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My Love Has Listed / The White Cockade

[ Roud 191 ; Ballad Index StoR068 ; trad.]

Bob Davenport sang My Love Has 'Listed on his 1959 Collector EP Geordie Songs and in 1965 as The White Cockade on the EFDSS LP Folksound of Britain. Reg Hall commented in the first album's sleeve notes:

My Love Has 'Listed has one of the commonest themes found in country songs. It tells of the fortunes of a girl and her young man who leaves her to join the army. In Southern England we call this The White Cockade.

Mureen Craik sang The White Cockade in 1965 on her Topic album with Harry Boardman and the Watersons, New Voices. The sleeve note commented:

This song, also called It was one summer morning is deep-rooted in Maureen's native Tyneside. As early as 1821, Blackwood s Magazine printed it in a version received from Thomas Doubleday, a Newcastle soap boiler and fiery radical who was also an excellent collector of Northumbrian song (the fine Captain Rover is one of his discoveries). The Yorkshireman Frank Kidson noted a version of The White Cockade (not quite so good as this one) from his mother who heard it sung in Leeds about 1820. The tune is probably older than the words, which belong to the closing years of the eighteenth century.

The Watersons sang The White Cockade a year later on their album A Yorkshire Garland. This track was reissued on the Early Days CD and in 2004 on the Watersons' 4CD anthology Mighty River of Song. On the same anthology is a live performance by the Watersons (Lal, Mike, Norma & Rachel Waterson, and Martin Carthy) from the Whitby Folk Week in August 1990, which has been published previously in 1991 on the Whitby Festival 25th anniversary cassette From the Humber to the Tweed. Another live recording from the Kertalg Folk Festival in 1974 was released on the LP Kertalg 74.

A.L. Lloyd commented in the Early Days sleeve notes:

More than a hundred years ago this song was being spoken of as “a favourite with the peasantry in every part of England but more particularly in the mining districts of the North”. A soap-boiler and vitriol manufacturer, Thomas Doubleday (who was also a fine pioneer folk song collector) heard it sung by a street ballad singer in Newcastle and he sent a copy to Blackwood's Magazine, who published it in 1821. Every version found since then is so close to Doubleday's, that it looks as if the song's early appearance in print quite fixed its form for ever. Frank Kidson noted a version from his mother “who heard it sung in Leeds about the year 1820”, but it's the Newcastle set, word for word, and note for note. More or less identical is this present version, an amplification of a set found in Yorkshire by Nigel and Mary Huddleston.

Both comments do not mention that the tune My Love Has Newly 'Listed that Doubleday submitted to Blackwood's Magazine did not accompany the verses discussed here but the song The Snow It Melts the Soonest.

Louis and Sally Killen sang The White Cockade unaccompanied in 1975 on their LP Bright Shining Morning. Louis Killen commented in the album's sleeve notes:

Learned from a private issue recording made by Douglas and Mary Huddleston, folklorists of the Cleveland Hills, of four men in a pub in Robin Hood's Bay, York. This version has missing some of the verses found in Frank Kidson's collection, and the loss of the first of the verses condemning the man “who enlisted him” causes some unconscious humour, and confusion as to who is being bawled out. It was from these same four men that the Huddlestons collected the now well-known Grimbsy song Three Score and Ten.

Words and music of The White Cockade are also in The Copper Family Song Book; a Bob Copper recording is on the Folktrax cassette Come All You Bold Britons - The Copper Family 1.

The Witches of Elswick sang this song as The Blue Cockade in 2003 on their first album, Out of Bed. They commented in their liner notes:

Cock aids come in may colours, ours is blue and orange courtesy of Mr Msikatt, a former tenant of the minging flat where the Witches were spawned.

Jon Boden sang The White Cockade as the June 29, 2010 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

Lyrics

The Watersons sing The White Cockade

'Tis true, my love's enlisted and he wears a white cockade.
He is a handsome young lad likewise a roving blade.
He is a handsome young lad, just right to serve a king.
𝄆 Oh my very 𝄇 heart is breaking all for the loss of him.

As I roved out one morning, as I wandered over yon moors
I had no thoughts of 'listing till a soldier did me cross.
He kindly did invite me to take a flowing bowl.
𝄆 He advanced 𝄇 me the money two guineas and a crown.

My love is tall and handsome and comely for to see
but by a sad misfortune a soldier now is he.
May the man that first enlisted him not prosper night and day!
𝄆 How I wish that 𝄇 he may perish all in the foaming spray!

And may he never prosper and may he never thrive
on that he puts his hands to as long as he's alive!
May the very ground he treads upon the grass refuse to bloom
𝄆 Since he'as been my, 𝄇 only cause of my sorrow grief and gloom!

She's then pulled out her handkerchief to wipe her flowing tears.
Wipe up, wipe up them mournful tears, likewise them mournful sighs!
And be you of good courage till I return again!
𝄆 You and I love, you and I love, you and I love, you and I love
Will be married when I return again.

The Copper Family sing The White Cockade

'Twas on one summer's morning as my love walked over the plain,
He had no thought of enlisting when a soldier to him came,
Who so kindly invited him to drink the ale that's brown,
𝄆 He advanced 𝄇 him a shilling all to fight for the Crown.

So now my love has enlisted and he wears a white cockade,
He is a handsome young man, likewise a roving blade,
He is a handsome young man and he's going to serve the King,
𝄆 Oh, my very 𝄇 heart is breaking all for the loss of him.

Oh, may he never prosper and may he never thrive
With anything he takes in hand, this world while he's alive,
May the very ground he walks upon the grass refuse to grow,
𝄆 Since he's being 𝄇 the only cause of my sorrow, grief and woe.

He pulled out his pocket handkerchief to wipe her flowing tears,
He said, My dear, dry up those tears likewise those mournful sighs,
Be you of good courage stout and bold while I march over the plain,
𝄆 Then I'll marry 𝄇 you, my dearest, when I return again.

The Witches of Elswick sing The Blue Cockade

Twas on one Monday's morning as I crossed over the moss,
I little thought of listing till the soldiers did me cross.
The company enticed me to drink their health all round,
𝄆 And the bounty 𝄇 they gave me, five guineas and a crown.

My head was full of drink, love, and I didn't think of you,
And now I'm forced to go and join the orange and the blue.
Our ship she waits at anchor to take the flowing tide.
𝄆 I'll return love 𝄇 in the spring time I'll make you my bride.

So early the next morning, before the break of day,
The captain gave his orders and my love marched away.
All in your ranks and files, boys, all on your native shore,
𝄆 Fare ye well love, 𝄇 you're the lad that I adore.

Well I hope you never prosper and I hope you always fail
At everything you venture, I hope you ne'er do well.
And the very ground you walk upon, may the grass refuse to grow,
𝄆 Since you've been the 𝄇 very cause of all my sorrow, grief and woe.

Well, it's true my love is 'listed and he wears the blue cockade.
He is a handsome young man, likewise a roving blade.
He is a handsome young man, but he's gone to serve his king
𝄆 While my very 𝄇 heart is breaking all for the love of him.

Acknowledgements

Transcribed from the singing of The Watersons by Garry Gillard, with thanks also to Wolfgang Hell. Thanks to Roger Packwood for information about the Copper's recording. The Copper's version is from The Copper Family Song Book.