THE GYPSY LADDIE

'"The Gypsy Laddie"' (Roud 1, Child 200, also known as '"Black Jack Davy"' and 'The Raggle Taggle Gypsies' among many other titles) is a traditional folk ballad, possibly written about 1720. The ballad has since been used and recorded many different times in many different variations in Scotland, England, the United States, Canada, and Ireland.

Contents

History

Description

Alternate titles

Recordings

Broadsides

Cross references

See also

External links

History

Francis James Child's acclaimed compilation, the five volume ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882-1898)'', provides an excellent history on this ballad. ''The Gypsy Laddie'' is ballad number 200 in the collection, and he describes that the printed versions of this ballad probably date back to at least 1720. The earliest known printing was in Tea Table Miscellany (1740). Lady Casslilles Lilt (aka Johnny Faa, the Gypsiey Laddie) is in the Skene Manuscripts which holds documents from the 17th century.[1]
In 1624, Gypsies were banished from Scotland. According to sleevenotes by Alex Campbell, Lady Jean Hamilton, wife of the sixth earl of Doon, fell in love with Sir John Fall. Sir John led a band of sixteen (not seven) men to abduct her. They were caught and hanged on the "Dool Tree" in 1643. And yet .... the Skene MSS (c. 1630) contains the earliest known version of this ballad. An Irish language version called 'An Spailpín Fánach' has an Irish Traveller in place of a Gypsy.

Description

The song tells of a Gypsy who tries, successfully, to charm the unmarried daughter of a squire. He promises her wealth and she goes off with him. When the squire comes home and discovers what has happened he rides off in search of her. After a long chase he finds her. The final encounter is where the daughter refuses to come home, saying "What care I for your fine feather sheets".
In other versions she is married, and her lord comes home to find his lady "gone with the gypsy laddie." He saddles his fastest horse to follow her. He finds her and bids her come home, asking "would you forsake your husband and child?"; she will not return, preferring the cold ground and the gypsy's company to her lord's wealth and fine bed.
In another version the gypsy has six brothers, and when the squire has caught up with them he has all seven of the raggle taggle Gypsies hung. In some versions the gypsy turns out to be genuinely wealthy. The song "Lizzie Lindsay" has a similar theme. Robert Burns adapted the song into "Tibby Dunbar", a shorter version of the story.
Although the hero of this song is often called "Johnny Faa" or even "Davy Faa," he should not be confused with the hero/villain of "Davy Faa (Remember the Barley Straw)." [Silber and Silber mis-identify all their texts] as deriving from "Child 120," which is actually "Robin Hood's Death." According to "The Faber Book of Ballads" this name was common among Gypsies in the 17th century.

Alternate titles

★ "Black Jack Davy"

★ "Black Jack Davey"

★ "Black Jack David"

★ "Blackjack David"

★ "Clayton Boone"

★ "The Gypsy Davy"

★ "The Gypsy Rover"

★ "Johnny Faa"

★ "Davy Faa"

★ "The Raggle Taggle Gypsies"

★ "The Wraggle Taggle Gypsy"

★ "The Lady and the Gypsy"

★ "Harrison Brady"

★ "Gypson Davy"

★ "Gypsy Davey"

★ "Black-Eyed Davy"

★ "The Heartless Lady"

★ "Egyptian Davio"

★ "It Was Late in the Night"

★ "When Johnny Came Home"

★ "The Gyps of Davy"

★ "The Dark-Clothed Gypsy"

★ "Seven Yeller Gypsies"

Recordings

#
★ Cliff Carlisle, "Black Jack David" (Decca 5732, 1939)
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★ Carter Family, "Black Jack David" (Conqueror 9574, 1940)
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★ Woody Guthrie, "Gypsy Davy" (on ''A Treasury of Library of Congress Field Recordings'', 1941)
#
★ O. J. Abbott, "The Gypsy Daisy"
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★ John Jacob Niles, "The Gypsy Laddie" (on ''Sings American Folk Songs'', ?1956)
#:(on ''Irish and British Songs from the Ottawa Valley'', 1961, recorded 1957)
#
★ Pete Seeger, "Gypsy Davy" (on ''Pete Seeger Sings American Ballads'', 1957)
#
★ Harry Jackson, "Clayton Boone" (on ''The Cowboy: His Songs, Ballads & Brag Talk'', 1957)
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★ Burl Ives "Tibby Dunbar" (on ''In the Quiet of the Night'', 1958)
#
★ Mary Jo Davis, "Black Jack Davy" (on ''Folk Music U.S.A.'', 1959)
#
★ Harry Cox, Jeannie Robertson, Paddy Doran [composite] "The Gypsy Laddie" (as "The Gypsie Laddie"),
#:(on ''Folk Songs of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales: Classis Ballads of Britain and Ireland, vol 2'', 2000, originally issued in shorter form in 1961)
#
★ Margaret MacArthur, "Gypsy Davy" (on ''Folk songs of Vermont'', 1963)
#
★ Maire Aine Ni Dhonnchadha, "The Gypsy-O"
#:(on ''Traditional Music of Ireland, vol 2: Songs and Dances from Down, Kerry and Clare'', 1963)
#
★ Lawrence Older, "Gypsy Davy" on ''Adirondack Songs, Ballads and Fiddle Tunes'', 1963
#
★ New Lost City Ramblers, "Black Jack David"
#:(on ''The New Lost City Ramblers, vol 4'', 1962);
#:(also "Black Jack Daisy" (on ''Remembrance of Things to Come'', 1966)
#
★ Jean Ritchie, "Gypsy Laddie"
#:(on ''British Traditional Ballads in the Southern Mountains, vol 1'', 1961)
#
★ Warren Smith, "Black Jack David" (Sun 250, mid-1950s)
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★ The Highwaymen, "Gypsy Rover" (1961)
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★ The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Maken, "Whistling Gypsy" (1960s)
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★ Barbara Dane, "Gypsy Davy" on ''When I was a Young Girl''", (1961)
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★ The Corries "Whistling Gypsy" on ''The Promise Of The Day'' (1965)
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★ Shirley Collins, "Seven Yellow Gypsies" (on ''Power of the True Love Knot'', 1967)
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★ Martin Carthy, "Seven Yellow Gypsies" (on ''Prince Heathen'', 1969)
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★ Fotheringay, "Gypsy Davey" (on Fotheringay, 1970)
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★ Incredible String Band, "Black Jack Davy" (on ''I Looked Up'', 1970, note - this version is original, written by Mike Heron but tells a similar story as the others)
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★ Christy Moore, "Raggle Taggle Gypsies" (on ''Prosperous'', 1972)
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★ Planxty, "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" (on ''Planxty'', 1973)
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★ Arlo Guthrie, "Gypsy Davy" (on ''Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys'', 1973)
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★ Taj Mahal, "Blackjack Davey" (on ''Mo'Roots'', 1974)
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★ Wizz Jones, "Gypsy Davey" (on ''Lazy Farmer'', 1975)
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★ Steeleye Span, "Black Jack Davy" (on All Around My Hat, 1975)
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★ Kevin Roth, "Black Jack Davy" (on ''Kevin Roth Sings and Plays Dulcimer'', 1975)
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★ Dillard Chandler, "Black Jack Daisy"'
#:(on ''The End of an Old Song'', 1975)
#
★ Tannahill Weavers, "Gypsy Laddie" on ''Are Ye Sleeping Maggie'' (1976)
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★ Dolores Keane, "Seven Yellow Gypsies" (on ''There Was A Maid'', 1978)
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★ The Bully Wee Band "Tibby Dunbar" (on ''Madmen of Gotham'' 1981)
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★ Golden Bough, "Black Jack Davy" (on ''The Boatman's Daughter'' (1983).
#
★ Bob Dylan, "Blackjack Davey" (on ''Good as I Been to You'', 1992)
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★ Cordelia's Dad, "Gypsy Davy" (on ''Comet'', 1995)
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★ Sandra And Nancy Kerr, "Seven Yellow Gypsies" (on ''Neat and Complete'', 1996)
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★ Rapalje "Raggle Taggle Gypsy" (on ''Into Folk'', 1998)
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★ Dave Alvin, "Blackjack David" (on ''Blackjack David'', 1998)
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★ The White Stripes, "Black Jack Davey" (on ''Seven Nation Army'', 2003)
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★ Harem Scarem "Tibby Dunbar" (on ''The Birnam Witch Project'', 2005)
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★ Nic Jones, "Seven Yellow Gypsies" (on ''Game Set Match'', 2006)

Broadsides

★ Bodleian, Harding B 11(1446), "Gypsy Laddie," W. Stephenson (Gateshead), 1821-1838; also Harding B 11(2903), "Gypsy Loddy"; Harding B 19(45), "The Dark-Eyed Gipsy O"; Harding B 25(731), "Gipsy Loddy"; Firth b.25(220), "The Gipsy Laddy"; Harding B 11(1317), "The Gipsy Laddie, O"; Firth b.26(198), Harding B 15(116b), 2806 c.14(140), "The Gipsy Laddie"; Firth b.25(56), "Gypsie Laddie"

★ Murray, Mu23-y3:030, "The Gypsy Laddie," unknown, 19C

★ NLScotland, L.C.Fol.178.A.2(092), "The Gipsy Laddie," unknown, c. 1875

Cross references

★ cf. "The Roving Ploughboy" (theme, lyrics, tune)

See also

★ "The Raggle Taggle Gypsy"

External links

★ "The Wraggle Taggle Gispies-O" melody and lyrics

★ Origins: "The Raggle-Taggle Gypsy" at The Mudcat Cafe