"The Butcher’s Boy" or "The Butcher Boy" (

Laws Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vari ...

P24,

Roud The Roud Folk Song Index is a database of around 250,000 references to nearly 25,000 songs collected from oral tradition in the English language from all over the world. It is compiled by Steve Roud (born 1949), a former librarian in the London ...

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is an American folk song derived from traditional English

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

s. Folklorists of the early 20th century considered it to be a conglomeration of several English

broadside ballads A broadside (also known as a broadsheet) is a single sheet of inexpensive paper printed on one side, often with a ballad, rhyme, news and sometimes with woodcut illustrations. They were one of the most common forms of printed material between th ...

, tracing its stanzas to "Sheffield Park", "The Squire's Daughter", "A Brisk Young Soldier", "A Brisk Young Sailor" and " Sweet William (The Sailor Boy)" and " Died for Love". Steve Roud describes it as, "One of the most widely-known 'forsaken girl' songs in the American tradition, which is often particularly moving in its stark telling of an age-old story." In the song, a butcher’s apprentice abandons his lover, or is unfaithful toward her. The lover hangs herself and is discovered by her father. She leaves a suicide note, which prescribes that she be buried with a turtle dove placed upon her breast, to show the world she died for love. This narrative use of the turtle dove is derived from Old World symbolism; it is analogous to the folksong interment motif of a rose, briar, or lily growing out of the neighboring graves of deceased lovers. In this respect, "Butcher's Boy" is related to the ballads "

Earl Brand "Earl Brand" ( Child 7, Roudbr>23 is a pseudo-historical English ballad. Synopsis The hero, who may be Earl Brand, Lord Douglas, or Lord William, flees with the heroine, who may be Lady Margaret. A Carl Hood may betray them to her father, but the ...

", " Fair Margaret and Sweet William", " Lord Thomas and Fair Annet", " Barbara Allen", and " Lord Lovel". Commercial recordings have been made by

Kelly Harrell Kelly Harrell (September 13, 1889 – July 9, 1942) was an American country music singer in the 1920s. He recorded more than a dozen songs for OKeh and Victor Records and wrote songs which were recorded by other artists, including Jimmie Rodger ...

, by Buell Kazee (frequently re-issued, notably in the Anthology of American Folk Music) and by

The Blue Sky Boys The Blue Sky Boys were an American country music duo consisting of the brothers Earl Bolick (November 16, 1919 – April 19, 1998) and Bill Bolick (October 28, 1917 – March 13, 2008), whose careers spanned over forty years. Biography The brother ...

Variations

In some versions of the story, the heroine is impregnated by her lover before being abandoned. In others, he leaves her for a woman who is wealthier than she. The final line of the song often differs between some versions. For example, some lyrics include "till cherries grow on an apple tree." The location of the song also varies in certain versions; some set the song in More Street, or London City. The ballad has been popularly covered by commercially successful artists.

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

followed the text of Buell Kazee, and therefore changed the title to "The Railroad Boy".

Tommy Makem Thomas Makem (4 November 1932 – 1 August 2007) was an internationally celebrated Irish folk musician, artist, poet and storyteller. He was best known as a member of the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. He played the long-necked 5-string banj ...

learned the version sung by his mother

Sarah Makem Sarah Makem (18 October 1900 – 20 April 1983) a native of Keady, County Armagh, Northern Ireland, was a traditional Irish singer. She was the wife of fiddler Peter Makem, mother of musicians Tommy Makem and Jack Makem, and grandmother of ...

, and recorded it both on a solo album and with

The Clancy Brothers The Clancy Brothers were an influential Irish folk music group that developed initially as a part of the American folk music revival. Most popular during the 1960s, they were famed for their Aran jumper sweaters and are widely credited with popu ...

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

also recorded the song, and Sinéad O'Connor recorded it for the soundtrack of the film ''The Butcher Boy''. The ballad's tune is used for the American song "

The Ballad of the Green Berets "The Ballad of the Green Berets" is a patriotic song in the ballad style about the United States Army Special Forces. It is one of the few popular songs of the Vietnam War years to cast the military in a positive light and in 1966 became a major h ...

" by

Barry Sadler Barry Allen Sadler (November 1, 1940 – November 5, 1989) was an American soldier, singer/songwriter, and author. Sadler served as a Green Beret medic, achieving the rank of Staff Sergeant. He served in the Vietnam War from late December 1964 ...

Recordings

"Butcher's Boy" 1925. *

Henry Whitter William Henry Whitter (April 6, 1892 – November 17, 1941) was an early old-time recording artist in the United States. He first performed as a solo singer, guitarist and harmonica player, and later in partnership with the fiddler G. B. Grayso ...

"Butcher Boy" 1925. *

Vernon Dalhart Marion Try Slaughter (April 6, 1883 – September 14, 1948), better known by his stage name Vernon Dalhart, was an American country music singer and songwriter. His recording of the classic ballad "Wreck of the Old 97" was the first country song ...

"The Butcher's Boy" 1927 * Jeff Calhoun "The Butcher Boy" 1927. *

Carson Robison Carson Jay Robison ( – ) was an American country music singer and songwriter. Although his impact is generally forgotten today, he played a major role in promoting country music in its early years through numerous recordings and radio appear ...

"The Butcher Boy" 1928. * Bradley Kincaid "Butcher Boy" 1928. * Buell Kazee "The Butcher's Boy (The Railroad Boy)" 1928. Vocal solo with 5-string banjo. Original Issue Brunswick 213A (032) * Buell Kazee "The Butcher's Boy" recorded in New York: January 16, 1928. Included on ''Anthology of American Folk Music: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings'' 1997. * Ephraim Woodie & The Henpecked Husbands "The Fatal Courtship" 1929. *

"The Butcher's Boy" 1940. *

Peggy Seeger Margaret "Peggy" Seeger (born June 17, 1935) is an American folk singer. She has lived in Britain for more than 60 years, and was married to the singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl until his death in 1989. First American period Seeger's father ...

"The Butcher Boy" on ''Songs of Courting and Complaint'' 1955. *

"The Railroad Boy" on ''Joan Baez Volume 2'' 1961. *

"The Butcher Boy" on ''Songs of Tommy Makem'' 1961. * Vern Smeiser "The Butcher's Boy" 1963 on ''Art of Field Recording Volume 2''. *

The Goldebriars The Goldebriars were an American folk quartet in the early 1960s, most notable for including a young Curt Boettcher as a guitarist and vocalist. The group also included two sisters, Dotti and Sheri Holmberg, with Ron Neilson as lead guitarist and ...

"The Railroad Boy" 1964 on ''The Goldebriars''. *

with

"The Butcher Boy" on ''

Recorded Live in Ireland ''Recorded Live in Ireland'' is a 1965 album of Irish folk songs performed by The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. It was the first live album to be recorded in stereo in Ireland. It was their sixth LP for Columbia Records and, unusually for ...

''.1965. *

"The Butcher Boy" 1967 on

The Voice of the People ''The Voice of the People'' is an anthology of folk songs produced by Topic Records containing recordings of traditional singers and musicians from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The series was first issued in 1998 as 20 CDs, compiled by Dr ...

: ''Sarah Makem: The Heart Is True''. * Caroline Hughes "The Butcher Boy" 1968 on

: ''I'm A Romany Rai''. *

Ryan's Fancy Ryan’s Fancy was an Irish folk music group active from 1971–1983. The band consisted of multi-instrumentalists Denis Ryan, Fergus O'Byrne, and Dermot O'Reilly, all of whom were Irish immigrants to Canada. History 1967–1970: Early year ...

"The Butcher Boy" on ''Newfoundland Drinking Songs'' 1973. *

"The Butcher Boy" on ''Caroline'' 1995. * Sinead O'Connor "The Butcher Boy" on ''The Butcher Boy'' (soundtrack) 1997. * Lambchop "The Butcher Boy" on ''

Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

'' 2000. *

Dave Van Ronk David Kenneth Ritz Van Ronk (June 30, 1936 – February 10, 2002) was an American folk singer. An important figure in the American folk music revival and New York City's Greenwich Village scene in the 1960s, he was nicknamed the "Mayor of Ma ...

"The Butcher Boy" on ''Dave Van Ronk: The Mayor of MacDougal Street'' 2005. *

Lau Lau or LAU may refer to: People * Lau (surname) * Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien * Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab * LAU (musician): Laura Fares Places * Lebane ...

"Butcher Boy" on

Lightweights and Gentlemen ''Lightweights and Gentlemen'' is the debut studio album by folk band Lau, released on March 19, 2007. Track listing ''All tracks arranged by Kris Drever, Martin Green and Aidan O'Rourke'' # "Hinba" - 5:07 #* "Hinba" (O'Rourke) #* "Funny Weath ...

2007. * Elvis Costello "The Butcher's Boy" on ''The Harry Smith Project: Anthology of American Folk Music Revisited'' 2006. *

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

and Natalie Merchant "The Butcher's Boy" on ''Folk Songs'' (Kronos Quartet album) 2017. *

Susanna Wallumrød Susanna Karolina Wallumrød (born 23 June 1979 in Kongsberg, Norway) is a Norwegian vocalist, known for her low key original songs. She is the sister of the drummer Fredrik Wallumrød and the pianist Christian Wallumrød, cousin of the pianist D ...

"Go Dig My Grave" on ''Go Dig My Grave'' 2018.

References

External links

Butcher's Boy at the Folk Music Index
{{DEFAULTSORT:Butchers Boy Irish folk songs 1926 singles Year of song unknown American folk songs Songwriter unknown