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The Banks of Sweet Dundee

Date 1953
Track ID 34230
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1953.240.A4

Original Tape ID

SA1953.240

Summary

In this song, Mary loves Willie, a ploughboy. Mary's uncle disapproves and would prefer she marry a squire, to which end he bribes a pressgang to abduct Willie. When the squire tries to take Mary by force, she shoots him dead; her uncle meets a similar end.

Ewan MacColl explains that street ballads such as this one were printed on broadsheets, and are sometimes known as come-all-ye's. They were popular for a period of around 450 years, and recorded many events across the nation. The collectors of the 19th century thought them crude, with Francis Child calling them "a veritable dungheap".

Item Notes

6 verses of 4 lines. This version makes no mention of the happy ending in which Willie returns and the couple marry.

Recorded at the 3rd People's Festival Ceilidh in Edinburgh in 1953.

See:
Greig-Duncan vol. 2, pp. 137-145, no. 224
'Irish Come-all-ye's' (M. O'Conor, 1901) p. 68
'Traditional Tunes' (F. Kidson, 1891) pp. 53-55
'Bothy Songs & Ballads' (J. Ord, 1930) pp. 406-407
'Singing Island' (E. MacColl & P. Seeger, 1960) p. 27
'Kerr's Cornkisters' (W. Kemp, J. S. Kerr, 1950) pp. 42-43
'Vagabond Songs & Ballads' vol. 1 (R. Ford, 1899) pp. 77-80
'Everyman's Book of British Ballads' (R. Palmer, 1980) pp. 177-179
'Folk-Song of the North-East' (G. Greig, K. Goldstein & A. Argo, 1963 reprint) art. LXVI
National Library of Scotland, Broadside Ballad collection, RB.m.143(034) (1880-1900) & L.C. Fol.70(110a) (1880-1900)

Recording Location

County - Midlothian

Parish - Edinburgh

Village/Place - Edinburgh

Item Location

County - Angus

Parish - Dundee

Village/Place - Dundee

Language

English

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R148 GD224 LM25

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Fair