Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship

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  • Teideal (Title): Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship.
  • Uimhir Chatalóige Ollscoil Washington (University of Washington Catalogue Number): 855415.
  • Uimhir Chnuasach Bhéaloideas Éireann (National Folklore of Ireland Number): none.
  • Uimhir Roud (Roud Number): 36.
  • Uimhir Laws (Laws Number): none.
  • Uimhir Child (Child Number): 46.
  • Cnuasach (Collection): Joe Heaney Collection, University of Washington, Seattle.
  • Teanga na Croímhíre (Core-Item Language): English.
  • Catagóir (Category): Song.
  • Ainm an té a thug (Name of Informant): Joe Heaney.
  • Ainm an té a thóg (Name of Collector): Robin Hiteshew.
  • Dáta an taifeadta (Recording Date): 12/12/1981.
  • Suíomh an taifeadta (Recording Location): Philadelphia, United States of America.
  • Ocáid an taifeadta (Recording Occasion): concert (Ancient Order of Hibernians).
  • Daoine eile a bhí i láthair (Others present): Unavailable.
  • Stádas chóipcheart an taifeadta (Recording copyright status): unavailable.

Now, as I said before, women – God bless them – are very clever. But they are clever! This is the story of one woman, she wouldn’t marry anybody unless they could answer her thirteen questions she set in riddles. Now, there’s a line coming into this song, they sing it in song: ‘Meetcheldase1 was a priest unborn’. Now I rode on a horse myself that was never born. The mother, the mare was dead seconds before the foal was taken out… from her, therefore the horse was never born. Meetcheldase was the same way with his mother. His mother died a couple of seconds before he was taken away from his mother, and he eventually became a priest. So when you hear that, don’t think I’m crazy, but that’s the way it was.

Now, this song is sometimes called ‘Captain Wedderburn’s Courtship.’ You had a few verses of this in a song here in America one time, ‘I’ll get my love a cherry,’ or something like that; but this is the old song.

A gentleman’s fair daughter walked down a narrow lane
She met with Captain Wedderburn, he was keeper of the game.
He said unto his servant, ‘If only for the law
I’d have that girl in bed with me, and she’d lie next the wall2.’

‘Oh, go your way, young man,’ she said, ‘and do not bother me
Before you and I on one bed lie you must answer me questions three.
Three questions you must answer me, and I’ll set forth them all;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.

‘For my breakfast you must get for me a cherry without a stone;
For my dinner you must find for me a chicken without a bone;
For my supper you must find for me a bird without a gall;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’

‘A cherry when in blossom surely has no stone;
A chicken when it’s in the egg surely has no bone;
The dove it is a gentle bird, it flies without a gall;
So you and I on the one bed lie, but you’ll lie next the wall.’

‘Ah, go your way, young man,’ she said, ‘and do not me perplex.
Before you and I on the one bed lie you must answer me questions six.
Six questions you must answer me, and I’ll set forth them all;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.

‘What is rounder than a ring? What’s higher than a tree?
What is worse than women’s wrath? What’s deeper than the sea?
What bird sings best? What flower buds first? And on it the dew first fall?
So you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’

‘The world is rounder than a ring; heaven is higher than a tree;
The Devil he’s worse than women’s wrath; Hell is deeper than the sea;
The lark sings best; the heath buds first, and on it the dew first fall;
So you and I on the one bed lie, and you’ll lie next the wall.’

‘You must get for me some winter fruit that in December grew.
You must get for me a silk mantle that weft ne’er went through;
A sparrow’s horn; a priest unborn, who’ll wed us two in twa;
Then you and I on the one bed lie, and I’ll lie next the wall.’

‘My father has some winter fruit that in December grew;
My mother has a silk mantle that weft ne’er went through;
A sparrow’s horn is easily found: there is one on every claw;
And Meetcheldase was a priest unborn; so you’ll lie next the wall.’

This couple they were married, as you may plainly see:
They live happy together, and children they have three.
She set forth the questions; he answered one and all.
He rolled her in his arms, while she lay next the wall.

Notes

1. Melchisidec!

2. On another occasion, Joe explains: ‘In the olden times, the men was so fond of the women, that they put them lying next the wall out of danger. Now, I don’t know did they put them lying next the wall so they couldn’t run away, or because they wanted to protect them. Have it your way! But, they tell me it’s to protect them they did it. Some people still do it! (UW85-54.12-13)

Joe uses this air for other songs in his repertoire; see Glenswilly and The Holly and Ivy Girl.