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A Pretty Fair Maid

Date August 1953
Track ID 23565
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1953.195.6

Original Tape ID

SA1953.195

Summary

In this broken-token song, a young woman meets a man who offers her wealth and comfort if she will go with him. She refuses, saying she awaits the return of her lover from sea, though she does not know what has become of him. When the man produces one half of a ring that the lovers had as a token, she rejoices, realising he is none other than her lover returned.

This is the first time in twenty years that Jeannie Robertson has sung the song.

Item Notes

Seven verses of four lines, except verse three, which has six. Jeannie Robertson also learned another version of this song from Jean Ritchie, the fieldworker present on this recording, who provided the other version while on a visit to Scotland in the early 1960s.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 5, no. 1038
Ord pp. 326-327
'Jeannie Robertson: Emergent Singer, Transformative Voice' (J. Porter & H. Gower, 1995) pp. 193-195

Language

English

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R264 GD1038 GD1201 LN42

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair