roud 454 ; Ballad Index R749 ; trad.]

Lal and Norma Waterson sang Meeting Is a Pleasure in 1977 on their album A True Hearted Girl. A live recording from the Knaresborough Folk Club in 1982 was released in 2004 on the Watersons' 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song. It was also sung by Norma, Lal and Eliza Carthy on the Waterson:Carthy CD Common Tongue (There is no credit for Lal on this track on the CD insert, but I am sure she is singing). Martin Carthy commented in the latter album's sleeve notes:

One of the locations which yielded rich pickings for the turn-of-the-century collector was the town workhouse, and Cecil Sharp met Mr Thomas Downey in the Marylebone Workhouse (where he met several wonderful singers) and learned, among other songs, Meeting Is a Pleasure, a most Irish sounding piece. Hard to believe that the workhouse system survived until the 1950s and looks like making a comeback, sooner rather than later.

Nic Jones sang a version called Courting Is a Pleasure on his last LP, Penguin Eggs. This recording was also included in the Topic anthology The Folk Collection. And Kate Rusby sang Courting Is a Pleasure in 1995 on her and Kathryn Roberts' eponymous CD, Kate Rusby & Kathryn Roberts.

Lyrics

Lal and Norma Waterson sing Meeting Is a Pleasure	Nic Jones sings Courting Is a Pleasure
Meeting is a pleasure Between you, my love, and I; And it's down in yonder valley I'll meet you by and by.	Courting is a pleasure Between my love and I; And it's down in yon green valley I'll meet her by and by. It was down in yon green valley She is my heart's delight: “Molly, lovely Molly, I will stay till broad daylight.”
As I roved out last Sunday My love he passed me by, And I knew his love was altered By the roving of his eye.	Going to church last Sunday, My true love she passed me by. I knew her mind was altered By the roving of her eye.
Yes I knew his love was altered To a girl of high degree, Saying, “Johnny, lovely Johnny Your looks have a-wounded me.”	Well I knew her mind was altered To a lad of high degree: “Molly, lovely Molly, Your looks have wounded me.”
I will send my love a bottle And I'll fill it to the brim Saying, “Drink my love as a token, There's a wager lies between.”	Up came her love Willy With a bottle in his hand, Saying, “Drink this, lovely Molly, For our love will never stand.”
Saying, “Drink my love to the bottom; Let the bottom be for me. One guinea lies in a wager That married we ne'er will be.	Saying, “Drink this, lovely Molly, Let the bottle flask go free. Ten guineas I'll wager, That married we ne'er shall be.”
For whenever you meet with a pretty girl With a dark and a roving eye, You must kiss her and embrace her Till she tells you the reason why.	Never marry a fair young maid With a dark and a roving eye. Just you kiss her and you embrace her, Never tell her the reason why.
You must kiss her and embrace her Till she causes your heart to yield; For there's never a faint-hearted soldier Can win on a battlefield.”	Just you kiss her and you embrace her Till you cause her heart to yield; For a faint-hearted soldier Will never gain the field. Farewell, Ballymonie, Likewise the sweet Bann shore. Farewell unto McCusky[?] braes, Will I never see more. America lies far away, That land I will go see; And may all bad luck attend the one Who parted my love and me.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Greer Gilman for the transcription from Lal & Norma Waterson's singing.