song selection 3
Title Page of Baring-Gould’s ‘Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes’
Song selection 3 – Children’s Songs
There are a number of children’s songs in the Baring-Gould collection – some collected from children, some remembered from children’s nurses and sent to Baring-Gould, and some remembered by the old singers from their own childhoods. Baring-Gould published the texts of a number of these in A Book of Nursery Songs and Rhymes published in 1895.
The artwork for this beautiful book was by A.J. Gaskin and his students at the Birmingham School of Art and it is a fine example of ‘Arts and Crafts’ design. In it Baring-Gould presents an interesting introduction to the topic of nursery rhymes, in which he sets out to demolish some of the far-fetched theories of some earlier writers about their origins. This does not prevent him, though, from offering a few theories of his own, some of them almost as wild. On the whole, though, his notes are helpful and informative. The songs are drawn from his collection and from printed sources. It should not be a surprise that they have been edited to remove any sexual content. The full versions as collected are usually available in his manuscripts.
Here, Shan has drawn together a small collection of children’s songs from the Baring-Gould collection. The target audience for this is not, directly, the children themselves, but singers who are looking for songs that they can sing to or (even better!) with children. As with other songs on this site they are presented in Sibelius Scorch format. This system enables you to download the song as high quality sheet music that you can print or play.
To view the sheet music, click on the title of the song in the list below. We have included details about the sources of the song as given by Baring-Gould. We should repeat that these songs have been edited by us for this publication to give something that is ready for singing. We have also, in a few cases, changed words or ideas that would have been acceptable in Victorian times but which we now find offensive. For those who wish to see what we have changed we have given the reference to the song in the ‘Personal Copy’ manuscript. Roud numbers have also been added for those who wish to make comparisons with versions from other sources.
The Songs
The Fox
Ref: P2, 120 (170), Roud 131, VWML Ref. SBG/1/2/260
One of the songs heard from the old hedger, James Parsons of Lew Down. Baring-Gould describes it as ‘traditional throughout England’ and quotes a number of printed sources.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
Green Gravel
Ref P3, 49 (422), Roud 1368 SBG/1/3/6, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/69
This song is one of those that Baring-Gould remembered sung by his nurse, Anne Bickle, when he was a child. It was also collected at Down House Farm, a few hundred yards from his house, from the two farmer’s daughters, Louisa and Elizabeth Hamley, by Lucy Broadwood when she stayed with the Baring-Gould’s in September 1893. She included a version from Lancashire in her ‘English County Songs’ published in the same year, describing it as “This dismal little game …”
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
I’ll get my love a house
Ref P2, 2 (115), Roud 330, VWML Ref. SBG/2/3/63
Baring-Gould collected this version of ‘Don’t you go a’ rushing’ from William Nichols of Whitchurch, near Tavistock. He only gave a portion of Nichol’s song and that given here is compiled from the other versions that Baring-Gould included in his manuscript.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
Blue Muslin
P1, 61 (22), Roud 573, VWML Ref. SBG/3/1/137
Heard from John Woodrich of Thrushelton who told Baring-Gould that the song was often sung in pubs as a test of sobriety. The catch was that, at the end, the singer was required to repeat everything in reverse order with the girl answering ‘yes!’ to each question. Failure to complete the song correctly was an indication that the man was ‘a bit fresh.’
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Codlin Apple Tree
P3, 369 (..), Roud 2423, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/460
Lady Lethbridge sent Baring-Gould a number of songs, mostly children’s songs and Shan has included some of them in this collection. Lady Edith Lethbridge was the sister of ‘Sister Emma’ who sang to Cecil Sharp and both learnt their songs from their mother. The full story of the song tradition of the Rankin-Waring family can be read in my book As I Walked out, Sabine Baring-Gould and his Search for the Folk Songs of Devon and Cornwall.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Derby Ram
Ref: P3, 344 (..), Roud 126, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/422
A version of the well-known song about the legendary Derby Ram as heard from the Dartmoor shepherd, John Hext.
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The Fox and the Goose
Ref: P3, 358 (..), Roud 131, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/442
Baring-Gould copied this song from a manuscript notebook of songs compiled by his aunt Emily Baring-Gould. Originally thought to have been lost, this notebook was recently rediscovered. Emily Baring-Gould called this song ‘Sly Reynard’, but her nephew renamed it as he already had a song of this title in his collection. It tells the same story as ‘The Fox’ above.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
Illustration from Emily Baring-Gould’s Nursery Rhyme Notebook
The Dilly Song
Ref: P1, 165 (78), Roud 133, VWML Ref. SBG/1/1/364
Many words have been written about the symbolism contained in ‘The Dilly Song’ and about its cousin ‘The Twelve days of Christmas’ so we won’t look at that again here. This version was heard from an unnamed servant girl in Horrabridge, Devon. We know no more about how it came to Baring-Gould, which is a shame, since it is such a fine version.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Everlasting Circle
Ref P1, 208 (104), Roud 129, VWML Ref. SBG/1/1/491
A version of one of the songs that used to be sung around camp fires or on coaches when I was a boy. This came from James Parsons of Lew Down and John Woodridge of Thrushelton, both close to Baring-Gould’s home in Devon. He published this song in his ‘Book of Nursery Rhymes’ and left out the circumstances of the child’s conception. Here in the manuscripts we have franker record of the song as collected.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Frog and the Mouse (Kitty Alone)
Ref: P2, 310 (288), Roud 16, VWML Ref. SBG/1/2/636
Collected by Baring-Gould from Sam Fone, the mason of Black Down, Mary Tavy. He learned it from his mother in the 1840s.
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Gaffer Grey
Ref: P3, 380 (..), Roud 16599, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/473
Another song sent to Baring-Gould by Lady Lethbridge in 1905. The only other version of this song recorded in Steve Roud’s ‘Folksong Index’ was collected by Cecil Sharp in Crocket Springs, Virginia on his visit to the USA in 1918.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Herring’s Head
Ref: P2, 154 (193), Roud 128, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/873
This song came from John Masters of Bradstone, Devon and is one of three versions that Baring-Gould found, each of them several miles from the sea, explaining the slightly agricultural feeling of the song.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
I saw three ships
Ref: P3, 24 (406), Roud 700, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/38
This version of the well known song was sent to Baring-Gould by Lewis Davis of Pinner, who had heard it sung by boatmen on the River Humber. Davis was an artist and drew the illustrations for Baring-Gould’s article ‘Among the Western Song Men’ (English Illustrated Magazine, Vol. 9, p. 468 – 477)
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
I had four sisters over the sea
Ref: P3, 372 (..), Roud 330, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/462
Sent to Baring-Gould by Lady Lethbridge.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Jolly Goss-hawk
Ref: P1, 151 (71), Roud 1048, VWML Ref. SBG/1/1/323
Another song with a cumulative chorus, heard from Harry Westaway of Belstone, Devon.
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Let’s go out a’ shooting
Ref: P3, 386 (..), Roud 236, VWML. SBG/1/3/482
Another song from Emily Baring-Gould’s notebook.She called it ‘The Shooting Party’. In most versions of the song the bird is a wren rather than a sparrow.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)
The Tailor and the Mouse
Ref: P3, 366 (..), VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/457
The tailor, like the miller, has usually been a figure of fun in country songs, perhaps because both trades were suspected of taking what was not theirs or abusing their positions. Here the tailor’s choice of pet and his treatment of it is the source of ridicule.
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Little Cock Sparrow
Ref: P3, 360 (..), Roud 3368, VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/446
Also from Emily Baring-Gould’s notebook.
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It was once upon a time
Ref: P3, 385 (..), Roud , VWML Ref. SBG/1/3/481
From Emily Baring-Gould’s Nursery Rhyme book. She did not give it a title.
Download the sheet music here (PDF)