The Paisley Officer

Contributors

Lynch, Janet Gibson, 1907-? (2540)

Fieldworkers

Henderson, Hamish, 1919-2002 (10)

Date June 1967

Track ID 21016

Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1967.147.B16

Original Tape ID

SA1967.147

Summary

Fragment of a soldier's ballad.

Item Notes

Opening verse and fragments of second verse only. In this song, an officer meets a young shepherdess. They fall in love, and when he must leave to fight in war, she dresses up as a soldier and goes with him. He is killed in the fight, and she is killed protecting his body.

This song is usually known as 'The Paisley Officer' or 'India's Burning Sands'. The characters are usually Henry, an officer from Paisley, and Mary, a shepherdess.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 1, no. 185

Recording Location

County - Wigtownshire

Parish - Wigtown

Village/Place - Bladnoch

Language

English

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair