“The Merman (Pretty Fair Maid with a Tail)”
Description
The crew is waiting for a breeze to carry them south when a merman appears with a shout. The ship's anchor has stopped his front door! The merman reveals that he is a sailor who was washed overboard. Having married a mermaid, he grew a tail
Cross references
- cf. "Down in the Diving Bell (The Mermaid (II))" (plot)
- cf. "Change Islands Song" (plot)
- cf. "Married to a Mermaid" (theme of marrying a mermaid)
Broadsides
- Bodleian, Firth c.26(152), "The Merman", T. Pearson (Manchester), 1850-1899
References
- Laws K24, "The Merman (Pretty Fair Maid with a Tail)"
- Greenleaf/Mansfield 64, "The Pretty Fair Maid with a Tail" (1 text, 1 tune)
- Harlow, pp. 131-133, "The Merman" (1 text)
- Ranson, pp. 30-31, "The Merman" (1 text)
- DT 564, MERMAN
- Roud #1898
- BI, LK24