“There Was an Old Miser”
Description
The old miser's daughter is courted by a sailor. When the miser finds out, he pays a captain to impress the boy. The girl fails to save the boy, but his ship is wrecked and he escapes to shore almost alone. He finds the girl; they are married.
Supplemental text
There Was an Old Miser
Partial text(s)
*** A ***
From Norman Cazden, Herbert Haufrecht, Norman Studer, Folk Songs
of the Catskills, #48, pp. 188-189. From the singing of Walt Wermouth.
There was an old miser in London did dwell,
Had a comely fine daughter, a beautiful girl,
And when this old miser was out of the way,
She was courted by a sailor lad by night and by day.
And when this old miser came this for to know,
Down to a sea captain straight away he did go,
Saying, "Captain, bold captain, I have good news to tell,
I have a young sailor boy in transport to sell.
(6 additional stanzas)
Notes
Although this song shows many similarities to Laws N6 (plus a slight similarity to "William and Harriet," Laws M7), Cazden et al consider the ending sufficiently different that they regard it as a separate ballad. Since the policy of this index is to split rather than lump, here it stands.
Roud, interestingly, lumps it with Laws N10, "The Silk Merchant's Daughter." - RBW
Chris Willett's version on Voice04 and Bodleian broadsides 2806 c.16(16) and Johnson Ballads 572 include the verses in the [Supplemental Tradition text, from Cazden et al] but omit the ending: no shipwreck or happy ending. - BS
Cross references
Broadsides
- Bodleian, 2806 c.16(16), "Old Miser" ("It's of an old miser in London did dwell"), Swindells (Manchester), 1796-1853; also Johnson Ballads 572, "The Old Miser"
Recordings
- Chris Willett, "The Old Miser" (on Voice04)
References
- FSCatskills 48, "There Was an Old Miser" (1 text, 1 tune)
- ST FSC048 (Partial)
- Roud #3913
- BI, FSC048