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Young Banker

There are two Watersons' recordings of Young Banker. The first one is on their 1981 album Green Fields; its title comes from the second line of this song. Another (rare) recording on a Sounds of Yorkshire promotional LP of 1985 is now available on both The Carthy Chronicles and the Watersons' anthology Mighty River of Song.

A.L. Lloyd commented in the Green Fields sleeve notes:

“Banker” sounds grand enough. In fact it was used to describe a man who made embankments, stone walls and such. It's probably not local to Yorkshire, though that is where it has most often been found. This set was noted by Frank Kidson from Mrs Kate Thompson of Knaresborough.

And the Carthy Chronicles sleeve notes comment on the song's second version:

It's no use searching the Watersons' albums and reissues for this track, for it was released on an album put together for Yorkshire and Humberside Tourist Board by Brendan Hearne's Ambisonic Studios! To give a flavour of the variety of the album's 21 tracks, this sits between a prissy version of The Holmfirth Anthem by Holmfirth Choral Society and an 18th century dance tune played on a 1976 Broadwood Piano. The album also featured Yorkshire Relish and the Filey Fisherman's choir, but the author of the original sleeve notes clearly felt the Watersons' presence needed justifying, describing them as “rightly considered to be amongst Britain's finest folk-singers” as well as setting them alongside William Wilberforce as “famous sons and daughters” of Hull.

Young Banker has words collected from a maidservant from the Isle of Axholme near Doncaster, set to a tune which Frank Kidson collected from Kate Thompson of Knaresborough. This particular banker, by the way, is part of the walling and ditching trade and in no way involved in finance. The Watersons' other contribution to the album is Chickens in the Garden, released by them on For Pence and Spicy Ale, and a song regularly featured by the group in live performances. This version was recorded in the living room of their farmhouse.

Jon Boden got Young Banker from the Watersons and sang it as the February 15, 2011 entry of his project A Folk Song a Day.

This YouTube video shows the Wilson Family singing Young Banker at Shrewsbury Folk Festival in 2008:

BACCApella used the tune of Young Banker for their version of The First Nowell on their privately released 1989 album The Haworth Set and on the Free Reed anthology Midwinter.

Lyrics

As I walked out one morning fair,
To view the green fields and take fresh air,
I saw young banker standing there,
And his true love was a lady fair.

Chorus (after each verse):: Young banker he had (such) an handsome face,
(And) all around his hat he wore a band of lace,
Beside such an handsome head of hair,
For my young banker I will go there.

He said me pretty fair maid will you go on deck,
With a chain of gold around your neck,
Whatever you do I will prove true,
But the answer that she gave, I'll have none of you.

Young banker turned around for to go away,
But she called after him for to bid him stay,
Oh stay oh stay and I will prove true,
But the answer that she gave, I'll have none of you.

Now she thought that she heard a foreman say,
Come pack up your clothes and come away,
It pierced her through the very heart,
To think that young banker and her should part.

So come all you pretty fair maids your senses of loss,
Since the day in love you have been crossed,
For you may lament and you may say,
Forever rue the day that you said nay.

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Greer Gilman for the transcription.