“Cupid's Garden (I) (Covent Garden I; Lovely Nancy III)”

Description

The singer wanders down to (Cupid's/Covent) Garden and meets (lovely Nancy). He asks her if she will marry him. She says she will remain a virgin and/or she has another lover. He hopes to return and marry her

Notes

The versions of this text I have seen are, without exception, confused. The above plot summary is the best I can come up with.

Laws M12, "The Apprentice Boy," displays versions with this title, and both are about sailors and their loves. It's just possible that this is a badly damaged form of the Laws ballad. But I incline to think this is a separate song. - RBW

Broadside LOCSinging sb30414b: J. Andrews dating per _Studying Nineteenth-Century Popular Song_ by Paul Charosh in American Music, Winter 1997, Vol 15.4, Table 1, available at FindArticles site. - BS

Broadsides

  • Bodleian, Harding B 28(40), "Cupid's Garden" or "The 'Prentice Boy," W. Armstrong (Liverpool), 1820-1824; also Firth c.12(291), 2806 c.17(85), Harding B 28(137), Harding B 15(77b), Johnson Ballads 491, "Cupid's Garden", Harding B 20(119) , "Cupid's Garden" or "The Laurel Wear" ("It was down in Covent Garden "), J. Harkness (Preston), 1840-1866, Harding B 28(255), "Laurel Wear" ("Its down in Cupid's garpen [sic] for pleasure I did go")
  • LOCSinging, sb30414b, "The 'Prentice Boy," J. Andrews (New York), 1853-1859; also as111300, as111310, "The 'Prentice Boy"

References

  1. Huntington-Whalemen, pp. 90-92, "Covent Garden"; pp. 92-94, "Cupid's Garden" (2 texts, 1 tune)
  2. Stokoe/Reay, pp. 186-187, "'Twas Down in Cupid's Garden" (1 text, 1 tune)
  3. DT, CUPIDGRD*
  4. Roud #297
  5. BI, SWMS090

About

Author: unknown
Earliest date: 1767 (Journal from the Leopart)
Found in: Britain(England(North)) Canada(Mar)