Sally's Garden

Original Track ID

SA1956.172.B11

Original Tape ID

SA1956.172

Summary

In this song a man describes meeting his lover in Sally's garden. He also extols the virtues of the single life, saying a wife will cause grief and worry, whereas a young girl will please a man and keep him warm on a winter's night. His parents are angry with him for keeping company with such a woman, but he threatens to leave the country. He says that whisky has been plentiful, but it has never daunted him, for he is young and the world is wide.

The MacShannons explain that 'Sally's Garden' is between Langholm and Kildavie, near Southend in Kintyre, at the head of Langholm where there is a burn [stream] and fanks [sheepfolds].

Item Notes

4 verses with a chorus after each. Verse 3 is six lines long, all others are four lines. Verses shared between the singers: one sings verses 1 and 2, the other sings 3 and 4. Company joins in the choruses. There appears to be a conflation of two verses in the versions from some of the same singers transcribed in 'Tocher' 11 (1973, pp. 89-90).

This is a version of 'The Rambling Boys of Pleasure' and dates back to at least the 18th century. The presence of the chorus is unusual compared to the well-known Irish versions.

See also:
'The Irish Song Tradition' (Seán O'Boyle, 1976) no. 85

Recording Location

Item Location

Language

English, Scots

Genre

Song Information

Collection

SoSS

Classification

R3819

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good